Sony Xperia V Review
Recently , Sony Xperia V is on sale in Russia - one of the flagships and the most relevant Sony models at the moment. It's no secret that the main driver of sales at this time of the year are holidays, and Xperia V is one of the candidates for getting under someone's tree. Does he deserve this? We'll see.
Three key, in my opinion, the characteristics of Xperia V: 4.3 ”screen, waterproof, LTE. Let's start with them.
')
In the age of touchscreen smartphones, the main parameter of any phone is the screen: resolution and diagonal. With this, the Xperia V has everything in order: the 4.3 ”diagonal holds 1280 pixels vertically and 720 horizontally - the normal HD resolution is, in general, like the Xperia S (with the same diagonal, by the way).
In addition, the display has a couple of new chips, which I just can not fail to mention: this is the new display production technology Sensor on lens, thanks to which the screen is brighter and has wider viewing angles and an improved Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology that makes the image more realistic . The picture is really bright and juicy - in fact, as befits a top-end smartphone. In general, it just works.
More precisely, moisture and dust protection. This has already become a proprietary Sony chip - only this year it released the mid-size Xperia go and the modified flagship acro S with protection against water and dust.
Now, among the phones that are not afraid to drop into the water, you can reach it in the pouring rain or accidentally throw a frisbee on the beach along with the Xperia V appeared. Its protection standard is IP 55/57, which means that some dust can penetrate inside, however this does not disturb the operation of the device, the insides are completely protected from contact; as well as protection from water jets from any direction (can be washed under a tap), during short-term immersion the water does not get into quantities that disrupt the operation of the device - you can take it with you to the bathroom. But, just in case - a permanent job in the submerged mode is still not supposed.
Sony Xperia V is the first Sony model operating in Russian LTE networks. The model supports all allowed frequency bands: I, III, V, VII and XX. I can’t say how it works, although when I first turned on, Sony saw the Megafon LTE network, but to connect to it, you need a special SIM card. Therefore, for my needs I managed the traditional already 3G and Wi-Fi. However, the fact of the presence of LTE-network in Moscow, like LTE in the smartphone itself, is good news.
By the way, in the settings * # * # 4636 # * # * you can set the LTE only mode and now work with a modem sim card, for example, to distribute the Internet via wi-fi.
At one time, Sony Xperia arc was recognized as one of the most beautiful smartphones in 2011 - and certainly was one of the most original. The main motive of his design was a concave cover, which gave him a name. In 2012, Sony returned to the arc-style in a number of its models. It will be appropriate to recall that the year began with the line of NXT - angular smartphones with a transparent strip under the screen. Thus, the Sony model range this year is mainly formed from NXT and arc-shaped models of smartphones.
It is also a noticeable detail of the appearance of the Xperia V, except for the concave cover - this is the lack of front keys, both physical and touch. Now they finally moved to the screen, appearing there as necessary.
Along the entire perimeter of the case, there is a powerful plastic rib under aluminum - this is the only design element that gives off the brutal essence of the phone - so to speak, body armor under a tuxedo.
Buttons on the case in principle has become less. Let's say a separate camera launch key has disappeared, now the fastest way to launch it is a button on the lock screen.
There is a power / lock screen button and a volume button. The connectors are also the minimum required number - microUSB and 3.5 mm audio output.
Both, of course, are closed with plugs. Perhaps the stub - the only, but inevitable lack of waterproof smartphones.
It is extremely curious to observe the evolution of Sony's protected smartphones since last year’s Xperia active model. On the one hand, this is expansion - more and more segments in the model range are covered. On the other hand, the defense itself becomes less conspicuous, more elegant, without losing its protective properties.
For example, an unprepared user may not even notice that the Xperia V is a waterproof smartphone. Caps surprise no one - they are on regular phones. And if you remove the back cover, then under it - the usual smartphone internals: a slot for a memory card and microSIM, and a removable battery:
This is the peculiarity - for example, in Xperia active, a second, real protective shell was hidden under the top, decorative cover:
In Xperia go, the shell was already fixed - only with a pair of slots for a memory card and a SIM:
In Xperia V, the protective cover of the smartphone itself performs the protective function - a special curb made of hard rubber is located on its inner surface, the shape of which shows that it protects the connector area for the SIM card and the battery location from water ingress.
Simple and elegant solution. And most importantly - delicate.
