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The Xperia Mini can record clips at up to 720p resolution, saving its output into MP4 format files.
The camera app doesn't have much at all in the way of options when recording clips, with the same selection of scenes on offer as when taking stills. What is welcome is a choice of auto-focus options, with the camera coming with Face Detection, Infinity and Single Auto-focus options.
And it's rather good. The app's fast and responsive when recording movies, the auto-focus takes a second or two to adjust, but you may find that preferable to one that's too quick to respond and leaves you with clips that are constantly being adjusted.
There's a digital image stabilisation tool in here, a self-timer, manual white balance options and the option to toggle use of the touchscreen as a shutter button on and off. There's no digital zoom, though, but you can select the LED flash to stay on permanently, as a little night-time torch.
Videos recorded at 720p resolution feature a solid frame rate, with our sample clips registering between 29 and 30fps. What's not particularly great is the detail. Clips come out quite soft, with a kind of pastel blurriness to the output.
The Reality Display and Mobile BRAVIA Engine feature list bullet points don't really bring any obvious benefits when viewing your clips on the Xperia Mini's screen, either. The viewing angle is good and the phone plays back clips at a solid frame rate, but there's nothing here that will amaze you.
One nice added feature is hidden away within the Gallery – video editing. It's nothing complex nor feature heavy, but you can edit the start and end points of clips recorded yourself.
