It took some time for the Japanese corporation to successfully return to the mobile market. Xperia Z is selling very well. Now the momentum in the mid-range segment should transfer to the Sony Xperia SP.
A good screen and a powerful chipset will allow the new smartphone to survive the merciless battle in this price category.
Main disadvantages:
- the screen has small viewing angles;
- quite heavy and not very thin;
- non-removable battery;
- in this price category the gadget will have to compete with a number of quad-core devices.
Appearance and Controls
The Sony Xperia SP comes in the same box as the Xperia Z/ZL. Inside you will find an A/C adapter, USB cable and headphones.
The dimensions of the device are 130.6x67.1x10 mm, so it cannot be called compact. The smartphone is also quite heavy - 155 grams, but here you can make a discount on the metal frame, which increases the weight. Overall, this is not the most user-friendly smartphone.
But at the same time, the gadget has an attractive design: nice matte plastic on the back cover and an aluminum frame.
The plastic of the back cover not only looks good, but also feels strong and sits quite tightly in the hand, that is, it does not slip out.
But, of course, the most characteristic element of the Xperia SP is the transparent stripes on its base. Starting with last year's NXT line, Sony introduced LED in the form of an illuminated strip. While this feature isn't particularly innovative, it does help it stand out among the crowd of smartphones.
This bar can light up when your Walkman music player is playing in time with the music, flash a certain color depending on who is calling, and so on.
The Sony Xperia SP has a fairly standard set of controls: virtual buttons at the bottom of the display, above the screen there is a front camera, speaker, light and proximity sensors.
There is a microUSB port on the left side of the phone. The absence of a protective cover on it makes it easier to use, but at the same time the connector gets dirty faster.
On the right are a paired volume rocker at the top, a power/lock button, and a two-stage camera shutter button that allows you to conveniently control the smartphone's photo capabilities.
At the top end there is only a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The bottom end is devoid of any functional elements.
The Sony Xperia SP uses the Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 Pro chipset, which includes a 1.7GHz dual-core Krait processor and Adreno 320, so you can expect good performance when it comes to graphics.
RAM – 1 GB, internal memory – 5.8 GB of which will be available to users. There is a slot for cards.
Operating system – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
As we said, the Xperia SP is a mid-range device thanks largely to its dual-core processor, although its clock speed is quite high at 1.7 GHz. As a result, the Benchmark Pi showed very good results.
When it comes to multi-threaded CPU testing, the Xperia SP is expected to lag behind most quad-core processors, although not by much.
Interestingly, our smartphone scored higher in the GeekBench 2 test than the Sony Xperia ZL.
We also tested the phone at a fixed resolution in GLBenchmark. The Adreno 320 GPU is currently one of the most powerful mobile GPUs.
The Sony Xperia SP smartphone was also tested at Epic Citadel.
The Google Chrome browser has become faster since its latest update, so the SunSpider test showed a result of 1116 ms, which is a record among Sony devices.
The smartphone also showed excellent results in the BrowserMark 2 and Vellamo tests.
The gadget supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS/A-GPS/GLONASS, 3G and LTE networks.
Screen
The Sony Xperia SP comes with a 4.6-inch TFT display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels, which is the norm for the mid-range smartphone segment. The pixel density is 319 ppi, which is enough to get into Retina display territory.
The TFT screen is based on Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology, which increases contrast, sharpness, reduces noise and saturates colors to make them more pleasing to the eyes. Brightness levels are quite good.
One of the disadvantages is that the smartphone has rather small viewing angles.
The Xperia SP's readability in sunlight is also mediocre. This means that it is very difficult to operate the phone in bright light.
Camera
Sony Xperia SP is equipped with an 8-megapixel camera that can take pictures with a maximum resolution of 3264x2448 pixels. However, if you use the default enhanced auto mode, you can get photos with a resolution of 3104x2328 pixels, which corresponds to 7 megapixels. There is an LED flash.
The difference between enhanced auto and regular auto modes is that the gadget tries to determine what kind of scene it is filming and adjust the camera accordingly. This includes color saturation, contrast, and metering mode. In normal mode, only the exposure is automatically set, but allows you to experiment with other settings if you wish.
When shooting with the improved mode, you can also interfere with the settings if you don’t like something.