Onboard V, the Qualcomm 8960 Snapdragon S4 chipset with the 1.5GHz Krait dual-core processor is the most powerful in the Xperia line.
1 GB of RAM promises to work without brakes, its own memory on a smartphone is 8 gigabytes, and an SD card is supported up to 32 GB.
The battery capacity is 1750 mAh, not so much, but it is partly compensated by the presence of an extended standby mode - a function included in the power settings, which means that data transmission is turned off if the phone is inactive for a while. This is a very significant saving of the battery, and, at the same time, the user's money.
Xperia V comes with Android 4.0.4. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first Xperia smartphone, which changed the composition and purpose of the menu keys. The traditional Sony set has always been like this: home, context menu and back - and sometimes (for example, on Xperia ion) a fourth button appeared - search. There are still three buttons on the Xperia V, but the Menu button has given way to the button for calling up the latest applications. This is not the idea of ​​Sony, but the general Android is such a tradition - but the decision is controversial, in my opinion. It is assumed that the user often needs to switch between many applications, which brings multitasking to a new level.
The menu button is now part of the interface of the application itself - however, for those programs where its support has not yet been implemented, it is displayed by the OS itself along with the main keys. Obviously, it was one of the reasons for abandoning even the touch, but separate menu buttons - great flexibility.
Another purpose of the new button is to show the so-called small applications that appear in the form of pop-up windows — notes, a voice recorder, a calculator, and so on — there is a whole section in Google Play with these smallest applications — not very big yet.
Such an application does not open in full screen and allows you to do your work in passing - for example, posting your status on facebook while playing Angry birds:
Exploring the pre-installed applications, drew attention to the Play Movies and Play Books:
- it has long been known that Google decided to sell not only applications through its market, but also books, movies and games.
Play books offer for acquaintance only Russian classics - Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky. To improve the cultural level of its users, I suppose. The remaining books are required to buy - however, you can read a free excerpt before purchase.
As a reader, the application I really liked. Text display settings as in a decent test editor + the ability to read aloud.
However, the latter is more amusing than a really useful function - the text reads legibly, but painfully funny male voice with a parody foreign accent. The voice of GLaDOS would suit, in my opinion, better;)
The Play Movies application is simpler - in fact, this is just a catalog of already purchased films + the cover of the Google Play movie catalog. The player is used for playback, and to access the full catalog and purchase movies you need to go to Google Play itself.
What upset me is that there are absolutely no free films, at least those that have long been in the public domain, classics of cinema. But in general, the idea looks promising - the opportunity to buy a film or a book here and now is actually in demand, including in Russia - the myths about the pirate republic in our case are greatly exaggerated. However, for now this is a fairly narrow niche of users, on the one hand, sufficiently well-to-do (not students and schoolchildren, who are paid by parents for communication costs) to buy a film in HD quality for 400 rubles, and on the other, not enough demanding. Let's say I didn’t see information about the voice acting languages ​​(is there an original track?) And the presence of subtitles in the movie information. I suspect that on both points the answer is no, so I still do not get into the Central Asia of this service.
In the traditional white box were packed: the actual smartphone Sony Xperia V (LT25i), battery BA800 1750 mAh, high-power charging unit 880, wired stereo headset MH750 and cable for charging and syncing.
The color options of the case - more precisely, the back cover - white matte with silver trim (as on my copy), black soft-touch with a gray matte frame and pink matte with a pink border - for girls.
Once again, the summary characteristics of the smartphone:
It just so happened that in the field of creating smartphones with protection against water and dirt, Sony is competing with itself. Judging by the regular premieres of protected smartphones, buyers appreciated this. Well, specifically Xperia V demonstrates that protection can be completely invisible. And it pleases even more - perhaps over time it will become the industry standard, and the phones will no longer be so fragile and vulnerable, acquire weapons and enslave humanity .
But even if you give competitors a head start, the Sony Xperia V remains a powerful and stylish smartphone with its own, unlike any other person and worthy features. It is, it is true, too, like Sony - not cheap. The recommended price is 24,990 rubles, but judging by my impressions and estimates on Yandex.Market (there are 5 stars in Xperia V) - it's worth it.
Think for yourself, decide for yourself - the most important thing that distinguishes a person from the most intelligent machine is, after all, the right to choose. Well, when he is (:
Three key, in my opinion, the characteristics of Xperia V: 4.3 ”screen, waterproof, LTE. Let's start with them.
