Sony Xperia S review. Sony Xperia S. New brand - new flagship. An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device

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), resolution - 342 ppi. The screen is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. The Sony Xperia S camera is equipped with a Sony Exmor R sensor with a resolution of 12 MP, 16x digital zoom, autofocus with the ability to select a subject by touching the screen, LED flash, face recognition technology, automatic scene selection, stabilizer and Sweep Panorama function, and has the ability to shoot video in 1080p format and backlit 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 a 3.5mm headphone jack. Communication capabilities are presented: Wi-Fi (with the ability to create an access point), Bluetooth, HDMI, USB 2.0, DLNA and NFC. In addition to GPS, the smartphone supports GLONASS.

According to ZOOM.Cnews readers
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.

CHARACTERISTICS

functional

Beautiful

Has a good camera

Ergonomic

Easy

Can be a replacement for the player

Can act as a GPS receiver

Affordable

Has a capacious battery

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MAIN TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS

Nutrition

Battery capacity: 1750 mAh Battery: non-removable Talk time: 8.5 h Standby time: 420 h Operating time while listening to music: 25 h

General characteristics

Type: smartphone Weight: 144 g Control: touch buttons Operating system: Android 4.1 Housing type: classic Number of SIM cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxT): 64x128x10.6 mm SIM card type: micro SIM

Screen

Screen type: color TFT, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type: multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal: 4.3 inches. Image size: 1280x720 Pixels per inch (PPI): 342 Automatic screen rotation: yes

Calls

Light indication of events: yes

Multimedia 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: HDMI

Connection

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 a USB drive: yes

Memory and processor

Processor: Qualcomm MSM8260, 1500 MHz Number of processor cores: 2 Built-in memory: 32 GB RAM capacity: 1 GB Video processor: Adreno 220 Memory card slot: none

Other features

Controls: voice dialing, voice control Sensors: light, proximity, gyroscope, compass Speakerphone (built-in speaker): yes Flight mode: yes A2DP profile: yes Main technical characteristics

Peculiarities
Type	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 rendition	16 million colors
Digital camera
Camera	12 million pixels
Maximum resolution	4000 x 3000
Nutrition
Operating time	7.5 h
Standby time	450 h
Dimensions and weight
Width	64 mm
Height	128 mm
Depth	10.6 mm
Weight	144 gr.

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First look at the flagship smartphone Sony Xperia S: pure Japanese charm

Something that no one really expected happened, and many were even sad: mobile phones of the Swedish brand Ericsson, many years after merging with Sony, officially ceased to exist. However, a holy place is never empty, and the Japanese giant, being both the owner and successor of the joint brand, announced the first (as well as the second and third) smartphone under its own name. Let’s try to think about what came out of this today.

New flagship with new features

However, the Sony Xperia S model itself was announced even earlier, at the beginning of the year, during the CES 2012 exhibition. And now, finally, the final sample is in our editorial office: we meet and test the new flagship of Sony Mobile (formerly Sony Ericsson), which will remain so for quite a long time - until the fall for sure.

In the field of mobile device production at Sony, everything is now unusual and new. It all started with the “breakup” of the Sony Ericsson brand, from which at the beginning of this year only “Sony” remained. The division of the Japanese company that develops phones and players is now called Sony Mobile - and, we hope, it will soon also deal with tablets with readers, which are still under the control of “big” Sony.

Further, the new line or, more precisely, the new NXT series in the Xperia line is the “Next generation”, new generation, as the company itself says. It is clear that this is an emphasis on the turning point in the life of the company's mobile division after the breakup: a new brand, a new design, a new policy. From the old one - only the logo: an unshakable circle remains on all devices and does not change a bit.

From the global tops, all this novelty is transmitted below - to the devices themselves, their positioning, appearance and even packaging. Sony Xperia S comes in a cardboard box of an unusual format: flat and wide, it is not at all similar to the narrow parallelepipeds of Nokia and HTC, for which their new packaging is a copy of the iPhone box.

From this package comes a flat black box with many opening compartments - even though it is made of cardboard. True, the compartments themselves are not so dense: a charger with a USB input, a USB-micro-USB cable, an HDMI cable and a wired stereo headset with in-ear headphones. The equipment, at first glance, is not rich, but even here everything “breathes” with novelty - even 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 is capable of charging a phone battery much faster than its predecessors, and this also has a certain turning point: after all, smartphones, which have grown in inches and are crammed with gigahertz, have a very short lifespan for a long time, and in terms of batteries and their charging there is nothing global does not change. But with the new charger, literally a ten-minute recharge is enough to extend your smartphone conversation for an entire hour, and this is truly an innovation. Not a breakthrough, of course, but the main thing is that the care and effort of the developers to create at least something new is visible, and this little thing is really pleasing.

