Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro

Take the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro out of its box, and the first thing you'll notice is the compact design. After handsets like the Xperia Arc, it feels absolutely tiny, although it is a relatively thick little smartphone (about twice thick thickness of an Xperia Arc). The compact design feels great in the hand though, and it fits easily into pockets. The 3-inch touchscreen is fine for most uses. You can fit plenty of icons on the home screen, and reading text messages is never a problem. It's also fine for web browsing – at least when it comes to text – although images on websites can make things feel a bit cramped. The sliding QWERTY keypad is a highlight on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro, and it means you don't miss the larger screens offered on other smartphones. It's a four row affair, with secondary buttons, directional keys and the space bar offered on the fourth row. We found the keypad responsive and comfortable to use, and for lots of people – especially those creating longer emails or editing documents – it's a better choice than a touchscreen keyboard. There's also a touchscreen keypad as well, and you can use this if you want to use the phone with a single hand. It's an alpha-numeric solution when used in portrait mode, and although the buttons are a little cramped, it's still easy to use. Build quality is good for such an affordable smartphone, and the rubber-coated plastic on the rear of the device is both tactile and hardwearing.