The device is made in a monoblock form factor and is equipped with a 4.3-inch LCD display with Mobile Bravia Engine technology. The display resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels (720p), the resolution is 342 ppi. The screen is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. Camera Sony Xperia S features a 12MP Sony Exmor R sensor, 16x digital zoom, touch-screen autofocus, LED flash, face detection, scene auto selector, stabilizer, sweep panorama, 1080p video and backlight in video mode. The camera starts up in 1.5 s. The Sony Xperia S features surround sound, PlayStation certification, built-in FM radio and 3.5mm headphone jack. Communication capabilities presented: Wi-Fi (with the ability to create an access point), Bluetooth, HDMI, USB 2.0, DLNA and NFC. In addition to GPS Smartphone supports GLONASS.
According to readers of ZOOM.Cnews
Sony XPERIA S:
Functional, beautiful, has a good camera, ergonomic, lightweight, can be a replacement for a player, can act as a GPS receiver, expensive, has a weak battery.
SPECIFICATIONS
functionalBeautiful
Has a good camera
Ergonomic
Light
Can be a replacement for the player
Can act as a GPS receiver
Affordable
Has a capacious battery
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MAIN TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Nutrition
Battery capacity: 1750 mAh Battery: non-removable Talk time: 8.5 h Standby time: 420 h Music listening time: 25 hGeneral characteristics
Type: smartphone Weight: 144 g Control: touch buttons Operating system: Android 4.1 Case type: classic Number of SIM cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxT): 64x128x10.6 mm SIM card type: micro SIMScreen
Screen type: color TFT, 16.78 million colors, touch type touch screen: multitouch, capacitive Diagonal: 4.3 inches. Image size: 1280x720 Pixels per inch (PPI): 342 Automatic screen rotation: yesCalls
Light indication events: yesMultimedia capabilities
Camera: 12.10 million pixels, led flash Camera functions: autofocus, digital Zoom 16x Video recording: yes (MPEG4) Max. video resolution: 1920x1080 Front camera: yes, 1.3 million pixels. Audio: MP3, AAC, WAV, FM radio Headphone jack: 3.5 mm Recognition: faces, smiles Geo Tagging: yes Video output: HDMIConnection
Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB, ANT +, NFC Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G DLNA support: yes Satellite navigation: GPS / GLONASS A-GPS system: yes Use as USB storage: yesMemory and processor
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8260, 1500 MHz Number of processor cores: 2 Internal memory: 32 GB Size random access memory: 1 GB Video processor: Adreno 220 Memory card slot: noneOther functions
Control: voice dialing, voice control Sensors: lighting, proximity, gyroscope, compass Speakerphone(built-in speaker): yes Flight mode: yes Profile A2DP: yes| Peculiarities | |
|---|---|
| Type of | smartphone |
| Operating system | Android |
| Version | 2.3 |
| CPU | Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon |
| Frequency | 1500 MHz |
| RAM | 1024 MB |
| Flash memory | 32768 MB |
| Screen | |
| Diagonal | 4.3 " |
| Permission | 1280 x 720 |
| Color rendering | 16 million colors |
| Digital camera | |
| Camera | 12 million pixels |
| Maximum resolution | 4000 x 3000 |
| Nutrition | |
| Time in operation | 7.5 h |
| Standby time | 450 h |
| Dimensions and weight | |
| Width | 64 mm |
| Height | 128 mm |
| Depth | 10.6 mm |
| The weight | 144 gr. |
First look at the flagship smartphone Sony Xperia S: pure Japanese charm
Something that no one really expected has come true, and many even became sad: mobile phones the Swedish brand Ericsson, many years after the merger with Sony, officially ceased to exist. However, a holy place is never empty, and the Japanese giant, being both the owner and the successor of the joint brand, announced the first (as well as the second and third) smartphone under its own name. What came of it - let's try to think it over today.pros
Design, image, display, interface, body materials, camera, hardware, equipment.Minuses
Price. No Android version 4. Inconvenient unlocking for getting started, small print and icons. There are no native accessories yet.Impressions
