Pre-release comparison: Xperia X1 vs. Sony Ericsson P1i
In lieu
of the hype surrounding the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, let's see how well it
fares against SE's current flagship and whether it's worthy for us Sony
Ericsson P1 users to drop our P1's to get the X1... 15115g619p
First up, the physical size of the 2:
Both
smart phones are more or less the same size, so P1 users won't find the
transformation mindblowing or anything. The Xperia, however, clocks in at 145
grams (as opposed to the P1's 124 grams) so it should feel heaver and more
solid as a whole. It might feel solid for some but a bit on the heavy side for
others, so do beware of that.
Screen Resolution and Colours: Although the P1 isn't especially
impressive in terms of the colour on the main screen, the Xperia X1 doesn't
match up to the P1's standards. The P1 sports a 262K colour TFT screen - but on
the other hand, the Xperia is 1 step back; it only sports a 65K colour TFT
screen. Think back to the days of the Sony Ericsson T630 - not very impressive
is it? Viewing 3.2 Megapixel photos on a 65K colour screen definitely doesn't
do the photos any justice, so if you value photo viewing on your phone, then
the X1 isn't for you. And considering that Nokia phones have 16 Million colour
screens as the de facto standard, the X1 is definitely a disappointment in this
department. I presume that a 65K colour screen was used to lower energy usage
within the phone.
Apart
from the colour issue, the X1 supports a screen resolution of 800 x 480. It's
definitely a massive step up than the P1's 320 x 240. Screen size has also been
enlarged to 3 inches from the P1's 2.6 inches. Much better for viewing
multimedia files, so do take that in mind.
Connectivity:
The Xperia X1 is definitely a winner here. It supports virtually all the bands
in every part of the world; from the American standard to the European
standards - so this is definitely the traveller's choice. First there's Quad
band GSM/EDGE - the P1 only has Tri band GSM (900/1800/1900) - then there's
Quad band 3G/3.5G supporting the frequencies 900/1700/1900/2100 MHz; the US
T-Mobile 3G spectrum is also supported there - the P1 only has European 3G, so
it's a big turn off for Americans. The Xperia X1 IS the world phone, so it
should appeal to those businessmen who require extensive travelling around the
globe.
Operating System:
The Xperia X1 runs on Windows Mobile 6, while the P1 runs on Symbian UIQ 3.0.
I'm really biased when it comes to commenting on Windows Mobile Platforms, with
some poor past experiences, but it appears (from what I've seen at least) that
the WM6 platform is solid in displaying its multimedia capabilities. Some of
the readers may be more experienced in using the WM platform so please comment
on your previous experiences!
Little Tidbits on the Xperia X1:
Both sport a 3.2 Megapixel camera but I can bet anything that the Xperia X1
won't have the notorious "Green Tint" issue plaguing many P1's so it
should appear to be the better camera.
A host of Office apps come along as part of the WM platform so it's definitely
a plus for the business users - but there doesn't appear to be a version of
Blackberry support for the Xperia X1, unlike the P1, so many users may feel
left out.
The X1 comes with Wireless B and G built-in while the P1 only supports the B
standard, making it another tempting aspect for P1 users to upgrade to. There
also doesn't seem to be an integrated GPS chip built-in to the X1 - surely Sony
Ericsson should have put it in; it's becoming another de facto standard in the
world of smart phones.
Conclusion:
Get it if you're a hardcore traveller and have plenty of money to burn.
Otherwise, you might want to consider sticking to your P1 - although the Xperia
X1 is really a magnificent phone, it's not really a massive upgrade from your
P1. For those who use Blackberry Connect for their Push emails, you would want
to stick around on the P1, as it supports both ActiveSync and Blackberry push
emails.
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