Characteristics

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260, CPU 1.5 GHz, dual cores
• GPU Adreno 220
• Operating system Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread
• TN type LCD touch display, 4.3 inches diagonal, 720×1280 pixels, capacitive
• RAM 1 GB, flash memory 32 GB (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
• Camera 12 MP, autofocus, LED flash
• Lithium-ion battery 1750 mAh
• Dimensions 128x64x10.6 mm
• Weight 144 g

Design

New design... It turns out that you only need a little to become completely different from others. And although the new design of the Sony Xperia S (as, in fact, the P and U models) has common features with previous Sony Ericsson models, especially in terms of the curved back, however, due to new materials, which the developers themselves call a new generation of soft touch, the devices look completely different. And they certainly don’t look like Apple or Samsung products, with which users of numerous forums usually compare any new product. No, everything here is our own, our own, not copying anyone.

As for that very “new” soft touch, its innovation is not only less velvety and more similar to the blued steel of a weapon, but also some protective properties: during the demonstration of the device, the organizers literally draw on its surface with a ballpoint pen, and then playfully erase . This looks especially impressive on the white body of the Sony Xperia S. By the way, the new flagship has only two color variations: black and white, and both look equally interesting. Black, as already noted, resembles blued steel, even though it is plastic. White is certainly softer, but the chopped features of the new design prevent even the white version from being called feminine. It will look quite appropriate in men's hands.

Despite the large screen size - 4.3 inches, the communicator fits quite comfortably in the hand. The dimensions are large, but not so large as to become a burden on the palm. The weight of the device is too large for wearing in the breast pocket of a shirt, but it is quite suitable for other clothes, and the good quality of assembly of all the parts means that there is no need to be too careful with it. Of course, you shouldn’t put the Sony Xperia S in the back pocket of your jeans, but it would be blasphemy to cover such an interesting-looking device.

Most of the front surface area is occupied by a screen covered with protective glass. Above it is a slot for the earpiece and eyes for the sensors and front camera. Here, under the glass, there is an LED hidden, notifying about certain events - for example, charging the phone. I didn't like the speaker gap: it is not covered by any grille, has sharp edges and is unpleasantly rough when in contact with the ear. In addition, dust accumulates in this gap over time. A nice grille would definitely not hurt here. Above the speaker hole is the inscription “Sony” - now there is only one, without “Ericsson”.

The most unpleasant design feature is located under the screen, at the bottom of the case. Here the monolith of the body is unexpectedly intersected by a completely transparent strip of plastic, on which pictograms indicating the buttons are applied. But this is not what’s unpleasant, but the fact that when you click on these icons, nothing happens. The sensors themselves (damn them!) are hidden under tiny, barely noticeable dots placed above this strip. Many friends who had the chance to touch the Sony Xperia S for the first time unanimously report erroneous clicks and curse the developers. We also encountered multiple erroneous clicks in the first days of using the device. Then, of course, we got used to it, but the residue, as they say, remained. By the way, below this transparent strip there remains a small fragment of the surface that is not covered by the protective glass. This lower part of the body looks like a separate cover and, in fact, it is such in another model - Sony Xperia U. In addition to the main one, that one is expected to have as many as three multi-colored replacement covers.

But in the case of the Sony Xperia S, this is not at all the case: the lower fragment, with the “Xperia” inscription printed on it, is rigidly linked to the rest of the body, and in it, at its lower end, there is even a hole made for attaching a strap - convenient, but, Unfortunately, this is a rarely used feature in modern smartphones.

The remaining three edges are scattered with control elements and connectors covered with plastic covers: micro-USB on the left, micro-HDMI and volume rocker on the right, and on top there is a 3.5 mm audio input for headphones. There is also a power key there.

But I was pleased with the separate button for activating the camera on the right side: its presence is a rarity for modern Android smartphones. The keys themselves are small, their travel is short, and the location of everything except the photo button is completely inconvenient for a left-handed person. For some reason, the power key suddenly “moved” to the very left edge of the top end, where it can only be reached using the second hand. “Volume” is a little better, but for some reason it was moved to the very middle, where the grip is usually the tightest. The developers’ initiative in this case turned out to be punishable: everything had already been invented a long time ago, and there was no point in spoiling one’s karma once again.

The back plastic cover is remarkable: it is exactly a 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 here is non-removable, and the slot could be on the side, like other smartphones. It is not clear why there was any need to be clever with this cover, weakening the overall rigidity of the structure. By the way, the SIM card here, in accordance with new fashion trends, is used in micro format, and this is an alarm bell. This means that the quiet life is over, and users will very soon find themselves divided into two camps whose SIM cards do not fit each other. Now no one is confident that he will be able, if necessary, to use a friend’s phone or an old spare one gathering dust in his bag. Nowadays, not everyone can move a card from their own phone to a tablet. When moving to near and far abroad, it is also not a fact that you will be able to immediately buy a micro-SIM on a tray from a local operator - checked. Someday all mobile phones will work with micro-format 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 wasn't big enough 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 good materials and high-quality assembly, an interesting, unconventional 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 us to give the new flagship a solid “A” for its exterior.

