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 latest solution from Sony is interesting both in its features and design. One body combines everything you could want from a compact smartphone: a 3.5-inch screen, a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video recording, a future update to Android 4.0 and, of course, a proprietary shell.
Contents of delivery
- Smartphone
- Stereo headset
- High Power Charger
- MicroUSB cable
- 3 replaceable covers
Design
Sony Xperia U is designed in the same style as the company's new devices. The body is angular, small in size, although quite plump. Dimensions 112x54x12 mm, weight 110 g. The smartphone fits well in the hand, fingers rest against the non-slip plastic of the straight side surfaces of the case.
The appearance of the smallest new smartphone reminds us of the company's flagship. It looks like a smaller copy, neat and tightly knit. There are two versions to choose from: black and white. Each of them comes with a set of multi-colored covers that are attached to the bottom of the case.
The idea with such replaceable caps is original. We usually find replacement panels that are replaced entirely. But in our case, everything is limited to only part of the body.
The attachment holds tightly and is removed with moderate effort, so you don’t have to suffer when you want to change the image of your smartphone.
It is completely made of one-color plastic, so there is no need to worry about it peeling off over time. There will be parts in different colors depending on the version. Black, pink, yellow for a white smartphone and white, pink, yellow for a black model.
Perhaps the most unusual feature of the Sony Xperia U will be the backlight built into the transparent layer. Everything works very interesting. Depending on what design is selected on the screen, this layer will also have the same color. It adapts to the wallpaper, album cover or picture in the gallery. There are many scenarios, as well as possible shades. For a youth model, this function is just right; it should immediately distinguish the smartphone from other models.
The front panel contains a light and proximity sensor and a front VGA camera. All of them are located at the top, above the screen.
A block of three touch buttons is located at the bottom. Here the keys are located not on the transparent line, but above it. The exact same idea is used in . They press well, without errors or false positives. On the transparent strip you can see symbols indicating the actions of the keys, but when the backlight is on, they are difficult to see. However, given the logical placement of the back, home and function buttons, there shouldn’t be any problems.
On the right you can see a set of convenient buttons. It includes a volume key, a screen lock button and a separate key to launch the camera.
On the left there is a microUSB port.
At the top end you can see a second microphone and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
At the bottom end there is a strap holder and a microphone.
The back panel is removable, underneath is the battery.
There is a hole in the cover for the camera lens, flash and speaker.
The standard large size SIM card compartment is located on the side.
Screen
The screen diagonal is 3.5 inches, the resolution is 480x854 pixels, and up to 16 million colors are displayed. The display is covered with tempered glass; it should serve as reliable protection against scratches and abrasions.
Just in case, all smartphones will be sold with the factory film attached. It is practically invisible; additional protection never hurts. Outdoors, the data on the display fades significantly in bright sunlight.
The Mobile Bravia Engine is turned on to increase the contrast and brightness of the image in various applications. For example, this may be relevant when viewing pictures in the gallery. The picture is bright, colors are vibrant, viewing angles are good. The display is superior in image quality to its predecessor, the Sony Ericcson Xperia Neo V; there is more brightness margin here.
Viewing angles and brightness margin are typical for a screen of this type. TFT does not have such maximum angles as SuperAMOLED, which is noticeable in the pictures.
Filling
The smartphone runs on the Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread operating system. There will subsequently be an update to version 4.0 in the second quarter of 2012. It uses a dual-core STE U8500 processor with a frequency of 1 GHz. There is 512 MB of RAM, as well as 8 GB of internal memory. It is not possible to install a memory card here; there is no connector. Of this memory array, about 4 GB is available for user data.
The smartphone works quickly, without delays.
Menu
At the top of the screen there is a service line, which displays the time, battery charge, and signal reception level indicator. Active connections and other data are also displayed there. By clicking on it, you can find out in more detail what programs were downloaded, what messages and letters were received, or what files were received via Bluetooth.
