Smartphone preview: Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo

There has been a slight delay in the UK release of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo, due to a parts shortage caused by the devastating earthquakes in Japan in March. However, the new smartphone (now slated for a July release) will be well worth the wait.

The latest model in the popular Xperia line looks likely to carry on Sony Ericsson’s success. The beautiful curvy exterior (116x57x13mm) houses a 1GHz Scorpion processor powering the Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system.

The 3.7-inch 854x480 pixel TFT screen is perfect for looking at your pics - which are going to pretty good, thanks to the eight-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash. You can also record video in HD, while there’s a front facing camera for video chat.

There’s 1GB of internal memory, easily expandable thanks to the standard microSD card slot. Sony Ericsson is also proud of the Xperia Neo’s green credentials, as it is partly produced from recycled plastics and also has very low standby power consumption. with a 1500mAh Li-Po battery on board, this should mean it’ll keep going for a while!

Thanks to Google’s Android OS, you can guarantee that handling email, music files and the internet will be a doddle (there’s a standard microUSB port for charging and syncing). And compatibility won’t be an issue either: the Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo is a quadband smartphone with GPRS, Edge and 3G HSPA alongside Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The Xperia Arc may be bigger, and a little better, but the Neo doesn’t really suffer from a lack of a dual core processor or the smaller screen. It’s fantastic looks and cheaper price tag will simply see it playing to a different audience - and we think it will be a big hit.

You can already find the Neo on preorder from a number of online retailers here, but it might be best to wait for details of all the best deals and offers as they are announced in the coming weeks.