Screen

The screen in the Sony Xperia S is a regular liquid crystal TFT TN matrix, but with an HD resolution of 720x1280, physical dimensions of 95x54 mm and a diagonal of 4.3 inches. With such a high resolution in the given physical dimensions, the picture turns out to be quite clear and smooth; naturally, you won’t notice any graininess - the pixel density in this screen is extremely high. In addition, the picture is further improved using proprietary Mobile Bravia Engine technology, which makes it even more realistic. This technology is software, and it only works 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, of course, look more realistic than on acidic AMOLEDs, but the picture seems to lack saturation and looks slightly velvety. This may be because the display lacks brightness, even at maximum level. By the way, there is no automatic brightness adjustment in the settings, only manual. The outside of the screen is covered with protective mineral glass that is scratch-resistant. The screen responds sensitively to finger touches; no erroneous clicks were noticed.

Sound

The sound of the external speaker was not particularly pleasing: it is loud, but mainly high frequencies predominate, there is no bass. However, it does not choke at the maximum volume level, remains clean and perfectly functions as an alert for an incoming call - you won’t miss a call even on the street. In addition, the sound here is processed using proprietary xLoud technology. This technology developed by Sony does not affect the sound quality in any way, but serves to enhance the volume of the main speaker. To ensure that the table surface does not interfere with the propagation of sound, there is a small protrusion on the back cover that raises the speaker hole above the surface.

But the sound of the media player in the headphones, including the included ones, was quite satisfactory: the sound was loud and clear, and low frequencies were present. Sony Xperia S can definitely be used as an audio player, especially since there are a lot of settings, including an equalizer with ten preset values ​​to choose from (you can set your own).

Camera

The device has two cameras: the front one, for video communication, and the main one, with automatic focusing and LED backlight. 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 matrix and produces images of very decent quality. The maximum size of photos when shooting with default settings (9 MP, 16:9) is 4000×2250, and when switched to shooting mode 4:3, 12 MP - 4000×3000. The quality and clarity of photographs in original resolution can be assessed by clicking on the thumbnails. An interesting observation: in the first picture, when enlarged, you can even see the numbers on the car’s license plate, which looks tiny against the general background.

Thanks to the possibility of automatic focusing, text taken from paper or a monitor screen remains perfectly readable.

During the demonstration of the Sony Xperia S, company representatives emphasize the shooting speed of the new communicator's camera. 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 don’t need to select anything from the menu if you need to take an urgent photo on the go - just take out the phone and hold down the camera button. By the way, in the settings you can change the assignment of this button to the function of turning on the camera without taking a frame, for example.

The module can also shoot video in Full HD resolution (1920×1080) and take panoramic photos. You can evaluate the quality of video shooting using the example of a 10-second video (MP4, 1920×1080, 17 MB). An example photo is in front of you. The quality and resolution are not great, but overall the feature looks attractive.

Software

Sony Xperia S runs the familiar version of the Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread) operating system, but this model has already been 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. Branded widgets (like the weather) are scattered across the five initial screens of the desktop, the general internal list of programs can be sorted by several parameters, and when you turn it on for the first time, the proprietary application offers to configure the smartphone.

Another interesting feature: using the Media Remote software application, this smartphone can serve as a remote control for controlling Sony equipment, and this is just part of the ecosystem that the company is creating. During the recent exhibition in Barcelona, ​​the Sony Mobile stand demonstrated various ways of interaction between smartphones, tablets and Sony TVs, turning these bundles either into multimedia combines or into game consoles. For example, the 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 require a cable at all; it works over a wireless network and allows you to control other devices connected to this network, such as Sony players or Bravia TVs.

Also, the Sony Xperia S is PlayStation certified, which turns it into a full-fledged portable gaming console with the ability to download and play compatible games from the PlayStation Store. These are mainly games for the first PS One console, adapted for smartphones, or new games specially written for them.

Performance

The Sony Xperia S hardware platform (model LT26i) is built on a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 single-chip system with a central processor based on ARMv7 architecture, which contains two cores operating at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. In addition to the central processor, there is an Adreno 220 graphics coprocessor. All this power is served by 1 GB of RAM. There is 32 GB of flash memory on board, and it cannot be expanded with memory cards due to the lack of a slot for them.

In Quadrant Standard, the communicator confidently overtook another owner of an HD screen - the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and according to the results of the 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 battery life, the Sony 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 better to charge every evening. This, of course, applies to normal, busy operating modes, when the Wi-Fi module is turned on and GPRS is not turned off, plus a few phone conversations and SMS, a little surfing the Internet and listening to music. The operating time will be greatly reduced if you use GPS navigation or watch a movie. Continuous listening to music on headphones lasted about 23 hours, and watching a movie in an AVI container with a resolution of 720p drained the battery in 5 hours.

