Sony Ericsson X10 mini and X10 mini pro hands-on with video
By Sean Cooper 
posted February 14th 2010 7:12PM
posted February 14th 2010 7:12PM
We're kinda chuffed about Sony Ericsson's showing this year at MWC, and between the three launched sets -- Vivaz pro, X10 mini, and X10 mini pro -- this little QWERTY stands out as the best of the bunch. The idea behind the X10 mini series, of course, is to have all the features and functionality of the larger X10 in a small package designed with one-handed use in mind. The keypad is surprisingly pleasant and not cramped (provided you aren't equipped with baseball bat-sized fingers) as it looks and the key feedback is really great. The UI is generally snappy in most apps we saw, though we did see a bit of sluggishness while playing with the Timescape feature; with some months til launch, we can at least hope for some improvement there. The phone's back is soft touch plastic -- the mini is a smooth plastic, by contrast -- and the face is the glossiest finish imaginable. As you can guess, that means it's a fingerprint magnet -- so if you worry about that type of thing, bring a cloth to keep it lovely. We're absolutely stoked to get our hands on one of these for review for you as soon as possible, but until that fateful moment arrives, the gallery and vid after the break will have to do.
I like the four corner application shortcuts, its pretty cool and useful it seems like
It's weird, I've been coveting the HD2 and Dell Mini 5 but I really, really want a Mini Pro.
It simply seems simple, fun and stylish. I hope SE decides to offer the fun colors for the Pro as well, though.
What was touch typing like on the regular Mini with the onscreen keyboard? Does it only offering T9 or something?
@JONNNathannn
I feel you there.My mind feels like it's going to melt.
HD2, N900, Nexus One, X10 mini-pro or some other phone that pops up to blow my mind.
Spoiled for choices, great!
@Rem DX n900 is the way to go for sure
@JONNNathannn I wanted the TP2, Milestone, or GSM Omnia 2, but this looks like it's on my "WANT!" list. It reminds me of the LG Xenon.
@Eal N900 if we all lived in a Maemo bubble, or some alternate universe where Maemo was the OS with the biggest community around it. Unfortunately, that's not the case, and Android is a stronger choice as far as UIs go.
@JONNNathannn
Okay... x10 mini pro is too cool... that's gotta be the smallest smartphone with a keyboard... Do what I'm going to do...
Get the nexus one now... save up money for six months... get the x10 mini of your choice and color... use them everyday alternating between the two awesome phones.
I already have Nexus One, so I can justify getting a small cheap android phone with a keyboard... I think.. if it's cheap that is...
@JONNNathannn Text entry on the keyboardless X10 mini is a little less slick, with Sony Ericsson’s concession to display size being a T9-style layout rather than a full on-screen QWERTY. More: http://bit.ly/sony-ericsson--xperia-x10mini-mini-pro-view
That's tiny.
@TheGM thats what she said
where's the X10 pro?? why cant we get a HIGH END android with a keyboard?! this is some bull, ya digg?!
@skyblaze
I don't digg, cba to sign up for an account.
I know I'm going to sound like an idiot, but what OS is on this thing? Is it running Android? It's not very clear from this post.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
yes it runs android 1.6 with a sony ericsson surface named timescape
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
ANDROID
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo Thanks guys. I knew the x10 was android phone, I was just worried this might be some kind of feature phone variant with the same ui, a la samsung and htc
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo
Anything relating to X10 should be Android so far.
@I was swhite237 I lost my passwo I just saw the gmail icon in the gallery. *shakes his head* Way to miss the obvious
I'd really like to see someone type on the virtual keyboard of that X10 mini.
@silvestre It will be a dream to type on the Mini via T9
I like the idea with smaller phones, but this isn't the best ones i've seen.
Keep it 16:9, and make it as flat as possible. The chubby X10 mini could have a bigger display, there's a lot of empty space in the front. (83 x 50 x 16 mm)
LG GD880 mini looks nearly perfect for a small touchphone, but it lacks Android. (102 x 47.6 x 10.6 mm) I'm just comparing size, not features.
http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_gd880_mini-review-449.php
@SL2
The X10 Mini looks waaaaaay nicer than that thing.