I got this fabulous device. Before that, there were HTC, iPhone (all) and Galaxy S2, so there is something to compare with. The main impression is that the device is good! The build quality, design, unique body material are very decent. I don't want to walk around like young teenagers and other people, young and old, with the brainchild of Apple. It seems that even small children are in sandboxes and those with iPhones. Sonya will be more impressive, somehow more weighty or something. In short, after the faceless Galaxy, everything is adult. You need an image - Sony is what you need. The most striking impression is made by the display. Nobody else has such a thing. Unreal clarity, color rendering, optimal size. The Sony nameplate looks very solid. It was upsetting that the device is revived only through the lock button, and if you also install a graphic or other system, you have to unlock it twice. SGS2 and iPhone have much more convenient process. The font and icons are small compared to the Samsung and iPhone, although due to the display resolution the rendering is very clear. Its own interface is convenient, so third-party developers are basically not needed if you are not fans of various Launchers. Video and photography are good. The quality is similar to 4S. The colors are close to natural, which cannot be said about Samsung, which traditionally moves everything into a rich red. Listening to music, listening to the radio is a pleasure, despite the fact that the included headphones are not the best, but the equalizer and the addition of bass make the sound very high quality and, in my opinion, better than its competitors. A cool thing is radio tags that switch the phone to the mode that you configured (for example, night or car) when you bring it up to them. If you additionally install a program for the demolition of unused applications, then there is enough charge for a day even with intensive use. I am satisfied with the choice, but considering that the listed devices are of about the same class, then the price is somewhat overpriced. Although for the start of sales, this is probably normal. If there is no spring aggravation, it is better to wait for the price drop.Is the review helpful?
pros
The screen is simply wonderful, working with this smart you understand that brightness and contrast are far from the main thing. The brightness of 70% is always enough. The size is also quite sufficient to operate with one hand, and the resolution is simply unique - 856 points versus 800 for most other smartphones - just for advertising.
Convenient branded launcher, browser, scheduler, player - minimalistic, unobtrusive design, moreover, everything is quite functional, except that the player is simple.
The proprietary program TrakID helps to find out the name and artist of the music by catching it in the microphone of the device.
Photos and videos are better than my old Sony S80 digital camera did, it is noisy in low light, but overall the performance is excellent, the fill-flash mode helps to correct the situation if the scene is static. There is a macro, panorama.
The camera backlight is like a flashlight, it shines like a spotlight, the dual LED on the old SE W810 is weaker.
The screen reacts to light touches, there is no need to press with a fingernail like in a resistive sensor.
Convenient mechanical buttons for volume and lock / off - all under the thumb.
The HDMI interface works great, the picture is transmitted to the TV set, the interface adapts to the horizontal, you can watch the menu, play games like on a set-top box, but for normal use of HDMI the length of the supplied cable is not enough.
The port plugs turned out to be quite convenient, they open and close easily, they won't crawl around yet.
The set comes with a good headset and a 8GB memory card fast enough for HD video, which is still not enough if you write a video.
GPS works quite accurately - when driving in a car in a traffic jam, it noted displacements of less than a meter and showed the correct direction.
A multi-colored light indicating events, can be used and configured by third-party programs.
Dual microphone gives great sound for conversation and clearly audible stereo for video recording.
Minuses
It was unpleasantly surprised that in phone book sort by name only and no birthdays. In the old Valkmen that is. Easy to fix by installation third party application, there are many very advanced programs (Go Contacts EX for example).
Mechanical buttons back and menu are inconvenient, they are not pressed from any position; it is optimal when one physical button and next to it are touch-sensitive as on new experiments and samsungs.
It will not work to put the smart on the side or end face, which would not hurt with the flashlight on.
The sensitive area of the screen sensor starts 2-3 mm from the edge of the screen, but it almost does not interfere.
The News + Weather widget is a great idea, but there are almost no customizations.
When photographs of people with a flash of eyes burn with white fire, the "no red" eyes mode does not help much.
Yes, the sidewalls creak, this is their design, not particularly worried.
It is impossible to work if it is lying on the table - it dangles and twirls, you have to pick up and buy a cover.
