Firstly, it's not an AMOLED screen, but it's not a PenTile matrix either - so the text is pin-sharp. I like the screen and was actually surprised how deep the blacks are, although was under no illusion that it wouldn't be as good as OLED contrast wise. Nothing ever will be.
I will start my review next week when I'm back at work, but I'd say that the screen is the real positive here - as you probably all expected. It's stunning!
The camera is good too, along with the quick start feature that can be set to either fire up the camera (even when locked) or fire up and take a shot (sans flash). You can then take more pictures, but (like Windows Phone) will have to go to the unlock screen to be able to do anything else if you got into the camera that way. I guess a thief could take loads of pictures on your phone, but not do anything with them!
It feels great in the hand and you don't think you're about to drop it, but I still think I'd get one of the official cases when they come out. The cheap Chinese gel cases may be okay, but I find they make the camera button hard to use. I fear the phone will dent if dropped.
It's fast too - but there has been some lagging when getting new email in the Gmail app - but every phone I've tested does this, and it's got to be down to the coding in the apps as the Galaxy Nexus had none of this - so I really hope that when the Xperia S gets ICS, it will be even faster because Google has finally made background syncing a lot more efficient. It's one reason why I wish they'd held out until ICS could ship as standard, along with the problem of some customers being confused when the menus and apps change not long after they buy their new phone (I presume Sony wants to sell to more than just Android geeks?)
The speaker is a bit of a disappointment, but perhaps that's because I've used so many Motorola devices where the speakers are great. It's loud, thanks to xLoud, but tinny - like the arc/arc S.
Back to the camera, I've found the video recording to be okay but I am not sure the flash is that bright. I'll obviously test this out a bit more thoroughly over the coming days.
I've also found that the homescreen launcher can quit and re-load (a problem on the arc which had much less RAM) which is annoying. If you root it, you can adjust the low memory limits, but I am amazed Sony hasn't tweaked. The good news is that there's 2GB of app storage space, not 380MB.
Finally, the buttons under the screen. To me, this is the one thing that could deter some people from buying the device. You seem to need to press them very accurately, and with a firm touch - not just a tap. You can, and will, get used to it if it's your main phone but the responsiveness is poor. Whether this can be adjusted (via service menus or future updates) I am not sure about, but I've found it a little frustrating. It's also annoying that the icons are only lit for a small time so you are pressing blind, and given the need to be quite accurate, using the phone in the dark isn't great. Sure, the arc didn't have illuminated buttons at all, but they were quite easy to 'feel'.
I hope that's useful, considering it's not my actual review! Oh, to add; it benchmarks well too.
One more thing to add; it's bloody stupid that they've got the USB port on one side and the HDMI on the other. That means no dock, and the universal dock they released last year doesn't really support the Xperia S - which just tips over.
And another thing to add!: So far I've been unable to pair any Bluetooth keyboards with it - from a Motorola wireless one (for the Atrix and others) to the Apple one. The Apple one pairs, but doesn't connect (and on any other Android devices, you simply enter the pairing code on the phone and then type the digits + return on the keyboard).
It has 2.3.7 on it now and should get ICS in Q2, ahead of the 2011 Xperia models. I'd hope that this is sooner rather than later, so not the last week of June. I'd seriously consider installing an unofficial ROM on it, as ICS really is a lot better.