When the tech world is busy talking about smartphones with slim bodies and larger displays, Sony seems to be thinking differently. That different thinking is evident in the Xperia Go. This Android smartphone is neither very large nor very slim.

Further, all ports are well sealed to make it waterproof and dustproof. Sony has used rubberized flip covers on the charging and the 3.5mm jack ports, but unlike its previous flimsy implementations, the ones on the Xperia Go, is locked in quite tightly.

The rear side of the Xperia Go is made up of a very rugged plastic compound that gives the user an in-hand feel of sandpaper, but on the whole it feels quite premium and solid.

And, because it is not a large phone, the device sits perfectly in your hand and is ideal for single-handed use. It works better than the iPhone in one hand partially due to the slight bevels on the sides.

The 3.5-inch display on the Xperia Go utilizes LCD technology, backed up by Sony’s BRAVIA engine; however the HVGA of 320×480 pixel resolution is rather paltry. With a 1GHz dual-core processor, the Xperia Go can handle most day-to-day tasks with assurance.

The Android 2.3 Gingerbread experience on the Sony smartphones is much better than on competitive devices from Samsung and HTC.

The striking feature on the Xperia Go is its ability to fend of water and dust. Sony has applied a waterproof coating on the internal components like the battery, and additionally had provided rubberized covers for all the ports.