MWC 2012: Sony Xperia S Hands-on | Technology News

It's been almost two months since Sony launched its first branded smartphones, Xperia S and Xperia ion. The Japanese company promised to bring the Xperia S on the European market in Q1, but no exact release dates had been disclosed so far.

While most UK-based retailers confirm an early March availability, Sony announced yesterday that Xperia S is now available for purchase in Barcelona and will be rolled out in other countries beginning next week.

From our experience with the phone, we can truly say that this is indeed a masterpiece when it comes to design. However, just like last year, Sony still has a lot to work on the phones' software.

We took one of the samples for a spin and after running a game, the Xperia S software crashed. This is exactly what happened to us with an Xperia neo last year.

Other than that the Xperia S doesn't seem to have any flaws in its design. It's definitely one of best looking Android smartphones showcased at the 2012 MWC.

Here's our hands-on video (crash included).