Ten Things I Hate About the SE Xperia X1

10 Cons With the X1

I recently brutally bashed Windows Mobile in a comprehensive article, and I thought – hey, why stop there? I might just as well let the rage continue a bit further and let it all out ;) Here are 10 things I dislike about my Xperia X1:

1. Windows Mobile. For all the reasons explained in detail here. It has way too many flaws for a modern touchscreen OS.
2. The Hardware Buttons. They are too small, impractical and just uncomfortable to press down.
3. The Speaker-Phone. The speakers on the Xperia are weak and the sound quality is very questionable. Listening to music through them is pretty much out of the question and sometimes you miss calls because you can’t hear the ringing tone.
4. The Call Quality. Well, it’s just bad. When you talk on the phone the other person’s voice lacks richness, bass and clarity.
5. The Slow Camera. Taking photos in less than optimal conditions will result in useless pictures. If it’s just a bit dusky, or if the object you’re trying to capture is moving  – the shot will most likely be ruined. Just look at a moving object through the lens and you’ll see how it lags.
6. The Entire Phone is Slow. With a 528 MHz processor, 256 MB RAM and 128 MB graphics memory – the Xperia X1 ought to be blazing fast. It isn’t. End of case. WinMo wastes hardware resources.
7. The Music Experience. Sure, there’s a Media Panel but you need to have that panel active in order to listen to music. If you switch to another panel, the music is turned off. Windows Mobile’s built-in media player blows. If you use Pocket Player you get a better music listening experience, but that’s a third-party application.
8. The Vibrator. It’s the weakest, weediest I’ve seen on a phone. If you have it in your pocket, you’ll probably won’t feel an incoming call. And the vibrator just keeps going non-stop (berserk!) during calls if you don’t apply a tweak: it’s not rhythmic like any other normal cellphone.
9. The Poor Battery Life. The Xperia is a real battery drainer. It lives off it, can’t get enough of it, it’s hooked on the battery juice, baby! You’ll have to charge it everyday at moderate usage.
10. The Panel Interface. Epic fail. It’s basically a useless way of starting applications that can’t be run concurrently with other panel-based applications. What were they thinking? The person who came up with the concept ought to be charged with crimes against technology.

A bonus reason: At a whopping $900 unlocked, it’s easily the most expensive device I have ever bought.