Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone: review, specifications, reviews. Full review of Sony Ericsson Xperia ray: a beam of style and compactness Sony xperia ray characteristics reviews

Once a company Sony Ericsson was a leader in the mobile device market. But the unsuccessful release of the Sony smartphone Ericsson Xperia X10 has somewhat shaken the position of this manufacturer in the market. Nevertheless, the brand continues to search for its niche in the Android device market. Several models have already been released, which, although they pleased fans of this manufacturer, were somewhat behind flagship models other companies. In the summer of 2011, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray was presented to buyers. This is a pretty nice device in a high-quality case. Its main advantages are powerful multimedia capabilities, as well as a relatively low price.

Main Features

If you are interested in the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone, the specifications will give you more full information. So, you should pay attention to the following parameters:

• operating system - Android 2.3.3;
• screen with a diagonal of 3.3 inches;
• main camera 8 MP;
• capacitive screen technology;
• RAM - 512 MB;
• built-in memory - 1 GB (only 300 MB available to the user);
• there is a slot for a memory card up to 32 GB (a 4 GB flash card is included);
• battery capacity - 1500 mAh.

Appearance

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray has a specific design. Of course, for its year of manufacture it is quite acceptable, but today it may seem bulky and comical. But connoisseurs of this brand unanimously claim that the appearance of the smartphone was a success. The signature style can be traced throughout, which makes this smartphone unlike other modern gadgets.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is available in 4 colors. Lovers of laconic and stylish solutions will appreciate the white and black colors, and those who want something original can pay attention to pink and coffee-colored devices. Regardless of which shade you choose, they are all quite calm and do not hurt the eyes.

Materials and assembly

The body of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone is made of glossy plastic. There are small metal inserts on the side ribs. The quality of the materials is so high that even if you use the device without a case for a month, no scratches or abrasions will appear on it. Despite the fact that the case is glossy, it practically does not collect fingerprints (and if they appear, they are completely invisible). The black model has a smooth matte finish. The materials, of course, do not have any outstanding characteristics, but the proprietary design compensates for this drawback. Cell phones of this line are assembled with high quality. The only complaint is the gap between the body itself and the left side back cover.

Size

Cellular Sony phones Ericsson Ray is compact in size. Weighing 100 grams, they are characterized by dimensions of 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm. Such parameters will please active people and lovers of practical solutions. The smartphone easily fits into a trouser, jacket or jacket pocket. And even in the breast pocket of a shirt, it is quite convenient to carry it. During operation and conversation, it is practically not felt in your hand, and therefore at first it is slightly unusual to use it. In general, users note the ease of use of the phone.

Control elements

Sony Ericsson Ray cell phones are confidently beginning to abandon the block of hardware keys under the screen, which may not please all users. Thus, the “Back” and “Menu” buttons have already become touch sensitive. But the “Home” button, with its interesting design and characteristic drawing of a house, remains mechanical. This key also performs the function of unlocking the screen, which eliminates the need to reach for the button located on top panel.

Interestingly, the Home key has a semicircular shape and is located at the very bottom of the case. In addition, it is equipped with a luminous edging, which has several color solutions. So, if the device is discharged or connected to a PC, the ring lights up red. A fully charged battery is indicated in green. In active operating mode, the button is illuminated with white diodes. And if you missed a call, SMS or other events, the green flashlight will flash. Many users found the position of the indicator light at the bottom inconvenient. But, as many believe, it has more of a decorative than a practical function.

On the front side of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray ST18i there is speaker. Above the screen there is a front camera peephole, as well as proximity and light sensors. But this does not mean at all that you will be able to use the automatic brightness adjustment function, because it is not used in this model.

On the right edge of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray ST18i there is a volume key. It is worth noting that it is not very comfortable due to its small size. The pressing stroke is practically not felt. In addition, it is quite difficult for people with large fingers to get on desired area(and especially during a conversation). On the left side there is a micro-USB connector, which does not look very aesthetically pleasing.

The top end is occupied by the audio output and the power button (many users also find its location inconvenient). At the bottom there is a microphone hole, as well as a mount for a key fob or strap. Despite the fact that on most modern devices this element missing, it has not lost its relevance. For this, the manufacturer can give a “plus”.

Under the lid

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray phone has a removable cover, which can be called an undeniable advantage, given that most modern smartphones have monolithic bodies. Removing the back panel, you will see the battery, above which there are slots for a SIM card and memory card. However, they cannot be installed without first removing the battery.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone: screen

The device is equipped with an LCD display made using capacitive technology. The 3.3-inch diagonal makes the device compact. With a resolution of 845 by 480 pixels, the screen shows 16 million colors. Upon visual inspection, you will notice that the screen is very narrow and extended upward. Small physical dimensions and high resolution give the output a clear and rich picture that pleases the eye.

Users note that the screen has insufficient brightness (at an average level). Nevertheless, even in bright sunny weather the picture is well perceived. I am glad that the colors transmitted by the display look very natural. You can evaluate image quality by the purity of black and white flowers. But viewing angles somewhat spoil the overall picture. Even with a slight deviation, the image begins to fade.

