Sony Ericsson Xperia ray Review

The earpiece of the Sony Ericsson Xperia rayproduces good enough volume and the sound comes out clear, with no audible distortions, even at the highest level. 

People said they can hear us very well, and the second microphone for noise cancellation played their part to filter out the surrounding noise. One of the mics is on the back though, so you will be often cupping it with your palm when you talk, thus diminishing the usefulness of a dual mic setup.

Sony Ericsson also supplied the Xperia ray with a1500mAh battery, which is rated for 7 hours of talk time in 3G mode, and that is another plus we don't see often is smallish Android handsets.

To summarize our impressions from the tiny phone – it is tempting to dismiss the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray as a less-capable version of the Xperia arc, but what you get is in fact a more compact variant, without sacrificing much but an HDMI port. Actually, the fact that the 8MP Exmor R camera didn't perform as well as we expected, and also that the LED on the back has to be used as a light instead of automatic camera flash, are the only letdowns we experienced with the Xperia ray.

Most everything else works like a charm, and looks good in the process. Props for the great pixel density on the 3.3” screen, it really makes a difference while reading, and the pretty UI overlay. The loudspeaker is very strong and clear, as with all handsets in the Xperia line, and we have dual mics for noise cancellation.  All of this is wrapped up in a slim and stylish chassis that you wouldn't be hesitant to whip out even in the VIP section of your favorite club, unlike some smartphone clunkers we've met. It's without a doubt a chic and capable miniscule handset that runs the latest Android version beautified by the Timescape UX without a hiccup, and that places it in a unique category of its own.

In a nutshell, the attractiveness of our Sony Ericsson Xperia ray turned out to be not only the stylish design, but also the fact that it doesn't cripple functionality compared to the bigger sibling Xperia arc, but rather adds some, like a front-facing camera, and that makes it a very enticing small Android handset. 

Software version of the reviewed unit: 4.0A.2.368

PROS

• High pixel density display
• Design-conscious chassis
• Good loudspeaker
• Dual mics for noise-cancellation and stereo sound capture

CONS

• Camera could be better
• LED light doesn't serve as automatic flash