Bottom line

When comparing with competitors - with those models that today claim to be flagships - it is worth considering that Sony Xperia S is a flagship new season, which “shot” the first of the new products. Now the smartphone is already available for pre-order in Sony Stores at a price of 24,990 rubles. But the rest of the top new products have not yet reached the shelves, so the summary table now includes 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, matrix type, 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 32 GB)	No
operating system	Google Android 2.3 with update to 4.0 and its own shell	Google Android 4.0	Google Android 4.0 (update) with Samsung TouchWiz 4.0 shell	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	128.0×64.0×10.6 mm, 144 g	135.5×67.9×9.47 mm, 135 g	125.3×66.1×8.49 mm, 116 g	131.5×70.7×9.9 mm, 160 g
Price*	24 990	26 990	24 290	22 990

As can be seen from the table, no outstanding breakthrough happened with the release of the Sony Xperia S. Perhaps, only in terms of camera can Sony Xperia S be considered a market leader, and it is not a fact that Nokia N8 will give up without a fight in the competition for supremacy.

However, the Sony Xperia S is worthy of the title of flagship. It showed excellent results in synthetic tests, has an interesting, unconventional design, high-quality case materials and decent hardware characteristics. Considering its pedigree and not a shocking price even at the start of sales, the new top-end Sony smartphone can count on a serious share of attention from buyers.

Xperia S is a landmark smartphone for Sony. This is the first model released under the brand of a Japanese corporation alone, which got rid of its Swedish partner in the person of Ericsson. Many experts thought that the rebranding process would take Sony at least six months and that in the first and second quarters of 2012, smartphones and phones under the Sony Ericsson brand would still appear on sale.

However, things were going so badly for the mobile division that the Japanese giant rushed right off the bat and already at the beginning of the year announced a model under its own brand, simultaneously getting rid of any mention of Ericsson on all the company’s regional websites.

True, Sony made a kind of compromise, not daring to rename the Xperia line, which is well known to many users. At the January CES 2012 exhibition, the Xperia S model attracted the attention of everyone who is at least a little interested in new mobile products. Firstly, the smartphone has an unusual design that retains the familiar features of previous Japanese-Swedish devices and at the same time received a number of unique features. Secondly, the Xperia S boasts decent technical characteristics - after all, it is the first dual-core "smart phone" in the Xperia line.

The new product has been on sale for only a few weeks, but in a very short time since its release, the price of the smartphone has dropped significantly. The flagship device from the Japanese company can be purchased for quite "delicious" price. Let's see what the user can expect.

Appearance

The first thing you experience when you pick up the Xperia S is a feeling of delight. Similar emotions arose from acquaintance with, but subjectively the design of the smartphone from Sony is at least no worse. Thanks to the sharp, clearly defined edges, the device looks strict and solid - especially for the black version. At the same time, the device lies comfortably in the hand due to the convex, very ergonomic back part.

It’s a pity that we don’t have a unibody case: the cover of the smartphone is well fixed, but this does not save from dust, which readily collects in the crevices. By the way, you will only have to remove the cover to change the microSIM card, because apart from the corresponding slot there is nothing interesting underneath it.

Owners of the Sony Xperia S will have to rely only on the built-in memory, because the device does not have a microSD slot. Even the battery of the model is non-removable, which again raises the question - why not make the body one-piece by moving the microSIM tray to one of the four ends.

At the top of the rear panel we will find a hole for the camera, an LED flash below it, and even lower - a speaker and a microphone for noise reduction. On the right side there is an HDMI connector covered with a plug, a double volume key and a two-position camera activation button, which is increasingly appearing in Android smartphones.

On the top edge of the device there is a neat on/off button, as well as a 3.5 mm audio jack. The left side has only a microUSB port hidden behind a flap, and at the bottom of the Xperia S there is a microphone and a lanyard holder.

The earpiece, front camera and proximity sensor are traditionally located above the display of the new product, but there is no light sensor, but there is an LED indicator. It notifies in different colors not only about the battery status or charging status, but also about a variety of system events: from an incoming message to a completed application installation.

Below the display is the most interesting design element that sets the Xperia S apart from its competitors. We are talking about a transparent strip, visually "cutting" smartphone into two parts. The insert shows the designations of three buttons: "Back", "Home" And "Menu". The touch keys themselves are located a little higher, and you can guess their presence only by three small dots that look like specks of dust.

It will take a long time to get used to such an unusual design of the controls - even a few days after the start of testing, no, no, and even you try to click on icons instead of buttons. The insert is effectively illuminated when you press one of the keys. It is curious that some users who saw the Xperia S for the first time had a desire to turn the lower part of the smartphone, separated by a transparent insert.