In the hands of the human, the curvative is perceptibly stuck with an angle into the palm when long work, why do you remember the shapes of the Samsung-Apple-Lzh twins with rounded edges, but the hand somehow learns to hold the device optimally over time.
The main camera is not very conveniently located - it often gets under the fingers, most of the holders in the car close it.
The glossy casing is durable, the silver version hardly gets dirty, but the casing is slippery, so you have to be careful while holding it.
Vibration is weak, it is easy to block the speaker in your pocket, which makes the volume drop dramatically
Impressions
Lying on the couch, I launch the ES explorer on the smart ES, I get access via wifi to the folders and disks of the smart, computer, cloud services, I throw files in any direction, look, rename files.
Configured widgets - by looking at main screen you can see the date, time, my planned tasks 2 weeks ahead, birthdays, holidays, temperature overboard, the latest news, start an audiobook, call 3 frequent contacts in 1-2 touches, start the camera almost instantly with one touch.
Surprisingly, the camera button is not needed for shooting nafig - it is more convenient and faster to poke at the screen and the camera will focus on the point of contact.
The shortcomings are mostly insignificant and fixable, I am very satisfied with the device.
Information about the brand, model and alternative names of a specific device, if any.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, offered colors, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 64 mm (millimeters) 6.4 cm (centimeters) 0.21 ft (feet) 2.52 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 128 mm (millimeters) 12.8 cm (centimeters) 0.42 ft (feet) 5.04 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units measurements. | 10.6 mm (millimeters) 1.06 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.42 in (inches) |
| The weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 144 g (grams) 0.32 lbs (pounds) 5.08 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with a rectangular parallelepiped shape. | 86.84 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.27 in³ (cubic inches) |
SIM card
A SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
Mobile technology and data rates
Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is the system software that controls and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) integrates all the major hardware components of a mobile device into a single chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software required for their operation. | Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 |
| Technological process Information on technological process on which the chip is made. The value in nanometers is half the distance between the elements in the processor. | 45 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | Scorpion |
| Processor size The capacity (bits) of the processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses and buses for data. 64-bit processors offer better performance than 32-bit processors, which in turn are more efficient than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction set architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets / controls the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| Level 1 cache (L1) The cache memory is used by the processor to reduce the time it takes to access more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small and much faster than both system memory and other levels of cache. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 KB + 32 KB (kilobytes) |
| L2 cache L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but instead has a larger capacity to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for them in L3 cache memory (if available) or in RAM memory. | 512 KB (kilobytes) 0.5 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to execute in parallel. | 2 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1500 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics processing unit (GPU) A graphics processing unit (GPU) handles computation for a variety of 2D / 3D graphics applications... V mobile devices ah, it is used most often by games, consumer interface, video applications, and more. | Qualcomm Adreno 220 |
| The amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. The data that is saved in the RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 1 GB (gigabytes) |
| Memory type (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR2 |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels which are integrated into the SoC. More channels means higher baud rates. | Single channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of the RAM determines its speed of operation, more specifically, the speed of reading / writing data. | 500 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) fixed memory.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type / technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends. | LCD |
| Diagonal On mobile devices, screen size is expressed in terms of the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 4.3 in (inches) 109.22 mm (millimeters) 10.92 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.11 in (inches) 53.55 mm (millimeters) 5.35 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 3.75 in (inches) 95.19 mm (millimeters) 9.52 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels horizontally and vertically on the screen. Higher resolution means sharper image detail. | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Pixel density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail. | 342 ppi (pixels per inch) 134 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information on maximum number colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen footprint The approximate percentage of the display area on the front of the device. | 62.42% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen. | Capacitive Multitouch |
| Shatter-proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass LED-backlit Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical metrics into signals that can be recognized by the mobile device.
