The middle part of the sony xperia s lt26i. Sony Xperias Lt26I mobile phone

When Sony finally got rid of Ericsson in its mobile phone division, its first flagship model of the new brand was the Sony Xperia LT26I, which was priced at 449 euros in France, 399 pounds in the UK and 700 dollars in Singapore. With a high-resolution screen and a 12-megapixel camera, the smartphone claimed to be best android device but, according to users, the efforts made were not enough.

Constructive execution

The first mistake is design. When Sony phone The Xperia LT26I debuted at CES for the first time, and users loved its odd styling, but upon closer inspection, they weren't so sure. The clean piece of plastic that goes under the screen still looks frivolous, but otherwise the model leaves its owners indifferent - it's just an ordinary smartphone.

There is a slit along the entire edge of the rear panel, and some ports are covered with plastic caps, so the phone does not seem to be premium at all, as the manufacturer positions it. Even the presence of the white model does not help, as it lacks the harmony of the contrasting matte white plastic cover and black glass on the front. Gaps on the white background are even more noticeable, although the black model is also missing something.

The funny thing is that the manufacturer managed to do almost everything right. The matte finish of the Sony XperiaS LT26I looks good and is the same to the touch, the elements on the back are neatly arranged in a neat line, and the clean plastic section is nice. The phone fits well in the hand. Despite the 4.3 ”screen, the device feels manageable and the soft curvature of the lid makes it comfortable enough, although users would have preferred slightly more rounded corners.

Control elements

The plastic section has 3 white icons representing the location of the touch buttons above, each highlighted with a tiny white dot in the center. But more importantly, they are illuminated from the inside. During a call, message notification or just when charging, the icons light up. However, these touch-sensitive buttons, which give the phone's bezel a minimalist look, are not very practical. Not only will it take a while to get used to hitting the dots rather than the symbols below them, but even when they hit the right place, they don't react very quickly. The user has to repeatedly poke at the same place to get a response.

At the other end of the immense black bezel is a speaker and a 1.3MP camera capable of 720p HD video recording, which is great for video calling.

Connectivity

The slots at the edges of the rear panel are explained by the fact that it can be removed, opening access to the SIM card slot and ... to nothing else. Expandable memory with Micro-SD card and removable battery not provided. The owners of the phone do not understand why Sony had to do everything in order to replace the SIM-card. back panel removable. You can also shoot a small area that covers the bottom of the phone, but there is nothing there. The manufacturer offers a decent 32GB of internal storage, but the lack of an expansion slot will scare away many.

There is much more to be found on the sides of the Sony Xperia LT26I black phone functionality... On the right, there is a camera shutter button, a volume rocker and a Micro-HDMI connector for displaying content on a large TV screen, if you additionally purchase a cable with appropriate connectors. On the left there is a Micro-USB connector and a charging port. Unfortunately, USB ports and HDMI are covered with bulky plastic shields that are completely impractical - if the smartphone has to be charged every night, why cover this connector at all?

Another small oversight is the power button and screen lock. It is located on the top end next to the headphone jack, so it is difficult to reach with one hand. More and more more phones position it intelligently on the side where it is easier to reach, making Sony users regret this omission.

Display

Probably the biggest feature of the Sony Xperia S LT26I phone is its HD screen. Its 720 x 1280 pixel resolution was a notable improvement over the 480 x 800 display that was prevalent at the time, although it did not match the iPhone 4S's 326 dpi pixel density.

There is very strong evidence that more pixels on a smaller area has its limitations, but in this case, noticeable forward movement is obvious. Images, videos, games, websites and more look more realistic, clearer, and just plain nicer. More information can be placed on the screen without compromising readability. Websites in particular benefit from the extra display width by displaying web pages at full size.

But there is also a small problem: the Sony Xperia LT26I display characteristics are such that a slight deviation to the left or right is enough to decrease color accuracy and contrast. Is this a disaster? No, as the overall quality of the LCD is good, the colors are bright and clear, the brightness is high and the blacks are deep. However, some premium phones are slightly better in this regard.

Interface

At the beginning of the production of the smartphone, the OS Android 2.3 Gingerbread was installed on it, and then the updates to Android 4.0 and 4.1 followed. Also, Sony has slightly changed the interface, providing it with light corporate changes.