The Xperia SP smartphone can have functions, Smile Shutter, geotagging, touch capture and.
The phone's camera generally produces oversaturated colors, average dynamic range, and good contrast.
If you switch to regular auto mode, you can get photos that look more natural, without being oversaturated.
Sony Xperia SP capable of shooting video with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. The gadget offers to be used for recording HDR , something that is rarely offered in smartphones.
What was disappointing for us was that when recording video, you can capture photos, but only at 1MP resolution.
In general, the video shows very good detail. The bitrate is about 17 Mbps, which is a good compromise between quality and file size.
The benefits of HDR mode are not very noticeable, but you can still see that it adds some detail in the highlights.
There is also a front VGA camera.
Battery
The back panel on the smartphone is removable, but you still won’t have access to the 2370 mAh battery. Under the cover you can see slots for microSIM and microSD cards.
As for battery life, the gadget shows very good results. So in our test, the smartphone was able to work for 51 hours without recharging, while it was used for an hour a day for telephone conversations, web browsing and watching videos.
If we consider these indicators separately, the Xperia SP was able to work up to 19 hours 49 minutes in talk mode over 3G networks, up to 6 hours 18 minutes in web browsing mode and up to 7 hours 27 minutes in video viewing mode.
Price
The cost of the Sony Xperia SP smartphone on the Russian market is 17,990 rubles.
Xperia SP is an expertly crafted smartphone with a refined aluminum frame. Xperia SP's 4.6-inch HD display is so bright you'll feel like you're in the middle of the action, no matter what you're watching. The Reality Display is powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, meaning you'll enjoy the stunning clarity, rich colors and enhanced contrast you've come to expect from Sony TVs. Throw a party in your living room using your smartphone. This NFC-enabled Android smartphone lets you stream movies, photos and games to your HDTV with one-touch screen mirroring. Thanks to support for NFC technology and screen mirroring, no wires are needed.
MAIN TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS
General characteristics
Type: smartphone Operating system: Android 4.3 Case type: classic Controls: touch buttons SIM card type: micro SIM Number of SIM cards: 1 Weight: 155 g Dimensions (WxHxT): 67.1x130.6x9.98 mmScreen
Screen type: color TFT, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type: multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal: 4.6 inches. Image size: 1280x720 Pixels per inch (PPI): 319 Automatic screen rotation: yes Scratch-resistant glass: yesMultimedia capabilities
Camera: 8 million pixels, LED flash Camera functions: autofocus, digital Zoom 16x Recognition: faces Video recording: yes (3GP, MP4) Max. video resolution: 1920x1080 Geo Tagging: yes Front camera: yes, 0.3 million pixels. Audio: MP3, AAC, WAV, FM Radio Headphone Jack: 3.5mm Video Output: MHLConnection
Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, USB, NFC Satellite navigation: GPS/GLONASS A-GPS system: yes Use as a USB drive: yes DLNA support: yesMemory and processor
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8960T, 1700 MHz Number of processor cores: 2 Video processor: Adreno 320 Built-in memory: 8 GB RAM capacity: 1 GB Memory card support: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32 GB Memory card slot: yes, up to 32 GBNutrition
Battery capacity: 2370 mAh Battery: non-removable Talk time: 18.9 h Standby time: 734 h Operating time while listening to music: 39 hOther functions
Speakerphone (built-in speaker): yes Controls: voice dialing, voice control Flight mode: yes A2DP profile: yes Sensors: light, proximity, gyroscope, compassAdditional Information
Features: LTE: bands 1, 2, 4 and 5 (availability varies by market); LTE: bands 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 20 (availability depends on market) Announcement date: 2013-03-18| Peculiarities | |
|---|---|
| Type | smartphone |
| operating system | Android |
| Version | 4.1 |
| CPU | Qualcomm MSM8960T |
| Frequency | 1700 MHz |
| Flash memory | 8192 MB |
| Screen | |
| Diagonal | 4.6 " |
| Permission | 1280 x 720 |
| Color rendition | 16 million colors |
| Digital camera | |
| Camera | 8 million pixels |
| Nutrition | |
| Operating time | 10 o'clock |
| Standby time | 635 h |
| Dimensions and weight | |
| Width | 67.1 mm |
| Height | 130.6 mm |
| Depth | 10 mm |
| Weight | 155 gr. |
Sony Xperia SP LTE smartphone test: life in color
