One of the main selling points of the Ion is its large 4.6-inch 1280-by-720-resolution display. Dubbed the "HD Reality Display" by Sony, it uses the same image and video rendering engine found on Sony's line of . The screen packs more pixels per inch than even the Retina display on the (which has a PPI of 326), and colors on the Ion looked extremely crisp--especially when displaying high-resolution pictures or high-definition video. Unfortunately the beautiful display is extremely difficult to see outdoors; and though the glass is made of a scratch resistant material, I managed to scratch it (accidentally) after just a few days of use. If you decide to buy the Ion, you might want to pick up a few screen protectors, too.

Aside from the screen, the Ion looks like countless other Android phones we've reviewed: It comes with a front-facing camera, a rear camera with flash, four navigation buttons (Menu, Home, Back, and Search), a headphone jack, a volume rocker, and a power button. The Ion also includes a MicroHDMI port that you can use to connect the phone to an HDTV, plus a dedicated camera button--a rarity on smartphones these days. The volume rocker and power button felt a bit flimsy to me, and the camera button was too spongy for my taste. One other annoyance is that I often had to make more than two attempts to get the navigation buttons to register input. Commonly I would try to exit an app and find myself hammering away at the Home button, trying to get it to responded. This problem may be fixed in a software update later on, but for now it makes the Ion frustrating to use.

I'm accustomed to carrying a (which, like the Ion, has a 4.6-inch display), so I didn't mind the Ion's size. The phone slid easily into my pocket, and holding it up to my ear to make calls wasn't a chore. Though one of my colleagues complained that the Ion's curved back made it uncomfortable to hold, I had no such issues. Even so, you should try holding the phone to see if you are comfortable with this model's design.

The Ion's battery is not removable, but you can reach the SIM and MicroSD card slots by removing a small panel from the back of the device.