Both preinstalled images or wallpapers from Sony, as well as your favorite pictures, are used as design elements. There are seven different colored menu themes available. In addition, shortcuts and folders are placed on the desktop. For the latter, you can choose one of eight design options and assign it a name. Icons are added by dragging them from the phone menu directly into this area.
Of course, there are widgets here too, you can also add them to your desktop. There can be five such screens, their number does not change. At the same time, an interesting function works: you can swipe two fingers from different angles, all desktops will be reduced and displayed on one screen. The widgets have been improved, for example, a large list of icons is available for making various connections, which is initially hidden in a small rectangle. Weather forecast data is animated and beautifully displayed.
There are 5 icons at the bottom of the screen. These are multimedia, messages, menu entry, contacts and dialing. If you click on media, an additional menu will pop up with those applications that are in this category.
The Application Manager is activated by the Home button. It displays 8 programs and in essence it is not a traditional task manager. As you know, Android closes applications on its own, based on the amount of free RAM.
The smartphone menu consists of several work zones, initially there are three. If you install additional applications, then over time there will be more such areas. There are 20 icons on the screen on a translucent background, under which you can see the wallpaper installed on the main screen. Icons can be arranged in a way that is convenient for the user. There is also sorting by several criteria: alphabetically, frequently used, recently installed. The icons are beautiful and neatly designed. The camera icon will remind you of the NEX series cameras, and the radios are Sony receivers.
When the screen is locked, the display shows the date and time. To unlock the screen, you need to swipe your finger along from left to right. If you do it the other way around, the silent mode is activated, as indicated by the additional icon. This may display additional information about missed calls, new messages, emails, calendar events, and Facebook notifications. If such notifications seem unnecessary, you can turn them off.
Phone book
The smartphone has a convenient assistant for importing contacts both from a SIM card and from Facebook and Google accounts; they are displayed in a single list. A backup copy of the list of numbers is created on a memory card; the data can later be restored. Sorting by first and last name works.
When you create a new contact, many fields are created. These are various types of telephone numbers, email addresses, means of quick communication (AIM, ICQ, Gtalk, Skype and others), residential addresses and others (nickname, note, Internet call).
The smartphone has a list of letters of the alphabet located on the right side of the screen. If you press your finger on this line and move down or up, a letter will pop up on the screen - a kind of quick search, which helps in cases where the phone has several hundred, or even thousands of contacts. The search works by the first letters of the contact name for both language layouts.
There is a menu of favorite numbers where you can add the most popular contacts. A quick menu is available: you need to click on the icon with a contact photo, after which you can call, send a message via SMS or email, or view data on Facebook.
Call log
You can access the call log directly from the phone book; it is highlighted in a separate tab. There, a single list contains dialed numbers, received and missed calls; for clarity, they are marked with icons of different colors. By clicking on a line, you can delete a number from the call log, add it to a contact, or perform some other actions. If you select a number from the list, detailed information about the call will be displayed.
By viewing your call history, you can not only make a telephone conversation with the selected subscriber, but also send him an SMS or an email from this list without going to another menu. Dialing is carried out using a convenient virtual keyboard. There is an automatic search for numbers that match the numbers.
Messages
For SMS and MMS there is a common folder where received messages go. When sending, adding various objects to the SMS can automatically convert it into an MMS. Messages are grouped by recipient into a correspondence feed. When dialing a subscriber's number, the phone displays a list of matching numbers in alternating numbers.
While typing, a small field reserved for characters will be displayed. The longer the message, the more the space allocated for the character set increases. The device can copy, cut and paste text. A convenient cursor is used for navigation, which helps to correct typos and highlight the necessary sections of text. In addition, you can use arrow buttons.
Intellectual text input is available, when word correction and auto-completion systems help you type text, allowing you to avoid wasting time correcting errors. Possible word options are shown in a separate line above the keyboard. Copying and pasting of fragments is supported. Now Sony has implemented Swype, which simplifies text entry.
To work with email, the mailbox is automatically configured (if it is not Gmail, which connects immediately after the email address is entered during the initial activation of the phone). It includes entering basic information (login, password). The phone perfectly understands various encodings, supports loading attachments (you must insert a memory card, otherwise this function will not work) in familiar formats.
