So, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has a lot of pressure on its shoulder buttons - does it live up to the hype? Thankfully, we managed to nab a unit to play with for a few hours, so check out our first impressions:
Sony ericsson xperia play review

Early feelings are mixed - if you're going to have a phone with a slide-out gaming pad, then you'll need to temper your expectations of a slim device - the Xperia Play isn't the chunkiest phone in the world, but it's certainly noticeable in the pocket.
The 4-inch screen is a fine size, and if the rumours about it being powered by the same Bravia engine as the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc (which were confirmed by our source) are indeed true, then this could be a really intriguing hybrid device.


Sony ericsson xperia play review
The front of the phone is pretty sparse - we've got the same four hard keys controlling the Back, Home, Menu and Search functions as most Android phones - interesting to see the Search function pop up, as Sony Ericsson has jettisoned this key on its previous models, and the Xperia Arc too.
Sony ericsson xperia play review
The charger port is still microUSB, although it's a slightly different variation with a more angular shape than others - our generic charger still worked fine though, so there's no need to worry on that front.
Of more concern (although that word may be a little too dramatic) is the power button - it's seemingly hidden by the slide-out keyboard, so a little work might need to be done to the final release model to raise this up - it's a constantly used area as it also serves as the lock switch, so making it fiddly won't be a good idea.


Sony ericsson xperia play review
We've never been fans of the 3.5mm headphone port being located on the side of a phone, although it is near the top on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play - it gets in the way of the hand when trying to watch a movie.


Sony ericsson xperia play review
Overall, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play fits well enough in the hand - it's a chunky beast, make no mistake, but not as bad you might think - we're glad that things have moved on to the point where all this technology doesn't need a spare bag to cart it around.

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