Xperia S Review

[davewood44]

I was really looking forward to this phone, but after a couple of ropey reviews it has put me off a little, apparently Engadget's isn't going to be great either..

I'm not getting too hung up on the lack of ICS as i'm sure it will come, however I am starting to look at the One S as an alternative, but that comes with a few negatives aswell.

Decisions Decisions....

Go for the xperia s, I recon once ics hits it it will be better than the htc s in every respect.

 

[zafonic]

I think I'm still going to get it, but I'd like to see what T3 think of it first.

More and more rumours about Sony's replacement for the Xperia S coming in June aren't helping either.

I'm interested to hear what GSM Arena & Tracy & Matt have to say. Hopefully good.

 

[davewood44]

Engadget review is mediocre.

That's 7 reviews I've read.......

3 rate it poor, 2 mediocre and only 2 rate it a winner!

A bit concerning......

 

[davewood44]

I think I'm still going to get it, but I'd like to see what T3 think of it first.

More and more rumours about Sony's replacement for the Xperia S coming in June aren't helping either.

Replacement? In June! Where did you hear that? Now that will have an effect on my pre-order in that case!

 

[zafonic]

Engadget review is mediocre.

That's 7 reviews I've read.......

3 rate it poor, 2 mediocre and only 2 rate it a winner!

A bit concerning......

who are the three that rated it poor?

 

[davewood44]

who are the three that rated it poor?

Off the top of my head electric pig is one, can't think of the other 2. They weren't bad as such, just along the lines of not really good enough.

I am looking at the moment on the Internet about the next sony phones possible released in the summer!

Not happy with that, I don't mind new phones every 12 months but less than 6 months is not on.

Seriously considering forgetting about the s now.

 

[angelus97]

Replacement? In June! Where did you hear that? Now that will have an effect on my pre-order in that case!

iPhone 4S Rival Alert : Sony To Release Another Superphone In June | ITProPortal.com

It also looks like the leaked Sony schedule may be correct

Sony's 2012 portfolio launch schedule leaks with pricing, exotic food codenames in tow

The Hayabusa and Mint are both more expensive than the Xperia S, which makes me wonder whether Sony doesn't consider the Xperia S their flagship model for 2012.

 

[zafonic]

Has it been confirmed that the mint is indeed a smartphone and not a tablet?

 

[angelus97]

From what I've read the list is supposed to be their smartphone line up. I'm thinking for that price it may be a business phone like the Galaxy Note.

Genuinely not sure what to do. If I wait until June/July and the phone has features I don't want, e.g. a larger screen, I'll be annoyed I waited for it and didn't just get the Xperia now.

Bit of a dilemma.

 

[zafonic]

Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct. I know the Xperia S is going to be superseeded sooner than later, but what the hell regardless of some of the negative reviews u still like everything about this phone.

 

[davewood44]

From what I've read the list is supposed to be their smartphone line up. I'm thinking for that price it may be a business phone like the Galaxy Note.

Genuinely not sure what to do. If I wait until June/July and the phone has features I don't want, e.g. a larger screen, I'll be annoyed I waited for it and didn't just get the Xperia now.

Bit of a dilemma.

I've just given up! I'm going to wait a couple of months and see what happens. I don't NEED a phone replacement now it's just I upgrade sim free every 12 months......I can wait for 14 I suppose!

 

[Spewy]

Dont give up, this is going to be a GREAT phone. What are you upgrading from?

 

[bayhota]

broke my htc xe, last month, so been waiting for this for a while now.

 

[angelus97]

Sometimes you have to go with your gut instinct. I know the Xperia S is going to be superseeded sooner than later, but what the hell regardless of some of the negative reviews u still like everything about this phone.

You're right. Now it's out at O2 I'm going to take the plunge and get it next week. I think if I already had an Android phone I would get it without any hesitation. The issue is I'm coming from an iPhone.

I like Apple's devices, but I'm no Apple fanboy. They've started to annoy me recently as their updates seem to just be what you'd expect from any tech firm to improve from their previous year's device. They don't seem to innovate any more (if a company develops a good idea they just buy the company).

I'm only hesitant because I've never used an Android device so it just means getting used to a new operating system.

Anyway, here's another good review.

Sony Xperia S Review

 

[davewood44]

You're right. Now it's out at O2 I'm going to take the plunge and get it next week. I think if I already had an Android phone I would get it without any hesitation. The issue is I'm coming from an iPhone.

I like Apple's devices, but I'm no Apple fanboy. They've started to annoy me recently as their updates seem to just be what you'd expect from any tech firm to improve from their previous year's device. They don't seem to innovate any more (if a company develops a good idea they just buy the company).

I'm only hesitant because I've never used an Android device so it just means getting used to a new operating system.

Anyway, here's another good review.

Sony Xperia S Review

I'm in the same boat, been a iphone user for 4 years, bored with it now, got myself a galaxy nexus a few weeks back, lovely! I miss certain apps but the software is so much better and customization and widgets are great! However, the phone itself I don't like.

Hence looking at the xperia s and htc one x.