@Chefgon
I said size, not design or features. ;)
@Chefgon
And you DO want widescreen for typing!
what about the normal X10 before we have these other versions?
They seem rather small and pointless. QVGA is pretty bad....
It looks like would be awkward to type on the mini screen so think the mini pro would be the one to go for out of the two. Now I've got to decide between the X10 and the mini pro!
have fun typing on a 2.5 inch screen
@snowrid3r It's not a on-screen qwerty-keyboard, you can clearly see in the video that it's a 1 (abc) 2(def) 3(ghi) deal with T9.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4sCHOJuCqA
Reminds me of the diamond and the touch pro. I loved the way the diamond felt in the hand but the screen was a little to small for an on screen keyboard..
Nah, SE Android is ugly. Motorola Motoroi caught my eye, I'd like to see how good the Xenon flash is, something that used to be a typical SE feature.
@SL2 motoroi is not pretty phone, but i think is better than X10
Okay, I know that the tiny size is completely impractical for a power user like me, and I have been saving my pennies for a Nexus One, but dammit I'm falling in love with that Mini Pro.
worst android build ive seen yet. i dun like it.
The Mini Pro is pure sex!!
But has anyone noticed how badly done all these "presentations" are? Both the Samsung wave and now Sony.
They dont set up the internet/facebook/twitter apps before hand and then they start fumbling with it when someone asks to see it.
@matale Pretty sure that presentation was an informal one, inside of a bar. Watch the video again and you can hear bottles being opened and glasses clanking together. I am sure the presentations will be much more formal and put together at the actual confrence.
Damn, that mini x10 pro is so cute!!
This is one interesting little phone.
was someone clanging glassware in the background?
This is like an adult-styled version of the LG ks360 (big-selling budget 2.4" touchscreen w/ qwerty). Looks good. I wonder if you can turn the Timescape off.
OOO me want that nice small and nice keyboard, Fits Perfect in your pocket exactly what I'm looking for. This one here looks better than the bigger one, anyone here knows the processor on this sucker?
@Inspector Gadget80
Qualcomm MSM7227 600MHz
And I would buy a phone like this *without* Android because...?
@franktronic without?? It IS running android!
WOW! I really like that Engadget intro... Is it new?
Way to go, guys
God its great to see S-E coming back on its feet. Maybe more than ever before, as I've never been this interested in S-E models.
I've got the N900 now, so maybe the X10Mini Pro could be my device for when I'm out of town or something, when I want to pack something a little lighter.
I really like the mini. I think my bad experiences with small touch screens is only due to the manufacturer giving the phone a bad resistive touch screen (not to say that resistive touch screens are bad, but feature phones usually have really cheap ones). This phone on the other hand looks perfect for me. Compact, cute, and smart. And Android. Sounds good.
Is it just me, or does it look like SE had a few Mylo cases laying around they reused? :/
As a (hopefully) cheaper alternative to the full-sized X10, the Minis are looking awesome. The interface redesign looks fantastic and it looked way more responsive than I would have guessed with that 'Mini' status tacked on.
I think X10 is targeted at high-end users and tech-freaks. The X10 mini/pro is probably targeted at girls/women wanting something new and not a huge monster. So different markets these fones.
But hey it's so freaking gorgeous...the mini Love it already :)
Things I consider them as FAIL:
1) Screen size. For a touch oriented mobile the screen is actually pretty small. It would be ok if it was just displaying info, but trying to touch in such little space.... naaahhh.... forget it.
From personal xperience, I consider a 2.8inch (like HTCs Diamond) as bare minimum.
2) Screen Resolution. It is supposed to be a SMARTphone. Those little buggers are used to display lots of information... A VGA resolution would be the proper way to go...
3) Capacitive touch. I think we all know how much better it is...