The lock page allows you to either unlock your phone or switch between silent and normal modes. Pressing and holding the power button will take a screenshot and enable airplane mode or turn off the device.

The home page gives you the ability to navigate to any of the five desktops and populate them with apps and widgets. The manufacturing company offers many widgets, including weather forecast, software recommendations, games and movies, useful tips and tips, social media channel, media player, friends music and videos, photo and video viewing, links to Sony Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services. Most of them seem pointless - it's better to use space more efficiently and instead of app shortcuts place quick switches, a music player, a clock and a string google search... However, it is noticeable that widgets have little effect on the phone's performance. Moving between pages on which they are installed does not slow down, and their shuffling does not affect the 3D animation.

Along the bottom of the Sony Xperia S LT26I black screen, the usual set of icons is complemented by a Media folder, which provides quick access to the gallery, music player, FM radio and camera, Google Play store, messaging programs and telephone connection... Of course, it can be replaced with anything. The Sony app bar has provided familiar settings that let you sort programs alphabetically, by frequency of use, by date of installation, or in your own order. On the other hand, there are no notification area settings, no quick access to the media player, the inclusion of airplane mode or wireless Internet access, which are quite common on other Android smartphones.

Performance

Overall, the Sony Xperia LT26I has excellent performance thanks to the 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon dual-core processor. According to the reviews of users who subjected the phone to the usual tests, although it lags behind Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Apple iPhone 4S has a lot to offer. For example, SunSpider 0.9.1 shows a result of 2677 ms versus 2261 ms for the iPhone 4S and 1973 vc for the Galaxy Nexus. RightWare BrowserMark scores 63,102, up from 89530 on the iPhone 4S and 99472 on the Galaxy Nexus.

Software

The Sony XperiaS LT26I does a great job of handling its day to day tasks. The smartphone provides clear sound from both ends of the communication line. Messaging is also easy thanks to great app for messaging, a large and responsive touchscreen, and a slightly improved Sony keyboard.

Work Email corresponds to what you would expect from Android platforms... The smartphone makes navigating messages fast and easy, and graphically rich HTML emails look great on the large, high-resolution display.

Sony has integrated Facebook, but not Twitter, which is an odd omission. This application not even preinstalled. The integration allows you to view the contact's interests, photos and updates on his page. This is quite useful, although it is nothing revolutionary.

With the web surfing, things are better. The gorgeous screen makes the journey across world wide web much more fun, which is also facilitated by the simple interface and support for Flash videos.

Multimedia

Multimedia features include a music player, FM radio and photo viewer, and installing a third-party video player will allow your phone to play almost any video that looks and sounds great. According to user reviews, 720p mkv files are easy to play.

Sony Xperia S LT26I: camera features

Sadly, one of the most important features of a smartphone turned out to be not as good as expected. In frames taken with good lighting, you can see additional detail compared to the 8MP models, but the photos come out incredibly grainy with a lot of image compression noise. According to user reviews, shots are very poor in low light conditions - the phone cannot cope with setting the correct exposure, and its flash is weaker than usual.

At the same time, the speed of the camera is excellent. Sony XperiaS LT26I is capable of capturing 6 frames in 10 seconds. The user also benefits from a dedicated camera button that allows you to quickly launch the corresponding application and take an instant photo. This makes it easier to shoot self-portraits or subjects that are difficult to see on the screen to press the shutter release. In addition, there are excellent panorama and 3D panorama modes (the latter cannot be viewed on the phone) and a decent selection of scenes and modes. However, users remain dissatisfied with the quality of the images.

Battery life

Fortunately, the phone's power consumption is much better. Although the Sony Xperia LT26I battery with a capacity of 1750 mAh does not set records, according to user reviews, it passes the basic test and is able to hold out without recharging for a day and a half.

Conclusion

With a high-definition screen, 12MP camera and a few unusual options, the Sony XperiaS LT26I was supposed to catch up with the best models of its time, but it did not happen. The quality of the display and image sensor did not meet the expectations of users. The design, while quite attractive, is not surprising at all. It's just a decent high-end phone and not the sensation it could be.

