Sony has lagged behind in the U.S. smartphone market, but the company hopes to turn a corner with its first post-Ericsson smartphone, the Xperia ion. The device leverages many of Sony's unique assets, including its own sensor for the 12-megapixel camera and a mobile version of Sony's TV Bravia...

Bright and sharp 4.6-inch 720p display; Superb 12-MP camera; 4G LTE at value price; SmartTags feature lets you control the phone from a keychain

Ships with older Android Gingerbread 2.3.7; Heavier and thicker than competing smartphones; Capacitive buttons hard to read; Tinny audio from speaker;

The Sony Xperia Ion is priced well at $100 on AT&T, but runs outdated software and has some screen and responsiveness issues.

Cheap $100 price; Top-notch specs; 12-megapixel camera; 4G LTE connectivity

Camera autofocus is slow; Navigation buttons unresponsive; Scratchable screen; Runs old version (2.3) of Android; Outdated processor compared to competitors; USB port cover is cumbersome

Six months ago back at CES, Sony managed to surprise us with the introduction of its flagship Android smartphone in the Sony Xperia ion . During the time, we were undoubtedly captivated by its stellar specs sheet that consisted of a large 4.6" HD display , 4G LTE connectivity, dual-core processor ,...

Killer $99.99 on-contract price; Sharp looking HD Reality Display; Sturdy construction; Heavy with Multimedia

Running Gingerbread; Jerky web browsing; Questionable battery life; Unresponsive capacitive buttons

With terrific TV connectivity and a 12-megapixel camera, Sony's Xperia Ion ($99.99 with contract) is the ideal Android phone for folks who want to take their movies everywhere, showing them on any screen available.

Runs older version of Android; Poor phone call quality; Too much non-HD video bloatware.

The Sony Xperia Ion ($99 with a new two-year contract on AT&T) is an Android phone with exceptional hardware: It has a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, a

Takes above average pictures; Great

Ships running an old OS; Navigation buttons

Sony's Xperia Ion is a dependable device that heavily plays up HD, but falters with a mix of old and new specs.

Gorgeous 720p display; HDMI out experience is intuitive; Battery life holds up well under daily usage

Build makes for uncomfortable fit; in hand; Inconsistent LTE speeds; Ships with outdated Snapdragon S3 processor and Android Gingerbread

The Sony Xperia Ion is a great media phone, but it's crippled by an outdated OS and poor call quality.

Great display; Great media hub; NFC

Outdated OS; Navigation buttons do not always work; Poor phone call quality

S ony wasn't kidding around when they said they would only make smartphones and abandon feature phones completely. But we feel they've reached a point where it's a little ridiculous now and they seem to be getting really sloppy with their launches.

With careful pricing and an eventual international release, Sony could stand to make a mint off the Sony Xperia Ion: It is one heck of a mobile phone!

The Xperia ion, despite being a decent Android phone, does not live up to its potential. Either due to aging hardware or aged software, the combination puts it miles behind the reigning Galaxy S III and One X in terms of performance, battery life and overall usability.