Sony's Xperia mobile range is expanding faster than Robbie Williams' ego. It seemed like we'd just finished reviewing the brand new Xperia S, P and U when along came the rugged Xperia Go smartphone, and now the Xperia Tipo makes it five for 2012.

Small and light frame; Ice Cream Sandwich OS; smart design; great battery life

Occasional stutter or widget issues; basic camera; screen occasionally unresponsive

Your budget is limited but you want a handset that keeps up with the Joneses. You want Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and you don't want to pay through the nose for it. Sony hopes that its new Xperia tipo will attract your attention, and it could well do ( see our hands on photos ).

Good music quality; Small and light; Android 4.0

Small screen; MicroSD card slot under battery; Fiddly to use

The Sony Xperia Tipo is truly a compact smart phone in Sony's Xperia series. It has its own fixed target audience but this phone is much better than others in this price range. Its 800 MHz processor, 3.2 megapixels camera and Android 4.0 version are its main key features that gives it edge over its...

Cheap, compact, stylised and up to date, the Sony Xperia Tipo is off the bat a contender in the budget phone category with its ￡89 price tag, pocketable form factor and characteristic design.

Android 4.0; Impressive battery life; Great design

Update, 12 September 2012: CNET UK originally published this review with a score of one and a half stars because of extremely poor software stability on the handset we were sent by Sony. We've since received a second device, which doesn't suffer from those major functionality flaws, so we've updated our review and increased the score to reflect the improved performance of this more stable phone.

The Sony Xperia Tipo delivers Android Ice Cream Sandwich to people on a tight budget. It's small in the hand and under the hood so it's only going to appeal to folk with fairly modest mobile needs. But it could be worth a look if you're after ICS on a budget. Just be aware there are more powerful Android phones with larger, clearer screens at this price.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich on a budget; MicroSD card slot.

Cramped, unresponsive screen; Creaky build quality; Poor camera.

this is an amazing phone. it has internal memory of 2.9 gigabyte itself.it has superb camera of 3.15 megapixels. it supports all video formats and music formats.it's processor is too good.it is worth the price.it has got highest version of android.

The Sony Xperia Tipo is the latest addition to the Xperia smartphone range, and it's undoubtedly the baby of the family. It comes in at around ￡100 (around $160), with an 800MHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 2.5GB of internal storage, a 3.2MP camera and a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 display.

The Sony Xperia Tipo delivers Ice Cream Sandwich to Android lovers on a tight budget. It's not super-fast but for basic tasks it can feel nippy enough -- which is more than you can say for the other ICS 'droid at this price, HTC's Desire C .

Android Ice Cream Sandwich on a budget; MicroSD card slot

Cramped; unresponsive screen; Creaky build quality; Poor camera

The Sony Xperia Tipo is Sony's latest Android phone that has a small price to match its dinky dimensions. However, unlike a lot of other budget handsets we've seen lately, it doesn't rely on the older 2.3 version of Android, but instead comes loaded with the relatively recent Ice Cream Sandwich...

Long battery life; Runs Ice Cream Sandwich; Dinky dimensions

Price is relatively high for the specification; Tiny and low resolution screen; Slightly iffy call quality

Sony Xperia S - With a similar look and feel, the Xperia S has a lot more on offer, but for a higher price tag. The Xperia S is at the higher end of the Xperia series, with a larger screen and more resources to offer Sony's entertainment features in their full glory.