Sony Ericsson has lifted the official lid on the couple of Xperia handsets that have been doing the leaky rounds as of late and unveiled the Sony Ericsson Xperia mini and mini pro handsets.

Taking the Xperia X10 mini and mini pro handsets from last year (the pro has a physical QWERTY) as their marker the new handsets are much more in line with our 2011 expectations. So that means a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Android Gingerbread 2.3, a Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine and HD video recording (720p).

Yep, HD recording on a handset measuring just 88 x 52 x 16mm. "The world's smallest HD video recording smartphone?" we hear you ask. Indeed it is.

They also both pack a 5-megapixel camera for stills, with a 8x digital zoom. There's also aGPS, Bluetooth, DLNA connectivity and micro-USB support.

Both devices are also fully Facebooked up using Facebook Inside which means a feature to share the songs you 'like' with friends, easy access to see what your pals are listening to and watching, Facebook albums and photos integrated into the Xperia gallery app, and Facebook profile details in your Xperia phonebook.

Steve Walker, head of marketing, Sony Ericsson said: "We wanted to provide consumers even greater choice across the Xperia range, while building on the success of the original mini series.

"These turbo-charged smartphones now contain even more power, enhanced functionality, a larger screen and premium features unique to Sony Ericsson. They are packed full of features, making them a perfect choice for consumers looking for all the benefits of Android and Sony in a beautiful and easy to use compact form factor." 

The Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro and Xperia mini will be available, in various colours, from Q3. We've already been told that Vodafone will be stocking the phone in the UK. Pricing is still to be decided though.