The phone fully justifies its price. Great fast smartphone... The sensor responds very quickly, there are practically no delays when navigating through folders and launching games and programs. - excellent photo and video camera. Photos are clear, without blurring. Natural colors. There is a flash, you can take pictures at any time of the day. The audio in the video is good too. - 1 gig of memory per eye for convenient use of the device, climbing on the Internet, playing games. - big screen with high resolution, suitable for comfortable viewing of videos and full-length films. - easily connects to a computer on windows. Files can be uploaded through special program(pc companion) or through windows explorer. - a transparent strip at the bottom gives an additional flavor of an exclusive phone. The case is rectangular with slightly rounded corners - austere and attractive design. - a bunch of all kinds of settings for everything. - nice LED in the upper left corner. Lights up orange when charging, green when the battery is full. When SMS arrives, it blinks blue. -the phone announced the availability of updates and fixes in the very first hours. Updated without problems via the Internet. Now about the dubious disadvantages mentioned by other owners of such a device: - the USB flash drive is built-in, that is, you won't be able to pull it out. Internal memory 25.9 gigabytes (available for use). I threw the entire collection of my favorite arias and Kipelov v. Mp3, film, several videos, 18 more gigs are free. In general, you don't need a removable flash drive. Although before the purchase it was one of the stopping moments: I doubted whether to take this phone or not due to the lack of a slot for a USB flash drive. After the purchase, doubts disappeared immediately. - micro sim card. In principle, not a minus. - a little inconvenient sensors return, home, menu. But a couple of hours of use - and they are like family. - plastic case. Heats up when used. Yes, it is warming up. When watching videos, using the Internet. And what did you want: a fast dual-core processor. It is impossible to put a cooler with 12 centimeters blades into such a device. It gets warm, but it doesn't turn off. Anyone who is critical about heating up to 40 degrees - take a phone of the lower series, with a lower screen resolution and a weak processor. It will be colder. Just do not complain that one toy slows down, another, full hd video does not play, etc. - a weak battery. Many argue that it is enough for a day. On the way home and to work, I listen to music for 15-20 minutes. At work, I often call, during smoke breaks we watch videos, play checkers, take pictures. The battery lasts for 2 days (presumably). In any case, after one day it discharges up to 56-48%. I do not discharge further, I put it on charge. It is recommended not to bring the charge to zero, as the battery seems to last longer. - the volume key is inconveniently located. It’s very convenient. There is a separate button for taking photos. - the menu is convenient, intuitive. I do not regret the amount spent at all. The device is well worth the money. In the market, you can download a convenient all-format media player for free, good manager files and many, many different games.

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 remains so for a sufficiently long time- until the fall for sure.

In the field of production mobile devices Sony now has everything 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, new line or, more precisely, new series The NXT 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, 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. However, 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 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 new block Power supply of increased power is able to charge 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 their charging, nothing changes globally. 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 the new design of the Sony Xperia S (as, in fact, the P and U models) has common features 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 feature design - 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 lower part of the case looks like a separate lid and, in fact, it is in another model - Sony Xperia U. In addition to the main one, three more multi-colored interchangeable lids are expected in the kit.

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 rarely used modern smartphones function.

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. The initiative of the developers 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 be possible to buy a micro-SIM on a tray from a local operator right away - it has been 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.

Eventually general impression From the use of Sony Xperia S, there was an ambiguous development: on the one hand, there are solid materials and high-quality assembly, an interesting unbroken design and comfortable 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. At such a high resolution in the given physical dimensions The picture is quite clear and smooth, of course, 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.

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.

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).

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 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.

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 supplements 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.

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 is creating. 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 game 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 same Media program Remote 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.

Sony Xperia S is also PlayStation certified, which makes it a fully-fledged portable 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 random access memory... 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 the Quadrant Standard, the communicator confidently overtook another HD-screen owner - 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 work 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 best to charge every evening. This, of course, concerns the normal workload mode, when both the Wi-Fi module is turned on and GPRS is not turned off, plus a few telephone conversations 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 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 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 smartphone from Sony can count on a serious share of attention from buyers.

This year, as in the two previous Sony Ericsson, Sony, to use the words of the classic, "and hurry to live and feel in a hurry." Like LG, the company hastily announces and launches new products to the market, trying to stay ahead of competitors in technology. On the one hand, such a rush allows the first to sell a smartphone with an HD-screen ( Galaxy Note does not count), on the other hand, buyers of Sony XPERIA S are doomed to receive an update to Android 4.0 later than buyers Htc one or new Galaxy SIII, about which there are only rumors so far. In any case, XPERIA S has a number of other advantages - good design(especially if you remember how similar numerous Android smartphones of competitors are to each other, you will never confuse them with this model, and it with other Sony Ericsson models that came out earlier), good performance, the ability to experiment with the newfangled NFC (only Sony came up with how to do it conveniently for the user) and an interesting camera with the possibility of 3D shooting, borrowed from Sony cameras.

