Sony Ericsson yesterday announced that it has begun to ship its XPERIA X8 smartphone first announced back in June. With its rather lower end specifications, it should make a decent entry-level device but no more than that.
The key selling point of the X8 is of course it’s very nice form factor sitting right in between the X10 mini and the big X10 in size. It gives a bit bigger screen than X10 mini but does have a step-down in e.g. Camera (3.2MP Fix focus) which makes it the most affordable Sony Ericsson Android phone ever.
The XPERIA X8 will ship with Android 1.6 but Sony Ericsson has promised an update to Android 2.1 later this year. Final timing has not been determined but should follow a bit later than the XPERIA X10 updates.
There is no word yet on which Canadian and US carriers will offer it. Unlocked price is expected to fall in the US$250 range.