Sony Xperia go review

Sony continues to develop successful ideas embedded in niche models of past years. The new Sony Xperia go - a compact phone with a waterproof case replaced the familiar many Sony Ericsson Xperia active , the first Sony-protected smartphone on Android. The model is already on sale in Russia, and it is time to tell a little more in detail about what exactly Sony has prepared for its customers.

Design

Immediately striking reversal of the concept of unsinkable compact smartphone 180 degrees: replaced by a niche Xperia active came dressed in all-civilian Xperia go. The highest level of phone protection remained unchanged, but the image was completely changed: if Xperia active was bright (black and orange or black and white), with catchy detail in the form of a strap attachment, as powerful as a towing eye, then Xperia go is modest and nothing gives out his superpowers. Like James Bond, who has not had time to drink vodka with martini.

Traditional photo with a matchbox
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Ergonomics

The most noticeable feature of Go ergonomics is the lack of a camera key. The reasons are clear: fewer buttons - fewer slots through which water and sand can penetrate into the case. But still unusual.

Some replacement for it should be the camera key on the lock screen. This and the fast capture mode of fast capture in total give a fairly quick launch of the camera, even without a button.

The lack of a camera button made me complain about the location of the power button (also known as the screen lock) on the upper end of the case.

The traditional solution becomes not very convenient when you try to make a quick shot: by reflexively turning the phone into the "landscape" position, you find that you have to unlock the screen with your little finger - or rotate the phone again, losing precious seconds. It is no coincidence that the camera button is always located on the side, as it turns out on the most convenient place when taking a photo. The power button on the right side, like on Xperia P, for example, would save the day, but alas ... Go owners will have to develop a habit: first unlock the screen, then turn the phone. Or shoot in the "book" orientation.

The display of the smartphone is as if raised above the front surface of Go, which forms a smooth ledge under its lower part. This relief not only forms the recognizable look of the Sony Xperia, but also allows you to conveniently position your thumb in the usual position - without the risk of accidentally pressing one of the three located just above the touch keys.

It resembles the ideology of human curvature (man-pleasing bends), suggesting the sharpened design under human palms.

There is a microphone at the bottom.

The volume rocker is located on the usual place - on the right.

Connectors left only two, the most necessary - microUSB and headphones. Both are closed with tight plugs, which, however, are easily otkovyrivayutsya nail at the edges.

When removing a headphone or USB cable from the connector, a warning appears on the phone screen about the need to close the plugs back - otherwise, they say, you are waterproof.

The care is pleasant, but unnecessary - the spectacle dangling on an elastic band is not a very aesthetic spectacle, and it is also frightening - well, how it will come off. Therefore, it is unlikely that Go owners will forget to put them in their place. A screen warning can be turned off.

Despite the fact that the model is categorized as compact - you can't call it small. The dimensions of the device are 111 x 60.3 x 9.8 mm - in the breast pocket of a jacket or shirt it fits just fine, but it also lies confidently in your hand. 3.5 - 3.7 ", probably the ideal size in terms of convenience for the palms of any size.

Protection

It was not just a pity to dunk such beauty under the water - it was scary. Theoretically, the information I know about the high level of moisture and dust protection of the information warmed the soul a little - after all, compared to the bright orange plastic Xperia active, the Xperia go looks like an Oscar nominee next to a hunter in full gear - well, where are he in a tuxedo, in the swamps. In addition, the trip Xperia go served as a hot spot, handing out Wi-Fi to my other mobile devices - had it happened, I would have remained without the Internet. However, everything went like clockwork: the test "put the phone in the water and call it" the device went off with a bang. A total of Go lay in the water for about five minutes, taking calls and continuing to distribute wi-fi! Theoretically, he could lie there for half an hour, but I did not take the risk checking it out. As they say, you yourself drown uranium scrap in mercury.

Sony Xperia active is IP67 protected ( Ingress Protection Rating 67 ). This means the maximum (sixth) level of dust protection:

some dust can penetrate inside, but this does not disrupt the operation of the device. Full protection against contact

- and high (seventh of eight) level of moisture resistance:

during short-term immersion, water does not fall in quantities that disrupt the operation of the device. Permanent work in immersed mode is not expected.

By the way, during this test, the utilitarian essence of the Xperia go body material was revealed - being wet, it does not slip at all in his hands. You can take it to the sea without fear of drowning inadvertently to the joy of the archaeologists of the future. This is a good solution compared to the same Xperia active, the smooth plastic of which was significantly more slippery. He dries too quickly.

In the comments to the post gave a link to a wonderful video that demonstrates not only the water resistance, but also the impact resistance of the Xperia go. I think this is an extreme from the category “you can repeat it at home” - if, of course, you have Xperia go, and not a regular smartphone:

Insides

After water procedures - it's time to look from the inside, as they affected the phone.

The lid is removed by a notch in the lower right corner of the case. It is easy to notice, because through it "shines through" the turquoise-colored armor of the smartphone. Having picked up the cover, we podkolupyvaem it around the perimeter and remove.