Rear camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its rear panel and can be combined with one or more additional cameras.
| Sensor model Information about the make and model of the sensor used by the camera. | Sony Exmor R |
| Sensor type Information about the type of camera sensor. Some of the most widely used sensor types in mobile cameras are CMOS, BSI, ISOCELL, and others. | CMOS BSI (backside illumination) |
| Light-strength Aperture (also known as aperture, aperture, or f-number) is a measure of the size of the lens aperture, which determines the amount of light entering the sensor. The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light reaches the sensor. Usually, the f-number is indicated, which corresponds to the largest possible aperture of the aperture. | f / 2.4 |
| Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape. | LED |
| Image Resolution Resolution is one of the main characteristics of cameras. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in the image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often quote resolutions in megapixels, indicating the approximate number of pixels in millions. | 4000 x 3000 pixels 12 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video recording rate (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording rate (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps. | 30 frames / sec (frames per second) |
| Specifications Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera. | Autofocus Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographic tags Panoramic shooting Touch focus Face recognition Self-timer Scene selection mode |
Front-camera
Smartphones have one or more front cameras of different designs - pop-up camera, PTZ camera, notch or hole in the display, camera under the display.
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technology supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Locating
Information about the navigation and positioning technologies supported by the device.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is a technology that enables wireless communication for transferring data over short distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless transfer of data between different types of devices over short distances.
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
HDMI
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio / video interface that replaces older analog audio / video standards.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio connector. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
| Browser Information about some of the main features and standards supported by the device browser. | Html HTML5 Flash CSS 3 xHTML CSS 2.1 |
Audio file formats / codecs
Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode / decode digital audio data.
Video file formats / codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode / decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge required for their function.
| Capacity Battery capacity indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliampere-hours. | 1750 mAh (milliampere-hours) |
| Type of The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, by the chemicals used. Exists different types lithium-ion and lithium-ion-polymer batteries are most commonly used in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| Talk time 2G Talk time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during continuous talk on a 2G network. | 7 hours 30 minutes 7.5 h (hours) 450 min (minutes) 0.3 days |
| Standby time 2G Standby time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 450 h (hours) 27000 min (minutes) 18.8 days |
| Talk time 3G Talk time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 8 hours 30 minutes 8.5 h (hours) 510 minutes (minutes) 0.4 days |
| 3G standby time Standby time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 420 h (hours) 25200 min (minutes) 17.5 days |
| Specifications Information about some additional characteristics device battery. | Non-removable |
It took a dedicated utility to manage power consumption so carefully. It is called "Energy Saving". There are several power consumption options that depend on the current charge level and determine the set active modules, backlight intensity and so on. It is possible to configure the autostart mode on a schedule.
In terms of media capabilities, the gallery for viewing photos and videos has remained standard from the Android platform - in contrast to the audio player. The changes made by the manufacturer are noticeable here. Namely, a menu similar to Windows Phone; equalizer; analog of the Genius function from iTunes.
The built-in battery capacity is 1750 mAh, which is about 15-20% more than the standard figure for top smartphones. But with the maximum load on the smartphone, its autonomy remains the same, no better and no worse than the closest analogs - the device "holds" during the day. However, with a more restrained use, and taking into account active schemes energy saving, the operating time can actually be extended to two incomplete days. For a smartphone with similar characteristics, this is a good result. You could even say very good. Well, who will have to compete with him? Let's see!
Competitors
Mobile World Congress, held in Barcelona at the turn of February and March, revealed several quad-core smartphones to the world. And yes, this is already a prerequisite for being called a full-fledged flagship. In this regard, the Sony Xperia S lags a little behind, but let's not forget that it was presented earlier. In addition, there is no real benefit from four cores yet, as it will not be until the very end of 2012.
Htc one S... The quad-core flagship HTC One X costs significantly more than the Sony Xperia S, but the middle model from the new HTC line can compete on equal terms. It is good because it already has an operating system at the time of release. newest version(Android 4.0), as well as the excellent Sense 4 interface and a number of significant software improvements: the ability to quickly launch the camera, the function to save photos during video recording, and so on.
New flagship with new features
However, the Sony Xperia S model itself was announced even earlier, at the beginning of the year, during CES 2012. And finally, the final sample is in our editorial office: we meet and test a new Sony flagship Mobile (formerly Sony ericsson), which will remain so for a fairly long time - exactly until autumn.
