- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- Sony Xperia J
- Sony Xperia Sola
- Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
- Samsung Galaxy S Advance
- Sony Xperia go
by c|net (Sep, 2011)The Ray's aluminum chassis measures just 9.4mm thick and contains a 3.3-inch display.
by c|net (Feb, 2012)The Xperia P and Xperia U both run dual-core CPUs and sport the snazzy design found on the Xperia S. The devices are expected to ship this week in Spain; they'll also feature NFC chips and strong multimedia capabilities.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Sony Xperia ray compared to the Sony Xperia U
1 GHz
Android 2.3 Gingerbread 3.5G
Rated 74% by by The Verge (Jul, 2012)A 3.5-inch screen definitely isn't for everyone — at least at this aspect ratio — but apart from its size it's a premium display.
screen size
3.3"
3.5"
Xperia U by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)We mentioned that the screen of the Sony Xperia U isn’t all that big but while it certainly doesn’t rival the big guns for watching video or playing games it’s actually perfectly adequate for everything else.
screen resolution
Xperia U by Henry (Oct, 2012)The clarity of the screen is very nice with 480 x 854 pixels, 3.5 inches (~280 ppi pixel density).
memory
| 0 GB | 0.51 GB | 0.6 GB |
processor
Xperia ray by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)It's no match for dual-core, but if it's good enough for the gaming-centered Xperia Play, the ray shouldn’t have any issues with speed.
Xperia U by TrustedReviews (Sep, 2012)It’s compact yet has a screen large enough for core smartphone duties, it’s fast thanks to a dual-core processor and it’s just plain easy to use.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
Xperia ray by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The Xperia ray boasts an 8 megapixel camera, complete with a single LED light.
Xperia U by The Verge (Jul, 2012)It’s a VGA (0.3 megapixel) unit, but handled a few low-light Skype conversations reasonably well.
Performance Real world tests of Sony Xperia ray vs Sony Xperia U
cpu speed
Xperia ray by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The ray is powered by the 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM and Adreno 205 graphics, courtesy of the Qualcomm MSM8255 chipset that is prevalent in the Xperia line.
Xperia U by Valentin-FilipovDespite being very nice with a bright screen and great processor speed on wifi, it didn't work on the T-Mobile frequencies.
talk time
390 min
336 min
Xperia ray by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)Despite Sony Ericsson's claims that the handset uses a high capacity battery, we found that its battery life was actually quite poor.
Xperia U by Cec (Aug, 2012)I want to add something about the battery, this phone has a battery Standard battery, Li-Ion of 1320 mAh (not a big issue), don't know why they didn't put something better, but is ok, if you install some apps like: Defender Juice and specially Easy Battery Saver, any android phone will last longer, like twice the time.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Xperia U
| Has expandable storage | microSD | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data | |||
| Much newer operating system | Android 4.1 Jelly Bean | vs | Android 2.3 Gingerbread |
| Newer Android OS; Get all the latest features and security updates with a more recent version | |||
| Significantly higher resolution front camera | 8 MP | vs | 5 MP |
| 60% higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people | |||
| Smaller | 53 x 111 x 9 mm | vs | 54 x 112 x 12 mm |
| More than 20% smaller | |||
| Quite a bit thinner | 9 mm | vs | 12 mm |
| More than 20% thinner | |||
| Lighter | 100 g | vs | 110 g |
| Around 10% lighter | |||
| More battery capacity | 1,500 mA·h | vs | 1,320 mA·h |
| More than 10% more battery capacity | |||
| Slightly sharper screen | 295 ppi | vs | 279 ppi |
| Around 10% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
Advantages compared to the Xperia ray
| Outputs video to TV | Micro USB with MHL | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| About half of smartphones can output to TVs; the modern day slide projector, great for sharing your photos & videos | |||
| More cores | Dual core | vs | Single core |
| Twice as many cores; each additional core lets your phone do more without visible UI slowdowns and jerkiness | |||
| Marginally newer | May, 2012 | vs | Sep, 2011 |
| Release date 8 months later | |||
| Store more stuff | 4 GB | vs | 0.29 GB |
| More than 13.5x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards | |||
| Slightly bigger screen | 3.5" | vs | 3.3" |
| Around 10% bigger screen | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Sony Xperia ray | Sony Xperia U | ||
 |   
|
| |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Rated by 75 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by purplep (Jan, 2013) Rated 80% by by purplep (Jan, 2013) Rated 100% by by sergio (Dec, 2012) | Rated by 113 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Shareef-Abdou (Dec, 2012) Rated 80% by by Henry (Oct, 2012) | |
video
Sony Xperia ray | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray has plenty to offer, not the least of which is an 8MP camera with HD video recording and a Bravia Mobile engine powered screen with eye-popping pixel density.
