Sony pushed the Xperia S out of the door back in March, but the Xperia P and Xperia U have lagged behind a little in making it to market. Both of those devices are finally with us, and just like HTC, Sony seems to be banking on three phones hitting different price brackets to try and jump start its smartphone career. The Xperia U may be the cheapest in the NXT line, but it does have some solid specs: a dual-core 1Ghz processor, 854×480 3.5-inch screen, and five megapixel camera. How does it hold up? Find out after the jump.

Hardware

The Xperia U is identical in design to the Xperia P and Xperia S, and it would be accurate to say that the U is essentially a mini version of the S. The soft touch plastic makes a return here, unlike the aluminum Xperia P, as does the monolithic chassis with a strange mix of curves and sharp angles. It’s an intriguing design, and the clear strip at the bottom device, which houses the antenna, certainly helps it to stand out. The strip also lights for certain notifications and alerts, and can be changed to display different colors depending on your mood.

The 3.5-inch body fits snugly into your hand, although the front angles of the screen might dig into the palm depending on your particular grip. The soft touch plastic feels nice too: granted, it doesn’t feel as good as an aluminum or glass construction, but it’s much better than the glossy plastic that plague a lot of phones at this end of the market. It’s thicker than rivals at 12mm, but the curve of the back gives the illusion of a thinner device, and it really isn’t an issue in day to day use.