In the field of the production of mobile devices at Sony, now everything is generally unusual and new. It all started with the "break" of the Sony Ericsson brand, from which at the beginning of this year only "Sony" remained. The division of the Japanese company, engaged in the development of phones and players, is now called Sony Mobile - and, we hope, soon it will also deal with tablets with readers, which are still run by the "big" Sony.
Further, the new line or, more precisely, the new NXT series in the Xperia lineup is the "Next generation", a new generation, as the company itself says. Clearly, this is an emphasis on the turning point in the life of the company's mobile division after the breakup: a new brand, new design, new policy. From the old - only the logo: the unshakable circle remains on all devices and does not change a bit.
From global tops, all this novelty is transmitted below - to the devices themselves, their positioning, outward appearance and even packaging. Sony Xperia S comes in a cardboard box of an unusual format: flat and wide, it does not at all resemble the narrow parallelepipeds of Nokia and HTC, for which their new packaging is a copy of the iPhone box.
A flat black drawer with many opening compartments slides out of this package - even if it's cardboard. True, the departments themselves are not so dense: a charger with a USB-input, a USB-micro-USB cable, HDMI cable and a wired stereo headset with in-ear headphones. The package bundle, at first glance, is not rich, but even here everything "breathes" with novelty - if it is not striking, then the thoughtfulness in the development process is certainly noticeable. It turns out that the new high-power power supply unit is capable of charging the phone's battery much faster than its predecessors, and this also has a certain turning point: after all, smartphones that have grown in inches and stuffed with gigahertz have long lived very little, and in terms of batteries and charging them, nothing is global does not change. But with the new charger literally a ten-minute charge is enough to extend the conversation on the smartphone for an hour, and this is truly an innovation. Not a breakthrough, of course, but the main thing is that the care and diligence of the developers is visible to create at least something new, and this little thing really pleases.
Specifications
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260, CPU 1.5 GHz, dual core
- GPU Adreno 220
- Operating system Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread
- 4.3 '' type LCD touchscreen, 720 x 1280 pixels, capacitive
- 1 GB RAM, 32 GB Flash (25.8 GB available)
- Communication GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, GPRS / EDGE
- Communication 3G UMTS HSPA 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
- Bluetooth v2.1 EDR
- Wi-Fi 802.11b / g / n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot
- TV-Out
- GPS, AGPS
- FM radio
- 12 MP camera, autofocus, LED flash
- Lithium-ion battery 1750 mAh
- Dimensions 128 x 64 x 10.6 mm
- Weight 144 g
Design
New design ... That's how, it turns out, it takes a little to become completely different from others. And although new Sony design The Xperia S (as well as the P and U models) has similarities with the previous Sony Ericsson models, especially in terms of the curved back, however, due to the new materials, which the developers themselves call the new generation of soft touch, the devices look completely different. And they certainly do not look like Apple or Samsung products, with which users of numerous forums usually compare any new product. No, here everything is its own, its own, copying no one.
As for that "new" soft touch, its innovation is not only less velvety and more similar to blued steel weapons, but also in some protective properties: during the demonstration of the device, the organizers literally draw with a ballpoint pen on its surface, and then playfully erase ... It looks especially impressive on the white body of the Sony Xperia S. There are only two color variations of the new flagship, by the way: black and white, and both look equally interesting. Black, as already noted, resembles blued steel, even if it is plastic. White is certainly softer, but the chopped-up features of the new design do not even allow the white version to be called feminine. He will look quite appropriate in men's hands.
Despite the large screen size - 4.3 inches, the communicator is quite comfortable in the hand. The dimensions are large, but not yet enough to become a burden on the palm. The weight of the device is too big to be carried in a breast pocket of a shirt, but it is quite suitable for other clothes, and the quality of assembly of all parts suggests that there is no need to be too careful with it. Of course, you shouldn't put Sony Xperia S in the back pocket of jeans, but it would be sacrilege to cover up such an outwardly interesting device.
