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Do you find the Xperia X10 too big? And the X10 mini too small? Then this might be for you - check out our hands on video and live pictures of the brand new Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 - right after the break.

The Xperia family feels like it is growing from month to month, with the Xperia X8 being the latest (and last?) addition. Obviously the X8 fits in the middle between the X10 and the X10 minis. But is it a big X10 mini, or a medium X10? We will shed some light on that in a minute, but first let's have a look at the

Main features

• CPU: 600 MHz
  
• Size: 99 x 54 x 15 mm
• Weight: 104 grams
  
• 3" display
• 3.2 MP camera, no autofocus
• Android 1.6 or 2.x (to be confirmed still)
  
• GPS, WLAN
  
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Available from Q3 2010 for a RRP of less than 200 Euros

Details

To answer above question: the Xperia X8 is a big X10 mini, i.e. it shares the 4-corner user experience and the one-widget-per-screen feature with the X10 mini (pro). With 98 x 55m, Xperia X8's size is in between the X10 and the X10 mini:

A bit surprising to us is the fact that X8 sports a 3.2MP camera only - even the mini comes with a 5MP resolution, not to speak of the 8.1MP on the X10. In addition, the phone has the lowest feels of all the three Xperias, which doesn't mean that it feels cheap, but there is a little difference.

Otherwise, you get with the X8 pretty much the same experience as with the minis. The 4-corner UI works really well on the minis since you can use just your thumb to carry out your desired actions on the small screen. The UI also works on the bigger screen of Xperia X8, which despite its bigger size still can be operated quite easily with just one hand. If you should feel that the one-widget-per-screen restriction does not make sense on the 3 inch screen, you can easily install a 3rd party home screen, such as PandaHome, which will turn your homescreen to the one familiar from the big Xperia X10.

We should also note here that the X8 (unlike its smaller siblings) comes with a pre-installed QWERTY soft keyboard - which definitely makes sense on the larger screen. Unfortunately the prototype phone we had at hand didn't have that keyboard installed yet, so we can't show it to you in our hands on video.

Just like the Minis, the X8 will also come with exchangeable back covers in different colors.

Our impression

Although the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 looks like being a phone between the Xperia X10 and the x10 mini, it really is meant to be the entry phone to the Xperia line ('My first Xperia'). However, we definitely think that it is also an absolutely viable option for those who are looking for an Android powered phone that comes in a handy, yet usable form factor and size.

On the negative side one certainly has to consider the low camera resolution with no autofocus option. Another cause for complaint will most probably be the Android version 1.6, which is considered to be outdated for quite some time now already. It is however expected that the complete Xperia line will get an update to a more up to date Android version sometime in Q3 this year.

Hands On Video

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Live picture gallery