The market for mid-level handsets is
exploding, and manufacturers are hurrying to offer even more choice for those
on a stricter budget. The Xperia SP ($490) boasts a mid-range price with plenty
of tech.
Sony has been making an ever increasing
number of Xperia models to try and capture customers at every conceivable price
point. The latest is the Sony Xperia SP, a mid-level Android smartphone that
sits below the flagship Xperia Z.
Sony
Xperia SP
Sony is taking on lesser-known Android
handsets such as the Acer Liquid E2, ZTE Blade 3 or LG Optimus G Pro with the
Sony Xperia SP’s price point. But one look at the box is enough to tell you
that the Japanese company still means business - even though this isn’t the
flag bearer for the Xperia line.
The phone itself is a step down from the
5-inch models that have dominated 2013’s headlines - the 1,280 x 720 pixel
screen measures a pocket-friendly 4.6 inches, and the 10mm thin casing is
blackened aluminum rather than the glass-slab Sony Xperia Z chassis. But how
does it stack up?
The Xperia SP is a very accomplished
handset from Sony, and it’s with a tinge of sadness that we acknowledge it will
probably fail to get the attention it deserves. Brighter lights are shining in
the smartphone world these days, and the fact is that last year’s superstars
such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 4S remain very solid, affordable
handsets.
Attractive alternative
If you don’t fancy the 5-inch screen size
touted by top smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z or HTC
One, then the Sony Xperia SP is a very attractive alternative. There are plenty
of people out there who are quite content to have a 4.6-inch device that
doesn’t require a hand like a baseball mitt to keep hold of.
Top marks go to the Xperia SP’s camera.
Forget, for a moment, the praise heaped on the camera-crafting skills of HTC or
Samsung. Because the snappers that Sony has been loading onto its Xperia phones
in the last couple of years have been some of the best in the market. Honestly,
the Japanese company really knows its stuff when it comes to taking pictures.
The range of settings and the quality of
the images it produces were well beyond what we would expect from a smartphone
at this price.
Another positive inclusion is the addition
of a microSD slot. It’s pretty much a necessity really, and if Sony hadn’t
included one, it would have made this phone all-but-unpurchasable.
The
range of settings and the quality of the images it produces were well beyond
what we would expect from a smartphone at this price
Lastly, we have to give a mention to the
Walkman app. The way it looks is far more attractive than the standard Android
music player found on other smartphones, and the interactive antenna is
gimmicky but endearing. Music is big at Sony and the sheer amount of options
available for organizing, cataloguing and playing music shouldn’t go unnoticed
here.
Storage war
However, the 8GB of storage space on the
Sony Xperia SP really hampers it. You’ll only get 5.5GB of actual usable space,
which will quickly fill up with some albums, a couple of movies and a handful
of apps.
Luckily, a microSD card won’t set you back
very much these days, which is a good thing, since you’ll need one here, but
does preclude downloading massive games to really test the internals.
The battery life also leaves a lot to be
desired. Sony appears to have taken note of this with its Stamina software,
which goes some way towards addressing the problem. However, if you’re going to
be away from home or the office for a day, there’s no getting around the fact
you’re going to need to bring a charger with you.
Dual-core conundrum
Despite Sony’s attempt to dress the Xperia
SP up with a good-looking interface, premium design and extra features, this is
still a phone with a dual-core 1.7GHz processor.
At times, it shows. If anything, you’ll
forget this is a mid-level handset and try to overstretch it with tasks,
resulting in a bit of lag when surfing the internet or using apps.
What we will say, though, is that it
handles Android Jelly Bean very well - moving around the OS is a real pleasure
on this low-cost phone.
What
we will say, though, is that it handles Android Jelly Bean very well - moving
around the OS is a real pleasure on this low-cost phone
Should you buy it?
If you’re on a budget, we’d consider it
ahead of last year’s highflyers, and it’s certainly better than Sony’s previous
Xperia T model. Heavy users will likely get frustrated with the moderate
battery and mediocre processor, but if you want to save a bit of money and
still own a smartphone that you can show off at parties or around the office,
you could do a lot worse than picking up the Sony Xperia SP.
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Sony Xperia
SP specs
§ 2G
Network: GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - all versions
§ 3G
Network
ü HSDPA
850 / 900 / 2100 - C5303
ü HSDPA
850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - C5302
ü HSDPA
850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 - C5306
§ 4G
Network
ü LTE
800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 - C5303
ü LTE
850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - C5306
§ SIM:
Micro-SIM
§ Announced:
2013, March
§ Status:
Available, Released 2013, April
§ Dimensions:
130.6 x 67.1 x 10 mm (5.14 x 2.64 x 0.39 in)
§ Weight:
155 g (5.47 oz)
§ Type:
TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
§ Size:
720 x 1280 pixels, 4.6 inches (~319 ppi pixel density)
§ Multitouch:
Yes, up to 10 fingers
§ Protection:
Corning Gorilla Glass - Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
§ Alert
types: Vibration; MP3 ringtones
§ Loudspeaker:
Yes
§ 3.5mm
jack: Yes
§ Card
slot: microSD, up to 32 GB
§ Internal:
8 GB (5.8 GB user available), 1 GB RAM
§ GPRS:
Up to 86 kbps
§ EDGE:
Up to 237 kbps
§ Speed:
HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
§ Wi-Fi:
802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
§ Bluetooth:
Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
§ NFC: Yes
§ USB:
Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL)
§ Camera
ü Primary:
8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, check quality
ü Features:
Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR,
sweep panorama
ü Video:
Yes, 1080p@30fps, video stabilization, check quality
ü Secondary:
Yes, VGA
§ Features
ü OS:
Android OS, v4.1 (Jelly Bean)
ü Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8960T Snapdragon
ü CPU: Dual-core 1.7 GHz Krait
ü GPU:
Adreno 320
ü Sensors:
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity
ü Messaging:
SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Email, IM
ü Browser:
HTML5
ü Radio:
Stereo FM radio with RDS
ü GPS:
Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
ü Java:
Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
ü Colors:
Black, White, Red
§ Battery
ü Non-removable
Li-Ion 2370 mAh battery
ü Stand-by:
Up to 635 h (2G) / Up to 734 h (3G)
ü Talk
time: Up to 10 h 25 min (2G) / Up to 19 h (3G)
ü Music
play: Up to 39 h
§ Misc
ü SAR
US: 0.63 W/kg (head) 1.08 W/kg (body)
ü SAR
EU: 0.79 W/kg (head)
§ Tests
ü Display:
Contrast ratio: 816:1 (nominal) / 1.733:1 (sunlight)
ü Loudspeaker:
Voice 66dB / Noise 61dB / Ring 68dB
ü Audio
quality: Noise -86.9dB / Crosstalk -88.3dB
ü Camera:
Photo / Video
ü Battery
life: Endurance rating 51h
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