The flagship Android phones get all the
attention, but there’s plenty of quality at the more budget end of the market
too.
The latest band of devices available on pay
as you go deals offer arguably the greatest balance between value and
functionality. The handsets may not be the most powerful you can find but they
still give you much of the best that Android has to offer. With screen sizes of
3.5 inches the same that served the iPhone so well for many years - they are
great for watching videos, catching up with your social networks or playing
casual games.
They can also sometimes provide a useful
test bed for anyone that wants to get into Android hacking as well. The budget
prices attached to these pay as you go handsets mean the risk can be worth
taking for those yet to be convinced by the merits of hacking and rooting.
We’ve collected together four leading pay
as you go devices from four of the most popular Android smartphone
manufacturers and stringently put them through their paces. Which delivers the
best combination of build quality, performance and value for money? Read on to
find out.
Sony Xperia Miro
It may not have the raw processing
power of the Ace 2, but it’s got a lot of qualities at a very respectable price
tag
5-MP camera
We found the camera lens did get fogged up
in colder temperatures. However, the quality of the shots and nice autofocus of
the video more than made up for this. When we viewed these back on the computer
they outperformed the more expensive Samsung easily
ICS
Similarly to the HTC, this device comes
with the latest incarnation of ICS, which is quite impressive on a low priced
handset. While we are not sure if Jelly Bean will come to the platform it at
least has one over the Motorola
Sloping edge
At the base of the Xperia Miro’s 3.5 inch
screen is a slight sloping edge (can be in different colours as well). This,
alongside the rubberised backing, makes the phone a bit easier to hold in a
landscape orientation
LED illuminations
The Xperia Miro also has an illuminated LED
that lights up beneath the Home button. This changes depending on the theme
set. However, you can download a third-party app from Google Play to adjust the
notification light
The Sony has a lot of great features for a
relatively low price tag. Its build quality is possibly less appealing than the
HTC or Samsung, not that the handset is built badly, as it feels comfortable to
hold (due to the rubberised backing), but the light weight just doesn’t give
the same satisfying feel as its rival devices.
We liked the subtle design touches that are
on board, such as the sloping edge at the base of the 3.5-Inch screen, which
allowed us to grip the phone better in landscape and an illuminated bar that
lights up under the Home button which changes colour depending on the theme you
set. Sadly we still had to remove the back cover and battery to get access to
the micro SD card slot.
On the plus side, Sony has supplied the
latest version of ICS with this handset, which when coupled with the slightly
faster processor, we found typing and screen swiping was a lot smoother even
compared to the similarly specced Motorola. Somehow the screen also seemed more
vibrant than the HTC and disguised the lower resolution much better.
Additionally, the software bundle and user
Interface is the same one found in Sony’s high-end handsets, which meant we had
Facebook integration and some effective media apps in the form of its Walkman
music app (filled with various equaliser profiles to boost the audio) and video
player which provided a great entertainment experience.
We also had no problems streaming content
or browsing. The five-megapixel camera (with a useful autofocus for video
recording sessions) produced the best detailed shots in the group. Our only
concern was that the camera lens started to fog up In cold outdoor conditions,
which took the shine off what was otherwise a great feature.
Despite the 800MHz CPU zipping along rather
nicely, Its architecture still caused a few problems when running a select
batch of games. For example, the popular Dead Trigger title that ran on the HTC
with ease would not work properly as the screen was filled with corrupted
textures.
At least the battery life, a topic Sony
don't tend to excel in, was very good. In fact it was better than both the HTC
and Motorola from a video playback point of view with 72 per cent remaining
from a full charge. The battery saving app also proved effective at prolonging
its life for general use.
Head to head
Design
The Sony’s light weight certainly produces
a cheaper feel and less robust build quality than the HTC, but it does have
some lovely design touches. The sloping edge at the base enhances grip and the
illuminated LED beneath the Home button looks cool.
Availability
Not all the mobile networks provided the
handset, and we had to look at Carphone Warehouse deals to get the low price.
On Vodafone you got 100 minutes, 300 texts and 50MB of data for your $16 top up,
which is pretty good value for money.
Features
The Sony was equipped with ICS and the same
great range of media apps that are found on the more expensive handsets. The
performance was smooth and the 5-MP camera, despite the lens fogging, produced
the best images in the group.
Battery life
Sony handsets don’t normally benefit from
strong battery life but the Miro was good. It had 72 per cent remaining from a
full charge in our video test. The battery saving app also helped during heavy
use.
Verdict
There are some good deals to be had for a
phone that has a lot going for it, including ICS and respectable battery life
Information
Price: $159.95
More information: www.sonymobile.com
Technical specs
·
Operating system: Android 4.0.4
·
Processor: Qualcomm MSM7225A, 800 MHz Cortex-A5
CPU, Adreno 200 GPU
·
Memory: 512 MB RAM, 4GB storage (expandable
via micro SD card)
·
Dimensions: 113 x 59.4 x 9.9 mm
·
Weight: 110g
·
Display: 3.5” LED-backlit, 320 x 480
·
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS,
HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps
·
Camera: 5-MP rear (LED flash), VGA front
camera, VGA @30fps video
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