There was an announcement of two new devices from Sony Mobile, the Xperia P and Xperia U. In fact, this is the main backbone of the 2012 line, today I would like to briefly talk about the event, the devices, the thoughts around it. The fact is that the presentation itself was no longer connected even with new products, but with the fact that Sony Ericsson now seemed to have returned to the fold of the parent company, this was clearly indicated on the slides, One Sony, and all that jazz. This is the first thing. Secondly, the company continues to develop the concept of four screens, that is, the user should conveniently switch between the same information on a smartphone, TV, tablet and laptop - fortunately, the company has all this in its product range. In my opinion, the concept is somewhat far-fetched; not many users connect a smartphone or tablet to a TV. Moreover, we are accustomed to accessing various information from the mentioned devices. For example, on TV I watch videos and play games, a smartphone is needed for everyday affairs, communication, listening to music, taking photos, a laptop for work, but a tablet is a kind of assistant, its use depends on the specific situation and aspirations of the owner. Thirdly, it was not for nothing that Sony talked about the uniform design of smartphones in 2012, and P, S, and U are similar to each other, not twins, but it will be difficult for an ordinary consumer to distinguish them. Let's say, a similar phenomenon is observed with Audi, people who are not familiar with the brand confuse A4, A6 and A8, as my friend says, they are the same, only different sizes. In my opinion, uniformity in the line of smartphones is necessary, and for the first time Sony devices of different price groups are so similar, let’s see how this will affect consumers’ perception of the brand. Fourthly, the last event should have fixed in the heads of journalists (well, we should have fixed it in our heads) a simple thought: Sony Ericsson is no more. There is Sony Mobile. New website, new products. Finally, a lot has been said about the concept of Entertaiment Unlimited, you can download videos directly from smartphones or watch online, the same with music and games, everything from the company store - it will not work in Russia yet. Well, now let's talk about devices.
There is just one thing, there is a leapfrog, the line of three smartphones is called Xperia NXT (that is, next), but it is not clear how to use this NXT, or add it to the name of the devices, or is it the name of the line, or something else. Dont clear.
To begin with, I suggest you watch a video about the announced devices.
Sony Xperia S
On our website there is a first look and other materials about this smartphone, a review will appear soon, if you have a desire, I can walk around with the device and take pictures. Relatively speaking, now this is a senior smartphone, not a flagship, but rather a senior one. I don’t think it will be possible to say anything new about the device here; I recommend turning to existing materials. The device goes on sale in Europe this week, they have been reminded of this several times. As they say, sales will show how well Sony has chosen the strategy.
Sony Xperia P
As they say, the average, but the average is not easy. Sony talks about an all-metal case, but in fact, only the battery cover is made of metal, and all the holes are cut out. The device fits well in the hand, the metal feels pleasantly cool on the hand, and the silver one looks much better than the black one. As you can see, here at the bottom there is a luminous strip separating a small area of the body. I hasten to please you that the P has buttons built into the strip, or rather, it’s as if there is one button. It may sound incomprehensible, but it is much more convenient to use than the sensors of the Xperia S. 1 GHz processor (dual-core), 16 GB of internal memory, Android 2.3 (update to the fourth version will be available), 8.1 MP camera, worse than S, but the device takes another. Actually, there are two main stories here: the already mentioned metal in the case and the display. The diagonal is four inches; I won’t give the exact resolution now, since there is some confusion in the press materials. I can only express my admiration for the WhiteMagic technology - this is the addition of another pixel, joy and happiness, Sony does not have time to say that this is the brightest display among all smartphones on the market. Well, I liked something else more, for example, in the browser, each letter seems to be drawn with a thin needle, everything is so clear and beautiful. The brightness is very high, in low light it literally hurts the eyes. A clear and really cool screen compared to everything I’ve seen recently - and WhiteMagic, in theory, does not abuse the device’s battery, and for smartphones with Android this, you know, is a sore spot.