All three physical buttons protrude noticeably from the body, and they are pressed firmly and clearly; there have never been any problems using them. There is a complaint about the plug covering the microUSB connector. Perhaps this applies only to a specific instance, but closing it is quite problematic: it feels like the plug is larger than the port. Considering that you have to use the connector constantly, the problem, although not critical, is annoying. It is possible, however, that over time the stub, as they say, "spreads".

The Xperia S body is made entirely of matte plastic with a soft touch coating. On the one hand, this solution is very resistant to fingerprints. On the other hand, it is extremely difficult to remove any traces that appear from the body. Moreover, even after a couple of days, several barely noticeable abrasions appeared on the cover of the smartphone, even if treated very carefully. On a white body, most likely, they will simply remain invisible.

The new product from Sony turned out to be unusual and attractive in appearance. But it was not without its drawbacks. These include an unusual implementation of controls, a tight plug for the microUSB connector and ambiguous case material.

Display

And here is another (in addition to design) significant advantage of the Sony Xperia S - the smartphone’s display is no less impressive than the appearance of the body. The diagonal of the TFT screen is 4.3″ with a resolution of 1280×720 pixels, which ultimately gives an impressive pixel density per inch of 342 ppi (more than that of the iPhone 4/4S). The image shown by the display is distinguished by high clarity, contrast and brightness. This is one of the few mobile screens that is literally painful to look at at maximum brightness. For some reason, Sony abandoned the light sensor, so there is no automatic brightness adjustment here; you have to adjust it yourself.

This annoying flaw aside, the Xperia S's display is one of the best in its class. By default, the Mobile Bravia Engine option is activated on the smartphone, which makes the image even more contrasty and rich. There are no complaints about the viewing angles: the colors practically do not change if you rotate the screen both horizontally and vertically.

The display of the device is protected by scratch-resistant glass, although it is, apparently, not Gorilla Glass. In addition, a barely noticeable film is glued over the screen; another one is included with the model. It's nice that the manufacturer pays attention to such details.

Interface, functionality

The model runs Android 2.3, but Sony should release a firmware update to ICS in the coming weeks. The Japanese corporation has installed several themes, wallpapers, its own widgets and applications in the Xperia S, but overall we have an easily recognizable mobile OS from Google.

The slider on the unlock screen allows you to turn on the device. If you pull the arrow from right to left, silent mode is activated. Immediately after the first startup, McAfee antivirus begins to bother you, reminding you of its presence with a shortcut in the service line.

The user has access to five working screens on which application icons, folders and widgets can be placed. On each of the screens at the bottom, in addition to the usual shortcuts, there is a folder called "Multimedia". It provides access to programs such as "Gallery", "Camera", "Player", "Radio".

Among the pre-installed applications are TrackID for recognizing music tracks, the popular WhatsApp messenger, the Astro file manager, a program for recognizing QR codes, the OfficeSuite office application, the Media Remote, and a utility for setting up tags that work using NFC. Of all the variety of applications, only the last one is of interest, or more precisely, the very possibility of NFC tags working. They allow you to instantly change your smartphone settings and launch certain programs depending on the location of the labels. One of them, for example, can be installed at work. Just bring the device to the Xperia S label and it will go into a pre-programmed operating mode (turn on Wi-Fi, turn down the volume, etc.). Unfortunately, the model that was tested did not come with NFC tags, so it was not possible to evaluate their functionality.

The proprietary Timescape application, which unites user accounts on various social networks, has not gone away. Among the widgets, it is worth noting a nice weather forecast. In general, of course, we need to wait for the release of firmware with Android 4.0.

Camera

The main 12-megapixel camera is another undeniable advantage of the Sony Xperia S. After all, this is the most outstanding indicator among Android devices so far. The quality of the photos is excellent - perhaps, this is one of the best cameras in the segment of smartphones based on Google's OS. The model is especially good at macro photography, although in some cases the color rendition looks unnatural and the pictures turn out to be "embellished". Traditionally, Sony Ericsson devices have the ability to shoot 3D.

The quality of the videos obtained in Full HD format could also be called excellent, if not for the very jerky image. A few seconds after the start of shooting, the image stabilization is noticeable, but the problem still remains. Perhaps it will be fixed in new firmware.

Finally, we cannot fail to mention the camera activation button located on the right side of the Xperia S. Using this key you can take a photo even when the phone is locked. It is enough to point the device at the subject of photography, then press and hold the button for a couple of seconds. The device turns on almost instantly and takes a photo. The speed of shooting and saving frames in general can be attributed to the strengths of the model - an instant after pressing a key, and the device is ready to continue working.

Performance and battery

The Xperia S smartphone is based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 chip with a dual-core processor operating at 1.5 GHz and Adreno 220 graphics. The device is equipped with 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal memory. The large storage capacity is explained by the lack of a slot for memory cards. Overall, the hardware platform, although a step forward for Sony, is nothing outstanding. The same Snapdragon MSM8260, for example, is used in the HTC Sensation XE, except that the RAM in the Taiwanese device is slightly less - 768 MB.

