It’s taken a while to emerge, but the Sony Ericsson Neo is finally with
us. Shipments of this Xperia-branded Android device were delayed by
the recent natural disaster in Japan, but now that it’s here we’re
pleased to report that it’s been worth the wait. We’re giving you a
little taster of what this likable mid-range device is capable of, and
we’ll be following it up with the usual exhaustive FoneArena review in
the not-too-distant future.
Looking at the Xperia Neo for the first time calls to mind one of its
recently-launched brothers, the PlayStation-certified Xperia Play. Front
the front, the two phones look very much alike, with only the missing
‘search’ button and enlarged front-facing camera standing out as key
differences. The Neo shares the Play’s metal-effect plastic sides, too –
although around the back, it’s a different story.
The Neo boasts a cool gradient effect on its battery cover, and the
unit we looked at featured a black and metallic blue combination. We
wouldn’t begin to suggest that it will be to everyone’s tastes, but it
certainly tickled our fancy.
The Neo’s 3.7-inch screen may not be as big as the ones seen on the
Play and Arc, but the Bravia Mobile tech Sony Ericsson has used grants
impressive image quality. When placed alongside its sibling the Xperia
Play – which is saddled with quite a dull screen – the difference is
striking.
Which is just as well, because the photos and video captured by the
Neo’s 8-megapixel camera need a good display to do them justice. The
Exmor-R CMOS back-lit sensor is nothing short of breathtaking, and
snaps astonishingly detailed photos. Even at this preview stage, we’re
quite happy to say that it’s one of the best mobile phone cameras we’ve
ever witnessed. Here are three photo samples taken with the XPERIA
Neo.
Like the Arc, the Neo is also capable of recording in 720p HD. Again,
the excellent screen allows your movies to really come to life, and the
HDMI-out port at the top of the handset means you can hook it up to
your telly and share images, videos and even games with the family.
Beating at the heart of this multimedia powerhouse is a fairly humble
1Ghz processor, which could leave some of you feeling disappointed.
However, it’s important to remember that Sony Ericsson is positioning
this as a mid-range Android handset, so it’s unrealistic to expect it
to contain the latest dual-core CPU tech – especially when you consider
that you’re getting such a great screen and camera for the price.
The Sony Ericsson-skinned Android 2.3 interface is very much the same
as it was on the Play and Arc; the changes that have been made are
subtle, and aside from a few annoying ‘bloatware’ applications
installed by the manufacturer, it runs swiftly and reasonably
crash-free.
As a mid-range Android phone, the Neo is going to be facing off against
the likes of the HTC Wildfire S, Samsung Galaxy Ace and the HTC Desire
S. It’s certainly more than a match for all of those handsets based on
what we’ve seen so far, but as always we’d suggest you wait for our
final verdict before splashing our your hard-earned cash.
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