Most of the front surface area is occupied by a screen covered protective glass... Above it is a slot for the earpiece and the eyes of the sensors and the front camera. Here, under the glass, an LED is hidden, notifying of some events - for example, charging the phone. I didn't like the loudspeaker slit: it is not covered by any grille, has sharp edges and is unpleasantly rough when it touches the ear. In addition, dust accumulates in this gap over time. A nice grill would definitely not be in the way here. Above the loudspeaker hole there is an inscription “Sony” - now there is only one, without “Ericsson”.
The most unpleasant design feature is under the screen, at the bottom of the case. Here, the monolith of the case is unexpectedly intersected by a completely transparent strip of plastic, on which pictograms with the designation of buttons are applied. But this is not unpleasant, but the fact that when you click on these icons, nothing happens. The sensors themselves (whether they were wrong!) Are hidden under tiny, barely noticeable dots applied above this strip. Many acquaintances who had a chance to touch the Sony Xperia S for the first time unanimously report erroneous clicks and swear at the developers. We also encountered multiple erroneous clicks in the early days of using the device. Then, of course, they got used to it, but the sediment, as they say, remained. By the way, below this transparent strip there is a small fragment of the surface that is not covered with protective glass. This Bottom part The case looks like a separate cover and, in fact, it is in another model - Sony Xperia U. In addition to the main one, the one in the kit is expected to have as many as three multi-colored interchangeable covers.
But in the case of the Sony Xperia S, this is not at all the case: the lower fragment, with the inscription "Xperia" on it, is rigidly attached to the rest of the case, and in it, at its bottom end, there is even a hole for attaching a strap - convenient, but, unfortunately, a function rarely used by modern smartphones.
On the other three sides are scattered control elements and connectors covered with plastic caps: micro-USB on the left, micro-HDMI and a volume rocker on the right, and on top is a 3.5 mm audio input for headphones. There is also a power key.
But a separate button for activating the camera on the right side pleased me: its presence is a rarity for modern Android smartphones. The keys themselves are small, their travel is short, and the location of all, except for the photo button, is completely inconvenient for a left-handed person. For some reason, the power button suddenly "moved" to the leftmost edge of the upper end, where you can reach it only using your other hand. With “Loudness” it is a little better, but for some reason it was moved to the very middle, where the hardest grip usually takes place. Developer Initiative in in this case turned out to be punishable: everything had already been invented a long time ago, and it was not worthwhile to spoil your karma once again.
The back plastic cover is remarkable: this is exactly the cover, the size of the entire surface of a smartphone, but only a SIM card slot is hidden under it, and nothing else. The battery is non-removable, and the slot could have been made on the side, like in other smartphones. Why was it necessary to be smart with this cover, weakening the overall rigidity of the structure - it is not clear. By the way, the SIM-card here, in accordance with the new fashion trends, is used in micro format, and this is a wake-up call. This means that a quiet life is over, and users will soon find themselves divided into two camps, in which SIM cards do not fit each other. Now no one is sure that he will be able, if necessary, to use a friend's phone or an old spare, gathering dust in his bag. Not everyone can now move the card from their own phone to the tablet. When moving to far and near abroad, it is also not a fact that it will immediately be possible to buy a micro-SIM on a tray from local operator- checked. Someday all mobile phones will work with microformat cards, but this transition process, like the recent transition of all proprietary connectors to a single micro-USB standard, will be painful for some. The modern SIM card was not that big to shrink it even further.
As a result, the overall impression of using the Sony Xperia S was ambiguous: on the one hand, there are solid materials and high-quality assembly, an interesting unbroken design and comfortable, well-thought-out dimensions. But, on the other hand, the inconvenient location of the buttons and the dubious usefulness of some innovations do not allow to put a solid top five for the new flagship for the exterior.
Screen
The screen in the Sony Xperia S is an ordinary liquid-crystal TFT TN-matrix, but with HD-resolution 720 × 1280, physical dimensions of 95 × 54 mm and a diagonal of 4.3 inches. With so much high definition in the given physical dimensions, the picture turns out to be quite clear and smooth, naturally, you will not notice any graininess - the pixel density in this screen is extremely high. In addition, the picture is further enhanced with the proprietary Mobile Bravia Engine technology, which makes it even more realistic. This technology is software, and it works only while viewing photos and videos. According to the manufacturer, the technology allows you to display the picture in a more natural way for the eye, adding clarity, saturation, contrast and, moreover, removing some of the noise.
