Xperia E1 Review
Observers, as a rule, pay maximum attention to the flagships, but practically do not notice the budget models. We decided to restore justice and bring to your attention a review of the most affordable model from the current line of Sony Mobile - Xperia E1.
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Appearance and ergonomics
Externally, the E1 is not at all like the older models of this year - no strict lines, metal and chrome, but the state employee looks no less stylish. A thick white case with black accents (black and purple versions are available) and rounded corners fit well in the hand, although the power button could be higher (at least my thumb “by default” does not fall on it). The glass that covers the screen protrudes slightly from the case, showing fashionable beveled corners, but the camera lens on the contrary is recessed into the case, which reduces the likelihood of damage. The plastic is rather rough, with a large relief, but it does not create the impression of “cheap”, there are no complaints about the build quality either - everything is durable, reliable, the buttons have a clear short stroke, nothing dangles and does not play.
To remove the back cover you need to have a certain dexterity - it keeps very well and reliably and, at first glance, you can not even guess that the phone is disassembled in this way. Under the lid, we see a picture that is quite familiar to state employees - a removable battery, under which there are slots for “classic” SIM cards, and a little higher, a microSD connector, you can change it without removing the battery, which cannot be said about SIM cards, however, their installation in any case would have to restart the device.
On the left, like the other models developed as part of the OmniBalance concept, there is a round power button and volume rocker, a headphone jack and a Walkman button familiar to old Sony fans on a number of models are located on the upper end. When the device is in standby mode, a long press on this button brings the player control interface to the lock screen, a short press starts the track or pauses it, and double-click switches to the next track. If you hold down the button and shake the phone - the Shuffle mode will be activated. Very convenient features for those who prefer to switch music directly in your pocket and do not use the headset with a remote control.
There is nothing on the right, except for the Micro-USB connector, and at the bottom there is a special notch, with which you can pick up the cover with your fingernail, there you can also pull the cord. The back panel is decorated with a brilliant Sony logo and an impressively sized grille that covers the main speaker (in fact, the speaker itself is three times smaller and is located on its left side).
Under the screen there is a miniature microphone hole and a LED with a diffuser, which is responsible for notifications and dynamic backlighting when viewing images, smoothly matching the color in the overall image or album cover (you can remember this feature on Xperia SP).
Display
Here we have a fairly modest 4-inch TFT-display with a resolution of 480x800 and 233 ppi image density. With such modest sizes, in principle, this is quite acceptable and pixelation is difficult to notice with the naked eye. The image is moderately saturated, without “acidic” notes and quite contrasting, although the contrast decreases slightly when tilted and the image fades, but these are typical TFT problems. Significant problems, however, this does not create, at least when reading or surfing the web, the phone has to be held at right angles only when viewing insufficiently contrast images or dark scenes in films.
Like other models of this year, there is no longer any factory film on the screen, but a protective coating appeared, thanks to which the finger glides perfectly on the display and leaves almost no traces, and if they appear, it is very easy to remove them without the use of special tools. The touch is quite clear, supports 10 simultaneous touches, with excellent sensitivity and no noticeable glitches.
Camera
Of course, it is impossible to demand much from the camera of such an inexpensive smartphone, but it copes with its functions quite well. Highly artistic shots here, of course, is difficult to obtain, but for everyday needs such as shooting documents or other utilitarian purposes it is more than enough. Three megapixel allows you to take pictures with a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 and shoot quite a decent HD-video. In addition to the automatic mode, there is also a manual one that allows you to adjust the shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, and stabilization mode, as well as use HDR. There are a few simple graphic effects such as sepia and pencil sketch, well, and a panoramic shooting mode. Unfortunately, it is impossible to connect new functions. With sufficient lighting, the camera shoots pretty well, but in the dark it gives out a bit of noise, although you can see the image without problems.
Iron and performance
The big advantage of the E1 compared to “classmates” is the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset, while most modern smartphones use MediaTek chips. E1 does not set records, but for everyday use its resources are very enough, and it is not only about mail, social networks and reading books, but also about watching videos in acceptable quality, and not the most voracious three-dimensional games work here without visible problems. . The interface works quite smoothly, unlocking and launching applications takes no more than a second, some jerks are noticeable only if various graphical effects of smooth animation or live wallpaper are included, but this can be attributed to not the largest amount of RAM - 512 MB. The amount of internal memory is 4 GB, for the usual set of applications this is quite enough, but for everything else there is an sd-card (up to 32 GB is supported, inclusive).