The smartphone's performance is enough for all tasks: the Xperia S also comes with "heavy" games, and Full HD videos. The device also looks decent in benchmarks. When moving through the menu, the typical Android jerks are noticeable from time to time.

The battery capacity of the new product is 1750 mAh, and this is clearly not enough. In terms of battery life, the Xperia S model cannot boast of good results. So, one charge is enough for less than 4 hours of continuous video playback with brightness at approximately 70% and wireless modules turned off. With 20-30 minutes of calls, about an hour of web surfing, taking a couple of dozen photos, Wi-Fi and 3G turned on, the battery does not even last a working day. We remind you to change the battery to "fresh" It won’t work due to the design, so you’ll have to carry a charger with you. The latter, by the way, charges the battery in 10 minutes so that it should be enough for an hour of calls.

Conclusion

Xperia S is a successful debut from Sony, with a lot of advantages and a few annoying misunderstandings such as the lack of a light sensor, unusual controls, a poorly thought-out case and, of course, high power consumption. In this case, only the last factor is a truly significant problem.

At almost comparable price "Japanese" looks preferable to competitors in the form of Samsung Galaxy S II or HTC Sensation XE. The Sony smartphone has an excellent screen, camera and design, and the Android 4.0 platform can make the model even more attractive.
A source of information:

Xperia S is rightfully considered the company's flagship model. This device is based on a 2-core processor, a new modern design, and new technical solutions. In general, meet Her Majesty - Sony Xperia S.

The appearance of the smartphone is original, simple and elegant. An example of this is a transparent strip at the bottom, as if dividing the body into several parts. When the backlight is on, the strip itself glows.

The smartphone body is made in the form of a plastic candy bar. The material is very pleasant in terms of tactile sensations, the phone fits comfortably in the hand.

Case size 128x64x10.6 mm. Weight - 144 g.

The smartphone has a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM 8260 processor with a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz.

The phone operates on the Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread operating system, which Sony has improved by changing widgets and making some other additions. It is worth noting that the operating system operates with some glitches, which are hardly noticeable, but noticeable when compared with the operation of more powerful devices.

Memory

The device has 1 GB of RAM, as well as 32 GB of built-in flash memory, which cannot be expanded, since the phone does not support third-party memory cards.

Screen

The screen in the Sony Xperia S is 4.3 inches in size, with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. The display is made using TFT technology, which gives natural colors.

The picture on the screen looks clear, colorful, you want to watch and watch.

Camera

Sony Xperia S has a 12-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus for stunning photos. The maximum photo resolution that the camera can take is 4000x3000 pixels. It is also possible to record video in Full HD format, and there is a function for creating three-dimensional panoramas.

Communication and multimedia capabilities

For wireless connections, the smartphone supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 and DLNA. For wired connections, a universal microUSB port is provided, and a microHDMI port is also provided.

The phone has a pre-installed e-mail client and an HTML browser.

The smartphone comes pre-installed with a new and improved audio player that allows you to edit data and load the shell. You can also customize the sound using an equalizer and apply sound effects. It is worth noting the good sound quality of the smartphone.

The pre-installed video player supports a very small number of formats, so you can immediately remove it and install a third-party player.

Battery

The phone has a non-replaceable battery - a Li-Ion battery with a capacity of 1750 mAh. Considering that you will use all the capabilities of the smartphone, the charge will last for 6-8 hours, if you work in economy mode, you can extend it for a day. The battery problem is now relevant for all high-end smartphones.

Price

The price of Sony Xperia S at the start of sales in Russia will be about 25,000 rubles, which is quite acceptable for a phone with such characteristics.

Sony Xperia S smartphone video review:

Last year, the name Sony Ericsson was shortened to Sony, and the Xperia S model became the first new product from the company to hit our test laboratory

Last year, the name Sony Ericsson was shortened to Sony, and the Xperia S model became the first new product from the company to hit our test laboratory.

Design

The design from Sony is visible in every even smallest detail of the Xperia S. Let us immediately emphasize that the model looks impeccable.

It comes in two colors - black and white, just like the iPhone.

In a dark version, the device looks restrained and will appeal to conservative users, but against the background of a white model, competitors look boring and uninteresting.

To finish the Xperia S, the developers used matte plastic, which does not leave fingerprints, and the front panel has a special coating that is very difficult to scratch. In standby mode, it seems that the screen occupies the entire area of ​​​​the case, with the exception of a narrow white strip at the bottom of the case.

The most original design detail was a transparent plastic insert, equipped with LED backlighting, located under the screen.

On it you will see the designations of the function buttons located a little higher.

The device seems huge in the hand, but given its considerable size, it feels pleasantly light. The smartphone weighs 144 g, and the maximum body thickness is just over 1 cm.

