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This wants to be a heavyweight by the looks of its 720p display, HD mirroring, 12-megapixel camera and NFC inclusion. Instead, what it winds up doing in its quest to placate both geek tastes and Joe Blow sensibilities is carve out a lonely island for itself.

For all of the Ion’s foibles (and there are quite a few), there’s still plenty to like here. The Xperia Ion definitely leans to the more premium end of the mid-range spectrum, and it tries valiantly to punch above its weight with features like its solid camera, media functionality, and great...

Sony without Ericsson still isn't quite up to the task of competing with the big boys—an iPhone or Galaxy S III this is not, especially being so woefully behind as to still be running Android 2.3. Still, we came out impressed, especially given the reasonable price point.

The 12-MP camera, HD display, and and 4G LTE speeds all impress... Unfortunately, the design is relatively heavy and bulky and the Gingerbread OS feels dated. If you don't need the latest and greatest OS, the ion is a solid mid-range choice.

The Xperia Ion’s multimedia features, 4G connectivity and affordable price are bright spots in Sony’s first bid into the smartphone market, but they don’t make up for the battery and call-volume issues.

Alas, the Ion ends up a mix bag: a phone with impressive internal specs, a top-notch camera and a beautiful screen, all wrapped in an outdated design and powered by an outdated OS. It isn’t a strong debut from the Japanese electronics giant, but it’s halfway there.

Sony's new $99.99 Xperia Ion offers some good features for its affordable price.... But don't be fooled by its low cost; the handset is definitely a step behind today's flagship Android devices such as the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III.

If your phone is your media hub, the Xperia Ion is your phone. While it isn't the best all-around smartphone on AT&T—that credit goes to the slimmer, sleeker and more powerful Samsung Galaxy S III—this phone offers unique benefits for anyone aiming to connect their phone to a TV.

The phone is beautiful on the outside but it runs like a dog-turd in snow-melt. Maaaaybe it'll help when it upgrades to Android 4.0 (if Sony doesn't butcher it with its rather unappealing skin), but the fact that it's this far behind the ball doesn't lend confidence.

Ice Cream Sandwich will be coming to the device, and ... the display is beautiful and battery life is sufficient to get you through. The decision is your own ultimately, but don’t pass up the phone just because of some specs on a piece of paper, give it a try for yourself.

Honestly people, the Sony Xperia ion would’ve been a downright success if it were launched months ago. At the time of its official unveiling, we were astounded by its commanding specs sheet, but seeing that it took an extremely long time coming to market, its appeal has lessened.

In the end, I'd only recommend the Ion to committed Sony-philes and photographers who want a camera with a phone attached, and not a phone with a camera attached.

In the end, the Xperia Ion proves that Android phones can be different, yet some parts are business as usual, mostly under the hood. Still, it's a handset worthy of one's consideration.

I fell in love with the Xperia ion when I picked it up and now, weeks later while I write my review, I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness when I look at it... I just have a really tough time recommending a phone that has such poor battery life.

It has a large, high-resolution display, dual-core processor, high-resolution camera, and speedy network support. Unfortunately, in practice, the ion's frustrating hardware, sluggish performance, dated software, and awful battery life combine to provide a pretty bad user experience.