Available now (Xperia Neo), Q2 2011 (Xperia Pro)Two closely related Android smart phones, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo and Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro are two high-end devices that sit slightly below the Xperia Arc in Sony Ericsson's product range.
The main difference between the two handsets is that the Pro has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and the Neo does not. When closed, the Pro is a bit bigger and heavier than the Neo, but other than we are pleased to see that Sony Ericsson have made it simple to choose between the two.
Both handsets come with a large 3.7" 854 x 480 pixel scratch resistant capacitive touchscreen display (enhanced with Sony BRAVIA technology), a 1GHz Qualcomm processor, an 8.1 megapixel camera with flash and 720p HD video recording, an FM radio, 3.5G support and WiFi and GPS. Other manufacturers would class this as "top of the range", but the impressive Xperia Arc and Xperia Play both come in with slightly better specifications.
These are both Android 2.3 devices, so they are bang up-to-date as far as the OS is concerned, unlike the old X10 which launched with an out-of-date version and has lagged behind in updates ever since. Sony Ericsson have added their own software enhancements too, and of course Android has thousands of applications available to download. The Pro is the most interesting of the two devices - many manufacturers mess up QWERTY keyboards, but the Xperia Pro seems to so everything right. Keys are laid out in a conventional "Q-A-Shift" arrangement with a space bar where you expect it and there is good spacing in between the keys.
Other features on these two phones include an FM radio, 3.5mm audio socket, HDMI support, DLNA support plus all the usual Sony Ericsson and Android stuff. Although the Neo and Pro live in the shadow of the Arc and Play handsets, these are still two impressive devices which are quite possibly better than the phone you have in your pocket right now.
Sony Ericsson say that the Xperia Neo should be available from March onwards, with the Xperia Pro to follow sometime in Q2 2011. The Neo is available in blue, red and silver colours, the Pro in black, silver and red.
