This latest offering from Sony Ericsson, the Xperia Neo offers a bright, colourful screen, superb 8-megapixel camera with 720p video recording and HDMI output, plus all the standard Android smart phone features. This is a mid range smartphone, sitting in a lower price range than its predecessors the Xperia Play and Xperia Arc. looking more like the Play than the wafer thin Arc, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo has that trademark to the rear, making it easier to hold and features an attractive two-tone plastic casing which manages to look modern and classy.

The 3.7 inch capacitive touchscreen is smaller than the Play’s (4 inch) and the Arc’s (4.2 inch), but, thanks to Sony Ericsson’s Mobile Bravia Engine picture-processing technology, in terms of brightness and clarity, the Xperia Neo is fantastic (there is also a dedicated shutter button to take advantage of any instant photo opportunities). The fantastic 8 megapixel camera uses the latest Exmor R CMOS sensor and manages to capture stunning pictures with stunning detail – even in poor light conditions. The Xperia Neo is so good it outclasses many dedicated digital cameras. The Neo is also capable of recording 720p high-definition videos with smooth transitions and lots of detail. The best way to really appreciate the quality of the video playback is to take advantage of the HDMI out facility and watch on your hi-def TV screen.

Running the award winning Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system, but with a single-core 1GHz processor, the Xperia Neo is no class leader in terms of power, being blown away by the class best (the HTC Sensation and Samsung Galaxy S 2) however in everyday usage the Neo is more
than capable of playing all the latest games and running all the heavy duty apps available in the Android Market.

In terms of mid range smart phones, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is right up there with the best of them. For many the Neo will offer all the features and power they will ever need (and many they will never use!) The single core processor is the only real drawback to the competitive price – but even with this alck of power (on paper) the Neo can handle any of the popular Android applications and offers a good gaming experience and a whole host of useful widgets. There is of course the potential that this single core processor could mean the Neo will become very dated within the next couple of years, with new applications and functionality coming down the line specifically designed for dual core devices. Of course those with pay monthly contracts can simply upgrade, so this is not a serious issue.