Sony Xperia ray | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray captures 720p video at 30 fps and does a good job of it.
Sony Xperia ray | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The Sony Ericsson Xperia ray captures 720p video at 30 frames per second and does a good job at it.
music
Sony Xperia ray | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)Much like the Gallery, the Music player on the Xperia ray lets you "like" tracks you're listening to, which posts it on your wall.
Sony Xperia ray | by GSM Arena (Sep, 2011)The music player on the Xperia ray is the same app you get in the Arc and the Neo.
Sony Xperia U | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2012)The Xperia U shares the same music player as the Xperia S. You're welcomed to a Cover Flow-like interface and you can swipe left and right to skip tracks (complete with a smooth 3D effect).
format
Sony Xperia U | Rated 80% by by DavidIf you use a lot of space for music and movies you should buy another phone with an SD card slot because this has only 8 gigs (Xperia Ray is in the same price range and has SD card).
Sony Xperia U | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2012)With a bigger 3.8" screen and a microSD card slot, it can match the Xperia U in terms of speed and performance and even get a slight edge in overall experience thanks to the more functional TouchWiz launcher.
storage
Sony Xperia U | by GSM Arena (Jun, 2012)The obvious catch here is the Sony Xperia U limited storage, but if that's a deal-breaker to you we should've lost you at the intro.
apps
Sony Xperia U | Rated 74% by by The Verge (Jul, 2012)I'd delve in deeper, but the fact remains that these apps aren't yet on the Xperia U. Yes, Android 4.0 is coming and yes, Sony's enhancements are definitely something to look forward to, but that’s no excuse for delivering a phone with an outdated OS.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Sony Xperia J Longest battery life during active use |
 | 2 | Sony Xperia Sola 4-way tie: Highest resolution screen |
 | 4 | Samsung Galaxy S Advance 2-way tie: Most built-in storage |
 | 5 | Sony Xperia go Is waterproof |
 | 6 | Samsung Galaxy S III mini Rated the best by consumers |
 | 7 | Samsung Galaxy S Duos 4-way tie: Has a gyroscope |
 | 8 | HTC 8S Better than usual battery capacity |
Popular Questions
November 6, 2012
Which phone should i buy?
Firstly, i'm not a heavy user. Spec i need is - can put up to 150 songs or more - some games such as temple run,angry birds,etc - good quality of...
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Answers December 8, 2012
Better look
Please say which phone looks good .which is more user friendly....and which one doesnt hang easily
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Answers Unanswered Questions
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January 13, 2013
Xperia ray or xperia u or xperia sola???
I need a phone with good battery life, a solid performance without any lags and a good user interface. i dont play games but i use the internet a lot and love to watch lots of videos.
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Answers Sony Xperia ray
Hani-ALAM 
Intermediate I
All of these phones can let you play over 150 songs and let you play on popular games. However if you mean by good quality of photos ( the camera), then you must go with the Xperia Ray since 8... View Hani-ALAM's recommendation
- 0 comments
- December 12, 2012
- Reply to: Which phone should i buy?
Sony Xperia U
theastromechdroid 
Expert I
The Sony U would probably be better since I think it looks better, and it would be able to handle tasks better (due to the better processor), which means no hanging. As for user friendiness, I... View theastromechdroid's recommendation
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- December 27, 2012
- Reply to: Better look