When creating a letter, you can also attach various files from the device memory to it. The function of copying text and automatically checking the mailbox works (the interval is set manually). The device simultaneously runs two applications – Gmail and E-mail. The only difference is that in the first, mail comes only from the gmail.com server, while the second application works with any mail storage.
You can create multiple email accounts, each with its own color. This is convenient because you can view mail for each mailbox separately, and display messages from all accounts in one. Sorting mail by date, subject, sender and size works.
Camera
The smartphone uses a 5-megapixel Sony Exmor R module with backlighting, autofocus and LED flash. To launch the camera, use a dedicated key on the side of the smartphone. By holding it down for a few seconds, the shooting mode starts; this can be done from any application; it is not necessary to go to the main menu. I liked the high launch speed of the camera, as well as the very fast saving of pictures.
The most original feature of the device is fast shooting. The smartphone can take a photo in just 1.5 seconds. You need to point the device at the target, hold down the shutter button, and in a moment a photo will be taken. It’s very convenient because you don’t need to unlock the device, wasting precious time. The main thing is to hold the button until the frame appears on the screen, otherwise you may shoot the wrong object.
The interface is designed not only for landscape, but also for portrait mode. The screen displays auxiliary icons that make it easier to set up photography modes and conditions. In the upper left corner there is a settings mode, at the bottom the flash is turned off. At the top right is a lever for switching between photos and videos, then there is a shutter button. Even lower is a stack of icons that show thumbnails of recent photos. If you click on it, you can go to the gallery.
Various options are available:
Image capture mode: normal, panorama, 3D panorama, multi-angle view, front camera.
Photo size: 5M (2592x1944), 3M (2048x1536), 2M 4:3 (1632x1224), 2M 16:9 (1920x1080 pixels).
Shooting conditions: normal, portrait, landscape, night photography, night portrait, beach and snow, sports, party, document.
Exposure number.
Flash: auto, off, fill, red-eye reduction.
Timer: 2.10 seconds.
Smile detection.
Focusing: single autofocus, multi-autofocus, face detection, touch focus, infinity.
ISO: auto, 100, 200, 400, 800.
White balance: auto, indoor lighting, fluorescent, daylight, cloudy.
Metering: center, middle level, point
Geotags.
Shooting method: screen button, touch shooting, key only.
Shutter sound.
The smartphone has good detail, adequate color rendition and convenient shooting with a dedicated key.
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A small mid-range Android smartphone from the new Xperia NXT line
At the beginning of the year, Sony Mobile (formerly Sony Ericsson) expanded its family of smartphones on the Android platform with three new products. The phones were united under the common subname Xperia, entering the new Xperia NXT line under the letter designations S, P and U. Sony Xperia S is the flagship of the new line with all the ensuing consequences, Sony Xperia P is a slightly simpler model, but also very technically advanced and not at all cheap, and we recently talked about both of them in detail in the corresponding reviews.
Today we will look at the third of the new products - the least expensive and, accordingly, the simplest of them in hardware. However, this does not mean that the model is completely weak and can only be attributed to the initial level - far from it. Sony Xperia U is a fast and modern dual-core smartphone with a high-resolution screen. Its “weaknesses” in relation to the older models of the Xperia NXT line are its smaller dimensions and, accordingly, smaller screen size, as well as a less powerful hardware platform and a simpler body structure. However, even this little one had several features that positively distinguished it from the general list of new Sony products. But first things first.
All phones in the new series have a very similar design, which is called “Iconic Design” within the company. The appearance of all the devices is really so similar that they can hardly be distinguished individually in photographs. Our little one has the smallest dimensions of all.
The differences start right from the packaging. All communicators of the new Xperia NXT line are supplied in exactly the same outwardly flat and wide boxes. But this is only at first glance. The Sony Xperia U has the simplest packaging of the three. It does not have a separate top casing, and the printing is applied directly to the opening parts.
