Because RM800 is on the sweet spot for most budget phone buyers.
Entry level of high end phone.

Xperia ray is fine if you can live with the small screen, otherwise go for Xperia Neo. Ah yes, I go no problem with my xperia ray, everything goes smooth. The recent release of ICS caused performance slow down. If you are a gamer, don't update to Sony's ICS, it got bad gaming performance. The user interface is as smooth as gingerbread after some modding.

However, the Xperia U is replacing ray/neo already.
Ray/Neo remains as a good choice if you are willing to trade the dual core processor for a better camera.

As for Samsung, decide yourself...
Example :
Galaxy Y - RM450+-
Xperia Mini overhelms the war without any hiccups.
Galaxy Ace - RM700+-
I rather get Xperia ray ap set. The CPU and GPU is a generation ahead.
Galaxy W - RM900+-
Xperia U eats it alive, with it's dual core.
Galaxy Ace Plus - RM900+-
Xperia U again leads with it's dual core.
Galaxy S Advance - RM1100+-
Xperia sola is just RM999, comes with similar spec.

The most important part, Xperia phones have official ICS update, while Samsung's offerings just don't.
I wonder why people are still willing to pour out extras. Due to marketing gimmick?

This post has been edited by kingkingyyk: Jul 28 2012, 09:24 PM

Xperia Mini eats Galaxy Y as breakfast.
It comes with faster processor, ram and able to be updated to official ICS.
Xperia Mini : 1GHz CPU (based on ARMv7 instruction), Adreno 205, 512MB RAM, 5MP autofocus camera with flash.
Galaxy Y : 832MHz (based on ARMv6 instruction), Broadcom GPU, 290MB RAM, 2MP fixed focus camera.

This post has been edited by kingkingyyk: Jul 28 2012, 09:22 PM

Ace Plus is still using the old MSM7227-based platform.
Xperia MSM8255-based phones are still performing better.

As for S advance, Samsung? Where's your ICS update?

My prices are gotten from here : http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2337012/all
Looks like the seller didn't update the price?

This post has been edited by kingkingyyk: Jul 28 2012, 11:10 PM

My Xperia Ray can last for a day if gaming is involved.
Otherwise, it can stay for 2-3 days.

Thanks to the almighty marketing team.

It is the battery life.

It is because of poor gaming performance on ICS.
It would be a hassle for game developers to update their games to support ICS.
Nevertheless, it is a good device for RM500.

For new unit, go for Xperia Mini.

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Added on August 21, 2012, 9:10 amIgnore Ace Plus, it features older platform chipset which is prone to suffer from heavy apps.
The screen resolution is low too, which cannot run HDPI apps.

This post has been edited by kingkingyyk: Aug 21 2012, 09:10 AM

Xperia Mini.