The back panel is curved, due to which the device fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, but “floats” on flat surfaces. Like the display, the cover takes up almost the entire area of ​​the rear panel. Sliding it aside, you will see that the plastic is very thin and flexible. At the same time, this feature in no way affected the strength of the structure. The fact is that under the cover you will see a solid plastic panel of the case, and not a battery.

The battery is hidden in the bowels of the device, and the only reason to remove the back panel is to replace the SIM card. The Xperia S does not support regular SIM cards, but microSIM, so if you choose this model, you will have to visit the operator's showroom to replace the card. On the back panel, in addition to the elegant but incomprehensible Sony Ericsson logo, you will see a speaker slot, a camera lens and a flash.

Display

In terms of graphics quality, the Sony Xperia S has virtually no competitors. It has a huge screen by smartphone standards with a diagonal of 4.3’’ and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.

As a result, the Sony smartphone boasts the highest pixel density with a result of 342 ppi, while the iPhone 4S has 326 ppi.

High resolution provides excellent image clarity and is especially noticeable when displaying small text. Photos and videos look flawless on the Xperia S screen, even with the Mobile BRAVIA Engine option turned off. By activating this technology, the brightness of the picture and color saturation rise to the maximum level, and the desire to touch the image arises.

The display has a very high brightness level, but due to the lack of a light sensor, this parameter will have to be adjusted manually.

It feels the same as being offered a $200,000 Aston Martin V8 Vantage with power windows.

Ergonomics

All Sony Xperia S controls are located exactly where you want to feel them with your eyes closed.

The power button is on top, and next to it there is a headphone jack. The volume rocker and camera button are installed on the right side.

There you will also find a plastic plug, under which the microHDMI connector is hidden. On the opposite side you will see another similar plug with a microUSB connector. At the bottom end there is a loop for attaching a wrist strap.

The fact that there are control keys on the front panel is indicated only by miniature symbols reminiscent of laser engraving inside the crystal. The buttons themselves are indicated by white dots, but out of habit, I want to touch the names where the key designation is located.

Above the screen, in addition to the mirrored Sony logo, there is a front camera lens, as well as a proximity sensor and a system LED.

Sony Xperia S comes in a neat and compact enough box for the set of accessories included in it. The USB cable is used both for synchronizing the smartphone with a computer and for charging from the network using a standard power supply. Considering that this model places a special emphasis on multimedia, the developers decided to equip it with a microHDMI cable for connecting to a TV, monitor or projector, as well as fairly high-quality headphones with replaceable rubber earbuds of different sizes.

The package also includes NFC tags, by touching which you can give your smartphone commands to perform various actions.

These tags are plastic tags that can be hung or glued anywhere in your home, car, or near your work area. After completing simple settings in the smartphone menu, when you touch the mark with the smartphone, the device will execute pre-programmed commands.

For example, a tag near the bed can be programmed to turn off sound and wireless communication modules, as well as activate an alarm clock.

And the tag in the car can automatically turn on navigation and activate the hands-free system.

You can come up with very original options for using the technology, for example, automatically activating all social and entertainment services in the workplace, if your work is not interesting enough.

Interface and software

Although the Sony Xperia S comes standard with Google's Android 2.3.7 operating system, and version 4.0 will be available later, the manufacturer has managed to refine the standard interface, making it more interesting and attractive.

The first thing you'll see is the Xperia's backgrounds, which look like an animated haze. Large translucent widgets look especially beautiful on the main screen, and you can display all mini-applications on one screen with a pinch.

You should start getting acquainted with your smartphone with the Settings Wizard. With this utility, you will quickly set up work with wireless networks, connect social network accounts and teach the device to synchronize data.

To work with accessories, headphones, headsets, chargers and NFC tags, a convenient LifeWare utility is provided.

Among the basic applications is Timescape, a utility that combines all activities on social networks into a single feed.

Performance

In Sony Xperia S, the manufacturer has implemented a dual-core processor for its models for the first time. The Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 chip with a frequency of 1.5 GHz and 1 GB of RAM help the device cope with any tasks without noticeable slowdowns.

The Adreno 220 accelerator is responsible for the graphics capabilities. As a result, in synthetic tests the smartphone looks decent against the background of its few competitors.

The device is equipped with 32 GB of internal memory and does not support expansion cards. Most of the available space is dedicated to storing multimedia content, and 2 GB is reserved for installing applications.

Camera

You can experience high performance using the camera.

By pressing the shutter button in the locked state, the smartphone only needs 1.5 seconds to wake up, turn on the camera, focus and save a 12 MP photo.

Yes, we were not mistaken, the Sony Xperia S is the first Android smartphone capable of shooting at such a high resolution, although a photo with a resolution of 12.1 megapixels will have an aspect ratio of 4: 3, and when shooting widescreen frames, the resolution drops to 9 megapixels.