As I said, the camera is 8.1 MP, it is possible to shoot video in Full HD, and among the accessories there is a kind of stand to facilitate connection to a TV.
I won’t say anything yet about the price and time of appearance on the market; I will try to get to know the device in more detail during the exhibition and find out all sorts of details. I will also note that Sony continued to work on the interface, more of its icons, the necessary programs, and so on.
Sony Xperia U
Little brother, there is no metal in the case, but there are replaceable caps for the lower part; the set for Russia will include four such caps. The idea is good, the perception of the device is changing. Everything is simple with the U, it is designed to be a budget Sony smartphone, so don’t expect miracles - the display diagonal is 3.5 inches (854 x 480 pixels), no miracles like “white magic”, a processor like the P, 512 MB of RAM and about 8 GB of internal memory. A 5 MP camera with all proprietary options such as facial recognition and easy creation of panoramas, the stated operating time in music playback mode is about 45 hours, which is not bad, according to colleagues, the Sony Xperia U works in autonomous mode for a long time, longer than its older brothers.
The case is made of plastic, inside there is Android 2.3, an update to 4.0 is promised soon. My impression is simple: the device is for young people, and its fate on the market will very much depend on the price.
While I will dispense with conclusions, the line turned out to be like this, as they wrote more than once on Mobile-review (both Eldar and I), in SE they fought with themselves for a long time to come to the same thing where they started - to a compact line, where Each device is a kind of pearl. The announcement of 2012 did not bring any pearls, this must be understood absolutely clearly - this is not the K750. But Sony has put together a line of three products, each with its own differences: if you want a good camera, pay attention to S; if you want a cool screen and metal, take P; if you want a small and beautiful smartphone, take U. You know, there’s some driver missing here , some kind of killer - something like the Galaxy SII, pulling other models in the line with it. I would like to believe that there will be some other letter from Sony that will cause teeth gnashing among competitors. There isn't one yet.
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Sergey Kuzmin ()
For most smartphone companies, 2012 is a very important year. Competing with such strong players as Apple and Samsung is becoming more and more difficult every day. According to the latest data, these two giants occupy more than 80% of the smartphone market. To stay afloat, other companies had to mobilize all their strength. One such company is Sony, with their debut line of NXT smartphones. We have already talked about the flagship Sony Xperia S, but the hero of this review is the younger model - Sony Xperia U. Xperia U will have to fight for a place in the sun with HTC One V, LG Optimus L7, Fly IQ285 Turbo and Acer Liquid Glow. Each of them has its own advantages over Sony, so the battle for the buyer will be serious.
Realizing that characteristics alone will not be enough, Sony Xperia U attracts attention even in its packaged form. The unusual two-section box, in addition to the smartphone, contained a screen protector with a special piece of material and something like a mediator, as well as two replaceable panels - pink and yellow. Since the color of our smartphone is white, the panel is also white. The second color option for the body is black. In this case, the main panel will also be black, but the additional panels will remain the same - pink and yellow.
Appearance and ergonomics
Like LG's L-Style, the NXT line of smartphones from Sony is united by one style - straight corners, a transparent strip with touch key indicators at the bottom and a rounded back.
Regardless of the color of the case, the part located under the protective glass is black. At the top there are indicators, a speaker and a VGA camera. A 3.5” TFT screen with a resolution of 854x480 pixels, typical for devices of this brand, is installed in the center. Unfortunately, apart from the resolution and software enhancer, the display has nothing else to boast of. This is surprising, because Sony Ericsson and Sony Xperia S smartphones have long acquired an airless layer between the screen itself and the touch panel, which makes the image brighter and more vibrant. It can be assumed that technology no air gap not the cheapest, and introducing it into a “budget” smartphone is not entirely rational. Then what about, which can be found for 2100 hryvnia? Three dots are visible at the bottom of the black panel. As in the Sony Xperia S, they indicate the location of the touch keys - “Back”, “Home” and “Menu”. The designations of these keys can be seen on a transparent insert, which visually divides the case into two parts. Unlike the flagship, here the insert has two purposes. It helps you navigate the location of the keys and, depending on the main color of the display, is illuminated in all the colors of the rainbow.
