Introduction

The Apple iPhone smartphone maker on the wrong foot caught the most. Many mobile phone manufacturers had not grown simply still the sudden boom in this segment. So, it was also Sony Ericsson, a joint venture of the Japanese group for consumer electronics, Sony and the mobile phone supplier Ericsson from Sweden.

The Xperia series represents the upper classes of the Sony-Ericsson devices and made the Xperia X 1 by itself in particular with the high-quality Windows Mobile device are talking about. But in addition to the above Microsoft operating system, as well as a Sony Ericsson’s software development, the manufacturer has high hopes in the Google Android operating system.

The Xperia X 10 to mark entry into the Android upper classes and expand the portfolio of Sony Ericsson to an another top device. Whether the X 10 actually keep up with the competition or they even surpass, we will find out on the following pages.

Scope of delivery

No surprise in the cardboard box: how in the photo to see only an AC adapter, the accompanying USB cable, a quick start guide and an Earbud Headset from Sony are provided in the device.

Properties

With the Snapdragon chipset from Qualcomm and the integrated 1 GHz CPU called “Scorpion” much power available is the Xperia X 10. In particular the graphics unit is integrated in the chipset is one of the fastest of the current generation of Smartphone.

In addition, the device with a measured 4 inch diagonal TFT screen is equipped under reflective glass. The screen represents a total 854 × 480 pixels, which corresponds to an aspect ratio of 16: 9.

In addition to one gigabyte of onboard Flash memory, also eight gigabytes are the user space on the included microSDHC media available.

Everything else can be found in the detailed specification:

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Design and processing

As usual for devices, which bear the brand name “Sony”, much time has been invested by the manufacturer in the design. The Xperia X 10 has chic, follows the trend of the clear lines and edges, shows but also subtle curves.

High-quality appearance but also the same material among our opinion. Although decorated the keys of the manufacturer with a noble chrome effect and leaves the frame in Matt silver shimmer, but the basis of almost all used body parts, unfortunately, is plastic.

The back is particularly chic however. That is matte black and slightly rubberized – at least at the shown “sensuous black” model. This coating and the form to the edges slightly rounded leave the black Xperia X 10 in the hand – the highlight in terms of design.

The white “luster white” model has a glossy surface on the back and is therefore a little slippery, differs us apart from the colour but not further from the present black copy.

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Great Sony Ericsson has made also during processing. So much the plastic look like pain also: each part is almost seamlessly connected to its neighbor. The back cover can be removed accordingly only with some effort, as well as the battery.

At the top of the USB port, which must be used with additional adapter for charging the battery to the power grid, was equipped with a small lid. That requires sometimes a little fiddling, protects but from dirt and moisture.

Display and camera

The display of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X 10 is scratch-resistant mineral glass. Together, with the most smartphones, it has also the reflective screen surface. The resolution of 854 × 480 pixels provides on the 4 “display for a nearly sharp appearance stung.”

Although the TFT screen of X can keep up 10 in terms of contrast and brilliance of colours not with the current AMOLED competition, but the screen but also in the open is very visible. The display of the Xperia X 10 is therefore ultimately the really good.

With 8.1 megapixel Sony Ericsson look his first Android Sprösslings has immediately powered a lot of possible photo pixel. But also the corresponding chip at least suitably dealt with his task. The two test shots are created without additional settings in the automatic mode an impression of.

The Geo-Tagging of photos is unfortunately incomplete, which is why the data 10 itself can be used only by X. Many other online services and applications can process only fully registered coordinates information.

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The photos are to use at least for social networks. If you want really sharp photos in high resolution, should not rely on the Xperia X 10 – as well as the entire Smartphone competition.

Videos the camera of the X draws on (800 × 480 px) 10 in VGA (640 × 480 px) or WVGA resolution. A bucking is not to recognize for YouTube quality and frame rate range (permanently over 20 frames per second on average about 28) once. Our example video was in the 4: 3-added format.

Understanding and input

Apart from the capacitive touchscreen, the Xperia X 10 also still use the buttons on the housing is to operate. At the bottom of the front are 3 narrow and running keys, across whose caption in the form of symbols very much the design adapted to and their function is not immediately obvious. In addition to the well recognizable “back” button the button for the call of the main screen and in turn to the left is located in the Middle the corresponding menu button.