This phone model claims to have a proprietary technology called Mobile BRAVIA Engine. However, with the naked eye you will not be able to distinguish between the images when the function is on and off. We can conclude that it is better to work in normal mode to save battery power.

The device screen is covered protective film. But to be honest, there is little point in wearing it. The fact is that the display is equipped with tempered glass, which is designed to prevent scratches. But the film only gets in the way, distorting the image quality.

Is it convenient to work with the device?

Users claim that if you are used to actively using a smartphone, this model will seem inconvenient to you. This manifests itself in the following moments:

• it’s difficult to type text in portrait orientation (especially if you have large fingers);
• in landscape orientation there are an order of magnitude fewer misses on the keys, but your fingers get very tired when typing a long message;
• it is inconvenient to read information from Internet sites, and especially when it comes to news feeds (this is if you previously had a smartphone with a larger screen);
• there are some difficulties with navigating the Internet (it is extremely difficult to select small fragments of text or control elements, and therefore you constantly have to zoom in).

A little about the camera

For modern man The telephone has long ceased to be just a means of communication. So, for many people, the camera is an important indicator. The main one has 8 megapixels. It is equipped with autofocus, as well as a high-quality LED flash. Users may not like that it can't be used as a flashlight (at least not standard means).

The camera app is quite intuitive. In shooting mode, you can see the number of photos that the free memory allows you to take. If you go to the video function, you can estimate the number of minutes of video that will fit on a flash card. There is also a settings icon, when clicked, a convenient pop-up menu appears.

It is possible to adjust the white balance, as well as select a variety of scene shooting modes. There is an image stabilizer, but the naked eye cannot notice any improvements in the quality of pictures taken with the function turned on. It's also nice that there are several focusing modes, which allows you to focus on the most important details of the photo.

The camera works well in macro mode. From a distance of 7-8 cm, objects are displayed quite clearly. 9 out of 10 frames with text on them turned out successful. In general, this device can compete with some Samsung and HTC models in terms of image quality.

Camera of this smartphone has excellent performance. From the moment you click the icon until the application launches, no more than one and a half seconds pass. And the shooting operation itself occurs instantly. But there was a fly in the ointment. Thus, users note an acute lack of a hardware shooting key.

Battery Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray

This smartphone model has a modest 1500 mAh battery. The manufacturer promises approximately 7 hours of talk time, about 36 hours of listening to music, and 430 hours of standby time (equivalent to 18 days).

In practice, everything looks a little more modest. A full battery charge was enough for 1 hour of calls, sending 10 SMS, and also a couple of hours mobile internet. However, if you want to extend the battery life of your Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, the firmware allows you to do so. There is an extreme power saving mode that deactivates some wireless interfaces, reduces screen brightness and makes other changes to the operation of the device.

Interface features

The device operates under Android control 2.3 with a proprietary interface that combines the features of the proprietary HTC Sense and Samsung TouchWiz shells. Of course, the firmware is far from ideal. For example, there is no smart dialing function. There is a strange widget for messages from social networks, which looks ridiculous on a small screen. But users will be pleased with a good branded player for listening to tracks.

Positive Feedback

Many users have already appreciated the benefits of using the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone. Reviews about this device contain the following positive comments:

• the sensor responds quickly to touches;
• good quality of photo and video shooting;
• quite interesting design;
• the small device fits very comfortably in the hand and fits into any pocket;
• With one gesture you can switch your smartphone to silent mode and back;
• many options for customizing the desktop, which allows you to quickly access the main functions;
• The kit includes a 4 GB flash card;
• there are metal fragments in the case, and the plastic is of excellent quality;
• It is possible to upgrade the device to more later version operating system;
• The camera is equipped with face and smile detection;
• It is possible to record video in HD format;
• when photographing text, you get an excellent readable picture;
• there is an indicator of missed events;
• V lately price for this model smartphones have dropped significantly, and therefore you can buy a decent gadget inexpensively;
• good screen resolution produces a bright and realistic picture;
• Great loud speaker that won't let you miss an important call.

Negative reviews

Users of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone encounter some problems and shortcomings. Does not turn on or, for example, slows down. Many negative aspects are reflected in negative user reviews:

• a confusing menu that can take at least a week to study;
• the user manual is absolutely uninformative, and therefore you will have to figure out all the intricacies of working with a smartphone yourself;
• The battery drains very quickly if you use at least some additional features in addition to the telephone part;
• If you use the phone for more than 5 minutes, the case begins to get very hot;
• at the slightest impact, the back cover and battery fly off;
• when listening to music, you have to unlock the screen to change the track;
• difficult to find a case for a smartphone;
• the screen is too narrow, which is inconvenient to operate if a person has large fingers (there is a high probability of accidental pressing);
• after about a year of regular use, the device begins to freeze a little;
• vibration alert is too weak;
• the front camera has only 0.3 megapixels, and therefore you shouldn’t count on high-quality selfies;
• It’s inconvenient that the power button is located on top;
• it is difficult to find a replacement battery for this model if the “original” one has become unusable;
• Some users experience problems with the mobile network;
• standard headphones are not suitable (you have to use branded ones or buy a special adapter).