The bottom part only has the XPERIA inscription.
On the back there is a 5 MP camera, flash, speaker and Sony Ericsson logo. The removable cover covers not only this part of the case but also the top end and sides. The material used in it is similar to that installed in, it easily tolerates minor scratches.
There is a MicroUSB connector on the left side of the case. On the opposite side there are three keys responsible for, from top to bottom, turning on/locking, adjusting the volume, and launching the camera.
Two slots are visible at the bottom end. One for the speaking microphone, and the second for the strap.
At the top end there was room for another microphone and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
After devices equipped with 4.3-4.8” screens, this one looks miniature. Xperia U is perfect as a second or “summer” communication device. The build quality was slightly disappointing; the case creaks noticeably when pressed, and I would like to see the back panel material softer.
Dimensions comparison
Sony Xperia U, 112 x 54 x 12 mm, 110 g
Samsung Galaxy Ace, 112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5 mm, 113 g
Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos, 112.7 x 61.5 x 11.5 mm, 122
, 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm, 140 g
, 113.4 x 60.8 x 11.9, 123 g
As you can see, with the exception of thickness, in all other respects, including weight, the smartphone is the slimmer of the devices equipped with a 3.5” screen. If we consider that he could easily do without the part located under the transparent insert, his performance would become a record.
In conclusion, let's talk about replaceable panels. As you already know, the kit comes with two additional panels - pink and yellow. To remove and install any of them you need to try hard, which may be the reason why you will get tired of changing them after two or three times. It turned out that, apart from the visual effect, they do not carry any other semantic load, which once again emphasizes their purpose: set and forget.
Operating system and interface
Similar to the other two members of the NXT line, the Xperia U uses the Android 2.3 operating system. Judging by information on the Internet, the smartphone should receive an update to Android 4.0 in the next two weeks. Most likely, we will tell you about these changes using the example of the Sony Xperia P. In the meantime, we invite you to look at the screenshots of the interface. There is no point in describing its features, since there are simply no changes in comparison with the same Sony Ericsson Xperia ray.
Platform
The junior model of the line is equipped with an ST-Ericsson processor - NovaThor U8500. The processor is based on ARMv7 architecture with two Cortex-A9 cores operating at 1 GHz. Mali-400 MP is used as the graphics core. The smartphone has 512 MB of RAM and 8 GB of Flash memory, of which 4 GB is available to the user as a storage device, and just over 1.5 GB for installing applications.
It should be noted that a similar ST-Ericsson U8500 processor is installed in the Sony Xperia P, Sony Xperia Sola and Samsung Galaxy S Advance.
This smartphone model is almost the only one of the new products of 2012 with a dual-core processor costing up to 3,000 hryvnia. If gaming performance and HD video support are important to you, then the excellent Fly IQ285 Turbo or the slightly more expensive Xperia Sola can serve as an alternative. You can also pay attention to last year’s cheaper devices, for example, Motorola Atrix 4G, HTC Evo 3D, LG Optimus 2x.
Playing video files
| Codec/Name | FinalDestination5.mp4 | Neudergimie.2.mkv | s.t.a.l.k.e.r.avi | Spartacus.mkv | ParallelUniverse.avi |
| Video | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1920×798 29.99fps | Video: MPEG4 Video (H264) 852×362 29.994fps | Xvid 712×400 25.00fps 1779kbps | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×720 29.97fps ] | MPEG4 Video (H264) 1280×536 24.00fps 2726kbps |
| Audio | AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps | Audio: AAC 48000Hz stereo 96kbps | MPEG Audio Layer 3 48000Hz stereo 128kbps | Dolby AC3 44100Hz stereo ] | MPEG Audio Layer 3 44100Hz stereo 256kbps |
Camera
Most smartphones costing up to 3,000 hryvnia are equipped with a 5 MP camera. The Xperia U was no exception. The quality of pictures and videos is average, you can evaluate them using the examples below. For some, having a mechanical camera shutter button will be an advantage. And the undoubted advantage is that using this key you can launch the camera from any mode. From the moment of launch until the frame is captured, it takes approximately 3 seconds.