Test results:
Sound
The main feature of the E1 is a powerful speaker and an emphasis on improving sound quality. With the task of playing music, the phone copes with a bang and without any problems replaces the audio player. If the sound quality of most inexpensive smartphones can only be called satisfactory, then at E1 this is all fine and it sounds at a very decent level. When listening in headphones, there are no hints of distortion, lack of bass or "sand" in the upper frequencies, which, as a rule, cheap devices suffer. All the same audio technologies as the “adult” models are supported - this is the integrated ClearAudio + “improver”, equalizer, stereo widener, xLoud to increase the volume of the external speaker and a dynamic normalizer that equalizes the tracks by volume. As for the volume, there is plenty of headphones, and the speaker manages to reproduce even relatively low frequencies, and at maximum volume, the xLoud function provides a very loud sound with respectable clarity and no hints of overload, although, of course, it’s better use E1 (and any other smartphone) with an external column.
Autonomy
Someone can say that 1700 mAh, by today's standards, is a little, but very modest requests from the screen and the iron filling allow the E1 to work quietly on one charge for two days and this is quite intensive with listening to a lot of music, navigation, calls and the constant use of social networks. The mass distribution of external batteries, in principle, negates the value of removable batteries, but the ability to self-replace a faulty battery is a definite plus.
Software and communication
By default, E1 is installed with Android 4.3 with a standard Sony shell, and at the first connection to a computer, it is possible to upgrade to 4.4 (“over the air”, unfortunately, is not installed). The minimum set of pre-installed software is File Commander, Evernote, TrackID + the standard “Google” kit and a small set of widgets, the same as all Sony smartphones over the past few years.
The mode of two SIM-cards allows you to simultaneously use one for calls and the other for accessing the Internet, or select a connection option before each call separately. Maps can be given names, and in case one of the cards is outside the network coverage area, it is possible to redirect the call to another. There are no complaints about the quality of the connection, the signal is stable, the sound quality during the conversation is excellent, the Internet and navigation work without problems.
Summary
A very decent budget device that justifies its price by 150% and is not inferior to competitors, and in some places surpasses them. Unpretentious, reliable and durable, with a loud sound, good autonomy and performance, sufficient for most everyday tasks and many entertainment. Suitable for those who do not require extreme performance from a smartphone and prefer photo music, or can be successfully used as a second device.
Specifications
Processor : 2-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, 1.2 GHz
Memory : 512 MB RAM, 4 GB internal, SD card slot (up to 32 GB)
Video accelerator : Adreno 302
Display : 4 inches, TFT, 480x800
Camera : 3 MP
Battery : 1700 mAh
OS : Android 4.3
Protection : no
Dimensions : 62.4 x 118 x 12 mm
')
Appearance and ergonomics
Externally, the E1 is not at all like the older models of this year - no strict lines, metal and chrome, but the state employee looks no less stylish. A thick white case with black accents (black and purple versions are available) and rounded corners fit well in the hand, although the power button could be higher (at least my thumb “by default” does not fall on it). The glass that covers the screen protrudes slightly from the case, showing fashionable beveled corners, but the camera lens on the contrary is recessed into the case, which reduces the likelihood of damage. The plastic is rather rough, with a large relief, but it does not create the impression of “cheap”, there are no complaints about the build quality either - everything is durable, reliable, the buttons have a clear short stroke, nothing dangles and does not play.
To remove the back cover you need to have a certain dexterity - it keeps very well and reliably and, at first glance, you can not even guess that the phone is disassembled in this way. Under the lid, we see a picture that is quite familiar to state employees - a removable battery, under which there are slots for “classic” SIM cards, and a little higher, a microSD connector, you can change it without removing the battery, which cannot be said about SIM cards, however, their installation in any case would have to restart the device.
On the left, like the other models developed as part of the OmniBalance concept, there is a round power button and volume rocker, a headphone jack and a Walkman button familiar to old Sony fans on a number of models are located on the upper end. When the device is in standby mode, a long press on this button brings the player control interface to the lock screen, a short press starts the track or pauses it, and double-click switches to the next track. If you hold down the button and shake the phone - the Shuffle mode will be activated. Very convenient features for those who prefer to switch music directly in your pocket and do not use the headset with a remote control.
There is nothing on the right, except for the Micro-USB connector, and at the bottom there is a special notch, with which you can pick up the cover with your fingernail, there you can also pull the cord. The back panel is decorated with a brilliant Sony logo and an impressively sized grille that covers the main speaker (in fact, the speaker itself is three times smaller and is located on its left side).