Conclusion

In the year the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray smartphone was released, its price was almost 16,000 rubles. Today it costs less than 13,000 rubles. Users have no complaints about the quality of communication, and the volume of the device cannot but please. This is a great option for those who like compact devices and do not have high software requirements. We can say that this is a good “dialer” with good quality sound.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on a single chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

After the not very successful Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, the company slowly but surely found its niches in the Android market: this is the first line of Xperia mini/mini pro, which stood out from everything else, and then the quiet X8 and Neo. Both smartphones lacked stars from the sky, but in terms of their overall characteristics, design and price they turned out to be attractive. And, more importantly, both devices had relatively stable software at the start of sales. With flagship, Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, the company was a little late, the model hit the market at a time when all the other major players were already selling top-end smartphones. But the next announcement showed that when SE wants, it knows how to choose the right directions. Introduced in the summer of 2011, Sony Ericsson Ray and update Xperia line mini is exactly what the Swedish-Japanese brand needs now.

In this article I want to talk about the Sony Ericsson Ray smartphone - the younger version of Arc, so to speak. A beautiful and pleasant device compact body with good multimedia capabilities and at an adequate price.

Design, colors

Sony Ericsson knows how to make beautiful things. And although there will probably be those who for some reason find the Ray design wrong, ugly, or something like that, in my opinion, the device was a success. Firstly, the signature style of SE can be discerned in Ray, and secondly, the smartphone turned out to be unlike most “robots” produced today.

The devices are supplied to the market in four color options: white, pink, coffee and black. All colors are in muted and unobtrusive tones, that is, the device pink color not hot pink, but rather neutral pink, the other options are even calmer. In my opinion, the selection of colors and their tone in SE Ray is good; there are no flashy colors here.

Case materials, build quality

The device is made of glossy plastic (we are talking about a smartphone in white, pink or coffee color). There are thin metal inserts on the left and right ribs. Over the course of a month of using the SE Ray, it has not changed in any way in appearance; I have not noticed any abrasions or any marks or scratches appearing on the body. Although I carried the device both in my jeans pocket and just in my backpack, sometimes I threw it along with other phones. The coating of the case is non-staining, there are traces and prints on the model white if they remain, they are completely invisible. The black device is made of matte plastic with a soft-touch coating.

There are almost no complaints about the build quality, except for one thing: in my sample there was a small gap between the case and the lower left part of the battery cover. Regarding the body materials, of course, one can grumble that SE almost never use metal in their models or simply materials that are more interesting than glossy plastic, like HTC, for example. But if you compare the SE Ray in design with most similarly priced offerings from Samsung, LG and HTC, you can accept the use of simple plastic as a pattern; SE smartphones have their own interesting design, and with this the company compensates for the simplicity of the body materials.

Dimensions

In terms of dimensions, Sony Ericsson Ray belongs to the “kids”. The smartphone is thin and very narrow, so even its height seems noticeable, although in practice the SE Ray is compact in this respect.

• Sony Ericsson Ray– 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm, 100 g
• HTC Desire S– 115 x 59.8 x 11.6 mm, 130 g
• Samsung Galaxy S2- 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm, 116 g
• Apple iPhone 4 – 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, 127 g

You can carry the device in any pocket, including a pocket in a jacket or a breast pocket on a shirt (I note that in South Korea I've seen people even carry SGS II in their chest pockets). The device is almost not felt in your hands during a conversation, if you have used something relatively large before, it is light and compact. At first it’s even unusual, but then you get used to it and it becomes comfortable.

Controls

The SE is gradually starting to abandon a completely hardware block of keys under the screen; in my opinion, this is a bad trend, but it can be traced. In SE Ray, two keys under the screen are touch-sensitive (“Back” and “Menu”) and one hardware key is “Home”. The advantage is that by clicking on “Home” you can activate the screen, this is convenient - you don’t need to reach for the power button every time, which is located on the top end, which is what owners of HTC smartphones, for example, are forced to do.

There is a backlight strip around the “Home” key in a semicircle (hereinafter I will call it a ring for convenience), it lights up red when connected to a PC or charging and lights up green when the smartphone is fully charged. If the device is active and you are working with it, the ring is highlighted in white. If there are missing events, it flashes green. The location of the light indicator (ring), in my opinion, is unfortunate, although its location at the bottom of the body is already better than on the side on the SE Arc. It feels like the SE developers used this element primarily for beauty and a small wow effect, forgetting about its original purpose. Having the indicator at the top of the device would be more convenient.

On the right edge of the device there is a volume control button; for me this key turned out to be inconvenient: small, thin, short and with a barely perceptible press stroke. It’s difficult to use it during a conversation, especially considering that a right-handed person’s thumb rests on this small button. On the top left edge there is a microUSB connector for charging and connecting to a PC.

At the top end there is the already mentioned power button and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones or a headset. At the bottom there is a microphone hole and an eyelet for attaching a lanyard or wrist strap; this is becoming less and less common in new smartphones, although it has not lost its relevance for some users over the years.