Examples of 5 MP photos
HD Video Examples
Results
Like last year's Sony Ericsson smartphones, with their rounded ends and convex back, Sony's debut models also have their own face. Sony Xperia U in white can be safely recommended to girls. The black device is more suitable for young people. The smartphone has a number of advantages, which include performance, dimensions, camera capabilities and an imminent OS update to Android ICS. Among the shortcomings, we note a creaking case and the inability to turn off the backlight of the transparent panel. The device has more than enough competitors, from its own devices to similar smartphones that initially run on Android 4.0 - HTC One V, LG Optimus L7 and Acer Liquid Glow. The choice depends only on your own preferences, since they all deserve each other.
Liked
Appearance
Housing materials
Availability of replaceable panels
Presence of a mechanical camera launch key
Performance
Possibility to upgrade OS to Android ICS
The color of the keypad depends on the image on the screen
Equipment
Did not like
Build quality
Lack of memory card support
Inability to turn off the keypad backlight
The camera shutter button is tight
Increased minimum display brightness
Inconvenient keyboard
The device was provided by the Notus online store, notus.com.ua
 | Sony Xperia U (White/Yellow) Notify when on sale |
| Type | Smartphone |
| Type of shell | monoblock |
| Standard | GSM 850/900/1800/1900, UMTS 800/850/1900/2100 |
| High speed data transfer | GPRS, EDGE, HSDPA, HSUPA |
| Dimensions (mm) | 112x54x12 |
| Weight (g) | 110 |
| Processor (for smartphones) | NovaThor U8500, 1 GHz (dual core) + Mali 400MP |
| Memory | 512 MB RAM + 8 GB internal memory (up to 6 GB user accessible) |
| Expansion slot | No |
| Main screen | TFT (Bravia Engine), 3.5″, 480×854 pixels, 16.7 million colors, touch, capacitive, multi-touch support, protective coating (mineral glass) |
| Additional screen | No |
| Keyboard type | screen input |
| Accumulator battery | Li-Ion, 1300 mAh |
| Operating time (manufacturer's data) | conversation - up to 6h36m, standby - up to 472h, in audio player mode - up to 45h, in video mode - up to 6h |
| Communications | USB 2.0 (micro-USB), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR (A2DP), WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA |
| Dual SIM support | No |
| Photography | 5 MP, auto focus, 16x digital zoom, shooting three-dimensional panoramic photos (3D Sweep Panorama technology), geotagging, front VGA camera |
| Video shooting | 1280x720 pixels, 30 fps |
| Flash | LED |
| operating system | Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread), with subsequent update to Android 4.x |
| Phone book | Yes |
| Working with messages | SMS, MMS, E-mail (Gmail) |
| Organizer | alarm clock, clock, tasks, notes, calendar, reminders |
| Voice functions | voice recorder, voice dialing, voice control |
| Speakerphone | Yes |
| Internet access | WAP 2.0, xHTML, HTML |
| Additional utilities | calculator, currency and unit converter, voice recorder, timer, stopwatch, world time clock |
| Games | Yes |
| Sound signal | polyphonic |
| MP3 player | Yes |
| FM radio | yes (87.5-108 MHz, RDS support) |
| Additional features | replaceable panels, media player, a-GPS receiver, video telephony, synchronization with Google services, accelerometer, integration with social networks, work with office documents, light and proximity sensors |
Accelerometer(or G-sensor) - sensor of the device’s position in space. As a main function, the accelerometer is used to automatically change the orientation of the image on the display (vertical or horizontal). Also, the G-sensor is used as a pedometer; it can control various functions of the device by turning or shaking.
