There are some times when you simply do not want to carry around a huge device like the HTC Sensation or Samsung Galaxy S II and you instead would like a more compact device to suit your needs. This is where the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray comes in to play: it's a compact, thin, mid-range device with a focus on media capabilities and still enough power behind it to make everything run smoothly.

Thanks to the guys over at MobiCity, today I have with me the European Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray ST18i model in black with 900/2100 3G HSPA bands, but rest assured that there is also a US model designed for those that need 850/1900/2100 bands. As always MobiCity managed to ship this device to me (in Australia) the day after I requested it, so props to them for quick shipping to Pacific countries.

Specifications

As I mentioned above there are two models of the Xperia Ray that differ in the 3G bands for different regions. Everything else about the two models is the same, including the Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset (1 GHz single-core Snapdragon with Adreno 205), impressive 8 MP camera for a mid-range device and pixel-packed 3.3-inch 480 x 854 display.

The battery in this device is also quite large at 1,500 mAh; this should be plenty considering it only needs to power a 3.3-inch display and moderate specs in this Android climate. The Ray also has a fantastically small footprint, which we will highlight in the next section on the design.

Contents

Don't want to read the whole review? Skip to the page you're interested in:

1. Introduction
2. Design and Display
3. Software
4. Performance
5. Camera
6. Media Playback & Call Quality
7. Video Overview
8. Battery Life & Conclusion

For those of you who don't want to read the entirety of the review, please also check out the video overview (on page 7) for a short rundown of all the features and some of the best parts of the device