On the front side of the smartphone, above the screen, there is a speaker, a front VGA camera lens, as well as a proximity sensor and a light sensor. The latter is not used in the device, at least in my sample with firmware 4.0.A.2.368 (official, PCT) it was impossible to install automatic adjustment screen brightness level, only manually.

The mount for the SIM card and memory card is located above the battery, so that neither the SIM card nor the memory card can be removed without first removing the battery. For me personally, the lack of a hot-swappable memory card is a drawback; I’m used to using a card reader. For those who use a cable when transferring information from a PC to a smartphone and back, this moment will go unnoticed.

Screen

Sony Ericsson Ray uses a capacitive touchscreen LCD display. The screen diagonal is 3.3”, the resolution is 854x480 pixels (FWVGA), the display displays up to 16 million colors. The physical dimensions of the screen are only 74x41 mm, the screen is elongated in height and very narrow. Due to the combination of small physical dimensions and high resolution The SE Ray's display has an impressive ppi (dots per inch) value of 297. For comparison, the ppi of the HTC Desire S is 252, the HTC Sensation is 256, and the Apple iPhone 4 is 330.

The screen has an average brightness reserve, but it still behaves well in the sun and the picture remains readable. In terms of color reproduction, the display is good, the colors on it are close to natural, white looks like white, and black looks very black (forgive the tautology), and not dark gray or something else. This is an advantage of the screen over some competitors. The downside is that, like the SE Arc, there are not maximum viewing angles; when the screen is tilted, the picture on it begins to fade slightly.

Like the flagship, it uses proprietary Mobile BRAVIA Engine technology. As in Arc, I did not notice any differences in the picture on the screen with the option turned on and off, neither when simply working with a smartphone, nor when viewing photos or videos.

The Sony Ericsson Ray's screen is covered with a protective film, just like the Arc. In my opinion, there is no point in wearing a device with film - the screen is well protected by the tempered glass that is used here, but the film simply gets in the way: it leaves a lot of marks, small scratches and abrasions literally within a matter of days after you start using the smartphone.

Ease of use with a smartphone

The SE Ray display is small, and this imposes its limitations on the usability of the device. To put it differently, the SE Ray looks weak as a smartphone with all the capabilities precisely because of the small physical size of the screen. This is expressed in the following things.

First, type text in portrait orientation using the standard on-screen keyboard very difficult. Constant misses, hard to hit thin keys. In landscape orientation everything is better, but personally, even in this mode it was difficult for me, I could literally type one message and then “cool down” and calm my nerve endings, because after typing a text message I wanted to throw Ray against the wall. The situation improves if you install an alternative keyboard, for example HTC IME MOD. Then typing becomes easier, especially in landscape orientation. But still, in terms of ease of typing, the smartphone does not even reach the level of budget phones with HVGA screens, but with more comfortable screen sizes and the usual aspect ratio.

Secondly, on the small screen of the SE Ray it is not so convenient to read information from websites, news feeds, etc. It’s just that the font sizes on the screen are so small that any user who switched to Ray from something with a larger screen will have a difficult time at first. Here I want to clarify that if a person was not a user of, say, HTC HD2 before choosing SE Ray, then he is unlikely to experience the discomfort when reading information from the screen that I am talking about. So this point is subjective.

And lastly, sometimes when viewing sites there are difficulties with navigation, it is difficult to target the smallest menu items or controls, and zooming in as close as possible every time to navigate within the site is tiring. A simple conclusion follows from this drawback - if you are used to frequently and a lot of “sitting” on different sites on your smartphone and generally use it to access the network, then SE Ray is unlikely to be a reasonable choice for you.

Camera

The smartphone has an 8 MP camera with autofocus and flash, exactly the same as in the flagship - SE Arc. The camera eye is located in the upper part of the back side of the case, it is slightly recessed into the surface of the cover. Below the camera module there is an LED flash; it cannot be used as a flashlight using standard means.

In viewfinder mode, the display shows all the basic information, for photos this is the number of possible shots, as well as setting icons, for video - the possible recording duration and also setting icons. When you select one of the icons, a pop-up menu opens, in which you select required setting. The camera is pleasant to use, the interface is simple and clear.

The following resolutions are available for photos:

• 8 M – 3264x2448
• 6 M – 3264x1836
• 2M – 1632x1224
• 2 M (Wide)–1920x1080

You can adjust the white balance, shooting mode (landscape, night portrait and others), change the exposure value, select the shutter sound, or simply turn it off. There is an image stabilizer, but I did not notice a difference between the quality of pictures with the stabilizer on and off. You can also enable adding geotags to photos. The focusing mode is selected from six available: spot focusing, macro, infinity, face detection, touch focusing and multi-point focusing.

In macro focusing mode, you can shoot close-up objects from a distance of 7-8 cm or more. The quality of such photographs, in my opinion, is good.

The text is shot successfully almost always; out of ten frames with blurred text, I only got one.

The smile detection function works every now and then: sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.

