RRP: $579

The Deal:

The first Sony branded smartphone is packed with features including a 4.3-inch Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine, 12.1-megapixel camera with Sony Exmor R CMOS sensor and a 1.5GHz dual core processor.

The Verdict:

While Sony Ericsson had some solid smartphone offerings under the Xperia brand, nothing truly stood out. The Xperia S could be the phone to do just that.

The best feature of the Xperia S is its 4.3-inch screen. The Reality Display has HD resolution of 1080×720, which looks fantastic and is one of the clearest around.

The camera boasts an impressive 12-megapixels, and while most shots were great, it struggled in artificial light and images tended to be washed out.

The design is very unique too, with a clear band at the base of the handset that lights up to display the home, back and menu keys or alert you to notifications.

Although it doesn’t pack in a quad core processor or Android 4.0, the Xperia S is quite solid on the performance side and never suffered slow down or lag.

The implementation of NFC technology is also the best we have seen. Special NFC Smart Tags are included in the box, which let you change the setup of the phone simply by tapping the handset on the tag.

Batterylife was quite good easily lasting a solid day with normal use.

While the Xperia S is not quite the best in the pack, it is a great first offering by Sony in the smartphone space and will please most consumers.

8.5/10