Hands-on with Sony Ericsson's world-beating XPERIA X1

We battled through crazy crowds -- seriously, it's a complete madhouse down there -- at Mobile World Congress to spend some time and grab some shots of Sony Ericssons' newest smart phone, the XPERIA X1. This handset is undoubtedly the finest bit of Windows Mobile -- 6? 6.1? -- this side of anywhere and bound to be a really hot ticket item. Hit up the read link to Engadget Mobile for a gallery just bursting with XPERIA flavor.

[_Adam- @ Feb 11th 2008 12:57PM]

looks amazing... now if only it was CDMA...

[JLTate @ Feb 11th 2008 1:29PM]

I agree. But... I hate Sprint anyway, so maybe it's a good excuse to leave.

[GTMac @ Feb 11th 2008 1:55PM]

Hear hear! When are Verizon subscribers going to be given a "game-changing iPhone killer", because it certainly isn't the Voyager.

[Rusty Shackleford @ Feb 11th 2008 2:43PM]

it will be sweet if it used XMB skinned version of winmo

[Joey @ Feb 11th 2008 1:11PM]

I am a WM 5/6 (and a bunch of cooked roms as well) on different devices (touch and smartphones) and I am really looking forward to trying the X1 out. I also have a few iPhones as well. My concern is that while I primary use my WM for email/calendar when it comes times to using the media portion, it's not as fluid as the iPhone.

I am sure Sony reskinned the X1 just like HTC did with the Touch but did they make multimedia playback any better and do you still need to install TCPMP or Corevideo to get any decent DivX/Xvid/MP4/MOV playback?

[Deniz @ Feb 11th 2008 1:12PM]

SWEET

[DP @ Feb 11th 2008 1:14PM]

I wouldn't say amazing...

[facebookfake @ Feb 11th 2008 5:18PM]

that's because you're a douche

[DP @ Feb 12th 2008 2:44PM]

That's because you're a douche?" So what are you kids, 12?

[Sarcasticone @ Feb 12th 2008 3:16PM]

Actually 13 douche.

[Ellianth @ Feb 11th 2008 1:37PM]

How does one go about pronouncing that word?

[guerilla779 @ Feb 11th 2008 1:40PM]

ex-pe-ria

[Derbeste @ Feb 11th 2008 1:52PM]

XPeria (freek'-en-sweet')

[khamel @ Feb 11th 2008 1:41PM]

cuanto questa?!?

more than the 16gb iphone?

[Frankenstein Black @ Feb 11th 2008 1:41PM]

The Phone “EMPIRE STRIKES BACK!” Did the iPhone rebel forces think we would take their innovation lying down? All Steve Han Solo did was “Awaken sleeping Giants!” ** Queue Vader’s breathing and insert Star Wars music here**

[Argot @ Feb 11th 2008 1:58PM]

I've always thought of Jobs as the emperor surrounded by his Fanboi-stormtroopers.

[riggs @ Feb 11th 2008 2:28PM]

theyre all white like the ipods, so makes sense.

[pattman247 @ Feb 11th 2008 3:32PM]

how about the black ipods?

http://www.starwars.com/collecting/shop/shopnews/img/20061101.jpg

[CassilineKnight @ Feb 11th 2008 1:45PM]

Seriously I'm not seeing why all of you are about to cum over this this phone.

I want to wait to see what the iPhone 2.0 has to offer before I get excited about this one. Plus what companies would carry it? Verizon, AT&T?

[Jon Doe. @ Feb 11th 2008 1:52PM]

If its like every other Apple product in history it will have new icons, a couple new feature and maybe a new radio inside...that is it. Remember why would Jobs ever want to fix perfection. Or that is probably what the man thinks.

Why are people drooling over this thing? Well lets see. QWERTY keyboard, touch screen, a non neutered OS that has a crap ton of apps (many of which are really good, and the cherry on the cake? It ain't on Crapular's network.

[Scott @ Feb 11th 2008 2:01PM]

"a non neutered OS that has a crap ton of apps"

You mean like S60?

Seriously, WinMo could use some neutering. It'd probably work better!

[Zoesch @ Feb 11th 2008 2:08PM]

That's what's putting me off the XPERIA X1, WinMo... Had it been a Symbian S60 device I'd been all over it but unfortunately not only my experiences with WinMo have been negative (It does mail integration just one notch less perfect than RIM dows but the phone part is still substandard) but WinMo has this tendency to not playing nice with anything that's not Windows and I need calendar/contact integration between my Windows desktop at work and my MacBook Pro at home (And the missing link doesn't cut it, really, it's a kludge)

[Djunior80 @ Feb 11th 2008 2:09PM]

Lets not forget that this phone also has GPS and 3G!

[derX @ Feb 11th 2008 3:56PM]

First, this phone is amazing, name another device that has this spec list--none, actually--and in such an attractive package.

Second, "cum over this this phone"? Remind me to never touch your lustworthy iPhone 2.0.....also, for future reference:

BODILY FLUIDS + PHONES = VOIDED WARRANTY

[Esat @ Feb 11th 2008 1:48PM]

what on earth posessed them NOT to put in at least a 5 megapixel camera?

[Jon Doe. @ Feb 11th 2008 2:23PM]

Maybe because its a phone and a PDA first and foremost? You need a 5MP camera go out and buy one.

