Sony Ericsson has promised the X10 will get frequent updates, which is admirable -- especially since most people will be forking out for a two-year contract for this phone. That means later versions of Android and refreshes to the custom features, unlocking bits of the hardware that aren't yet supported by the OS, such as an even higher colour resolution for the screen. We expect the company will live up to this promise, so if you fall in love with the X10, we don't think you should stay away just because of the slightly older version of Android.
Unfortunately, one feature that probably won't be coming to the X10 is multi-touch, which means no two-fingered gestures that will have you giddily zooming in and out of Web pages and photos. If you aren't used to using multi-touch already, you probably won't miss it, but it's such a fun and intuitive way of interacting with a touchscreen phone that we're always sad when it's not an option.
In camera
The X10 may be behind the curve on software, but its camera is ahead of
the pack. An 8.1-megapixel snapper does a great job of capturing sharp
shots in
good light, and there's even an LED photo light -- although for some
reason, it
doesn't come on automatically. We had to turn it on manually when we
took
photos and video in low light, which is totally impractical. Despite
this
quirk, the camera on the X10 shines when compared to many other smart
phones,
and offers lots of options to help you fine-tune your pics.
We weren't as impressed with the X10's speed. It boasts a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, just like the HTC Desire, but the X10 felt slower in places. This is possibly because its graphics are more ambitious, like when Timescape first opens and when trying to unlock the screen. But this phone isn't unbearably sluggish, it's just not mind-blowingly fast like some of its top of the range competitors.
Similarly, the on-screen keyboard is better than on the average touchscreen phone, but doesn't measure up to the kings of the touchscreen hill, the iPhone 3GS, the HTC Legend and the HTC Desire. The keys are arranged logically, and they're big enough, but we didn't find them as responsive to our fastest typing, and there's no button to hide away the keyboard -- which is very useful in Android, because the keyboard often pops up and blocks on-screen buttons.
Shiny shiny
Somehow Sony Ericsson has gotten away with having three buttons on
the
front instead of the usual four, and it's also gotten rid of the
trackpad you typically see on Android phones. That makes the phone look
more
streamlined, even with the addition of a dedicated camera button.
At 13mm thick, the X10 isn't the thinnest phone out there, but it feels thin, and we love its softly curved back -- it's slightly rubbery to prevent slips. The front is a sheer cliff of screen, which is shiny and hungry for fingerprints, but worth it for the 4 inches of big screen loveliness.
The X10 doesn't skimp on connectivity either, offering Wi-Fi, GPS, and HSPA for fast Web surfing over 3G. Stereo Bluetooth and a standard 3.5mm headphone jack ensure you can use your own wireless or wired headphones. It's also packed in 1GB of on-board memory -- which is especially handy for Android phones, since you have install all your apps to the on-board memory -- and comes with an 8GB microSD card, with support for up to a 32GB card.
With all this power on board, making calls should be the least of your worries -- and we found call quality was fine on the X10. We were slightly annoyed we had to tap to unlock the screen, while in a call, so we could use the number pad -- but at least it keeps the phone from being dialled by your face.
The battery life was also decent for a smart phone, which is to say you can get a full day on one charge, unless you're surfing the Web like an eBay addict.
Conclusion
The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 is a very good first
stab at the Android-powered phone, with a lovely big screen and
above-average camera. If we'd
never seen its top of the range competition, such as the HTC Desire, we
wouldn't know
to pine for the latest Android features, multi-touch or
better-integrated
custom apps. But we have seen this phone done slightly better elsewhere,
so it's
hard to ignore what's missing on the X10.
Edited by Nick Hide
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User reviews36
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detectiveconan21 1 October 2011
Good: i guess it looks alright
Bad: nearly everything
Comment: i am absolutely appalled with this mobile phone. so much that i just had to make a review so people can be warned about this. ok, first. i swapped phones with my mum because she couldnt use the touchscreen, so thats how i ended up with this shitty piece of junk. it is so sensitive yet so sluggish upon touch, i cannot scroll down the endless list of useless apps without accidentally opening a dumb app. it doesnt let me delete these stupid apps, making it harder for me to actually find stuff like messages, settings, etc. not to mention it is very ugly in appearance. very hard to type or navigate when filling in text boxes. when someone calls me its so hard to retrieve the call and also makes it amazingly difficult to close the call.
and thats not all, there is probably a hundred other things thats wrong with this phone that i havnt had the time to find out yet.
this phone is a nightmare.
i am so so so shocked with this product and warn anyone not to buy this phone because it will make you so annoyed- like with me.
Ravi Kumar 19 June 2011
Comment: can any one suggust me wether to buy xperia x10 or not
Divine Veniegas 2 June 2011
Good: the phone's camera, screen, and the design of its body
Bad: no automatic flash.. the phone's always on lag.. and its battery life.
Comment: well im a bit disappointed with its performance because when i first look at it, the phone seems to be perfect and all. the o.s is not good enough ,, very laggy. I thought timescape was cool but its not that really useful, it only puts the phone on lag..it doesnt even have an auto flash..
its not good enough compared to other android phones out there..
See all 36 user reviews