Otherwise, the boxes are identical, and they can be differentiated by appearance only by small inscriptions at the bottom of the front surface. In our case, it says “Xperia U”, and there is an icon next to it, meaning that the device can be updated to the new Android 4.0 operating system. So Sony Xperia U buyers do not have to worry about future support for their new device from the manufacturer.
In addition to the smartphone itself, the kit includes a universal charger with a USB output, a USB-Micro-USB cable for charging and synchronizing with a computer, a simple wired stereo headset with a standard 3.5 mm jack, as well as 3 additional replacement covers and documentation. The contents of the kit vary from country to country - for example, in our “European” kit there was only one additional white plastic cover, but a protective film and an adapter for Micro-SIM were included.
Characteristics
- SoC ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500, CPU 1000 MHz, ARMv7, two cores
- GPU Mali-400MP
- Operating system Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread (upgrade to Android 4.0)
- TFT TN touch display, 3.5 inches diagonal, 854x480 pixels, capacitive
- 512 MB RAM, 8 GB flash memory (approx. 4 GB available)
- Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
- Communication 3G UMTS HSPA 900, 2100 MHz
- Bluetooth v2.1 EDR
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Wi-Fi Hotspot
- GPS, AGPS
- FM radio
- G-sensor
- Electronic compass
- Proximity sensor
- Light sensor
- Camera 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash
- Lithium-ion battery 1290 mAh
- Dimensions 112×54×12 mm
- Weight 113 g
It is interesting to compare the main characteristics of all smartphones in the new line, summarized in a single table. Let's add here another new model from Sony - not included in the Xperia NXT, but already on sale and quite interesting Sony Xperia sola (we will talk about it in the very near future).
| Sony Xperia U | Sony Xperia P | Sony Xperia S | Sony Xperia sola | |
| Screen (size in inches, matrix type, resolution) | 3.5″, TN, 854×480 | 4″, WM, 960×540 | 4.3″, TN, 1280×720 | 3.7″, TN, 854×480 |
| SoC | ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 @1 GHz (2 cores, ARM) | Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 @1.5 GHz (2 cores, ARM) | ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 @1 GHz (2 cores, ARM) | |
| RAM | 512 MB | 1 GB | 1 GB | 512 MB |
| Flash memory | 8 GB | 16 GB | 32 GB | 8 GB |
| Memory card support | No | No | No | microSD |
| operating system | Google Android 2.3, update to Android 4.0 | Google Android 2.3, update to Android 4.0 | Google Android 2.3, update to Android 4.0 | |
| SIM format | standard | Micro-SIM | Micro-SIM | standard |
| Battery | removable, 1290 mAh | non-removable, 1320 mAh | non-removable, 1750 mAh | non-removable, 1320 mAh |
| Cameras | rear (5 MP; video - 720p), front (0.3 MP) | rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (0.3 MP) | rear (12 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP) | rear (5 MP; video - 720p) |
| Dimensions | 112×54×12 mm, 113 g | 122×59.5×10.5 mm, 122 g | 128×64×10.6 mm, 146 g | 116×59×9.9 mm, 107 g |
| average price | N/A() | $112() | $123() | $58() |
Appearance and ease of use
Sony Xperia U is a very small smartphone in size. It has the smallest dimensions in the Xperia NXT line. Next to the flagship - Sony Xperia S - it generally looks tiny.
However, the smartphone fits quite comfortably in the hand. Not too thin, it fills the entire palm and fits securely in your hand. It would be even worse if the manufacturer made it a thinner case. The light weight coupled with the miniature size allows you to carry the phone in any pocket, even the chest pocket of a shirt, which is important for summer time.
The case materials are solid plastic, with most of it being the removable rear cover. It is not flat, and covers not only the back, but also the side edges. Below it there is a slot for a full-size SIM card and a removable battery, which is nice.
The lid has a fairly thick profile and is securely fastened with several latches, fits like a glove and fits tightly to the body - there is no play, cracks or creaks here. At first, you might even think that the case is non-separable, because all the buttons are located directly on the lid. However, this is not the case - the cover is removed along with the buttons, revealing the contacts that these buttons close.