The colors on this screen look, of course, more realistic than on acid AMOLEDs, but the picture seems to lack saturation, it looks slightly velvety. Perhaps this is because the display lacks brightness, even at the maximum level. By the way, there is no automatic brightness control in the settings, only manual. The outside of the screen is covered with a protective scratch-resistant mineral glass. The screen responds sensitively to the touch of the fingers, no erroneous clicks were noticed.
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Sound
The sound of the external speaker is not particularly pleasing: it is loud, but mostly high frequencies prevail, there is no bass. However, it does not choke at the maximum volume level, it remains clean and perfectly fulfills the function of alerting about an incoming call - you will not miss a call even on the street. In addition, the sound is processed here using the proprietary xLoud technology. This technology developed by Sony does not affect the sound quality in any way, but serves to increase the volume of the main speaker. To ensure that the surface of the table does not interfere with the propagation of sound, on back cover there is a small protrusion that raises the speaker hole above the surface.
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But the sound of the media player in the headphones, including the complete ones, was quite satisfactory: the sound is loud, clear, and low frequencies are present. Sony Xperia S can definitely be used as an audio player, especially since there are a lot of settings here, including an equalizer with ten preset values to choose from (you can set your own).
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Camera
The device has two cameras: a front one for video communication, and a main one with automatic focusing and LED backlighting. The matrix resolution of the front module is 1.3 megapixels, the camera is quite suitable for video conferencing and for using the screen as a mirror.
The main camera module is more interesting: the 12-megapixel camera (f / 2.4 aperture) is equipped with a Sony Exmor R CMOS sensor and produces images of very decent quality. Maximum size photos when shooting with the default settings (9 MP, 16: 9) is 4000 × 2250, and when transferred to the shooting mode 4: 3, 12 MP - 4000 × 3000. The quality and clarity of photos in their original resolution can be assessed by clicking on the thumbnails. An interesting observation: in the first picture when magnified, you can even see the numbers on the car number, which looks tiny against the general background.
Thanks to the automatic focusing capability, text captured on paper or on a monitor screen remains perfectly legible.
During the demonstration of Sony Xperia S, representatives of the company focus on the speed of shooting with the camera of the new communicator. Indeed, literally 1.5 seconds pass from pressing a key to taking a picture, even when the screen is locked. That is, with the Sony Xperia S you do not need to select anything from the menu if you need to take an urgent picture on the go - just take out the phone and hold down the camera button. By the way, in the settings you can change the purpose of this button to turn on the camera without taking a picture, for example.
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The module can also shoot video in Full HD resolution (1920 × 1080) and take panoramic images. You can evaluate the quality of video shooting using the example of a 10-second clip (MP4, 1920 × 1080, 17 MB). An example shot in front of you. The quality and resolution are not very good, but overall the function looks attractive.
Software
Sony Xperia S runs a familiar version of the operating Android systems 7 (Gingerbread), but this model is already definitely promised an update to version 4.0 in the second quarter of this year. It also has its own software shell, which slightly changes and complements the standard Android interface, but not much. On the five initial screens of the desktop, branded widgets (like weather) are scattered, the general internal list of programs can be sorted according to several parameters, and when you first turn it on, the branded application prompts you to configure the smartphone.
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Another curious feature: using software application Media Remote this smartphone can serve as a remote control to control Sony equipment, and this is just part of the ecosystem that the company creates. During a recent exhibition in Barcelona, the Sony Mobile booth demonstrated a variety of ways of interaction between smartphones, tablets and Sony TVs, turning these bundles into multimedia combines, then into gaming consoles... For example, a communicator is equipped with an HDMI port and can be connected to a TV using a cable, turning into a multimedia center. The aforementioned Media Remote program does not need a cable at all, it works on wireless network and allows you to control other devices connected to this network, such as Sony players or Bravia TVs.
The Sony Xperia S is also PlayStation certified, making it a complete handheld game console with the ability to download and play compatible games from the PlayStation Store. Basically, these are games for the first PS One, adapted for smartphones, or new games specially written for them.
