Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Review
By Ruben Corbo on October 31st, 2011
It does use a basic version of Android 2.3 which is appreciated, given that the device certainly doesn’t need added complication. Whether this represents a future for dedicated gaming phone devices is uncertain, but for now it at least offers a unique experience to those who place emphasis on their phone’s gaming capability.
Though the device is housing a fairly sizable gaming pad, it doesn’t make it obvious through its outside appearance. It is still relatively thin, sleek and above all, very stylish with the usual Android shortcut buttons nicely positions at the bottom and a curved top and bottom. The phone measures 4.68 inches in height, 2.44 inches in width and is 0.63 inch thick. It is however quite sizable at a formidable 6.17 ounces. It isn’t the slickest phone on the market by any standard, but as far as gaming devices goes it is of an acceptable size and weight.
Housed on the front of the device is its 4 inch capacitive touch-screen. The screen supports 16 million colors and a resolution of 480x854. The black glossy finish around the screen is nicely contrasted to the touch buttons at the bottom. As for as screens go it is pretty impressive, though this is unsurprising given that the phone sells itself as a hybrid gaming device. The images it produces are colorful and vibrant, whilst the text and icons are sharp and defined.
The gaming pad slides out from the left of the phone. The pad has a matter silver finish and its layout mirrors that seen on the Sony PlayStation controllers. In place of the usual analogy sticks are two touch-sensitive circles which function in the same way. However, the touch sensitive controls aren’t as smooth as physical analog sticks and can become awkward to handle after long periods of time. Through Xperia Play, games feel smooth and well supported by the phone’s hardware.
Supporting the phone’s demanding functions and applications is a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. Whilst not at the same standard as dual-core processors, it performs well enough to keep performance consistent. However, it would’ve been nice to see a dual-core on a device such as this.
Even with its gaming device purpose, the phone still manages to contain a 5-megapixel camera. It has LED flash and is capable of recording in video. Overall the quality of the pictures it produces are average, though most users will excuse this given the phone’s other offerings.
