Sony Ericsson Xperia range: Which one’s best?

The Sony Ericsson Xperia used to be a single smartphone, but now the name is a range encompassing four very different smartphones. But which one should you spend your money one?

To ensure you don’t get short-changed, bamboozled by technical jargon or overwhelmed by the sheer number of Xperia models available, we’ve summed up the best features of each Xperia in a nutshell.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

If you live and breathe videogames but don’t want the fun to end when you walk out of the front door, then the Xperia Play is the smartphone for you.

It can play a whole range of top-quality videogames, including Guitar Hero, Assassin’s Creed and Crash Bandicoot. New games are downloaded directly onto the phone over 3G or wi-fi connections from a dedicated online store.

Controlling your favourite games on the Xperia Play is child’s play because PlayStation-style controls slide out from underneath the device’s touchscreen. Innovative touch-sensitive circular thumbpads also give you a new way of controlling videogames – though not all titles will support them, Sony Ericsson has said.

The Xperia Play is more than just a portable PlayStation, though. It also packs enough communication and entertainment features to rival the iPhone 4.

Version 2.3 – also known as “Gingerbread” – of Google’s Android operating system runs on the smartphone, which means it’s also a good choice for:

• Surfing the internet
• Downloading apps
• Checking emails

Read our Sony Ericsson Xperia Play guide.

Compare Sony Ericsson Xperia Play deals.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is the choice for film and photography buffs.

The smartphone’s 4.2in high-resolution screen means every moment of your favourite Hollywood best-seller or Bollywood blockbuster will appear in rich, vibrant and sharp clarity.

If you also like photography then the 8.1 Mp Exmor R camera shouldn’t fail to impress, whatever the special moment you’re capturing.

The phone’s variety of helpful pre-set shooting modes and photography tools should also help improve your images considerably.

An HDMI port on the phone means you’ll even be able to connect the smartphone to your TV to see a larger view of any films, TV shows and photos stored on it.

Compare cheap Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc offers.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is a mid-range smartphone suited to anyone who wants a straightforward phone for checking their emails, taking pictures, listening to music and maybe even watching a bit of telly.

The Neo has a respectable 3.7in touchscreen and three main physical buttons for jumping quickly to the Home screen, going back a step and skipping to the main menu.

A 3.5mm headphone connector means you can wear any headphones you like while listening to the wide variety of tracks you’ll be able to store on the phone, thanks to its Micro SD memory card support.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo also offers:

• An 8.1Mp camera
• Mobile internet over 3G and wi-fi
• An HDMI port.

Compare Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo deals.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

If touchscreen typing slows you down, then the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is a good choice, thanks to its slide-out physical Qwerty keypad and smart email features.

When holding the Xperia Pro horizontally you’ll see a preview of each email beside the subject line and recipient’s details – just like you do in Microsoft Office.

The phone will then automatically switch to the email reply screen when you slide out its physical keypad because it’s assumed that you want to send a reply email – a smart feature.

Xperia Pro could also be used for holding video telephone calls because it has a front-facing 2Mp camera. The rear-facing 8Mp should come in handy for photographing, well, just about anything.

Compare Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro deals.



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Top Orange mobile phone deals and tariffs

Galaxy S2(black) £0.00	100 min Unlimited texts	£20.50
Galaxy S3(blue) £0.00	400 min Unlimited texts	£31.00
One X(black) £0.00	600 min Unlimited texts	£28.50
XPERIA S(black) £0.00	100 min Unlimited texts	£20.50
Galaxy S3(blue) £0.00	600 min Unlimited texts	£36.00




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