Performance
The hardware platform of the Sony Xperia S (model LT26i) is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 SoC with an ARMv7 CPU with two cores clocked at 1.5 GHz. In addition to central processing unit, there is a graphics coprocessor Adreno 220. All this power is served by 1 GB of RAM. The onboard flash memory is 32 GB, and it cannot be expanded with memory cards due to the lack of a slot for them.
In Quadrant Standard, the communicator has confidently overtaken another owner of an HD-screen - Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and according to the results of a comprehensive AnTuTu Benchmark both flagships are almost equal, but the Galaxy Nexus is slightly ahead (6260 points versus 6146).
In terms of graphics performance in NenaMark2 (v2.2), the Sony Xperia S is again ahead: 37.5 fps versus 24.7 fps for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.
In terms of autonomous Sony work The Xperia S cannot, and should not shock with records. If you're lucky, it will last until the middle of the next day, but it's best to charge every evening. This, of course, concerns the normal operating mode in terms of workload, when the Wi-Fi module is turned on and GPRS is not turned off, plus a few phone calls and SMS, a little surfing on the Internet with listening to music. The operating time will be greatly shortened if you use GPS navigation or watch a movie. Continuous listening to music with headphones lasted about 23 hours, and watching a movie in an AVI container at 720p drained the battery in 5 hours.
Outcome
When comparing with competitors - with those models that claim the status of flagships today - it should be borne in mind that the Sony Xperia S is a flagship new season, which "fired" the first of the new products. Now the smartphone is already available for pre-order in the Sony Store at a price of 24,990 rubles. But the rest of the top new items have not yet reached the counter, so the pivot table is now the flagships of last season, which will soon be replaced.
| Sony Xperia S | Galaxy Nexus i9250 | Samsung Galaxy S II | Htc titan | |
| Screen (size in inches, type of matrix, resolution) | 4,3 ″, LCD TFT TN, 720 × 1280 | 4.65 ″, Super AMOLED HD PenTile, 720 × 1280 | 4,3 ″, Super AMOLED Plus, 480 × 800 | 4.7 ″, S-LCD, 480 × 800 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 @ 1.5 GHz (2 cores, Scorpion) | TI OMAP 4460 @ 1.2 GHz (2 cores, ARM Cortex-A9) | Samsung Exynos 4210 @ 1.2 GHz (2 cores, ARM Cortex-A9) | Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 @ 1.5 GHz (1 core, Scorpion) |
| RAM | 1 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 512 MB |
| Flash memory | 32 GB | 16 or 32 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory card support | No | No | microSD (up to 32GB) | No |
| Operating system | Google android 2.3 with upgrade to 4.0 and own shell | Google Android 4.0 | Google Android 4.0 (update) with shell Samsung TouchWiz 4.0 | Windows Phone 7.5 |
| Cameras | rear (12 Mp; video - 1920 × 1080), front (1.3 Mp) | rear (5 Mp; video - 1920 × 1080), front (1.3 Mp) | rear (8 Mp; video - 1920 × 1080), front (2 Mp) | rear (8 Mp; video - 1280 × 720), front (1.3 Mp) |
| Dimensions, weight | 128.0 x 64.0 x 10.6 mm, 144 g | 135.5 x 67.9 x 9.47mm, 135g | 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.49mm, 116g | 131.5 x 70.7 x 9.9 mm, 160 g |
| Price* | 24 990 | 26 990 | 24 290 | 22 990 |
As you can see from the table, no outstanding breakthrough happened with the release of the Sony Xperia S. Perhaps, only in terms of the camera Sony Xperia S can be ranked among the market leaders, and it is not a fact that Nokia N8 will surrender without a fight in the competition for the championship.
Nevertheless, the Sony Xperia S is quite worthy of the flagship title. It showed excellent results in synthetic tests, has an interesting unbroken design, solid body materials and decent hardware characteristics. Considering its "pedigree" and not shocking price even at the time of the start of sales, the new top-end Sony smartphone can count on a significant amount of attention from buyers.