A Trackball or a navigation pad was not powered 10 unfortunately the X. Who wants to highlight specific passages or the service at one of these species has been used, must accustom itself, that it takes sometimes several attempts to take place between two letters. However two arrow keys (to the left or right) on the virtual keyboard is a little help.

The standby button at the top was well implemented – he stands out, nor is it is hard to touch. This also applies to the placed on the page and inserted the design key pair for the zoom and the volume, as well as the camera shutter. The latter was in our test slightly stiff and required a very precise, vertical pressure.

As with almost all Android smartphones of these days, a real answer, as well as a launch button missing also this one. Frequent callers should therefore previously consider whether they want to take calls like to exclusively via the touchscreen contrary to and end. There are also no intelligent speed dial, as it offers HTC, for example, with “Sense”. The input of numbers causes unfortunately no simultaneous search for letters matches in the background (for example “26″ for “AM”).

In addition, the Xperia however offers a solid sound quality during the reassembling and also the recipient of our test calls have never complained about the quality of the X 10 microphone.

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Although Sony Ericsson has, made all effort to design the user interface of Android, own style the keyboard apart from a slightly different skin was not improved. The standard on-screen keyboard of Android is many a thorn in the side, because you the numbers, as well as important special keys (for example, the “@” or the minus symbol) can type without switching to the next key sheet. But the Android community – more precisely: the ranks of the Xperia-X 10 owners – has already ways found, to bring the erntende praise HTC sense keyboard on the X 10.

Software

So far, so good. The Xperia X 10 cuts off good to very good in almost all categories – there would be not the software “UX”, that is to extend the Android operating system.

This ensures frustration in many respects. First, UX with its applications such as “Landscape of the TimeS” and “Media landscape” as well as HTC (“sense”), Samsung (“Touchwiz”) is the primary reason for the delay of Android updates and co.. The operating system was already at the time of our tests in version 2.1, now Google has published “Froyo” with a long time.

Android 2.0 was released in October 2009, in January of this year and the jump to version 2.1. The Xperia X 10 is on Android 1.6 from last September – after all, some bugs were fixed and brought the Linux kernel to a newer level.

This has several disadvantages: first, there are now many apps that are designed exclusively for Android 2. On the other hand, many optimizations for the benefit of the speed have been made in recent versions.

Whether you now laments this fact Sony Ericsson, or whether it passes the buck Google for its update policy, is ultimately irrelevant – remains the weak point.

An update to Android 2.1 is indeed scheduled and was recently preferred in the autumn 2010, in the meantime, Google can have but already with new Android milestones. For customers who want to use your Smartphone in long, may be this a consolation. Who wants to stay, however, always up to date, is certainly no longer happy with the Xperia X 10.

Despite the bickering to the State of the used software we must not forget that Android definitely has a huge potential also in version 1.6. Despite some restrictions, tens of thousands of available apps are a clear advantage.

But it would be even better, if 10 by a liquid the surface operation latency make forget the X up to the Android update some would. However, this is not the case. Despite the potent hardware, such as the animations between screens running often not smoothly. Let us hope that will change this fact before Christmas.

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With the application of “landscape of the TimeS” and the related widgets social can be clearly summarised networks along with short messages and emails. That worked but not error-free with our test device. The implementation of the German community studiVZ caused during the retrieval of new posts every time the background process to crash. Apart from the error message shown above, this had no effect while, bugged but more appropriately shortly set update interval.

The multimedia jukebox “media landscape” difficult, however, no. Moving images, music and photos can be play, manage and browse. The attractive design and the successful operation, which is even much fun.

With slide shows, good overviews of albums including representation of the cover and the ability to play a variety of audio and video formats, Sony Ericsson for the Xperia X 10 at least in terms of multimedia on the shoulder can tap.

In addition, a number of “Moxier” is provided referred to applications to synchronize with Exchange servers. The modular software “Sony Ericsson PC Companion” dealt with all the possible tasks in combination with a PC or laptop.

YouTube videos can be viewed through the pre-installed Access, support for Adobe not offering the Xperia X 10 but – the battery will thank during the browsing experience.

