What's the difference between the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active ST17i, the ST17i-BKW, ST17a, and the ST17a-BKO?

Question

I am interested in buying Sony Ericcson Xperia Active (unlocked) but there are several choices and I can't figure out which phone is which. Can someone explain to me the difference? Thanks!

Answer 1

a is for 'americas' i is 'international' e.g. the rest of the world. You get slightly different network support.

ST17i UMTS HSPA 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I) GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

ST17a UMTS HSPA 800 (Band V), 1900 (Band II), 2100 (Band I) GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

This is from the whitepaper.

I belive everything else about the phone is the same.

BKW and BKO I think will be the colour scheme of an orange or white hilight.

Answer 2

AFAIK not much other than the frequency bands they operate on:

ST17i: (i = International version) Dual-band

UMTS HSPA 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I)

GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900

ST17a: (a = American version) Tri-band

UMTS HSPA 800 (Band V), 1900 (Band II), 2100 (Band I)

GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900