')
Screen
In the age of touchscreen smartphones, the main parameter of any phone is the screen: resolution and diagonal. With this, the Xperia V has everything in order: the 4.3 ”diagonal holds 1280 pixels vertically and 720 horizontally - the normal HD resolution is, in general, like the Xperia S (with the same diagonal, by the way).
In addition, the display has a couple of new chips, which I just can not fail to mention: this is the new display production technology Sensor on lens, thanks to which the screen is brighter and has wider viewing angles and an improved Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology that makes the image more realistic . The picture is really bright and juicy - in fact, as befits a top-end smartphone. In general, it just works.
Moisture protection
More precisely, moisture and dust protection. This has already become a proprietary Sony chip - only this year it released the mid-size Xperia go and the modified flagship acro S with protection against water and dust.
Now, among the phones that are not afraid to drop into the water, you can reach it in the pouring rain or accidentally throw a frisbee on the beach along with the Xperia V appeared. Its protection standard is IP 55/57, which means that some dust can penetrate inside, however this does not disturb the operation of the device, the insides are completely protected from contact; as well as protection from water jets from any direction (can be washed under a tap), during short-term immersion the water does not get into quantities that disrupt the operation of the device - you can take it with you to the bathroom. But, just in case - a permanent job in the submerged mode is still not supposed.
LTE
Sony Xperia V is the first Sony model operating in Russian LTE networks. The model supports all allowed frequency bands: I, III, V, VII and XX. I can’t say how it works, although when I first turned on, Sony saw the Megafon LTE network, but to connect to it, you need a special SIM card. Therefore, for my needs I managed the traditional already 3G and Wi-Fi. However, the fact of the presence of LTE-network in Moscow, like LTE in the smartphone itself, is good news.
By the way, in the settings * # * # 4636 # * # * you can set the LTE only mode and now work with a modem sim card, for example, to distribute the Internet via wi-fi.
Design
At one time, Sony Xperia arc was recognized as one of the most beautiful smartphones in 2011 - and certainly was one of the most original. The main motive of his design was a concave cover, which gave him a name. In 2012, Sony returned to the arc-style in a number of its models. It will be appropriate to recall that the year began with the line of NXT - angular smartphones with a transparent strip under the screen. Thus, the Sony model range this year is mainly formed from NXT and arc-shaped models of smartphones.
It is also a noticeable detail of the appearance of the Xperia V, except for the concave cover - this is the lack of front keys, both physical and touch. Now they finally moved to the screen, appearing there as necessary.
Along the entire perimeter of the case, there is a powerful plastic rib under aluminum - this is the only design element that gives off the brutal essence of the phone - so to speak, body armor under a tuxedo.
Buttons on the case in principle has become less. Let's say a separate camera launch key has disappeared, now the fastest way to launch it is a button on the lock screen.
There is a power / lock screen button and a volume button. The connectors are also the minimum required number - microUSB and 3.5 mm audio output.
Both, of course, are closed with plugs. Perhaps the stub - the only, but inevitable lack of waterproof smartphones.
Insides
It is extremely curious to observe the evolution of Sony's protected smartphones since last year’s Xperia active model. On the one hand, this is expansion - more and more segments in the model range are covered. On the other hand, the defense itself becomes less conspicuous, more elegant, without losing its protective properties.
For example, an unprepared user may not even notice that the Xperia V is a waterproof smartphone. Caps surprise no one - they are on regular phones. And if you remove the back cover, then under it - the usual smartphone internals: a slot for a memory card and microSIM, and a removable battery:
This is the peculiarity - for example, in Xperia active, a second, real protective shell was hidden under the top, decorative cover:
In Xperia go, the shell was already fixed - only with a pair of slots for a memory card and a SIM:
In Xperia V, the protective cover of the smartphone itself performs the protective function - a special curb made of hard rubber is located on its inner surface, the shape of which shows that it protects the connector area for the SIM card and the battery location from water ingress.
Simple and elegant solution. And most importantly - delicate.
Specifications
Onboard V, the Qualcomm 8960 Snapdragon S4 chipset with the 1.5GHz Krait dual-core processor is the most powerful in the Xperia line.
1 GB of RAM promises to work without brakes, its own memory on a smartphone is 8 gigabytes, and an SD card is supported up to 32 GB.
