Sony Ericsson launches Xperia Ray and Xperia Active

Yesterday, we get to see Sony Ericsson’s latest Android smartphone offerings, the slim and sexy Xperia Ray and the somewhat waterproof Xperia Active. Well, we already saw the Xperia ray before at the PLDT Jump Center but let’s have another go at it.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray is made for the ladies with its slim (9.3mm) and sexy body. It has a 3.3″ screen with a 480 x 584 WVGA resolution and Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine for sharper resolution. A widescreen Reality Display looks nice for watching videos but not so much when you’re texting unless you’re doing it in landscape mode or switch to an alphanumeric keyboard when in portrait.

Other specs include a 1GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera that does 720p HD video recording and also has Sony’s 3D/2D Sweep Panorama feature. I’m going to say it again, it’s the Xperia Arc shrinked for a lady’s hand. It comes with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) by the way but is certainly upgradeable.

It has an SRP of Php17,500 but you can find stores selling it for a few thousand less. The Xperia ray comes in black, gold, pink and white.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Active

On the other hand, for those more manly or have an active lifestyle, or just plain clumsy to drop a phone in a toilet bowl (ehem), the Xperia active is suitable.

The Xperia active is dust-proof, scratch-resistant and water proof of up to 3 feet but only for about 15 minutes before water seeps in. A real Boy Scout of a phone but no, you won’t use this underwater. It’s for just-in-case situations only. Removing the back reveals another layer of protection for the battery and its innards.

The Xperia active has a slightly smaller screen than that of the Xperia ray at 3.0 inch (320 x 480) and uses the TimeScape UI that is similar to the X10 Mini and Mini Pro with the corner shortcuts. Despite the small screen, it still uses Sony’s Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine for a really good display quality.

Other features include the same 1GHz processor as that of the ray, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, a 5 megapixel camera that also has that 3D sweep panorama and 720p HD video recording capability. It also comes with sports apps such as iMapMyFitness and built-in GPS, barometer and compass functionality. Told you it’s a boy scout’s phone.

This one’s not yet available in the country as of this writing but it should be arriving in a week or two with an SRP of Php15,500. Colors available would be Orange/Black and White/Black.