In everyday life

Power and battery

Apart from the already mentioned problem of non-liquid animations, it hooks also where one or the other, for example, when typing under corresponding load. Although it is equipped with a very powerful processor, the Xperia X 10 in the everyday operation can apparently consider not the full advantage of it. The integrated graphics controller is however among the currently best and also demonstrates this benchmarks.

Therefore, in the most apps and games the Xperia X 10 can score with good values. This illustrates the creation of our test results:

Must the Xperia X 10 beaten nearly the Motorola milestone in the overall classification and is quite clear from the HTC desire depends on:

The battery life of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X 10 is measured by the manufacturer still in the age-old categories duration telephony (8 to 10 hours) and standby (about 17 days), which gives no information about the runtime in an appropriate use.

You should set up out nightly, but at least every second night completely having to load the Smartphone. Who expects much boredom for example on a long train, should look there for a socket. In an intense video and game use shortens the period up to the warning message on 4 to 5 hours.

In relation of to other phones in this price range the X is 10 in the midfield. It is not a Web junkie, but unfortunately no condition miracle.

Bicycle tour

Our “tour” to the Berlin snack “Burger master” has come to the Xperia X 10 with the Motorola milestone. Most of the time it was also in a bag of my backpack. A while spent there but also in the Pocket, where there was little negative even noticed despite its size. For the small pockets of a tight jeans, the X 10 is of course much too bulky. As soon as there is some air, but also enough room for the Xperia X should be 10 since.

The recording of GPS data by using the application “SportyPal” ran almost smooth. In a 1000-metre section, the supposedly distance but deviated from the actually traversed roads. As the same time carried Motorola milestone not showed these problems by using the same software, this suggests to a chance or may be a problem of the GPS module. Reproduction not settled the behavior in the test period in any case.

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At the Brandenburg Gate, a photo of the world-famous monument was taken by using the default settings. The X 10 beat is doing compared to Motorola milestone right wacker and the scene plays like this how I had – there found it, really good for a Smartphone, more but not also.

Conclusion

In February 2009, we tested the T-Mobile G1 and wrote this: “outside Ugh, inside hui”. Today, some 15 months later, is the Sony Xperia X 10 before us and turns the phrase back in their original form. Externally, the Xperia X 10 may be challenging, it may appeal to many at first glance. But the manufacturer Sony Ericsson in some respects has pretty much botched the entry into the market of Android-based mobile devices.

By this fact the software is to blame in the first place: the UX interface still doesn’t seem to be a mature, with our test device the studiVZ implementation in “Landscape of the TimeS” crashed reproducible, as soon as you wanted to get the Bush radio on the net.

In addition there must be no “high-end device” in our view, which puts anno 2010 on Android 1.6. Sony Ericsson released his so-called Android flagship actually with one of two successors (2.0, 2.1) detached version of the Google operating system, now even 2.2 has dazugesellt itself. The company can apologize as a result of the adjustments that were needed for the UX interface. This is ironic, when you are the teething problems of the GUI essay in mind. In terms of software, there is still much catching up to do.

A phone in this price range should also support two-finger gestures. It is very a pity that one must renounce “Pinch To Zoom” in the case of the Xperia X 10 on Google maps and in the image view.

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The Xperia X 10 has in our test disappointed.

The multimedia features of the Xperia X 10 are positive. Who wants to use his next Smartphone mainly for music and video playback and the separate digital camera can be happy also once at home, can pull of the Xperia X 10 consider buying. In these categories, the mobile phones from Sony Ericsson portfolio has always were among the best.

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• Camera creates relatively good shots
• higher capacity
• scratch-resistant mineral glass display
• Multimedia performance (good audio quality, liquid 720 p video playback)

But the continued high price of over 430 euros a certain claim should be derived from for the Xperia X 10. It should be with the competition in this price region on par. Of 10 can be on the X but does not mention. For a similar sum to get Android 2.2, an AMOLED display and at least equivalent computing power on the competition now. And also not Android competition has to offer comparable here. Furthermore, also a very good for Smartphone conditions camera, the successful media landscape software and a good sound quality via the Jack output can not comfort.

Prices and availability

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X 10 is available for several months in black or white from around 430 euros at various retailers. Also it can be selected from the most mobile operators to various treaties and at subsidized rates.