The cover itself is made of rubberized plastic with a soft touch effect, so the phone does not slip in your fingers, is pleasant to the touch and does not retain fingerprints. Traditionally, there are holes cut in it for an external speaker and a camera eye with a flash. The speaker is covered with a painted metal grille to prevent dust from getting inside and to protect the speaker. Its hole is located on the beveled side, so the sound is not blocked by the table surface.
But this is not the only cover in the Sony Xperia U. At the very bottom of the phone there is another cover - exactly the same as the Sony Xperia P model. Only unlike it, the Sony Xperia U comes with three such additional covers. They are all multi-colored and are designed to change the appearance of the device, that is, to individualize it. The phone comes in black and white colors, and in addition to these two colors, each will also come with yellow and pink covers - four in total.
At first, putting a yellow cover on a black case, for example, seems absurd, but customizing your own phone doesn’t end there. It turns out that the transparent strip above the lid also comes in different colors. It can be brightly highlighted in the same color as the selected theme. So if you put, say, a yellow theme on the Sony Xperia U desktop and put on a yellow lid, you already get an interesting, complete solution. The same goes for other colors. Multi-colored themes are already pre-installed on the phone, and the strip automatically adjusts its color to the selected theme. In addition, the strip changes color depending on the overall color of the photo you are viewing. For example, if there are blue clouds in the photo, then the strip will light up blue, if there is a lot of greenery - green. An interesting and bright solution, which is intended mainly for young people.
The front side is almost completely covered with protective glass, in which there is a hole cut for the earpiece, not covered by any grille. It gets dusty, but that's Sony's new design, and all phones in the line are the same in this regard. Nearby you can see the proximity and light sensors, as well as the front camera peephole for video calls.
The control keys, like those of the flagship, are printed on a transparent strip, but are not pressed. You should click just above the icons, on barely noticeable points. Unlike the flagship, the Sony Xperia U is not so large in size, and all buttons can be easily reached with the fingers of one hand.
The remaining buttons are assembled on one side - the right: there is a power button, a two-position rocker key for adjusting the sound level, and a camera start button. Traditionally for Sony smartphones, the Xperia U also has a separate hardware button to activate the camera, which is convenient. As in other smartphones of the new line, this button can not only activate the camera, but also take a snapshot, even from a locked state. Users like this property, it is in demand, and reviews on this matter are entirely positive. Most people like that they can take out their smartphone and take a quick photo without having to search through any menu icons.
For communication and synchronization with a computer, as well as for charging, a Micro-USB connector is used, which is located in the upper part of the left side of the smartphone.
An audio jack for headphones with a standard diameter of 3.5 mm is located at the top, and there is also a hole for an additional microphone. At the bottom, under the removable cover, there is a special fastener for a strap, which is convenient, but, unfortunately, extremely rare in modern devices. The main microphone hole is also here.
In general, the new communicator looks modern and stylish, it is made in a recognizable Sony design. The smartphone does not look cheap, and it is not a shame to appear in public with it. The phone does not have a distinct gender; it will suit both male and female users. Most likely, Sony Xperia U will appeal to young people - due to its low price and bright color design, which you can partly customize to your taste.
Screen
The Sony Xperia U display is a regular TFT TN matrix, which does not have large viewing angles, but has a good amount of brightness. Not to say that the brightness reserve is excessive, but at the maximum level it is quite enough. True, the screen goes blind in the sun.
In terms of physical parameters, the Sony Xperia U's screen resolution is 854 x 480, with physical dimensions of 44 x 77 mm and a diagonal of 89 mm (3.5 inches). With a sufficiently high resolution in small physical sizes, the picture turns out clear and smooth; naturally, you won’t notice any graininess - the pixel density in this screen is quite high (PPI = 279.9).
The picture is further improved using proprietary Mobile Bravia Engine technology, making 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 also removing some of the noise.