The editors would like to thank the online store
for the Sony XPERIA S smartphone kindly provided for review

This year, as in the two previous Sony Ericsson, Sony, to use the words of the classic, "and hurry to live and feel in a hurry." Like LG, the company hastily announces and launches new products to the market, trying to stay ahead of competitors in technology. On the one hand, such a rush allows the first to sell a smartphone with an HD-screen (Galaxy Note does not count), on the other hand, buyers of Sony XPERIA S are doomed to receive an update to Android 4.0 later than buyers of HTC One or the new Galaxy SIII, about which there are only rumors so far. In any case, XPERIA S has a number of other advantages - good design (especially if you remember how similar numerous Android smartphones of competitors are, you will never confuse them with this model, and it with other Sony Ericsson models that came out earlier) , good performance, the ability to experiment with the newfangled NFC (only Sony has figured out how to do this conveniently for the user) and an interesting camera with the ability to shoot 3D, borrowed from Sony cameras.

Specifications and equipment Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

So, the main thing that we will remember Sony XPERIA S is a 4.3-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720, a 12-megapixel camera, a 2-core processor with a frequency of 1.5 GHz and NFC support "enhanced" by two smart tags that allow you to perform a chain of operations. But there is no support for memory cards, there is a non-removable battery inside, and there is a place for a microHDMI socket on the case. It is worth remembering that according to the latest telephone mode, the device uses microSIM cards... Today this is a unique set of characteristics, although everyone has long known that 12 megapixels is less interesting than, for example, a xenon flash, and the lack of expandable memory is generally perceived with hostility by geeks who are extremely important to control everything, despite the fact that that the whole world has long ago given up on installing a memory card in a phone with 32 gigabytes. It is also worth mentioning the unique possibilities of 3D photography (including panoramas), but more on that later.

I had a gray box that doesn’t include (another reason to buy the original one) an HDMI cable and a couple of NFC tags. Inside the box was a bundle of brochures, an L-shaped USB cable, a USB power plug, and a wired headset with earplugs.

Headset headphones are the most common, but these are plugs with rubber seals that provide sound insulation. In the end, it's good when the phone comes with plugs that don't constantly fall out of your ears, and it's good when Sony is written on them, despite the fact that all electronics have been produced in China for many years.

Frankly speaking, a smartphone for 6500 hryvnia could use the player's remote control on the headset wire, but as it is.

The fork says Sony Ericsson (you can't change it, in fact, since the car has already been produced). The second inscription “Green Heart” reminds of the company's environmental direction. It is when save on wire the company is trying to reduce the amount of plastic and all kinds of poorly recyclable materials so that it will do less harm to the environment when the fork falls into disrepair and ends up in a landfill.

The USB cable, as I said, has an unusual L-shaped microUSB plug. That, taking into account the location of the microUSB socket, can even be called justified - it looks more aesthetically pleasing and there is less chance of the wire breaking.

External view of Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

In the off state, it is almost impossible to determine the boundaries of the screen - it looks great. Pay attention to three white barely noticeable dots above the transparent panel - these are touch buttons, we will return to them later.

The back cover is pleasant to the touch thanks to the matte plastic. good quality, it looks expensive and looks like a top five, although it is worth understanding that it is quite possible to scratch it. And the days of lacquered surfaces in phones seem to have sunk into oblivion with the advent of large and easily soiled touch screens.

The curvature at the end is suggestive of the XPERIA X10. Thanks to this, the designers managed to maintain some continuity. At the bottom end there is an element that has become rare - a loop for attaching a lanyard or keychain. Double key volume control, despite its already miniature size, managed to be made concave. This improves ergonomics - the volume control becomes more comfortable to the touch, and the designers receive another line of ode in their honor. Well, the hardware camera button is a separate special thanks for the fact that Sony remembers its role in the development of electronics and does not follow Apple's lead.

Behind the cover, which occupies almost the entire rear surface of the phone, only the microSIM card slot is hidden. In my opinion, giving up memory cards and a removable battery, it was necessary to go further and generally make a non-separable case, and place the microSIM slot on the sidewall. It would look even more stylish.