Gyroscope- a sensor that measures rotation angles relative to a fixed coordinate system. Capable of measuring rotation angles in several planes simultaneously. A gyroscope together with an accelerometer allows you to accurately determine the position of the device in space. Devices that use only accelerometers have lower measurement accuracy, especially when moving quickly. Also, the capabilities of the gyroscope can be used in modern games for mobile devices.
Light sensor- a sensor that sets the optimal brightness and contrast values for a given light level. The presence of a sensor allows you to increase the battery life of the device.
Proximity sensor- a sensor that detects when the device is close to your face during a call, turns off the backlight and locks the screen, preventing accidental clicks. The presence of a sensor allows you to increase the battery life of the device.
Geomagnetic sensor- a sensor for determining the direction of the world in which the device is directed. Tracks the orientation of the device in space relative to the magnetic poles of the Earth. The information received from the sensor is used in mapping programs for terrain orientation.
Atmospheric pressure sensor- sensor for precise measurement of atmospheric pressure. It is part of the GPS system, allows you to determine altitude above sea level and speed up location determination.
Touch ID- fingerprint identification sensor.
Accelerometer / Light / Proximity
Satellite navigation:
GPS(Global Positioning System) is a satellite navigation system that provides measurements of distance, time, speed and determines the location of objects anywhere on Earth. The system is developed, implemented and operated by the US Department of Defense. The basic principle of using the system is to determine location by measuring distances to an object from points with known coordinates - satellites. The distance is calculated by the delay time of signal propagation from sending it by the satellite to receiving it by the antenna of the GPS receiver.
GLONASS(Global Navigation Satellite System) - Soviet and Russian satellite navigation system, developed by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense. The measurement principle is similar to the American GPS navigation system. GLONASS is designed for operational navigation and timing support for land, sea, air and space-based users. The main difference from the GPS system is that GLONASS satellites in their orbital motion do not have resonance (synchrony) with the rotation of the Earth, which provides them with greater stability.
Despite some successes last year, with some devices like the Xperia Arc, Sony hit a slippery slope in 2012. At the beginning of the year, Sony entered the market with the flagship smartphone Xperia S, which a month later eclipsed the HTC One X. And with the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S3, Sony's flagship product seems to be out of business.
Maybe things will improve for the Japanese manufacturer with the release of the Xperia U phone? At first glance, the smartphone looks like a winner - a budget device with a dual-core processor, Bravia Engine display technology and excellent build quality. But this may be marred by an outdated version of Android. Well, let's take a closer look and move on to our Sony Xperia U review.
Design and ergonomics of Sony Xperia U
In terms of industrial design, many entry-level smartphones look like miniature versions of their high-end brothers, and this is undoubtedly the case with the Sony Xperia U and its big brother Xperia C. Besides the size, the screen is 4.3 inches on the Xperia C versus 3.5 inches. the Xperia U. This year, Sony decided not to deviate from the basic design of the Xperia line, while continuing to consolidate the branding of the line.
Like the Xperia S, the U has a soft-touch plastic body and a slightly curved back. Unfortunately, this uniqueness comes at the expense of ergonomics. There are three buttons on the illuminated strip: home, menu and return back.
Hardware: Sony Xperia U specifications
Above the buttons is a FWVGA Sony Reality display with a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels. The display also features Sony Mobile Bravia Engine technology, which enhances image contrast and color quality. The viewing angles are wide and the image quality is really good. It's certainly not comparable to the HTC One X, but it's decent, even outdoors in sunlight.
The Xperia U's physical buttons are located along the right edge - there's a power button at the top, a dual volume rocker in the middle, while the camera button is at the bottom. And like other phones in the Xperia line, you can hold down this button to immediately take a photo. The camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and an LED flash, and for video calls there is a front VGA camera.
