Sony Xperia miro review: You too

Unboxing the Xperia miro

The Xperia miro's retail package contains only the basics. We've been there with the Xperia tipo - a charger and a USB cable is all you get.

The Xperia miro retail box

There is no headset or a microSD card, though lots of fan videos on YouTube show the presence of a headset. We guess all retail boxes (unlike our review package) will come with a headset inside after all.

Sony Xperia miro 360-degree view

The Sony Xperia miro looks very much like the rugged Xperia go - it's nearly the same shape and size and has similar measurements. It weighs 110 g and stands at 113 x 59.4 x 9.9 mm.

Sony Xperia miro design and build quality

The Sony Xperia miro returns to the signature rectangular design of the NXT line - we don't think the rounded corners did the Xperia tipo much of a favor. The finish is simple and inexpensive but by no means of poor quality. In fact, the back of the handset doesn't feel as coarse as on the Xperia go and the tipo, which is earning the miro a few bonus points.

The styling is very clean and simple. The trademark chin creates a very subtle bulge around back - as opposed to the perfectly flat rear panel of the Xperia go. This allows are more comfortable and secure hold, especially when you need to loosen your grip on the phone to reach all the way down to the capacitive controls below the screen.

Above the screen, a proximity sensor and a status LED are hidden within the bezel. The VGA front-facing camera is to the left of the earpiece.

Front cam and earpiece

Below the HVGA display is the usual arrangement of three capacitive controls. The Back, Home and Menu keys are sufficiently-spaced and haptic-enabled. A tap and hold on the Home key will launch the task switcher. Right below the Home key there is a hidden status LED that glows while you charge the phone, blinks upon an incoming call and does a breathing effect as you you turn the screen on.

A dedicated app from the Google Play store will let you further customize the status LED's behavior. It will integrate with some of the phone's apps and offer more notifications with customizable color.

Touch-sensitive Back, Home and Menu keys below the screen

The left side features the microUSB port. The volume rocker is at the very top on the right. The very thin single button has surprisingly good press.

The sides of the Xperia miro

The lock/power key and the 3.5mm audio jack are at the top.

The 3.5mm jack and power key

At the bottom we find the mic pinhole and a lanyard eyelet.

The bottom of Xperia miro

At the back of the Sony Xperia miro we find the 5MP camera lens and the LED flash. The loudspeaker is just below the Xperia logo.

The camera lens and the loudspeaker

The battery cover wraps around the sides of the phone and fits firmly in place, with little to no gap where the two halves meet. Underneath, the SIM and microSD slots are outside the battery compartment but are not accessible unless you remove the battery.

A peak under the battery cover

The Xperia miro seems more than reasonably powered by a 1500 mAh battery, which is rated at up to 470 h of 2G stand-by or up to 545 h of 3G idling. Talk time stands at 5h (2G) and 6h (3G) - not too impressive but still it should be enough for a day or two.