There’s been quite a few price drops on Sony Ericsson handsets lately and here’s another one that’s just come through. While this handset isn’t new, it is refurbished and sold by a trustable UK online retailer. Mobiles.co.uk state that the refurbished handsets are units that have been returned under their 7 day returns policy and have been fully tested and inspected and also come with a full 12 month warranty.

UK network Orange are the latest UK mobile network to announce that they will be selling the upcoming Xperia Ray handset from Sony Ericsson.

There should be pay as you go and contract deals on offer from Orange and both the white and black models are due to be available. It will be possible to pick up the handset with no up front cost if paying by monthly contract although, exact launch prices, contract details and release dates are unconfirmed as yet, however release of the Xperia Ray is expected by Sony Ericsson within this month on the major mobile networks in the UK.

For those anticipating the release of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc, one thing which hasn’t been clear is how much the handset will cost and for those who purchase their handsets on contract, how much the contract will be, to get the handset for free, or minimal cost any way. Mobiles.co.uk have answered this query, as they now have the X10′s successor, the Xperia Arc up for pre-order along with tariff information.

Those interested in getting the Xperia play should be pleased to know that it is now available for preorder on most major UK mobile carriers such as O2, Vodafone, Orange and T-Mobile. The release of the model to the public is estimated to be at the end of March.

The carriers are offering a great deal for people who want to get this device with plans averaging at £30 a month with the smartphone already free. You could also choose to get the Xperia Play sim free from various online stores however this is going to cost more money in upfront payment.

We heard earlier that both O2 and Vodafone were going to release the gaming Android handset, the Xperia Play by Sony Ericsson upon release in the UK, although  at the time a release date wasn’t known, nor was pricing. However, Orange have also confirmed that they will be stocking the Xperia Play and point to an April release. T-Mobile have also confirmed that they will stock the handset once released in the UK. They also list the Xperia Play as being an April release.