Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion hands-on photos and video

We just snagged some hands-on with with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion, the company’s first LTE smartphone for AT&T. It’s running Android 2.3.7 with Sony Ericsson’s custom skin on top, which is relatively lighter than it has been in years past, limited to a custom app launcher and the ability to pinch the homescreen to view all your widgets.

by Dieter Bohn

Jan 10, 2012, 1:04 AM UTC

xperia ion

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The phones of CES 2012

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We just snagged some hands-on with with the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ion, the company's first LTE smartphone for AT&T. It's running Android 2.3.7 with Sony Ericsson's custom skin on top, which is relatively lighter than it has been in years past, limited to a custom app launcher and the ability to pinch the homescreen to view all your widgets.

From a hardware perspective, the Ion felt solid with a evenly-curved back and didn’t feel especially heavy in the hand, despite (or because of?) the aluminum shell. The 4.6-inch, 720p display is nothing to sniff at, and around back there is a 12-megapixel Exmor R camera. It should be available in the Spring and be upgradeable to Android 4.0 at some point in the future — and given Sony’s willingness to be forthcoming with Ice Cream Sandwich information, that upgrade promise might actually happen.