Sony Ericsson Xperia ray Review
Share:
 |
From the looks of it, only a very few things can ruin this munchkin, chief among which would be an eventual high price tag. Is that the case? Read on our review of the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray where we try to solve this puzzle for you...
Design:
As small touchscreen smartphones go, the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is almost the perfect size, not getting lost in your palm if you have big hands, and fitting admirably if you are regular. The handset is one of the thinnest smartphones out there, at 0.37” (9.4 mm), and feathery at just 3.53oz (100 g). We also noticed that the Xperia ray is extremely comfortable for one handed operation due to its dimensions - your thumb just reaches everywhere like an anteater's tongue.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |
The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is almost the perfect size | ||
 |
You can compare the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.
A big part amidst the phone's positives plays the screen, which is 3.3” LCD, and Sony Ericsson didn't skimp on the level of image detail, gracing the Xperia ray with 480x854 pixels – a pretty high resolution for a screen of this size. Plugging the numbers in a pixel density calculator returned 297ppi, which is just shy of the 300ppi threshold. This threshold became mainstream knowledge when Steve Jobs introduced the 326 ppi Retina Display iPhone 4, and said that above around 300ppi a normal human eye can't detect the individual pixels from 10-12 inches of distance.
Unlike the Xperia arc, the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray’s screen sports rather wide viewing angles, with nary a change in contrast or brightness when looked from extremes. Couple that with above average brightness and visibility outside, plus very good sensitivity, and we can say that the Xperia ray flaunts one of the best little LCD screens we’ve encountered so far.
 |
The 3.3 inches LCD display |
Unlike the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc, the Xperia ray sports a front-facing VGA camera for video chat, but it skips the HDMI port – something had to give. There are also only 300MB of user-available ROM for apps, and a 4GB microSD card is included in the package.
 |  |  |
VGA camera for video chat | Home button |
The resulting design looks very stylish – a thin handset with shiny black front, but lighthearted at the same time, with the choice of pink, black, white and gold colors. It is actually one of the few handsets that look even better in person to us than the press shots, which don't do the glossy front justice. It has every chance to grab the hearts of the design-conscious and/or female smartphone lovers, plus it delivers on the functionality front as well. The only thing we disliked is the placement of the microUSB port on the upper left side, which makes using the phone with the cable plugged in a bit uncomfortable.
 |  |  |
Right side | Left side | microUSB port |
 |  |  |
3.5mm jack and power button on the top edge | 8MP camera with LED light | Under the battery cover |
Share:
Related phones
41 Comments
This comment is hidden because of its low rating. Show
2. vu2ikl (unregistered) posted on 19 Sep 2011, 10:46 0 0
i donno if you missed it but, the default keyboard in SE 2.3.4 is swipe enabled. so, instead of pressing the tiny keys, it would be easier to swipe..
that wont make up for the tiny keyboard keys but definitely make typing much simpler..
3. joaolx posted on 19 Sep 2011, 11:19 0 0
Looks very nice. It's very pretty. Would love to have it.
5. AlexanderT (unregistered) posted on 19 Sep 2011, 11:46 3 0
I got this phone yesterday, and it is excellent. I agree with all that the review said, and it's up to each user to decide whether the setbacks are worth it or not.
Here in Europe, an unlocked Ray is some €100 cheaper than a carrier-locked Arc, which makes it very appealing.
BTW, I can't understand why people criticize the size of its screen. The m*o*r*o*n who said that SE doesn't know what the consumer wants is as wrong as you can get. There are plenty of large screen phones on offer, both Sony Ericsson and other brands. This is a very clever move by SE who cater for lots of people like me that want a smartphone that's not overly huge and cumbersome to put in your pocket. And I have no trouble with the on-screen keyboard and I have large hands.
6. gump (unregistered) posted on 19 Sep 2011, 11:56 0 0
can someone tell if the the buttons are backlit or not?? I read somewhere that they are not backlit making it impossible to see in total darkness :(
9. AlexanderT (unregistered) posted on 19 Sep 2011, 12:32 0 0
No, they're not. However, there's that sort of crescent moon light around the home button so it's extremely easy to deduce where the other buttons are. You can take my word for it.
18. gump (unregistered) posted on 20 Sep 2011, 07:26 0 0
Thanx for the info...also can you tell which one to buy: Sony Xperia Ray or Samsung Galaxy S ?? They are both similarly priced (with Galxy S slightly expensive)
22. AlexanderT (unregistered) posted on 21 Sep 2011, 09:38 0 0
It wouldn't be fair to tell you that the Ray is far better than the Galaxy or vice versa, because I've never used a Galaxy S enough for me to be able to say which is the best. The Galaxy is pretty impressive but the price, the form factor and previous satisfaction with SE phones made me choose the ray.
7. HTCiscool posted on 19 Sep 2011, 12:18 0 1
Where I live this is exactly the same price as the bigger Xperia Neo and Xperia Play, just under $500 sim-free. Sorry but 3.3 inches in a 16:9 aspect ratio is simply too small for many people. Screen sharpness and quality is awesome though. In this price range its only real competitors are the Neo and Play, as well as the Similarly priced Nokia X7 and LG Optimus black, which aren't exactly threats. Another great turnout by SE, I'd say they make some of the best Droids around and I'd take them over Samsung any day. I don't particularly care for screen sharpness, so I'd rather spend this money on the bigger Neo.
12. Azuz (unregistered) posted on 19 Sep 2011, 17:09 0 0
Can we install apps on Memory Card in this phone?????
23. AlexanderT (unregistered) posted on 21 Sep 2011, 09:40 0 0
Sort of. You install the app then you can move it to the SD card.