Like the SE Arc, the Ray's camera speed is excellent. In this parameter, the smartphone leaves behind even top models from Samsung and HTC. We are talking about both the launch speed of the camera (the time between pressing an icon or key and the appearance of the interface with the image is about one and a half seconds, in HTC Sensation - about 3-4 seconds), and the speed of shooting and the time of subsequent saving, on SE Ray these operations happen almost instantly.

The downside in terms of ease of use is that the smartphone does not have a hardware shooting key, which was present in the SE Arc.

You can judge the quality of the photo yourself using the sample images below. In my opinion, among Android smartphones, Sony Ericsson Ray and Arc now retain one of the leading positions. And if Samsung and HTC have flagships that take good pictures, then the SE is practically a budget device with the photography component of a flagship.

Video

Video is recorded in mpeg4 or 3gp format (mp4v or h.264 codec) at an average speed of 30 frames per second. Audio is recorded using the aac codec.

The following resolutions are available for video:

• HP 720p – 1280x720 pixels
• FWVGA – 854x480 pixels
• VGA – 640x480
• QVGA – 320x240
• MMS – 320x240

The settings in video mode are the same as those in photo mode. Among the features, I would like to note the inclusion/disabling of sound recording and the inclusion/disabling of the flash during recording.

You cannot change the focus manually during video recording, but it automatically adjusts to the image and changes. I note that autofocus is slow when shooting video in the SE Ray. For example, if I shoot a subject in the distance and the camera is focused on it, and then I move the lens to a subject close, the camera takes on average 4-6 seconds to refocus, and in some situations the camera does not change the focus point at all. You cannot scale the image while recording.

Autonomous operation

Sony Ericsson Ray uses a Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1500 mAh. The manufacturer provides the following data on the operating time of the smartphone:

• Talk time (2G): 6 hours 50 minutes
• Standby mode (2G)" 430 hours (18 days)
• Music playback mode: 36 hours

My scenario for using the device looked like this: 40-60 minutes of calls per day, sending 10-15 text messages, configured Gmail accounts and MS Exchange with push-mail function enabled, 1-2 hours of Internet via Wi-Fi or 2G/3G. In this mode, Ray worked on average for about a day, that is, I removed the device from charging at 9 am and quietly used it until late at night, 23-24 hours. If you listen to music, the operating time is reduced and the device is discharged at about 19-20 hours.

The operating time indicators are typical for an Android device; they are not amazing, but they are not as mediocre as in some smartphones from HTC in the first half of the year, for example.

The smartphone has an energy saving utility, it works according to the already familiar principle, as in models from Samsung and HTC: you can select different modules (wireless interfaces, types of notifications, screen brightness, etc.), which the program will turn off when the battery level is low battery to save it.

Performance

The smartphone is built on the Qualcomm QSD8255 (Snapdragon) platform with a 1 GHz processor. The device has 512 MB of RAM and 300 MB for storing data, programs and everything else. In terms of its platform and memory capacity, the smartphone is a complete copy of the SE Arc. Flaw internal memory for storing user data can be compensated by installing “heavy” programs on the memory card. Comes with the device microSD cards 4 GB glasses.

The phone is not equipped additional codecs to play video, so to play video recorded in divx/xvid or in the mkv container, you need to install third-party video players. By default, video file playback is limited to the capabilities of the Android platform: wmv, mp4 and 3gp. On a smartphone, you can watch videos in 480 and 720p resolutions without any problems; videos that match the screen resolution also run smoothly. Moreover, if you upload 1080p video in the correct format (wmv is best) and quality, your smartphone will play it without problems. However, here the question arises - what is the point of playing video in 1080p and even 720p quality on a small 3.3’’ screen?

The overall speed of the SE Ray is excellent, there are no delays or slowdowns, the smartphone does not hesitate, even if you have a dozen or more programs open.

Interfaces

The smartphone works in GSM networks(850/900/1800/1900) and UMTS (900/2100). Both high-speed data transfer standards are supported - EDGE and HSDPA. Enabling and disabling wireless interfaces can be done in the settings menu using a standard widget Android interfaces 2.3 or from a proprietary widget. As in SE Arc, the size of widgets for managing interfaces here is simply gigantic, but if in Arc it looked wild, then in Ray because of its small screen Such widgets are quite useful.

To synchronize with a PC and transfer data, the included microUSB cable is used. USB 2.0 interface. When connected to a computer, you can enable data transfer mode (the microSD card memory is visible). Built-in module Bluetooth 2.1+EDR with support for all major profiles, including A2DP. Sound quality when listening to music through wireless headphones not bad.

Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n). The operation of the Wi-Fi module did not cause any complaints. On your smartphone, you can configure rules for Wi-Fi to go into sleep mode, use only a static IP address when connecting, and add security certificates. When working Wi-Fi smartphone heats up slightly.

Like any other device on Android based 2.2 and higher, SE Ray can be used as Wi-Fi points access for other devices. The smartphone also supports the communication standard wireless devices DLNA.