The trademark feature of the smartphone is a transparent insert. The last time I used transparent elements was in the LG GD900. It was still more interesting there, but the topic that is called "did not go". In this case, the insert does not look like a revolution, but just a design element, used with taste and grace.

The transparent panel contains icons of three touch keys. All one hundred percent of the people whom I showed the device to tried to click on the icons, although the buttons themselves are located higher (those same three inconspicuous points). On the one hand, it looks like a violation of all usability principles, on the other hand, you get used to it in five minutes, so you can't even call it a problem.

Under the camera lens there is a backlight LED, a second speaker and a second microphone designed to cut off external noise during a conversation.

Close-up of the rear panel without a cover. The white area in the center of the case is an approximate area for contact using NFC tags.

Caps for HDMI and microUSB are made very tight. They are difficult to knock off and also difficult to put back in place. But they fit perfectly when closed, they sit like a glove.

Video from Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

The video takes 11 minutes, but in addition to the appearance of the device, it demonstrates the interface (judge its speed yourself and conclude - is it smooth enough for you?) And a pre-installed set of applications.

Performance Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

The results of the synthetic performance tests of the Sony XPERIA S are just some kind of balm on the heart. The smartphone overtakes last year's dual-core LG Optimus 2X and is very close to the Galaxy Note equal in class with its 6408 points in AnTuTu. The Vellamo browser benchmark shows 1250 points - this is one of the best indicators that I have ever seen. Ahead are only Asus Transformer Prime and the Chinese Xiaomi Mi-One (read "Xiaomi Mi-wan"). AnTuTu Tester showed an honest 10-finger multitouch sensor. The device feels like it works smartly, but the animated wallpapers, coupled with the proprietary interface, make scrolling through the desktops a little slower than we would like.

Interface and installed applications Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

The smartphone has five desktops. I have not found a way to somehow reduce or, conversely, increase their number. You can choose from seven theme options, each with a different background color. Set before installed widgets, traditionally, a bit scarce (in comparison with what Samsung and HTC do), the widgets themselves are called mini-programs.

Kit preinstalled apps takes up almost three full screens. In addition to standard set Google apps, Facebook, Foursquare, Evernote, WatsApp, Astro file manager, NeoReader QR code reader, antivirus McAfee Security and office suite OfficeSuite. Of our own developments, it is worth noting the LiveWare accessory manager and the Media Remote that works with Sony equipment. There is also a special application for viewing 3D images and panoramas on the screen (it shows files in MPO format like usual JPG). And also all sorts of whistles like PlayNow, an NFC tag manager and an intriguing XPERIA applications Football Downloads.

XPERIA S uses a new weather widget of the AccuWeather service (it looks like these guys managed to sell their services to all smartphone manufacturers, without exception, each drawing their own interface). I simply did not notice any other interesting new widgets compared to XPERIA Arc. There is clearly still work to do.

LiveWare Manager lets you schedule one of three accessories to launch one application. There are similar applications on Google Play, but most users will not search for them - either they are too lazy, or (more likely) will not even know about such opportunities. Therefore, the idea is good, worthy of all approval, and fits into the general strategy of Sony, which manages to stuff its laptops with a bunch of pseudo-useful programs that frankly litter the system. In this case, LiveWare is a useful thing that I actively used. We'll have to look for its analogues for Everyday life on other phones.

The Football Downlods app turned out to be a pretentious dummy. It feels like football fans, like children, should be happy about every little thing. In this case, we are talking about a dozen background images and ringing tones in the form of noise effects that can be heard in the stadium.

But this application can be called useful, but, unfortunately (and here Sony cannot be blamed for defending its interests and the interests of the brand's fans) it can only be used with the company's audio-video equipment. It would be interesting to try, but, alas, there was no Sony TV at hand.

Camera interface and sample shots Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

The camera has its own version of the interface, which is different from that provided by the operating system itself. The main differences are the image stabilizer, the ability to select the focusing mode (for some reason, there is no macro, but there is five-point focusing and focusing by pressing a finger). There is an adjustable (depending on its width) smile detection mode. You can configure how to press the trigger - a hardware button or a touch. And also what to do when the camera button is pressed in the locked state - to start the camera or not, take a picture right away or wait for other actions of the photographer. Well, and, of course, there are shooting modes in 3D - fortunately, Sony got the hang of it on the line of photo and video cameras in 2011.