Sony Corporation has always been distinguished by increased attention to the appearance of its equipment - the company's mobile phones, over the past few years, have been created according to several design concepts (this is Iconic with a transparent illuminated strip in the body, and Arc Design, characterized by curved lines of the back panel, and, of course, OmniBalance - laconic style Xperia Z and Z Ultra) have their own recognizable style. And in the case of Sony Xperia SP - a new addition to the line of smartphones - a unique design has become one of the fundamental characteristics of the model.The user has hidden his data
Problem solved
Advantages: 1. Design! He's really good. I have long dreamed of ringing metal in Sony and finally, the dream has come true!))) I took this one and not the Xperia Z because of the metal in the case. 2. Great display. It may not be Full-HD, but in quality it is not at all inferior to the same Xperia Z, with its vaunted characteristics. Marketing is doing its job. Why do you need to cram a Full-HD screen into a phone with a 5-inch screen? It makes no sense and you won’t notice the difference. Pixel density is at the level of iPhone 5 - 319 ppi. It is colorful and juicy and, unlike the poisonous flowers of amoled, it produces a real color scheme and behaves perfectly in bright sun. I compared it with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, so the Japanese behaves 2 or even 3 times better in the sun. The fact that they write that the screen here sucks is complete nonsense of fans of competitors!))) Such people want to laugh in the eyes.))) Viewing angles are at a very decent level, like on any other phone they fade a little, but why look at screen at almost zero angle???? I really liked the display response. It's on par with the iPhone 5 and Nokia 920 Lumia that I had. 3. Excellent camera, especially without super mode. Produces 8 megapixels. I think that with the new firmware, some shortcomings with stabilization will be eliminated, but everything is OK. 4. It catches the net well. There really can be no complaints here, because... in the elevator it gives out 3-4 bars, unlike Samsungs and iPhones, where the network disappears. The interlocutor can be heard perfectly, without any distortion or interruption. 4G is very good and stable! The speed is crazy! 38 Mbps! They say that it can accelerate to 100 Mbps. 5. Excellent technical content. The camera, external and voice speaker, powerful S4 processor, powerful Adreno 320 video accelerator may be slightly inferior to the Z in terms of its characteristics, but in practice, according to all kinds of tests, it is not only not inferior, but even superior to it. The battery here is a bomb.))) It really lasts for 2 days of active use. Disadvantages: There are practically none. Yes, there are small gaps, but this is a design feature, because... nothing creaks. On the black model it is practically not noticeable at all. If you compare it with the Korean Samsung C3 or Note 2, you won’t notice the difference, but if you compare it with the monolithic Iphone 5, you will feel the difference.))) Comment: Comments are unnecessary. The device is really good. The most important disadvantage that “competitors” are trying to inflate about the weak viewing angles of the screen and insufficient contrast turned out to be unconvincing for me, because I really like natural colors rather than the super-duper amoled that hurts my eyes and fades in the sun. DO NOT listen to anyone about this. I advise you to just go to the store and see for yourself the veracity of my words. I think there is no point in buying a powerful top-end quad-core phone when you can get an excellent smartphone for relatively little money but with excellent technical characteristics, which in practice will be inferior to its competitors in almost no way, both in speed and quality of materials.
The new smartphone Sony Xperia XR (F8331) from the most famous Japanese company is a kind of “semi-flagship” product with good multimedia capabilities.
It is worth noting that Sony’s smartphone business has not been going through the best of times for the last year and a half. In the spring, the company introduced the controversial Xperia X series, which was a kind of “technical retreat” even in comparison with last year’s Xperia Z5 “family”.
In particular, the most advanced smartphone from Sony this year, called Xperia X Performance, received a modern Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, but the screen resolution turned out to be the same as that of the top “Chinese” ones - only FullHD 1080x1920.
And this is after last fall Sony released the cutting-edge Xperia Z5 Premium with an incredible 4K UltraHD display, which no smartphone manufacturer has yet been able to “outdo”!
What is Sony Xperia XR
The new Sony Xperia XR (this is what the new model will be called) will be presented on September 1, 2016 at the IFA-2016 exhibition in Berlin. The technical characteristics of the new product make a mixed impression.