[James Cameron @ Feb 11th 2008 2:25PM]

If you want a 5meg Pixel camera, go buy a real digital camera. Camera phone aren't meant to take professional pictures quality. Get it through your skull you people! 5mega pixel is overkill for a camera phone at the moment. If the quality of a camera phone is as good as a digital camera, then ya it make sense.

[Esat @ Feb 11th 2008 2:45PM]

I'm apologise. How dare a lover of technology and convergence such as myself want a potentially amazing phone to have a decent point and snap camera.

Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, I'd rather have one device in my pocket instead of 2, and that maybe I don't want to fork out extra cash for a camera when all I want is some casual pictures on the go that more than suit my needs?

Leave immediately.

[agroupofletters @ Feb 11th 2008 2:54PM]

this will probably take pretty good pictures, decent enough for your"casual use" , and i'm happy they didn't because that would probably drive the high (i'm assuming) price even higher

[James Cameron @ Feb 11th 2008 3:07PM]

@Esat

You just don't get it do you? Do you know what a 5megapixel is? What are you planning to do with a 2560 x 1920 with bad quality? You're going to end up having to shrink it down anyway to fit your monitor for viewing. My point is if you still don't have a clue is if the quality isn't there what's the point having it such a large pixel.

[Esat @ Feb 11th 2008 3:11PM]

The 5 megapixels on my N95 is more than enough for me thank you very much, but I appreciate the efforts you have gone to to cram your evidently superior knowledge and OPINIONS down my throat.

[derX @ Feb 11th 2008 3:58PM]

Yeah, let's remember what year where are in people.

Every heard of Sony's Cybershot phone line? Or maybe the n95? Cameras in phone are no longer novel.

Let's just out of Esat's throat and into 2008.

[Jesse S @ Feb 11th 2008 1:53PM]

Is it a shitty mechanical slider like on every other HTC device, or does it have a nice magnetic slider like on Samsung's PDA phones?

[patsy @ Feb 11th 2008 3:32PM]

Yes.

[DP @ Feb 11th 2008 4:04PM]

^Funny^

[CassilineKnight @ Feb 11th 2008 2:06PM]

Thanks for the explanation...

By Crapular I'm guessing you mean Cingular? Aren't they a part of AT&T? And I've heard good things bout their network. Its fairly big and pretty good when it comes to signal and quality right?

As for the iPhone hopefully the things you mentioned will be changed or vastly improved. One can hope. Either way though I'm stuck with Sprint until I see the next BIG thing thats worth my money.

[Jesse S @ Feb 11th 2008 4:37PM]

No.

[Hung @ Feb 11th 2008 5:17PM]

Hi CassilineKnight, meet reply button. Reply button, meet CassilineKnight. I'll just let you two get acquainted.

[Javaflash @ Feb 11th 2008 2:12PM]

If Sony Ericsson has something this spectacular from a HTC mode, you can bet Nokia, LG, Samsung all have one locked and loaded ready to go. These Asians and Europeans are tough mean animals(bred that way by the industry). In a few months, you will feel like iPhone belongs to a museum.... I mean the ones that archive the past.

My god, aGPS to VGA screen... nothing got held back.

[Precision @ Feb 11th 2008 2:16PM]

i want one of these, however, unfortuantly my contract is up for renewel at the start of march -_-

guess i'll have to settle for the HTC TyTn II. can't say my old HTC Universal was the best in build quality but it did its job and i'd rather use ones with keyboards.

the TyTn II is smaller then the Universal so good for me :p
was abit annoying logging the Universal about.

[Daniel D @ Feb 11th 2008 2:17PM]

The iPhone was pretty dated even before it came out there were technically superior phones on the market, hopefully Apple have some good stuff on the way now.

[James Cameron @ Feb 11th 2008 2:28PM]

So you guys took the pictures. How about a video of the thing in action?? Common, stop teasing us!! By the way, you guys finally got yourself someone who know how to use a camera. Thank god.

[Life of Brian @ Feb 11th 2008 2:52PM]

I'd take this over the iPhone any day. I've got to feel the click when typing!

[James Cameron @ Feb 11th 2008 3:15PM]

Gizmodo have this thing in action on Video. What happen endgaget?

[gadjitfreek @ Feb 11th 2008 3:20PM]

It will be a cold day in hell when Verizon releases anything like this. Or any truly innovative phone, unless it is well after it has been obsoleted on other networks.

[MasterCKO @ Feb 11th 2008 3:20PM]

Oh geezus.

If they don't get this in CDMA, I think that I might have found a reason to finally say:

Goodbye Sprint.

[Jon Doe. @ Feb 11th 2008 3:26PM]

You haven't already? Seriously if my company wasn't paying for my phone and service...Sprint sucks.

[Jesse S @ Feb 11th 2008 4:38PM]

SERO is amazing. If this phone comes to SERO, I will ditch Verizon.

[MasterCKO @ Feb 11th 2008 4:55PM]

The one thing that Sprint has for it is the fast, cheap data service (that I use heavily). I've never really had to deal with customer service (thank god). This phone is just so cool, tho. It might be good enough to get my money on *shiver* at&t.

[Jon Doe. @ Feb 11th 2008 3:21PM]

I'd tap that.....if it was a woman of course.
My company pays for my phone and even then if T-Mobile gets this phone I will bulldoze my way into the store to get one...Possibly even driving my car through the store front.