The battery capacity is 1750 mAh, not so much, but it is partly compensated by the presence of an extended standby mode - a function included in the power settings, which means that data transmission is turned off if the phone is inactive for a while. This is a very significant saving of the battery, and, at the same time, the user's money.
Soft
Xperia V comes with Android 4.0.4. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first Xperia smartphone, which changed the composition and purpose of the menu keys. The traditional Sony set has always been like this: home, context menu and back - and sometimes (for example, on Xperia ion) a fourth button appeared - search. There are still three buttons on the Xperia V, but the Menu button has given way to the button for calling up the latest applications. This is not the idea of ​​Sony, but the general Android is such a tradition - but the decision is controversial, in my opinion. It is assumed that the user often needs to switch between many applications, which brings multitasking to a new level.
The menu button is now part of the interface of the application itself - however, for those programs where its support has not yet been implemented, it is displayed by the OS itself along with the main keys. Obviously, it was one of the reasons for abandoning even the touch, but separate menu buttons - great flexibility.
Another purpose of the new button is to show the so-called small applications that appear in the form of pop-up windows — notes, a voice recorder, a calculator, and so on — there is a whole section in Google Play with these smallest applications — not very big yet.
Such an application does not open in full screen and allows you to do your work in passing - for example, posting your status on facebook while playing Angry birds:
Exploring the pre-installed applications, drew attention to the Play Movies and Play Books:
- it has long been known that Google decided to sell not only applications through its market, but also books, movies and games.
Play books offer for acquaintance only Russian classics - Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky. To improve the cultural level of its users, I suppose. The remaining books are required to buy - however, you can read a free excerpt before purchase.
As a reader, the application I really liked. Text display settings as in a decent test editor + the ability to read aloud.
However, the latter is more amusing than a really useful function - the text reads legibly, but painfully funny male voice with a parody foreign accent. The voice of GLaDOS would suit, in my opinion, better;)
The Play Movies application is simpler - in fact, this is just a catalog of already purchased films + the cover of the Google Play movie catalog. The player is used for playback, and to access the full catalog and purchase movies you need to go to Google Play itself.
What upset me is that there are absolutely no free films, at least those that have long been in the public domain, classics of cinema. But in general, the idea looks promising - the opportunity to buy a film or a book here and now is actually in demand, including in Russia - the myths about the pirate republic in our case are greatly exaggerated. However, for now this is a fairly narrow niche of users, on the one hand, sufficiently well-to-do (not students and schoolchildren, who are paid by parents for communication costs) to buy a film in HD quality for 400 rubles, and on the other, not enough demanding. Let's say I didn’t see information about the voice acting languages ​​(is there an original track?) And the presence of subtitles in the movie information. I suspect that on both points the answer is no, so I still do not get into the Central Asia of this service.
Equipment
In the traditional white box were packed: the actual smartphone Sony Xperia V (LT25i), battery BA800 1750 mAh, high-power charging unit 880, wired stereo headset MH750 and cable for charging and syncing.
The color options of the case - more precisely, the back cover - white matte with silver trim (as on my copy), black soft-touch with a gray matte frame and pink matte with a pink border - for girls.
Once again, the summary characteristics of the smartphone:
- 4.3-inch display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels
- dimensions 129x65x10,9 mm
- weight 120 g
- 13 megapixel camera with fast shooting technology and the ability to record video in Full HD format.
- 1.5 GHz dual core processor
- LTE standard support
- Android OS version 4.0.4
- protection against dust and water (IP55 / 57 +), protection against immersion to a depth of 1 m for a time up to 30 minutes
- black, pink and white
Summary
It just so happened that in the field of creating smartphones with protection against water and dirt, Sony is competing with itself. Judging by the regular premieres of protected smartphones, buyers appreciated this. Well, specifically Xperia V demonstrates that protection can be completely invisible. And it pleases even more - perhaps over time it will become the industry standard, and the phones will no longer be so fragile and vulnerable
But even if you give competitors a head start, the Sony Xperia V remains a powerful and stylish smartphone with its own, unlike any other person and worthy features. It is, it is true, too, like Sony - not cheap. The recommended price is 24,990 rubles, but judging by my impressions and estimates on Yandex.Market (there are 5 stars in Xperia V) - it's worth it.
Think for yourself, decide for yourself - the most important thing that distinguishes a person from the most intelligent machine is, after all, the right to choose. Well, when he is (:
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/162619/
All Articles