Navigation

Sony Ericsson Ray uses the GPSOne chip on the Qualcomm platform. A cold start takes about 30 seconds, then searching for satellites takes about 5-15 seconds (testing was done using GPS programs Status, available in the Market).

The device has programs for navigation Google Maps and Google Navigation. Using the first one, you can get directions, search for addresses by street names or places. Using the second, you can use navigation with route guidance and voice prompts.

Entering text

The SE Ray uses a proprietary keyboard. In terms of capabilities, it resembles the standard one for Android. Switching the language is done by pressing one key. If you need to hide the keyboard, just hold the left key under the screen for a couple of seconds. We talked about the convenience of typing above.

What does a modern Android smartphone look like? A huge body with a screen of more than 4 inches in a plastic or metal wrapper without a hint of any design. The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray smartphone is the complete opposite: thin, light with a 3.3” display, in a body that can fit even in a small woman’s hand.

Android smartphone

Dimensions, weight, body materials, photo quality, performance, operating time, display characteristics and behavior in the sun

Difficulty typing due to screen diagonal

Verdict

Design and ergonomics

You can appreciate the graceful forms of a smartphone only by holding it in your hands. Neither photographs nor videos are capable of conveying some of the sensations that you experience during tactile communication with Xperia ray. Taking it in your hands, you understand how much effort and time the company spent in order to release a smartphone that is so attractive compared to existing devices of the same type. The record low weight of 100 grams is successfully emphasized by the thickness of less than a centimeter.

The back side is made of soft-touch plastic. The inscriptions XPERIA and HD are displayed here, which indicates that the device belongs to the line of smartphones and records video in HD resolution, respectively. The front panel is completely covered with mineral glass. At the top of the panel, under the decorative bow, there is a speaker, slightly below and to the left of the VGA camera eye. To the right of it is a proximity and light sensor. What makes the phone attractive is the 3.3” screen that is “invisible” in standby mode. In order to see where the display is located, you will need to find a certain angle. Below the screen, made in the same style as above it, but slightly larger, there is a mechanical “Home” key, and on either side of it are touch-sensitive “Back” and “Properties” keys.

Minimalism in design Xperia ray can be traced not only in its dimensions and weight, but also in the small quantity additional buttons management. At the top end there is a power/lock key with a soft but noticeable stroke. The volume rocker key, on the contrary, is almost imperceptible and has insufficient tactile feedback.

The standard audio jack is located to the right of the lock key, and connect charger or a micro-USB cable can be connected to the connector on the left side. Two microphone slots on the bottom and under the LED flash are used for voice transmission and noise reduction during calls, as well as stereo sound recording when shooting video. The multimedia speaker, like the conversation speaker, is hidden under a decorative bracket and is located on the rear panel near the manufacturer's logo.

Under the back cover there is a 1500 mAh battery and slots for SIM and microSD cards, which can only be accessed after removing the battery.

Interface and unique applications

Like other smartphones from the company, its own interface called Xperia UX is installed on top of the operating system. It’s impossible to say that with its help the phone gets an increase in user friendliness, but we know one thing for sure: the boring look of naked Android is successfully disguised as an animated interface from Sony Ericsson. The user space consists of five separate desktops without the ability to change their number.

Features of the Xperia UX interface

The phone allows you to change one of seven themes. True, expect serious changes, as in HTC smartphones, not worth it. The theme should be understood as just a background screensaver and a lock screen design.

The main menu of the phone is built in the form of a 4 by 4 grid and out of the box offers the user a fairly large number of additional mini-applications or graphic fragments, as “widgets” are called at Sony Ericsson. All installed programs can be sorted by several types: alphabetically, most frequently used, recently installed, or your own order. It should be noted that you can change the location of programs only in the last of them. The icon in the lower right corner has two purposes - to remove installed programs and, if the “Custom order” menu type is selected, to move them around.

The phone menu can be customized to your liking. Already installed on the phone out of the box
quite a large number of additional programs

In our opinion, among the applications preinstalled by the manufacturer, the following can be considered interesting: “Music and Video”, “Economy Mode” and “LiveWare Manager”. The first widget searches for relevant content on the pages of your friends from the social network Facebook. Here you can read comments or leave your own, listen to the song or watch a video clip and, of course, click “Like”. The second widget is intended for those users for whom it is important that the phone works as long as possible. In the settings of this mini-program, you can set when and under what conditions Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, background data transfer and other services that “complicate” the life of the battery will be turned off. The last of the widgets is unique in its design and involves setting up the launch of any application when a headset, headphones or charging cable is connected. What could be the possible ways to use it? For example, when you connect a headset to your phone, the music player or FM radio will automatically start, and when you put the phone on charge, the GPS navigator will automatically start if you use the phone in the car.

It will become easier to monitor the audio and video content of your friends’ Facebook pages
using the Music and Videos of Friends widget

This widget is intended for those users who care about the operating time of their smartphone.
With its help, you can extend the “life” by 20-30%, but at the same time part of the advantages of Android systems

Now you can launch applications not only using voice commands, but also simple actions,
by connecting a headset, headphones or charger to your smartphone

Returning to the main workspace, we should start by describing the arrangement of icons quick access. IN Xperia ray At the bottom of the screen there are four large shortcuts with an icon for entering the main menu between them. The “Multimedia” shortcut is a kind of folder in which multimedia applications are collected. You can adjust the list of applications yourself, and you can add any shortcuts to “Multimedia”. There is no need to describe the other three shortcuts; they all have functionality traditional for Android smartphones.