Inside the water - like on Xperia active, the main protection is provided by the internal armor - on Go it is all bright turquoise. Handsomely. So for whether the lid fits snugly to the case, you can not worry about it, it does not solve anything here.

So what do we see inside?

The most important thing here is the location of the SIM card. It is installed in a special removable tray that is already inserted into the corresponding slot, tightly covering it. The SIM card on Xperia go uses a standard one.

Connector for microSD memory card is closed differently, using a rubber plug. Schemes engraved on the case will not allow to confuse the location of cards during installation.

Connector for removing the cover is the same "ear" for the strap - an elegant solution that allows you to save on extra holes. And convenient - as you can see in the photo, you will not have to suffer with strap sticking, the method of its fastening here is the most convenient possible - and reliable, at the same time. Yes, this is definitely a more elegant and successful solution than it was.

The speaker phone is covered with a film:

From the interesting - the rubber plug of the headphones is completely filled, if desired, you can pull it out and insert it back. But not necessary.

Some parts are covered with pieces of soft plastic, such as electrical tape, which I did not dare to tear off - I still have to use Go after.

Hard

Onboard the Xperia go is a dual-core 1 GHz processor, a 5 megapixel camera with the ability to capture 3D panoramas and just panoramas and 720p video.

The battery capacity increased compared to Xperia active - 1305 mAh vs. 1200. The battery test results show that it was not for nothing:

I think it is not necessary to explain how important for a phone, positioned as a device for an active lifestyle, is a large amount of battery. In addition to the increased battery capacity to increase work from a single charge, energy consumption optimization also works: for example, the display that has increased to 3.5 "has the same resolution of 480x320 pixels, which is also a plus of efficiency.

At the same time, it is impossible to say that this is not enough. You can, perhaps, find fault with the pixelization of the image - the ability to see the pixels has already become a disadvantage. However, in everyday use it is imperceptible, where the amount of content that fits on the screen is more important. In this sense, everything is OK: one desktop holds 16 application shortcuts, or, for example, 5 large widgets:

In the browser, pixelation flaws are felt more clearly: for example, on the Yandex main page, you can see that in its standard form it is quite difficult to read news headlines, you need to resize:

Whether it is an acceptable sacrifice in the name of economy - decide for yourself. In general, at the household level, I did not feel any damage compared to the full-size Sony Xperia models - there is no contrast that happened when, for example, I picked up the old Xperia mini 2010 after Xperia X10.

Dark spot in the biography of Xperia go - problems with the loss of the network, which the owners of some devices complained about - already in the past, they have been solved by the firmware released on August 2.

Soft

Xperia go was loaded with Android version 2.3.7, and with faith in a quick update to Ice
Cream Sandwich:

In a separate folder on the desktop are widgets of all the special applications that come with Go:

- compass, flashlight, pedometer, miCoach personal trainer and figure run app.

The first two are generally familiar from the reviews in this blog, and are generally well known and often found. Is that the compass amused - his requirement to write out the phone number eight in the air to calibrate the settings. It's funny, probably, I looked from the side when I was making passes with my hands with a concentrated view on the street - from the side of the phone, I suppose I could not see :)

The adidas branded application miCoach is an electronic personal trainer that will help you develop a workout program and will give you valuable guidance as you go. The application is fully localized - there is a Russian version in the list of languages. Choose a training program, set up voice prompts, choose a male or female voice that will push you and start - and forward, to a healthy lifestyle.

FigureRunning application offers you to turn your runs into drawings on a map of the area. There is a game element - new colors of pencils are opened gradually, and a social element is an opportunity to follow the progress of friends. On the application site there are examples of such pictures:

- but you can come up with something more abruptly than the Statue of Liberty.

Equipment

Sony Xperia go comes in a proprietary cardboard box-case. Packaging is go made in turquoise, the color of the entrails, tones. Inside, in addition to standard headphones and an adapter for microUSB, I, along with a plug for unloading from the network, I found only an adapter from microSIM to standard sim-size.

However, there is a special package Xperia go, called the Xperia go sports edition and includes:

• Smartphone Sony Xperia go (yellow)
• Sports arm cover
• Sports lace on hand
• Special headset mounts
• Wired stereo headset
• Charger unit
• USB data and charging cable.

My copy, as you probably already guessed, was black, but the manufacturer promises more white and yellow colors of the case . White in the photo looks nyashno, and it remains only to regret that it was not he who got into my hands. I hope he is not very marching. Well, the yellow Go is for those who miss the good old bright Xperia active.

By the way, according to the color perception studies that I read once, the yellow color is the most catchy - even more noticeable than the same orange.

Specifications

Let us summarize the figures and facts scattered throughout the text in one place and see what happens:

Dimensions: 111 x 60.3 x 9.8 mm
Weight: 110 g
Screen: 3.5 ”480x320 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine technology for better image quality
5MP camera with fast-shooting technology (1.5 seconds from locked state)
Scratch-resistant mineral glass with wet finger technology
the highest level of heat and moisture for a smartphone - IP67
Dual core 1GHz processor
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) on board with an upcoming upgrade to 4.0 (Ice
Cream Sandwich)
1305 mAh battery
Black, white and yellow body colors