I guess few leaked images and several dozen tech blog posts is all it takes for SONY Ericsson to come forward an officially unveil the SONY Ericsson XPERIA X8.  According to SE, the XPERIA X8 takes the best parts of the XPERIA X10, crams them inside a smaller body, and produces an Android phone that should retail for less than 200 Euro ($245).

The XPERIA X8 will feature the same UXP interface and Timescape as the X10 Mini and Mini Pro handsets with a slightly larger 3 inch HVGA display.  According to the press release, the X8 will also feature a 3.2 MP camera, 600 MHz processor, and a 1200 mAh battery inside a shell that measures 99 x 54 x 15 mm and weighs in at 104g.  It’s a small handset, but the 15mm thickness makes the X8 a bit of a chubby handset compared to the Samsung Galaxy S or the newly announced HTC Aria (9.9 and 11.7 mm respectively). For those looking for a plethora of color options, the X8 will be featured in white, dark blue, aqua blue, pink, and silver.

The most interesting part about SONY Ericsson’s announcement comes down to which Android version the XPERIA X8 will ship with.  SONY Ericsson has decided to bump up their previously announced Q4 Android 2.1 upgrade for the X10, Mini and Mini Pro to Q3 which will coincide with the launch time frame for the new XPERIA X8.  SONY Ericsson would like to have Android 2.1 loaded up on the X8 at launch, but the first markets to get their hands on the X8 will most likely be treated to Android 1.6 with a 2.1 upgrade to hit the phones a few weeks after launch.

Android upgrades in Q3 of 2010 is probably not something most of you want to hear.  By then, the Nexus One, myTouch 3G, Slide, DROID and a handful of other handsets could already be on Android 2.2.  But we would like to point out that moving the upgrade date up to Q3 from Q4 is a lot better than promising Q3 and then moving it back (like a few other manufacturers have done).  SONY Ericsson may have gotten off to a rough start with Android, but it looks like they may be picking up some momentum.

SONY Ericsson has built their reputation on delivering innovative products to the mobile industry, but do they really have what it takes to compete in the Android segment?

SONY Ericsson XPERIA X8 features

• Processor: 600MHz
• 3 inch capacitive display 320 x 480 pixels (HVGA)
• Size: 99 x 54 x 15 mm, Weight: 104g
• Phone memory: Up to 128 MB
• Memory card support: microSD up to 16GB
• Memory card included: 2 GB
• Operating system: Google Android Donut, version 1.6
• Battery 1200mAh
• 2 GB microSD card
• 3.5 mm audio jack
• Wi-Fi, A-GPS, Bluetooth technology
• Google Apps

Source: downloadandroid.info