To view 3D images (in 2D, of course) there is special section in the album. The pictures simulate 3D shaking of the picture (I did not notice the effect of depth at all), and the panoramas are shown as a slow scrolling of the picture across the screen from left to right.

Unfortunately, this week brought very little sun, which made it difficult to appreciate the capabilities of the camera in all its glory. On the other hand, when you need to photograph or film something, the weather may not be favorable to you either. Overall, the photo and video results were predictably good, but not perfect. The camera slightly "yellows", and loses to the reference camera - for Android this is Samsung camera Galaxy SII / Galaxy Note.

You can download pictures in original resolution in the photo gallery on Torba.

An example of video recording in FullHD Sony XPERIA S (LT26i)

The video is provided for pro forma, to go to viewing in FullHD, you need to go to the YouTube website by clicking on the video, and select FullHD there. While shooting a video, the zoom works (using the volume key), but the results of digital zoom are predictably disgusting, it is better not to do this.

Impressions from work

In real life, the Sony XPERIA S does its best. It works smartly, invariably makes an excellent impression on others thanks to its transparent insert. It has a nice bright screen with excellent viewing angles. However, I have noticed several weaknesses. Firstly, the touch-sensitive keys are especially inconvenient to use in this device. The point is not even that you have to press not on the icons of the keys, but a little higher - you quickly get used to it. The touch keys are pressed very badly in places, you have to press twice, or even three times over and over again. Secondly, the starting camera takes a picture not so instantly - a couple of seconds pass, while a sharp picture is obtained only if you shoot at a great distance. In macro photography, the focus simply does not have time to visit. And somehow it so happened that on short distance I have to shoot a lot more often. I was also completely upset by the lack of a macro mode. In the examples of the picture there is a frame with a branch, where I unsuccessfully went through the focusing modes in the hope of catching the swollen kidney in focus. Even focusing on touch did not help - the focus stubbornly did not aim, evaluating the entire area of ​​the frame over and over again. Thirdly, I am personally upset by the lack of a normal package of widgets - the buyer of XPERIA S will have to either be content with a meager set of installed widgets, or look for something in the Google store. In fact, only the weather widget, which finally began to suit me, can be called useful. The complete uselessness of the DLNA function seemed somewhat strange to me in practice, since everything that the phone could reach (which, by the way, it coped well with) was not reproduced by the standard video player. No, it is clear that Sony, as the owner of a large studio Sony Pictures, cannot approve of the use of the DivX codec, but 2012 is in the yard! The problem, of course, is treated by installing a third-party player that plays everything with a bang - gigabyte files, MKV, HD-resolution, and so on. But why open access to DLNA, while closing the ability to play videos from home network- unclear. As for the rest, I was very pleased with the device, especially appreciating its incredible image charge. Sony jumped over its head by creating an even more delightful XPERIA S design after the objectively beautiful XPERIA Arc.

In the dry residue

Sony XPERIA S is a true representative of the "Sony style". This is a modern (before the release of 4-core competitors, although it will remain fast even after their appearance, but the image charge of technological leadership will inevitably fade away) smartphone with an outstanding appearance, good camera and built-in 32GB storage. It seems to me that it was created simply to drive geeks into a frenzy with his kit. technical characteristics and design. This device is not for those who want to update the firmware from morning to evening, change memory cards every 2 hours and emit bile from the delay Android updates until the next inaccessible (and it will always loom on the horizon) version. This is a smartphone for those who want to buy a beautiful and modern thing that can impress others not only by shooting FullHD video and 3D panoramas, but also with its remarkable design and good materials. Therefore, we can safely recommend Sony XPERIA S for purchase. Recommend to everyone who does not suffer from a particularly severe form of techno-boring. 4 reasons to buy Sony XPERIA S (LT26i):

• good recognizable design and excellent materials;
• excellent bright screen with HD-resolution;
• decent camera with FullHD video recording and 3D shooting capabilities;
• high performance.

4 reasons not to buy the Sony XPERIA S (LT26i):

• boom factor (you cannot remove the battery, insert a memory card);
• the need to wait for an update to Android 4.0;
• temporary technological leadership, which will be leveled by competitors in the summer;
• weak sensitivity of touch buttons.