The colors on this screen look realistic, not as bright as on AMOLED displays, the picture is soft and slightly velvety. By the way, unlike the flagship, the Sony Xperia U settings have both manual and automatic brightness settings. However, in this case it is better to keep the slider closer to the maximum value, otherwise it will be a bit dark.
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. Unlike most of the latest Sony smartphones, this little one does not have a factory protective film on the screen. The screen reflects well and gets dirty quickly - unlike the body. An anti-reflective film would come in handy here.
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Sound
The sound from the external speaker is not too loud, which is to be expected from an inexpensive and small phone. In addition, high frequencies predominate, there are no bass. It doesn’t even help that the sound here is additionally 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. But we couldn’t notice any difference between xLoud mode on and off.
The situation with the auditory speaker is approximately the same: the sound is not too loud and not very clear - however, the frequencies are quite rich. The speech and intonations of the interlocutor are conveyed quite tolerably, but there can be no talk of any loud and crystal clear sound here. Both speakers of the Sony Xperia U are average in terms of sound quality.
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As for the sound in the headphones, the included stereo headset is too simple to talk about any sound quality. In addition, the headphones themselves are ordinary here - not in-ear - so in this case, hands themselves reach for higher-quality in-ear headphones. The audio jack here is standard - 3.5 mm in diameter, so any will do. With high-quality headphones, the sound becomes more interesting - especially if you adjust the equalizer available here to your taste. You just need to remember that listening to music for a long time with the equalizer turned on will drain the battery faster.
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The smartphone traditionally has an FM radio, and it traditionally only works with a connected headset. The settings are simple and easy to understand.
Camera
I’m glad that even in such a small device, which occupies the lower price position in the overall line, Sony was not greedy and included a front camera for video communication. Of course, it’s nothing special - no one expects quality from a 0.3 megapixel resolution, but it’s quite enough to join a video conference.
The main camera module is a little more interesting, but it is, of course, inferior in quality to the cameras of its older brothers. Here the maximum image resolution is 5 megapixels with an aspect ratio of 4:3. The resulting photos are 2592×1944 in size. If you want to shoot in a widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9, then the frames will be obtained with a resolution of 2560 × 1440 pixels, that is, 3 megapixels. The quality and clarity of photographs in original resolution can be assessed by clicking on the thumbnails.
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Thanks to automatic focusing, close objects, as well as text from paper or a monitor screen, are captured well by the camera.
The camera can shoot video in HD resolution. Here are a couple of ten-second videos shot at maximum settings at 29 frames per second. The videos are saved in mp4 format and have a resolution of 1280×720 pixels (No. 1 - 10 MB, No. 2 - 8 MB).
Sony representatives separately emphasize the shooting speed of the cameras of their new smartphones. When you press a hardware key, the camera turns on and takes pictures, even if the phone was locked. In the settings, you can change the purpose of this button to activate the camera, but without shooting. The shooting itself can also be carried out without using a hardware key - by pressing a virtual button on the screen.
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Software and telephone part
As for the software, everything here is identical to the contents of the other brothers in the line - Sony Xperia S and Sony Xperia P, about which we have already written a lot and in detail. Like them, the Sony Xperia U went on sale and runs the familiar and already obsolete version of Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread OS with the promised upgrade option to version 4.0.
The standard Google Android interface is modified using its own software shell, which slightly changes and complements it, 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.
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Sony Xperia U copes with telephone functions at the level of modern devices. The phone maintains the cellular network reliably and does not lose connection in conditions of poor reception. No freezes or spontaneous reboots were observed during two weeks of testing. The Wi-Fi and GPS modules have also been tested in operation, and there are no complaints about them either.
Performance
The Sony Xperia U hardware platform (model ST25i) is based on the ST-Ericsson NovaThor U8500 SoC. The central processor here is a dual-core ARMv7 operating at 1000 MHz. It is supported in graphics processing by the Mali-400MP video accelerator. Everything here is exactly the same as the older model Sony Xperia P. However, unlike it, the Xperia U has only 512 MB of RAM. The storage available to the user for uploading their own files is about 4 GB without the possibility of expansion with memory cards, because there is no slot for them.
