Sony Ericsson XPERIA mini and mini pro get official

Sony Ericsson has announced the XPERIA mini and the mini pro, apparently the smallest HD smartphones in the world. The Android 2.3 Gingerbread handsets can shoot 720p HD video, and use Sony's BRAVIA engine along with Sony Ericsson's custom UI. The XPERIA mini is touch-only, but the mini pro has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard.

Behind the 3-inch 320 x 480 scratch-resistant touchscreen there's a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 320MB of storage and a microSD card slot (a 2GB card will be included). There's also quadband GSM/EDGE, UMTS/HSDPA, WiFi, AGPS, Bluetooth, an FM radio and a 3.5mm headphones socket. On the back is a 5-megapixel camera with autofocus, face-detection and an LED flash. A bigger, 1200mAh battery than the last-gen mini adds up to 30-percent longer runtimes.

The four shortcut corners of the original X10 mini have been retained, but each now acts as a shortcut area for four icons, in what Sony Ericsson is calling 4x4. That, along with auto-correction on both devices, adds up to what the company reckons is the performance and usability of larger Android phones, but in a very pocket-friendly form factor.

There's also a partnership with social network Facebook, called – unsurprisingly – Facebook inside XPERIA, which pulls in social connections throughout the phone. It adds a Link button in the "most used areas" of the handsets, such as the picture gallery, music player, phonebook and calendar. Updates for Facebook inside XPERIA will also be offered as downloads to XPERIA Play and XPERIA Arc owners later this year.

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA mini will go on sale in August 2011 in a choice of white, black, blue and dark pink. The XPERIA mini pro, meanwhile, will drop at the same time in white, black, pink and turquoise. Pricing is yet to be confirmed, but we already know Vodafone UK will be ranging the mini pro.

Press Release:

Sony Ericsson unveils next-generation XPERIA minis

05 May 2011

Introducing two powerful, versatile and compact smartphones

Xperia™ mini – the world's smallest HD video recording smartphone

Xperia™ mini pro –intuitive fast messaging in a compact smartphone

May 5th, 2011, London – Sony Ericsson unveils the new Xperia™ mini and Xperia™ mini pro, the latest additions to its Xperia™ family. Building on the success of the original mini series, these innovative smartphones come packed full of features, powered by a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon™ processor, and run the latest platform of Google's Android™ – Gingerbread 2.3. Beautifully designed, Xperia™ mini and Xperia™ mini pro both integrate best-in-class imaging and display technology from Sony, including Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and HD video recording (720p).

The products offer a full multimedia entertainment experience. Xperia™ mini and Xperia™ mini pro enable access to over 150,000 apps on the Android Market™ and has a 3" scratch-resistant, multi-touch glass screen. The improved user interface allows up to 16 apps displayed on the home screen. Facebook inside Xperia™, a feature just announced for the Xperia™ family, provides a unique social media integration.

Xperia™ mini pro brings the optimized slide-out keyboard with smart functionality first seen on the Xperia™ pro to a compact smartphone. A subtle but fast Type & Send functionality eliminates the need to open a dedicated app for each type of message, and Smart Keyboard triggers predictive messaging actions automatically when the user slides out the keyboard. Xperia™ mini pro also comes pre-loaded with Office Suite and McAfee antivirus software, letting consumers manage documents and e-mails instantly and securely while on the move.

Steve Walker, Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson said, "We wanted to provide consumers even greater choice across the Xperia™ range, while building on the success of the original mini series. These turbo-charged smartphones now contain even more power, enhanced functionality, a larger screen and premium features unique to Sony Ericsson. They are packed full of features, making them a perfect choice for consumers looking for all the benefits of Android and Sony in a beautiful and easy to use compact form factor."

Sony Ericsson also unveils today a new integration, Facebook inside Xperia™, which will be included in the new Xperia™ mini and mini pro and soon to be available across the wider Xperia™ range. Facebook inside Xperia™ integrates social connections throughout the phone, by making Facebook immediately accessible from the most used areas of the phone such as the picture gallery, music player, phonebook and calendar. As people are becoming increasingly reliant on their smartphones for instant communication, Sony Ericsson is enabling people to 'like', share and comment more easily than ever before with Facebook inside Xperia™.

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini – Key features

World's smallest Android™ smartphone with HD video recording

Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine

Place up to 16 apps in the corners of your home screen

Over 150,000 apps on Android Market™

Facebook inside. Keeping your friends closer

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini pro – Key features

Ergonomic keyboard and smart functions for fast messaging

HD video and Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine

Synch your email and view office documents safely on the go

Place up to 16 apps in the corners of your home screen

Over 150,000 apps on Android Market™

Sony Ericsson Xperia™ mini pro and Xperia™ mini with HD will be available globally in selected markets from Q3.