The proprietary Xperia UX interface is installed on top of the operating system, the main trump card of which is the Timescape widget. With its help, the smartphone owner can track any changes and news in such social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte and also display incoming text messages and emails. Those who find such a hodgepodge inconvenient due to the large amount of information can track changes in the social lives of friends separately for each application.

The organization of the Timescape widget may not be to everyone's liking. In addition to the current
functionality, the user can add a section “Mail”, “Music” and more

Another interesting widget is Favorites and Call Log. It contains information about your favorite contacts, for each of which you can view detailed data (including Facebook), calls and messages. The only thing the widget lacks is calling a subscriber with one touch.

Find additional information about any contact from the phone book
via the Favorites and Calls widget

Hardware and performance

New Sony models Ericsson use the same platform and are built on the basis Qualcomm processor MSM 8255 with a frequency of one gigahertz, Adreno 205 video accelerator and have 512 megabytes of RAM. IN Xperia ray 300 megabytes are available to the user for data storage.

It is worth noting that such technical data make Sony smartphones Ericsson is the most productive in its class, with a gap between competitors reaching 10-20%. Interestingly, in the tests you can see the results of the ST18i overclocked to 1900 MHz. This speaks of good potential for those who “can never get enough.”

Xperia ray has enough power to solve any task

Surprisingly, with such computing power, the smartphone is unable to play conventional video files software capabilities. To do this, I had to install a video player from the Androd Market.

To watch unconverted video you will have to use
a special player from the Android market

The operating time of the phone, taking into account its characteristics, is at least a day with active use. With the operating scheme: synchronizing mail via Wi-Fi, working on a 3G network, making calls, updating Timespape widget data, you can easily count on two days of work.

Display and camera

The smartphone uses an 8-megapixel camera with the ability to record video at 720p resolution at 30 FPS and stereo sound.

The quality of the images is quite capable of satisfying the needs of demanding users, but the video quality is inferior to the top three Samsung Galaxy SII, Nokia N8 and Apple iPhone 4. The picture is spoiled by noticeable moire. But the advantages include two-channel audio recording and frame update speed.

There are a large number of special modes in the camera settings,
but even in automatic mode You get quite high quality photos

Examples of photographs taken with an 8 megapixel camera in maximum quality

Example of video recording in HD resolution

The display has one of the smallest diagonals on the market, smaller than only 3.2", while its resolution is 854x480 pixels, which is sufficient even for diagonals from 3.7". In fact, only two devices on the market have a higher dpi rate: Apple iPhone 4 and Meizu M9, with their 3.5” screens. Of course, for the already traditional 4” diagonal for all devices starting from the middle class, 3.3 looks insufficient. A screen of such a diagonal is not the most comfortable for web browsing or watching videos, but taking into account the cost factor, it is better to pay extra and get several times higher resolution than traditional Android and 3.2-3.5” 480x320. In terms of display quality, Ray can rank with the best smartphones on the market. Viewing angles are maximum. Colors are not inverted, and information remains readable even in bright sunlight. All this became possible thanks to the use of new technologies, namely the absence of an air gap between the display and the sensor. In addition to improving performance, this made it possible to reduce the thickness of the smartphone.

Results

The quality of communication and voice transmission is at a good level, partly due to the xLOUD software function, which allows you to significantly increase the volume level, compensating for a barely noticeable vibration alert.
There is a lot in a smartphone positive aspects. These are thickness and weight, display, body material and photographs, a pleasant interface and good performance indicators.

Perhaps, due to its dimensions, the phone is more suitable for the female half of society, which is also facilitated by the presence of three more body options: white, gold and red, but we are confident that everyone will want to own such a device, once they pick it up.

Video review of Sony Ericsson Xperia ray

Technical specifications Sony Ericsson Xperia ray (ST18i)

Standards GSM 850/900/1800/1900/UMTS 2100, (GPRS/EDGE, HSDPA)

operating system Android 2.3 Gingerbread

CPU MSM 8255 1 GHz, graphics accelerator Adreno 205

Memory RAM 512 MB, ROM 300 MB

Screen TFT, 3.3" (480×854), touch, capacitive, mineral glass

Interfaces USB 2.0, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA

Built-in camera 8 MP, HD video (30 fps), flash

Supported Formats MP3, AMR, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, 3GP, MP4

