Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 review: Another one in

Introduction

It was back in February 2008 that the XPERIA lineup was born and it took Sony Ericsson almost two years to bring about the XPERIA X1 successor. The long waiting is over now and the XPERIA X2 is keen to prove to us all it was worth it.

Both devices obviously have lots of features in common (it's the same amount of memory - both RAM and ROM, and the same CPU) but there are - possibly - enough improvements to make the XPERIA X2 a strong successor and a valuable upgrade. And by telling you that, we don't only mean the more recent version of WinMo. 6.5 was never officially compatible with the original.

Anyway, the upgraded imaging is the greatest asset of the XPERIA X2 hardware and we're about to see how much it works in its favor.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 official images

Before we kick off though, a bit of family tree stuff. The XPERIA X2 is only the second PocketPC in the series after the X1. The X10 runs Android and so does the rumored Robyn, while the Pureness isn't even a smartphone. The XPERIA lineup comes in different shapes and sizes but it all started with Windows Mobile. The X2 is perfectly aware of that and comes to offer some all-round PocketPC skills and the aggressive styling of its forerunner.

Key features:

• Quad-band GSM support
• Tri-band 3G with HSDPA 7.2Mbps and HSUPA 2Mbps
• Four-row slide-and-tilt QWERTY keyboard
• Landscape and portrait virtual QWERTY keyboards
• Handwriting recognition
• 3.2" 65K-color TFT LCD resistive touchscreen (480 x 800 pixels)
• Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional
• XPERIA panels user interface
• Accelerometer sensor
• Qualcomm MSM 7200 528 MHz CPU, 256 MB of RAM memory
• 8.1 megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash
• WVGA video recording at 30fps
• Support for DivX/XviD files out of the box
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
• Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth and USB (standard microUSB connector) v2.0
• 3.5mm standard audio jack
• Stereo speakers
• Flash video support
• TV out port, TV out cable supplied in the retail box

Main disadvantages:

• Outdated hardware
• Sluggish interface
• Display still on the small side, inadequate touch sensitivity and sunlight legibility
• Almost no screen auto-rotation throughout the UI
• Disappointing video recording
• Basic music player
• No FM radio (should be enabled with upcoming firmware update)
• No video calling (should be enabled with upcoming firmware update)

As we said in the preview a few months back, there aren't many groundbreaking features to see, but the XPERIA X2 is definitely worth a look to check what it can actually do.

Well, if you're looking for Snapdragon speed, you won't find it here. There's no capacitive touchscreen either. And the X2 also skips an FM radio and its camera has no Xenon flash. But you get all the business benefits you would expect in a phone in this class, with some nice media too.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 packs the full range of connectivity options, hopefully a capable enough CPU, a comfy slide-and-tilt QWERTY keyboard, promising autofocus camera and, like its predecessor, it has a 3.5mm audio jack on board. The trackpad is also there (even if it's been redesigned).

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 live shots

While the XPERIA X1 came with a 3" display, the X2's screen measures 3.2 inches, but keeps the same 800 x 480 resolution. Among the most important novelties brought by the X2 is the latest firmware version: Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional. The revamped touch-optimized X-panels interface has been promoted to a full featured system for handling various animated and interactive homescreens.

Unlike the early version of the X2 which we had for a spin and a short preview, this one comes off the shelves so no excuses this time! After the jump a 360 degree spin awaits, along with our say on design and construction. But first things first - next up: unboxing.