Examples of photos:

The back-illuminated Exmor R sensor reduces grain when shooting at dusk. In reality, when shooting in the dark, the picture turns out to be more attractive than when using a budget smartphone, but still less quality than when shooting with an inexpensive compact camera.

If you prefer to shoot in automatic mode, then you will definitely like the option to recognize shooting conditions. By selecting it, the camera will independently adjust all the shooting parameters, and all you have to do is compose the frame and release the shutter.

A “Normal” shooting mode is also available, in which you can change the exposure, select the flash mode, white balance, ISO sensitivity, focus mode and activate the image stabilization system.

The camera can also focus on faces and detect smiles.

The quality of images taken in clear weather is excellent by the standards of mobile devices. The device can compete with compact cameras, and the resulting photos look great both on a smartphone display and on a computer screen.

Examples of photos:

The camera interface is extremely simple.

You can take a picture either with a hardware button or with an on-screen key located to the right of the viewfinder, or by touching the display at the point you want to focus on. Switching between photo and video modes is carried out using a special slider, and icons for the most important settings are displayed on the left side of the screen. For more detailed shooting control, you should go to the menu, presented in the form of two translucent pages, the transition between which is carried out by scrolling.

Zoom example:

In the video mode of the Sony Xperia S, many settings are also available, but the most important parameter is the Full HD resolution.

Example video:

Having shot a video in this quality, you can proudly display it on your TV screen.

In addition to taking regular “flat” high-resolution pictures and Full HD video, the smartphone can create three-dimensional pictures. Of course, the Sony Xperia S does not have a 3D camera, but there is software that can correctly convert the image. To take pictures, you need to press the camera shutter button and slowly turn the camera from left to right. As a result, you can get a panoramic 3D picture or a multi-angle shot that resembles a holographic picture.

Communications

Sony Xperia S offers the full range of wireless communications required by today's active user. In addition to supporting GSM and WCDMA networks, as well as NFC technology described earlier, the device received Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules.

If necessary, the device can act as a mobile hotspot for your laptop or broadcast multimedia content via DLNA to your TV.

Today you won’t surprise anyone with a built-in GPS module, but thanks to the huge high-quality display, the maps look very detailed. Comfortable navigation is also ensured by the high-performance filling of the device, as a result of which scaling occurs quickly and accurately.

It was especially nice to see an HDMI cable included in the package, with which you can easily display content captured with the camera or a movie stored in the Xperia S memory on a large display.

Entertainment

Sony Xperia S has perhaps the most functional music player.

The add-on to the standard Android player looks very nice, and the most interesting thing is the improved equalizer. In addition to the preset settings, a custom option is also available.

You can not only control the frequency range, but also change the bass depth, and also activate the xLOUD option to increase the volume level.

You can also select a surround sound mode - Studio, Club or Concert Hall, but even without these presets the sound is impeccable. Don't forget that this is Sony.

The Xperia S multimedia combine comes with in-ear headphones, which, despite their compact size, provide decent volume. Of course, the level of satisfaction with the sound depends on the selected track and equalizer settings.

Due to the fact that the Sony Xperia S uses a non-standard connector similar to those found on the iPhone and iPad, not all headphones may work and we recommend checking for compatibility before purchasing.

Out of the box, the device plays music formats MP3, AAC, WMA and WAV, as well as video in MP4, H.264, H.263 and WMV.

Working hours

The Sony Xperia S battery has a record capacity for smartphones - 1750 mAh, but, unfortunately, the battery life remains typical for high-performance devices: one day, taking into account the active use of network and multimedia capabilities.

The main feature of the power system was the fast charging option, although only using a basic charger. Even if you get ready for work and find that the battery is completely discharged, a ten-minute charge will be enough for an hour of calls.

Impression

Sony Xperia S can rightfully be called the flagship of the line and the most interesting smartphone the company has ever released.

The device creates real competition with the top developments of other manufacturers and has a number of outstanding features, including a cool display with a record resolution, a 12.1 megapixel camera capable of shooting video in Full HD, an excellent music player, 32 GB of internal memory and a design that will not leave indifferent even to the most demanding user.

Advantages: High resolution display, 12.1 megapixel camera, 32 GB of internal memory, rich equipment

Flaws: ergonomic features

Grade: 5

Specifications:

• Model Sony Xperia S
• Standard GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100
• CPU Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260, 1.5 GHz
• Graphics adapter Adreno 220
• Dimensions 12.8 x 6.4 x 1.06 cm
• Weight 144 g
• Display TFT, 16 million colors, touch, 4.3”
• Permission 1280 x 720 pixels;
• RAM 1 GB
• Memory 32 GB
• Nutrition Li-Ion, 1750 mAh
• Camera 12.1 MP camera
• Communications GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS, NFC, microUSB, microHDMI, 3.5 mm audio output
• Entertainment media player, FM radio
• OS Google Android 2.3.7