Ambiguous moments
Firstly, the processor. According to data published online, the Xperia XR will receive the Snapdragon 820 chipset. This is certainly a very powerful solution, but already in August of this year, flagships from Samsung, ASUS, LeEco and other manufacturers based on the more advanced /823 and .
And in September, Apple will release the iPhone 7 based on the new A10 processor, so the new smartphone from Sony will look like a clear outsider against their background.
Secondly, the Sony Xperia XR will only have 3 GB of RAM. This is forgivable for the Chinese flagship Xiaomi Mi5, released in the spring, but for a top autumn product from a well-known company it is a very strange “move”.
Thirdly, this is again a FullHD screen with a diagonal of 5.1 inches, like the Xperia X Performance. But fans of Sony smartphones, of which there are still quite a few, are waiting for the advanced Xperia Z6.
Fourthly, this is a fairly modern OS Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, while the first devices based on Android 7.0 Nougat are expected in August.
Obvious advantages
The main camera of the Sony Xperia XR will have a resolution of 23 MP, dual flash (finally!) and laser autofocus. The manufacturer promises that it will shoot much better than the much-hyped Huawei smartphones.
The front camera of the new product will definitely not leave selfie lovers indifferent thanks to its resolution of as much as 13 MP and proprietary optics from Sony. Added to this is the ability to record 4K video.
To synchronize data with a PC, Sony Xperia XR, for the first time among the company’s smartphones, will receive a modern USB Type-C port, which can be counted as a clear advantage of the device.
Other parameters
Among other well-known characteristics of the Xperia XR, it is worth noting 32 Gb of built-in expandable flash memory, NFC support and the preserved 3.5 mm headset jack (recently, some smartphone manufacturers have switched from it).
Design
The design of the Sony Xperia XR is an obvious advantage of the new product. Instead of the usual plastic, the Japanese opted for glass and metal.
However, unlike countless “thin metal” Chinese smartphones, the Xperia XR looks very strict and solid - much like BlackBerry products. However, Sony cannot be accused of being secondary - the similarity here is more in spirit.
Thanks to the now fashionable 2.5D effect, the smartphone at first glance looks like it is frameless, but it is not.
release date
It is expected that the presentation of the Sony Xperia XR will take place on September 1 at 13:00 in Berlin, a day before the opening of the IFA-2016 exhibition. In Moscow at the start of the presentation it will be 14:00. The event will traditionally be broadcast live.
The price and equipment of the smartphone still remain a mystery.
The middle segment according to Sony - I liked the design and functionality of the SP, but I have a question about the main thing - the price. And this is one of the few devices of the brand without a protective film on the display!
Design, construction
This device belongs to the budget segment, but it looks very good, and there’s plenty of Sonystyle here. Traditionally, on the right is the power button, the story began with the Sony Xperia Z, and I would like it to continue forever. The button, by the way, is made of metal. Next to the strip is the volume button, below is the camera button, this is another plus for a potential buyer. Although, to be honest, I can’t call this a significant advantage. While I was using SP, I used the button on the display more often than the hardware button. At the bottom there is a transparent strip, this is a reference to last year's Xperia smartphones; the strip is illuminated during charging and a number of other operations. It looks beautiful. The assembly is excellent, the battery cover can be removed, but the battery is built-in, under the cover there is a slot for a SIM card (microSIM) and a microSD memory card. There is an NFC icon on the lid, and this is where the area is located - you can connect accessories with one touch or exchange files with other devices. On the back there is a main camera lens, a speaker hole, and a flash. Perhaps this is one of the few Sony smartphones without a groove for attaching a strap. The device is not protected from moisture, there are no plugs, on the top end there is a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset, on the left there is microUSB. Above the display is the front camera lens, sensors, below the display is the microphone hole.
What else should I add? The plastic here is matte, the device is pleasant to hold in your hands, it is quite heavy. Dimensions are 130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98 mm, weight - 155 grams. Available in three colors: black, red, white.
I like white best, but black looks good too. By the way, there is no factory film on the display, which seems to me to be a plus. Moreover, the screen is protected by Gorilla glass. I carried the SP in my pocket with the keys, in my bag - no scratches seemed to appear.
