MWC: Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 gets not one, but two mini versions

After the X10 (whose test we'll be bringing you soon), Sony Ericsson has unveiled the X10 mini.  And although it's a long way from what Nokia's N97 mini is to the N97, the X10 mini could strike fear into the heart of plenty of ultra-connected mass-market mobiles.

Running Android, the X10 mini's biggest strength is its size.  Its 2.5'' screen is housed in a tiny handset, measuring just 83 x 50 x 16 mm and weighing 85 g on the scales.  The mini won't have any trouble sliding into your pocket.



Don't judge a book by its cover

Although the X10 mini is small, that doesn't mean that the inside is small-fry.  With a 600 MHz Qualcomm processor and 128 MB of memory, it's actually more responsive than its big brother.  Using it is stunning, with absolutely no lag.  The interface, which has been redesigned in part to fit this smaller screen, is still legible and useable.  Sony Ericsson has designed a system where you can drag your four favourite apps into each corner of the home screen, and scrolling inside a web page has been improved too.


X10 mini pro: keyboard included

Sony Ericsson hasn't left those who require a real physical keyboard behind though: the X10 mini pro has a full-size slide-out keyboard.  It seems easy enough to use, despite its pretty small keys.  If you do want the keyboard, you'll have to make do with a little extra bulk, and its dimensions are 90 x 50 x 17 mm and it gains an extra 40 g.


The X10 mini and mini pro seem like direct competitors to the Samsung Corby, Corby TXt and Corby Pro and are pretty well-armed: they're fast, have small but high quality displays, a promising and trendy OS as well as A-GPS, g WiFi and 5 Megapixel cameras.  We're left wondering if the real loser here won't be the full-sized X10, whose only real advantage now is having a larger screen …

> Buyer's Guides: Our Pick of The Best Products