Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness X5

At the time of its launch, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Pureness X5 cost a whopping $1,000 even though it was a phone that offers basic functionality. The phone has a 1.8-inch display of QVGA resolution. This monochromatic display is backlit and its glow makes it look even more spectacular. With a one-of-a-kind display and a very interesting outer appearance, the X5 occupies a special place in SE’s history.

The Send and End keys, along with the D-pad and the volume rocker keys have all been raised and they are very easy to use. However, the function keys could have been a little bit bigger so those of you that have thicker fingers might have some issues using these keys. The keyboard is a little bit better but some people will probably find the wobbly tiles which cover the keys to be a bit annoying as these don’t look stable.

On the right-hand side of the phone sits the SIM card slot which remains covered under a protective flap, while on the opposite side is the company’s protective connector. At the back of the device is a small button for turning the phone on and off. It doesn’t come with an expansion card slot but you do get 2GB of internal memory.

For a $1,000 phone, we would have expected that the build quality and the materials used was exceptional but it doesn’t feel high enough and the phone is not as luxurious as it should have been given the hefty price tag. The phonebook can hold 1,000 contacts and for each entry you have room for a few phone numbers, picture, addresses, etc. As for messaging, it comes with support for SMS, MMS and e-mail, while the organizer functions include tasks, calendar, alarms, stopwatch, notes, calculator and a chronometer.

On the connectivity front we find 3G with support for HSDPA 7.2Mbps while the browser is NetFront. As for the loudspeaker, this is not as powerful as it should have been while the sound that it generates is plagued by environmental nose. The bundled headsets are pretty good as they get quite loud and you have a decent amount of bass.

All things considered, the Sony Ericsson Pureness X5 comes with a decent amount of options and the level of practicality that it offers should be enough for most users. As a phone, it is worth mentioning that the call quality is above average as the voices on both ends of the line are realistic and you can still understand what the other person is saying even if he is in a noisy environment. Keep in mind though that using the 3G connection will drain the battery right away so you might consider turning it off whenever you are not browsing the Internet.

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