After having the iPhone 4s, HTC Sensation and a few other phones in rapid succession I am extremely happy with the Ray.
In someways, after not being tempted by a Sony phone for many years, it represents a comeback to me.
Sony must find it tough in the current market. No unique OS and tough competition from HTC, Samsung and a bunch of others in the Android space.
HTC are well designed phones, Samsung strength is in battery life, screen and cpu as they make all of these.
Sony has had to look for niches as well as making the standard stuff. The x10, and latterly the Xperia mini and mini pro have carved a good niche as small phones with an optional keyboard. Probably their main competitors being the HTC Explorer and HTC Wildfire S. Recently Samsung has also made a few smaller phones but with lower resolution. The keyboard was genius as there is a strong minority of phone users that want a keyboard and the only competition is the HTC Chacha (status) with tiny screen, or the Samsung Galaxy Pro with low resolution screen.
The Xperia play has not been so successful until recently when its price came sharply down.
The Ray however is unique. Not only is it unique, it is beautifully and solidly designed, despite being all plastic (albeit with metal frame).
Why I like the Ray:
1. Design. Light and solid (nothing flexes)
2. Small but usable
3. Awesome screen quality
4. Not bad battery life
5. Every feature under the sun except for dual core (thank goodness - given the poor battery life of every dual core phone)
6. Sony customisations actually work well. I have no desire to run to stock Android (the only other manufacturer I feel this way about is HTC).
Why I rate it better then the Sensation:
1. Battery life
2. Size
Why I rate it better then the iPhone:
1. Small screen in small body. iPhone is oversized for the current screen dimensions
2. Android functionally more advanced then iOS now
All of these are great phones but after many Sony phones which I feel are "me too" products, I think Sony is finally getting the software right.
Obviously the Ray is not for someone who wants a big screen or has massive hands (although I would argue its the accuracy of the touch, not the size, that is important), but I would say that the Xperia Ray is genuinely a market leading product for what it is, and the only small smartphone that is fully functional and a joy to use!
In someways, after not being tempted by a Sony phone for many years, it represents a comeback to me.
Sony must find it tough in the current market. No unique OS and tough competition from HTC, Samsung and a bunch of others in the Android space.
HTC are well designed phones, Samsung strength is in battery life, screen and cpu as they make all of these.
Sony has had to look for niches as well as making the standard stuff. The x10, and latterly the Xperia mini and mini pro have carved a good niche as small phones with an optional keyboard. Probably their main competitors being the HTC Explorer and HTC Wildfire S. Recently Samsung has also made a few smaller phones but with lower resolution. The keyboard was genius as there is a strong minority of phone users that want a keyboard and the only competition is the HTC Chacha (status) with tiny screen, or the Samsung Galaxy Pro with low resolution screen.
The Xperia play has not been so successful until recently when its price came sharply down.
The Ray however is unique. Not only is it unique, it is beautifully and solidly designed, despite being all plastic (albeit with metal frame).
Why I like the Ray:
1. Design. Light and solid (nothing flexes)
2. Small but usable
3. Awesome screen quality
4. Not bad battery life
5. Every feature under the sun except for dual core (thank goodness - given the poor battery life of every dual core phone)
6. Sony customisations actually work well. I have no desire to run to stock Android (the only other manufacturer I feel this way about is HTC).
Why I rate it better then the Sensation:
1. Battery life
2. Size
Why I rate it better then the iPhone:
1. Small screen in small body. iPhone is oversized for the current screen dimensions
2. Android functionally more advanced then iOS now
All of these are great phones but after many Sony phones which I feel are "me too" products, I think Sony is finally getting the software right.
Obviously the Ray is not for someone who wants a big screen or has massive hands (although I would argue its the accuracy of the touch, not the size, that is important), but I would say that the Xperia Ray is genuinely a market leading product for what it is, and the only small smartphone that is fully functional and a joy to use!
