Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 Disadvantages

Introduction

Sony Ericsson don’t believe in the one-size-fits-all concept. Their XPERIA lineup stretches from XS to XL. The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 fits right in the middle. A grown X10 mini or a smaller X10, the X8 will do well either way because it’s average in a good way. Its job is to attract the people who were put off by the size extremes of the X10s.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 official photos
Compared to the X10 mini, the camera on the X8 has been downgraded to 3MP fixed-focus, but the screen has grown to a healthy 3 inches and the resolution has doubled –improving both the image quality and giving the custom Android UI more room to work with.
The rest of the package was left intact – down to the complimentary 2GB microSD card in the box. We hear the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 will be priced at around 200 euro, which will make good value for money.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 at a glance:

• General: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, UMTS 1900/2100 MHz, HSDPA
• Form factor: Touchscreen bar
• Dimensions: 99 x 54 x 15 mm, 104g weight
• Display: 3" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen with HVGA resolution; scratch-resistant surface
• Platform: Android OS 1.6 with custom Sony Ericsson UI
• CPU: 600Mhz processor
• Memory: 128MB internal memory, microSD card slot, 2GB card included
• Camera: 3-megapixel fixed-focus camera, geo-tagging, VGA@30fps video recording
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, standard microUSB port, GPS receiver with A-GPS, digital compass, 3.5mm audio jack
• Misc: Timescape UI, Infinite button, accelerometer for screen auto rotate, FM radio with RDS, TrackID music recognition
• Battery: 1200 mAh Li-Po battery

Let’s face it, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 and X10 mini are niche products – one for the high-end loving crowd and the other for those fascinated by the tiny yet powerful smartphone.
The XPERIA X8 on the other hand is aimed at the masses. The 600MHz CPU won’t break any speed records, but Sony Ericsson have optimized their custom interface to the point of giving you a smooth and consistent run – which at times does feel blazing fast.
There’s no n-enabled Wi-Fi radio or Bluetooth 3.0 support, but honestly, how many of you actually use those? Wi-Fi b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 and A-GPS along with HSDPA-enabled 3G give the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 all the connectivity most people will ever need.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 live shots
So, the XPERIA X8 is not a “feature superior” phone, it won’t make the competition cower in fear. But it tries to give the majority of consumers a feature-rich package at a reasonable price.
Flip to the next page where we begin our investigation into whether or not the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 keeps that promise.
Disclaimer: The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X8 review unit used for this article is technically a pre-release version. Further changes and optimizations in both software and hardware (internals) are quite likely. This is the reason we're going for our shorter type of article, which we call "preview". As usual, we'll do a full-length in-depth review, as soon as we get a final retail version.