 

[Tyseyh]

I'm in the same boat, been a iphone user for 4 years, bored with it now, got myself a galaxy nexus a few weeks back, lovely! I miss certain apps but the software is so much better and customization and widgets are great! However, the phone itself I don't like.

Hence looking at the xperia s and htc one x.

Android is amazing, but then I am biased.

The nexus in my eyes looks like a slab of ugly, the Xperia S however looks like it's made of win.

 

[angelus97]

Sony have just done a live Q&A on Facebook about the Xperia. Going through the answers given, Sony are aiming for ICS to be released in May.

 

[zafonic]

May...that seems a long way off. I was hoping for April.

 

[Tyseyh]

Another good review.

 

[jonmorris]

Here are my early opinions before I get on with my own review.

I've already posted this on another forum, but as I wrote it I feel it's okay to repost!

Firstly, it's not an AMOLED screen, but it's not a PenTile matrix either - so the text is pin-sharp. I like the screen and was actually surprised how deep the blacks are, although was under no illusion that it wouldn't be as good as OLED contrast wise. Nothing ever will be.

I will start my review next week when I'm back at work, but I'd say that the screen is the real positive here - as you probably all expected. It's stunning!

The camera is good too, along with the quick start feature that can be set to either fire up the camera (even when locked) or fire up and take a shot (sans flash). You can then take more pictures, but (like Windows Phone) will have to go to the unlock screen to be able to do anything else if you got into the camera that way. I guess a thief could take loads of pictures on your phone, but not do anything with them!

It feels great in the hand and you don't think you're about to drop it, but I still think I'd get one of the official cases when they come out. The cheap Chinese gel cases may be okay, but I find they make the camera button hard to use. I fear the phone will dent if dropped.

It's fast too - but there has been some lagging when getting new email in the Gmail app - but every phone I've tested does this, and it's got to be down to the coding in the apps as the Galaxy Nexus had none of this - so I really hope that when the Xperia S gets ICS, it will be even faster because Google has finally made background syncing a lot more efficient. It's one reason why I wish they'd held out until ICS could ship as standard, along with the problem of some customers being confused when the menus and apps change not long after they buy their new phone (I presume Sony wants to sell to more than just Android geeks?)

The speaker is a bit of a disappointment, but perhaps that's because I've used so many Motorola devices where the speakers are great. It's loud, thanks to xLoud, but tinny - like the arc/arc S.

Back to the camera, I've found the video recording to be okay but I am not sure the flash is that bright. I'll obviously test this out a bit more thoroughly over the coming days.

I've also found that the homescreen launcher can quit and re-load (a problem on the arc which had much less RAM) which is annoying. If you root it, you can adjust the low memory limits, but I am amazed Sony hasn't tweaked. The good news is that there's 2GB of app storage space, not 380MB.

Finally, the buttons under the screen. To me, this is the one thing that could deter some people from buying the device. You seem to need to press them very accurately, and with a firm touch - not just a tap. You can, and will, get used to it if it's your main phone but the responsiveness is poor. Whether this can be adjusted (via service menus or future updates) I am not sure about, but I've found it a little frustrating. It's also annoying that the icons are only lit for a small time so you are pressing blind, and given the need to be quite accurate, using the phone in the dark isn't great. Sure, the arc didn't have illuminated buttons at all, but they were quite easy to 'feel'.

I hope that's useful, considering it's not my actual review! Oh, to add; it benchmarks well too.

One more thing to add; it's bloody stupid that they've got the USB port on one side and the HDMI on the other. That means no dock, and the universal dock they released last year doesn't really support the Xperia S - which just tips over.

And another thing to add!: So far I've been unable to pair any Bluetooth keyboards with it - from a Motorola wireless one (for the Atrix and others) to the Apple one. The Apple one pairs, but doesn't connect (and on any other Android devices, you simply enter the pairing code on the phone and then type the digits + return on the keyboard).

It has 2.3.7 on it now and should get ICS in Q2, ahead of the 2011 Xperia models. I'd hope that this is sooner rather than later, so not the last week of June. I'd seriously consider installing an unofficial ROM on it, as ICS really is a lot better.

 

[zafonic]

Jon,

Regarding the capacitive buttons, jaseuk a member of this forum suggested that he/she found by pressing just above any one of three dots was most effective and most responsive this way.

Worth a try.

 

[jonmorris]

That's sort of true. If you go into the service menu (as I've now done), however, you can play around with the key test and see you can press on, above and left and right of the icon - but it seems you just need to press quite firm and not just a light, quick, tap.

This will need further investigation and a lot of practice!

 

[angelus97]

Probably the most in depth review I've come across so far

Sony Xperia S review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Mobile phones

 

[lavellep]

Probably the most in depth review I've come across so far

Sony Xperia S review | from TechRadar's expert reviews of Mobile phones

Ironically, I just came on here to post that. I'm the guy who wrote tht review for Techradar.

Just occurred to me.. The soft key thing is a bit of an issue. But then again, ICS will negate the need to use them at all

 

[zafonic]

Ironically, I just came on here to post that. I'm the guy who wrote tht review for Techradar.

Just occurred to me.. The soft key thing is a bit of an issue. But then again, ICS will negate the need to use them at all

Nice review mate.