On the left side of the case there is a MicroUSB connector and at the top there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack. Behind the back cover you will find a removable 1300 mAh battery and a full-size SIM card slot. And the bottom panel of the case can be replaced, as shown in the photo.
Inside Sony Xperia U There is a 1 GHz dual-core ST-Ericsson processor, as well as 512 MB of RAM. While it's flattering to see a dual-core processor in a low-budget smartphone, its performance numbers are still quite modest and can't compare to dual-core monsters like the Snapdragon S4. However, it is quite sufficient for work, and we did not notice any performance problems. And although you may notice some unsmoothness in the animation, we believe that this is due to the outdated Android 2.3 and with the release of the update to Android 4.0 this flaw will be eliminated.
Software
Sony Xperia U runs Android 2.3.7 operating system along with Sony UXP NXT software. Sony promises to release an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the third quarter of this year.
Sony's UI is by far one of the best Gingerbread skins we've seen - there's just the right amount of animation and visual embellishment to make the experience enjoyable for the user without going too far into embellishment.
In addition to Sony's Cosmic Stream live wallpaper, there are weather, search and other widgets that you can customize to your liking. And you can change the appearance of the Sony system theme based on seven color profiles. When you change the theme profile, the backlight of the transparent bar with buttons also changes. Likewise, if you're viewing photos or listening to music, the backlight color will change to reflect the dominant color in the image or album cover. This may be a little gimmicky for some users' tastes, but we found this visual alert funny. The Xperia U comes with Sony's excellent suite of multimedia apps.
Other software goodies include the Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited streaming services, which are included in this phone model. The phone's player has been redesigned and is the same as on other Xperia 2012 models. It has a built-in equalizer with plenty of effects for your music, including ClearBass with a surround sound effect that can be appreciated when paired with good headphones.
Integration with social networks is carried out through Timescape and the Facebook Inside Xperia application. Timescape organizes social updates of text messages and other data into a 3D list, and there's support for Facebook, Twitter, Google Play and other services out of the box.
Sony Xperia U smartphone camera
Sony has historically made an impression with its cameras on phones, even on lower-end devices. And for the most part, the Xperia U's 5 megapixel camera supports that impression. In reasonably lit rooms, the phone captures images almost instantly and produces clear, noise-free images.
Sony has also included 3D panoramas in the app, although you'll need a 3D TV to view this as the phone has a simple 2D display.
Verdict on the Sony Xperia U phone review
The Xperia U is far from Sony's flawless effort, but it is a very well-rounded entry-level phone. Its retail price is around 12,000 rubles, which puts it on par with the HTC One V and Desire C. In this price range, it's hard to imagine a phone that offers better value for money than Sony Xperia U. This makes it even more disappointing that Sony has decided to limit user storage space to 4GB, with no prospect of expansion via MicroSD cards. Samsung and HTC realize that this is not enough and at least offer a MicroSD slot as a possible workaround in their entry-level phones - Sony doesn't offer such a compromise in the Xperia U.
However, a dual-core phone with 720p HD video recording for 12 grand would have been unthinkable a few months ago and Sony deserves credit for making it.
The device is made in a monoblock form factor and is equipped with a 3.5-inch LCD display with Mobile BRAVIA technology. The display resolution is 854 x 480 pixels. The screen is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. Communication capabilities are presented: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, DLNA and aGPS.
According to ZOOM.Cnews readers
Sony XPERIA U:
Beautiful, ergonomic, functional, has a capacious battery, has a good camera, can be a replacement for a player, can act as a GPS receiver, lightweight, affordable.
CHARACTERISTICS
BeautifulErgonomic
Functional
Has a capacious battery
Has a good camera
Can be a replacement for the player
Can act as a GPS receiver
Easy
Affordable
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