Modest Charm - Sony Xperia L Review
Many people associate the expression “budget smartphone” with an inconvenient and low-power device that is suitable only for calls and correspondence. Until recently, those who did not want to lay out a large amount of money for a phone were not so easy to find something worthy and, in most cases, had to be content with small screens, modest cameras, and severe restrictions in terms of using applications and games. Sony Xperia L fits into a modest budget, but can not complain about poor performance, has a large screen and a fair set of modern technologies. We offer you a review of this device!
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Grade quite concise, it is done in the name of economy. In the box is a phone, battery and charger. Headset, docking station, NFC tags and other accessories are not included.
When you first look at the Xperia L, a thought comes to mind at once - yes, this is good old Arc S! Only with beveled ends, without buttons below the display and with fewer connectors. The tactile sensations are also very similar - the phone is just as thin and light, although the case is not glossy, but from matte plastic (which is even better, it won't scratch that way). A proximity sensor and a front-facing camera are located above the screen, a miniUSB connector is on the left, a power button, a camera control button and a volume control on the right, and a 3.5 mm headset jack in the middle of the upper end. The back is decorated with a large eye of the main camera, LED-flash and an external speaker. On the edge of the case is a chrome strip that separates the back cover, which can be removed using a special notch next to the USB port. By the way, the lid is held tightly and firmly, so some effort will be required, but surely no one will complain about gaps or play. At the bottom of the border, an indicator is hidden, which can change colors depending on the events assigned to it or the image on the screen (for example, the album cover, photo or video - in general, like a Xperia SP strip, just not so big). The device is available in black, white and red versions.
Under the cover there is a battery compartment, as well as slots for a standard SIM card and a microSD card, and hot-swappable — you do not need to remove the battery.
The screen of the Xperia L is 4.3-inch with a resolution of 480x854, due to this, the L-ka boasts a very decent performance for its price segment. There is no need to complain about the viewing angles and brightness - when turning less than 60 degrees, the image does not even tarnish, and even at 85 it is quite possible to make out. Like other models, the screen is immediately covered with high-quality film, from which, if desired, you can easily get rid of.
In this model, the same eight-megapixel Exmor RS module is installed, as in Xperia SP, the camera is equipped with its own button, which allows, depending on the settings, either launch it, either immediately take a photo or start shooting a video, or do nothing. Unlike older models, there is no super-automatic mode, but all other functions are present, such as HDR, panoramas, exposure control, white balance, focus and sensitivity, image stabilizer, smile detection, geotags and graphic filters, working in real time. Video is recorded in HD format with the ability to make single-megapixel images during recording using a special button.
A year ago it was hard to imagine a dual-core processor and a gigabyte of RAM in a budget smartphone, but today it is becoming more and more common. As already mentioned, due to the not very high resolution of the screen, the performance of the Xperia L is quite high and quite sufficient for convenient operation in any applications. The device also copes well with games, including quite voracious three-dimensional races or ports with a PC (for example, GTA 3 works quite well). 3DMark gives quite acceptable 19-25 FPS. The results of the remaining tests can be found in the screenshots below.
The battery capacity of L is slightly lower than that of the record holders of SP and ZR, but not so high power and gluttony allows it to live quietly for three or four days in standby mode and for about a day with intensive use - using 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, reading, taking pictures, watching videos, listening to music, sending SMS and talking on the phone. On the Internet, there is information that some enthusiasts have managed to get Xperia L to hold out on a single charge for a week. In addition, you can keep a spare battery with you or search for a high-capacity battery (although in the latter case, Sony is not responsible for the performance of the device).
Xperia L supports all standards of communication, except LTE, befitting a modern smartphone, but for this, nevertheless, it is worth referring to older models. For two weeks of active use, the connection never disappeared, all calls went through, Wi-Fi did not fall off, navigation worked perfectly.
By default, here, like other models of this year, the operating system Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is installed with a familiar shell and a set of themes. A set of pre-installed software, unlike older models, is limited to free applications: File Commander, Facebook, Opera Mini, NeoReader, OfficeSuite, as well as a standard set of applications from Google. We have already told you about the Walkman player, and the version installed on the Xperia L is no different from the rest. Among the interesting options are already familiar Throw (playing content from a smartphone on other devices, such as TVs), transferring data via NFC using the Android Beam function, STAMINA mode, which allows you to increase battery life several times due to limiting network activity in standby, the ability to turn on Wi-Fi when appearing in certain places, as well as a good set of widgets like a player, weather forecast or fast on / off of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other functions.
Comfortable phone with an elegant design at an affordable price. The large screen, good camera, solid battery life and sufficient performance for the vast majority of tasks make it an excellent option for those who are used to counting money, but prefer high-quality and convenient things. In addition, it is nice for such modest money to get a device that is not inferior, and, in many respects, surpasses the day before yesterday’s flagship.