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In Quadrant Standard, the Sony Xperia U scored a respectable 2223 points, overtaking the older model Sony Xperia P, but slightly behind its own flagship - the Sony Xperia S scored 3104 points in this test.
According to the results of the comprehensive AnTuTu Benchmark v2.8, the picture was repeated: the device is slightly faster than a model with a similar hardware platform, but a larger screen in area and resolution, and, of course, slower than the flagship.
We tested graphics performance in NenaMark2 (v2.2). Based on the results of several runs, the Mali-400MP graphics accelerator in this device produced a good, but not the best among its neighbors in the line, average result of 27 fps.
As for my own impressions, communication with the Sony Xperia U evokes only positive feelings: the small screen allows you to easily reach any element on the screen, all lists and desktops scroll smoothly, without jerking, there are no sticking points when flipping; programs open quickly, and games from the Google Play Store do not slow down. The device is quite capable of playing video with a resolution of up to 720p without slowdowns - another thing is that there is no point in filling the small amount of built-in memory with such large files (the screen resolution is much lower, and the smartphone does not have a video output).
Battery life
The lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia U is replaceable. It has a capacity of 1290 mAh that is not too large by modern standards. However, with such a small screen - the most energy-consuming element of any phone - the battery is quite capable of supporting the device at the level of other modern smartphones.
Testing the battery performance of the Sony Xperia U made a better impression than in the case of the Sony Xperia P model. That battery turned out to be unable to support the operation of the device within reasonable limits. Here, continuous MP3 playback with the screen off lasted more than 31 hours on a single charge, and continuous reading in the FBReader program at a medium brightness level lasted 8 hours.
Watching a video in an MKV container with a resolution of 720p lasted 3 hours 20 minutes, but this is only because MX Player did not support hardware decoding when playing MKV, and the entire load fell on the processor. When viewing a file in an AVI container with a resolution of 624×352, the smartphone worked quietly for 5 hours or more.
The Sony Xperia U charges quite quickly. Full charging time was less than 2 hours.
Prices
The average retail price of a device in Moscow at the time of reading the article in rubles can be found by moving the mouse to the price tag.
Bottom line
Summing up today's review of the Sony Xperia U, I would like, first of all, to note that this is the smallest and most inexpensive of the devices in the Xperia NXT line. Even the new Sony Xperia sola costs a little more than this model. At the same time, the Xperia U is fine not only with its design—the smartphone also received Sony’s signature “iconic design”—but also with its hardware characteristics. This little one has exactly the same powerful dual-core platform as the older model, the Sony Xperia P, but with a smaller screen it delivers even better performance. To put it in youth language, the model turned out to be very “nimble”, which, in fact, was what the manufacturer was counting on when developing a smartphone for young people. The Sony Xperia U phone will appeal even more to young people, given its customization capabilities through the choice of different color variations of pre-installed themes and complete covers. True, young people may not like the lack of the ability to increase the storage size of their own files using memory cards; this imposes its own limitations on the use of a smartphone. However, this is already becoming a general bad trend, and not only Sony has been subject to it lately.
As for competitors, the only model that comes to mind is the HTC One V, which occupies a similar position in the line of new smartphones from the Taiwanese manufacturer. It has a slightly larger screen (3.7 inches), but a slightly lower resolution (480×800) and, accordingly, a lower pixel density (PPI = 252). At the same time, the screens of these models are not inferior to each other in picture quality and viewing angles. The HTC One V has a single-core processor, but a larger battery capacity. In general, the models are almost equal on the scales, but the Taiwanese smartphone costs much more - about 3 thousand rubles at the moment. However, the presence of a memory card slot on the HTC One V is already a significant advantage.
In general, the choice and purchase of Sony Xperia U can be considered quite justified for those people who do not need a large screen. In all other respects, except for the screen, the device looks no worse, and in some ways even better than competing solutions.
