Just after Sony releases its latest flagship phone in the Xperia Z, they’ve come up with a new mid-range phone in the Xperia SP.
The Xperia SP may be a mid-range phone but it certainly doesn’t look like one. It looks and feels classy. It has dimensions of 5.14” x 2.64” x 0.39” and weighs 155g. It’s a bit thick and heavy but it’s still comfortable to hold with one hand even for extended periods of time. The front of the SP is dominated by the 4.6” display. It is joined by the front camera, sensors, capacitive buttons, and a transparent strip at the bottom for notifications for calls, text, and emails. You can also set it to go light up while listening to some music but that’s optional. On the right side of the phone you’ll find the volume rocker, the power button, and a dedicated camera button. The rear of the back houses the 8MP camera with LED flash and speakers. The rear cover is removable and underneath it is the 2370mAh non-removable battery, and slots for the microSIM and MicroSD card.
The SP has a 4.6” HD Reality Display with a high resolution of 1280 x 720p. Text and icons are extremely sharp, solid viewing angles even under bright sunlight, and solid color reproduction. It also has the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology which enhances contrast, has color management, noise reduction and sharpness filter. You can enjoy full-HD videos and can even connect it wirelessly to your HD TV through NFC. Now you can do movie marathons through your phone.
At the back of the handset is an 8MP camera with LED flash and auto-focus. It can capture 1080p videos and even take pictures while recording. It sports the Sony Exmor RS sensor for better photo quality even in low-light conditions. Another feature the camera can do is taking Panoramic photos in case you find yourself admiring wide beautiful scenery. The camera button allows you to instantly launch the camera app from your home screen. It does take quite a while for the app to open but it’s a walk in the park from there. There’s Super Auto mode for users that don’t have knowledge with camera settings or are just too lazy to set it up. When you’re about to take a picture, you press the dedicated camera button half way down for it to focus, then press it all the way when you’re ready to take the picture.
Inside the SP dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor paired with 1GB of RAM. It has 8GB of internal memory that is expandable up to 32GB through an SD card. Performance is definitely snappy and overall responsiveness is solid. Screen transition is smooth because it runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Some of the pre-loaded apps include Google Chrome, Google Play, Google Voice Search, and Google Maps just to name a few. There is also the GLONASS technology which makes it easier to track someone even when not connected to the Internet.
The 2370mAh battery lasts about 19 hours of talk time and 734 hours of standby time. But with a fast processor and connectivity to Wi-Fi and 4G, the battery will drain much faster. But with STAMINA mode, the SP will automatically turn off functions and apps that you don’t need. You can choose and set-up which apps you want to remain open or turned off. Note that you will still be notified of calls, texts, and alarms.
What’s even more interesting with the SP is that it can be used with VoIP apps and features. Considering that it has a front camera and is capable of operating through WLAN and mobile data Internet, one could enjoy third party VoIP services from the many providers like RingCentral.
Even though the SP does not have the same specs as Sony’s Xperia Z, it has a lot of good stuff and for a cheaper price. It’s definitely a good value for money for middle class Smartphone-users to have.