Design
First, we should start by saying that design is the most subjective aspect of any handset review. Don’t worry, it’s not as bad as it sounds.
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 has more angled-cuts and buttons than just about any other Windows Mobile smartphone on market. Even the HTC Touch Diamond, which boasted an angular diamond-cut design, had sleeker lines than the XPERIA X1.
Clean design aside, the XPERIA X1 is crowded with buttons for just about everything. The shutter button, the Panel button, the call and end buttons, the directional pad, the volume buttons – they all break up the handset’s lines. The button-frenzy makes it harder to quickly and effortlessly hit the call or directional controls. Then there are the cut-outs that look more like design after-thoughts than functional elements. And, don’t even get us started on the exposed USB port…
On the flip-side, the inner-geek in us wants to like the button-addled, angle-cut design aesthetic. There’s something about buttons and data ports that makes us want to love the XPERIA X1’s design. But, when all’s said and done… we don’t.
Phone calls
What good is a mobile phone that doesn’t make phone calls? The Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 is as much a cellphone as it is a powerful portable computer.
Call quality? Well above par. Calls come through clearly and your voice is transmitted with fidelity. The speakerphone is nice and loud, without distorting at higher decibel levels. “Phone call experience” gets a solid thumbs-up.
To place a phone call, you simply hit the “Call” or “End” buttons on either side of the navigation controls. This brings up the Windows Mobile phone controls – dialer/keypad, contacts, call history. It takes some practice to hit the “Call” button without mashing the surrounding “Panel” and navigational control buttons, but you’ll get used to it in no time.
One thing to note – this is Windows Mobile we’re talking about here, so expect a bit of lag between your button-press and the initiation or termination of a phone call.
Email and Messaging…..