Besides the design, I would also like to mention the location of the controls as an advantage. The button is right under the thumb (or index finger, if held with your left hand), the same can be said about the volume control.
Display
The diagonal of the TFT display is 4.6 inches, the resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels, everything is more or less visible in the sun. In general, the screen is normal, I traditionally find fault with the viewing angles, but here you need to understand that the Sony Xperia SP is a budget device. Very good for a budget smartphone. Although you can safely argue with me.
Performance
Dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960Pro Dual Core processor (1.7 GHz), Adreno 320, 1 GB of RAM, Android version 4.1.2 is used, the system has recently been updated (12.0.A.1.257). The device is fast, like other Xperia, it has its own design, the icons are redrawn, a number of programs are installed, a traditional lock screen (blinds, first appeared in Z). The notification line has indicators for quickly disabling/enabling a number of functions. A big plus is the presence of a radio, traditionally there is Track ID, Office Suite, Evernote, File Commander, Opera Mini is pre-installed, although you can do without it. The McAfee Security app will help you get rid of viruses - I would uninstall it immediately.
Sony Xperia SP is quite suitable for running any games and applications. Well, what else can I say? Everything I tried worked quite quickly and effectively.
Camera
The resolution of the main camera is 8 MP, as it is written in the official technical specifications; in the menu you can only select 7 MP (3104 x 2328 pixels). It supports HD video shooting, LED flash, the camera has its own interface, a lot of settings, but I’d better not say anything about it so that those who like to customize everything don’t feel offended. I shot in automatic mode; you can see examples of pictures below. The camera works as quickly as the device as a whole; you can quickly launch it using a button (the behavior of the button is customizable).
Sample photos:
Memory
8 GB installed, 5.37 GB available, there is a slot for a microSD memory card, 64 GB cards work quite well.
Working hours
The stated operating time is about 13 hours of talk time, 44 hours of music playback, about 8 hours of video playback, and uses a 2370 mAh battery. In Europe, the device stayed calm for me for about two days - calls, SMS, and filmed a little. In Moscow the situation is not the same, but in general, the Sony Xperia SP lasts longer than the same ZR under a similar load. There is a Stamina mode: when you turn off the device, data transfer is disabled, although some programs conflict with this mode (like Facebook). In the settings you can choose to turn on Wi-Fi by location, I recommend using it.
conclusions
There are no problems with the quality of speech transmission and the volume of the earpiece speaker, but the volume of the main speaker is low. The vibration alert seemed somewhat thoughtful and too calm to me. The average price is about 15,500 rubles. What else can you buy for this money? The choice is very large, it would be difficult for me to list all the devices here. There is the same Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, it has a smaller screen, but overall, it is quite a worthy competitor. If you don’t look at the brand, then for this money you can buy a smartphone with a five-inch screen, a quad-core processor, two SIM cards and many other things that the Sony Xperia SP does not have. Naturally, buyers try to get the most for their money, and I will not recommend a smartphone to gentlemen who are constantly making choices, looking only at the characteristics.
But Sony Xperia SP also has its own tricks. The pluses include the design and controls, the speed of operation, the operating time was also pleasing, there is a slot for a memory card. There is also LTE support. The camera is fine for taking pictures on Instagram (no more than that; it’s better not to look at pictures on a laptop). The display could have been better. There is a radio, although for me personally this is not such an advantage; more often I listen to stations on the network. The sound quality is not bad, but the Z/ZR is clearly better. A serious disadvantage is that you cannot use a memory card to install programs; you need to do some manipulations to achieve the desired effect.
What else can I add - for 12,000 rubles at the time of release it would have been a hit. And sooner or later, Sony must understand this: if for top-end devices price does not matter much, then in the budget and mid-range segments it still does. Those who choose such devices are looking for the best among far from the best devices. And the Sony Xperia SP, no matter how good it is, will seem unnecessarily expensive to the target audience. This year the company has many interesting and good products, but companies with unpronounceable names are jumping and pressing with all their might, and Samsung and Apple are clicking their jaws from above - Sony will have to click in response. It's time to forget about "we are the best Sony in the world, so pay us a lot of money." The sooner this happens, the better.
Sergey Kuzmin ()