Battery, autonomy Li-Ion, 1500 mAh, 1-2 days

Internet browser Chrome Mobile

Additional features Xperia UX, Mobile Bravia Engine, Sony Exmor R

Dimensions and weight 111×53×9.4 mm, 100 g

Advantages: 1) Here it is! Here it is the phone of my dreams! 2) The most stylish phone of all that is now on the market, in my opinion, of course)). 3) Incredibly fast (even stuffed to the brim with all sorts of things, it doesn’t show even a trace of glitches) - compared with new Galaxy R fresh out of the box and Ray made it without straining. 4) The camera is fast, with various nice features such as image stabilization and video recording in HD with constant focus (not all point-and-shoot cameras have this, not like competitors’ phones), and audio recording in stereo. 5) It is so thin and pleasant to the touch, I just enjoy it when I hold it in my hand. 6) Long-lasting battery. Despite the fact that I got the version with 1450 mAh, using the ray for calls, a little games, music and playing with the camera, it easily lasts for 2 days; with more gentle use, according to my calculations, it can live for 4 days, but I can’t spare it yet)))) 6) Navigation... no words... somehow walking down the street in good weather and with a moderately tolerant Internet, I launched Yandex maps...2 seconds...2 seconds had not passed since I clicked on the maps shortcut and Ray showed me where I was. And this was not an accident, I repeated the experiments - the average time was 2-3 seconds. 7) the screen... for the first 3 days I just turned on the pictures and enthusiastically hung with my eyes wide open and drooling)) Now, of course, I feel calmer towards it, but I still don’t raise the brightness above 60% for the sake of my mental health, moderate release of hormones of happiness and battery saving - fortunately, even in the sun this is enough. 8)software and hardware platform...poor owners of Apple devices are sad, this baby does everything the same as their favorites (and even more) and at the same time costs several times less. and even the excuse that the apple doesn’t go with him more stylishly. The only thing I would like to highlight is that video calls on Skype and VKontakte applications work great. Oh yes, FullHD video from YouTube cannot leave you indifferent on this screen))-->> Disadvantages: -->> Let's continue about the advantages for now))) 9) Finally, it all comes together: The sound in the headphones is simply amazing (I immediately installed PowerAMP ), loud conversation speaker, informative and beautiful diode under the screen, bright camera illumination (1 diode is brighter than on Nokia x6 2), pleasant non-staining coating on the back cover of my black model. Phew. Looks like I didn’t forget anything. “What about the downsides?” you say. Honestly? Hand on heart, I can tell you - for me there are none, I’m not disappointed in anything, having examined the phone up and down, I’m still delighted with it. There are, of course, a few things that may be interesting to you, which do not upset me at all, but the absence of which I would not refuse: 1) the headphones included in the kit are, for show, useless, we take something really good for him, he deserves it)). 2) I didn’t notice any noticeable advantage of ExmorR in low light conditions without backlighting (but I didn’t experiment too much) 3) after 2 stereo speakers on the x6, the local speaker of course loses, and it may not seem very good to some, but again I’m quite happy with it 4) in the upper left and lower right corners of the back cover, a little bit (about 1 square mm) this wonderful soft touch coating begins to peel off. If you look closely)) Why did I give one star?! I'm sorry. I deceived you a little for the good)) Just a bunch of positive reviews (not in vain;), in which mine, with five stars, would have been lost, and a few negative ones, which many will definitely look at and maybe listen to. I want to tell you right away. Don't trust them. I don’t know how, on what basis and in what place people made such conclusions, but here are my clarifications to some reviews (I have official firmware version 2.3.4): 1) It zooms the video even when recording. 2) It lasts longer than the vast majority of Android smartphones. 3) It eats as much traffic as you allow it, with one click you can set a complete ban on data transfer, and also set, for example, an alert about exceeding the traffic limit per day, -->> Comment: -->> prohibition of application updates, prohibition of synchronization or background data transfer. 4) It does not reset the call when applied to the ear - the proximity sensor blocks the screen and works perfectly. 5) The YTSUKEN keyboard has the letters E and Ъ. To type them, you just need to press and briefly hold the letters E and B, respectively. 6) The accuracy of clicks is excellent, even with my rather large fingers 7) It does not freeze or reboot spontaneously 8) It has no connection problems. Neither with a cellular phone nor with WiFi 9) Due to the excellent quality of the screen, reading even small text from it does not cause any difficulties 10) The screen is not scratched, the factory film is scratched, which many do not notice due to its high-quality sticker. And even that one is quite good and resistant to moderate external influences. 11) Due to its low weight, when shooting photos and videos using touch screen there is not the slightest discomfort, even if you use one hand 12) The assembled device looks and feels like a monolith. Backlashes and creaks are apparently disadvantages of only some specific models. 13) It is light, but with its weight and high-quality assembly, it does not feel like a cheap toy. 14) The XPERIA inscription is absolutely not disgusting, but even quite the opposite))):P 15) As for statements like “there is no sorting of contacts, a stopwatch, etc., to be honest, I haven’t come across it and haven’t specifically tested it, but... Lord, yes You have a modern smartphone, almost everything you want can be added and replaced, and giving a bad rating for it is at least stupid. It’s the same as saying “I won’t install Windows on a computer, because InternetExplorer is laggy and WindowsMediaPlayer doesn’t show DVDs properly.” and everything I wanted to say. Thank you for your attention. I hope I helped you in choosing the right phone;)