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8230 dual-core, 1000 MHz
Memory: 1 GB of RAM, 8 MB of internal memory, support for SD cards
Video: Adreno 305
Connectivity: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G
Navigation: GPS, GLONASS
Main camera: Exmor RS 8 mp
Front camera: 0.3 MP
Battery: 1750 mAh, removable
OS: Android 4.1
Dimensions: 128.7 x 65 x 9.7 mm
Weight: 137 g
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Complete set and appearance
Grade quite concise, it is done in the name of economy. In the box is a phone, battery and charger. Headset, docking station, NFC tags and other accessories are not included.
When you first look at the Xperia L, a thought comes to mind at once - yes, this is good old Arc S! Only with beveled ends, without buttons below the display and with fewer connectors. The tactile sensations are also very similar - the phone is just as thin and light, although the case is not glossy, but from matte plastic (which is even better, it won't scratch that way). A proximity sensor and a front-facing camera are located above the screen, a miniUSB connector is on the left, a power button, a camera control button and a volume control on the right, and a 3.5 mm headset jack in the middle of the upper end. The back is decorated with a large eye of the main camera, LED-flash and an external speaker. On the edge of the case is a chrome strip that separates the back cover, which can be removed using a special notch next to the USB port. By the way, the lid is held tightly and firmly, so some effort will be required, but surely no one will complain about gaps or play. At the bottom of the border, an indicator is hidden, which can change colors depending on the events assigned to it or the image on the screen (for example, the album cover, photo or video - in general, like a Xperia SP strip, just not so big). The device is available in black, white and red versions.
Under the cover there is a battery compartment, as well as slots for a standard SIM card and a microSD card, and hot-swappable — you do not need to remove the battery.
Screen
The screen of the Xperia L is 4.3-inch with a resolution of 480x854, due to this, the L-ka boasts a very decent performance for its price segment. There is no need to complain about the viewing angles and brightness - when turning less than 60 degrees, the image does not even tarnish, and even at 85 it is quite possible to make out. Like other models, the screen is immediately covered with high-quality film, from which, if desired, you can easily get rid of.
Camera
In this model, the same eight-megapixel Exmor RS module is installed, as in Xperia SP, the camera is equipped with its own button, which allows, depending on the settings, either launch it, either immediately take a photo or start shooting a video, or do nothing. Unlike older models, there is no super-automatic mode, but all other functions are present, such as HDR, panoramas, exposure control, white balance, focus and sensitivity, image stabilizer, smile detection, geotags and graphic filters, working in real time. Video is recorded in HD format with the ability to make single-megapixel images during recording using a special button.
Performance
A year ago it was hard to imagine a dual-core processor and a gigabyte of RAM in a budget smartphone, but today it is becoming more and more common. As already mentioned, due to the not very high resolution of the screen, the performance of the Xperia L is quite high and quite sufficient for convenient operation in any applications. The device also copes well with games, including quite voracious three-dimensional races or ports with a PC (for example, GTA 3 works quite well). 3DMark gives quite acceptable 19-25 FPS. The results of the remaining tests can be found in the screenshots below.
Battery
The battery capacity of L is slightly lower than that of the record holders of SP and ZR, but not so high power and gluttony allows it to live quietly for three or four days in standby mode and for about a day with intensive use - using 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, reading, taking pictures, watching videos, listening to music, sending SMS and talking on the phone. On the Internet, there is information that some enthusiasts have managed to get Xperia L to hold out on a single charge for a week. In addition, you can keep a spare battery with you or search for a high-capacity battery (although in the latter case, Sony is not responsible for the performance of the device).
Connection
Xperia L supports all standards of communication, except LTE, befitting a modern smartphone, but for this, nevertheless, it is worth referring to older models. For two weeks of active use, the connection never disappeared, all calls went through, Wi-Fi did not fall off, navigation worked perfectly.
Software and Multimedia
By default, here, like other models of this year, the operating system Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is installed with a familiar shell and a set of themes. A set of pre-installed software, unlike older models, is limited to free applications: File Commander, Facebook, Opera Mini, NeoReader, OfficeSuite, as well as a standard set of applications from Google. We have already told you about the Walkman player, and the version installed on the Xperia L is no different from the rest. Among the interesting options are already familiar Throw (playing content from a smartphone on other devices, such as TVs), transferring data via NFC using the Android Beam function, STAMINA mode, which allows you to increase battery life several times due to limiting network activity in standby, the ability to turn on Wi-Fi when appearing in certain places, as well as a good set of widgets like a player, weather forecast or fast on / off of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other functions.
Summary
Comfortable phone with an elegant design at an affordable price. The large screen, good camera, solid battery life and sufficient performance for the vast majority of tasks make it an excellent option for those who are used to counting money, but prefer high-quality and convenient things. In addition, it is nice for such modest money to get a device that is not inferior, and, in many respects, surpasses the day before yesterday’s flagship.
Specifications
Processor: Qualcomm MSM8230 dual-core, 1000 MHz
Memory: 1 GB of RAM, 8 MB of internal memory, support for SD cards
Video: Adreno 305
Connectivity: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G
Navigation: GPS, GLONASS
Main camera: Exmor RS 8 mp
Front camera: 0.3 MP
Battery: 1750 mAh, removable
OS: Android 4.1
Dimensions: 128.7 x 65 x 9.7 mm
Weight: 137 g
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/189904/
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