Under the screen there is a miniature microphone hole and a LED with a diffuser, which is responsible for notifications and dynamic backlighting when viewing images, smoothly matching the color in the overall image or album cover (you can remember this feature on Xperia SP).
Display
Here we have a fairly modest 4-inch TFT-display with a resolution of 480x800 and 233 ppi image density. With such modest sizes, in principle, this is quite acceptable and pixelation is difficult to notice with the naked eye. The image is moderately saturated, without “acidic” notes and quite contrasting, although the contrast decreases slightly when tilted and the image fades, but these are typical TFT problems. Significant problems, however, this does not create, at least when reading or surfing the web, the phone has to be held at right angles only when viewing insufficiently contrast images or dark scenes in films.
Like other models of this year, there is no longer any factory film on the screen, but a protective coating appeared, thanks to which the finger glides perfectly on the display and leaves almost no traces, and if they appear, it is very easy to remove them without the use of special tools. The touch is quite clear, supports 10 simultaneous touches, with excellent sensitivity and no noticeable glitches.
Camera
Of course, it is impossible to demand much from the camera of such an inexpensive smartphone, but it copes with its functions quite well. Highly artistic shots here, of course, is difficult to obtain, but for everyday needs such as shooting documents or other utilitarian purposes it is more than enough. Three megapixel allows you to take pictures with a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 and shoot quite a decent HD-video. In addition to the automatic mode, there is also a manual one that allows you to adjust the shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, and stabilization mode, as well as use HDR. There are a few simple graphic effects such as sepia and pencil sketch, well, and a panoramic shooting mode. Unfortunately, it is impossible to connect new functions. With sufficient lighting, the camera shoots pretty well, but in the dark it gives out a bit of noise, although you can see the image without problems.
Iron and performance
The big advantage of the E1 compared to “classmates” is the use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 chipset, while most modern smartphones use MediaTek chips. E1 does not set records, but for everyday use its resources are very enough, and it is not only about mail, social networks and reading books, but also about watching videos in acceptable quality, and not the most voracious three-dimensional games work here without visible problems. . The interface works quite smoothly, unlocking and launching applications takes no more than a second, some jerks are noticeable only if various graphical effects of smooth animation or live wallpaper are included, but this can be attributed to not the largest amount of RAM - 512 MB. The amount of internal memory is 4 GB, for the usual set of applications this is quite enough, but for everything else there is an sd-card (up to 32 GB is supported, inclusive).
Test results:
Sound
The main feature of the E1 is a powerful speaker and an emphasis on improving sound quality. With the task of playing music, the phone copes with a bang and without any problems replaces the audio player. If the sound quality of most inexpensive smartphones can only be called satisfactory, then at E1 this is all fine and it sounds at a very decent level. When listening in headphones, there are no hints of distortion, lack of bass or "sand" in the upper frequencies, which, as a rule, cheap devices suffer. All the same audio technologies as the “adult” models are supported - this is the integrated ClearAudio + “improver”, equalizer, stereo widener, xLoud to increase the volume of the external speaker and a dynamic normalizer that equalizes the tracks by volume. As for the volume, there is plenty of headphones, and the speaker manages to reproduce even relatively low frequencies, and at maximum volume, the xLoud function provides a very loud sound with respectable clarity and no hints of overload, although, of course, it’s better use E1 (and any other smartphone) with an external column.
Autonomy
Someone can say that 1700 mAh, by today's standards, is a little, but very modest requests from the screen and the iron filling allow the E1 to work quietly on one charge for two days and this is quite intensive with listening to a lot of music, navigation, calls and the constant use of social networks. The mass distribution of external batteries, in principle, negates the value of removable batteries, but the ability to self-replace a faulty battery is a definite plus.
Software and communication
By default, E1 is installed with Android 4.3 with a standard Sony shell, and at the first connection to a computer, it is possible to upgrade to 4.4 (“over the air”, unfortunately, is not installed). The minimum set of pre-installed software is File Commander, Evernote, TrackID + the standard “Google” kit and a small set of widgets, the same as all Sony smartphones over the past few years.
The mode of two SIM-cards allows you to simultaneously use one for calls and the other for accessing the Internet, or select a connection option before each call separately. Maps can be given names, and in case one of the cards is outside the network coverage area, it is possible to redirect the call to another. There are no complaints about the quality of the connection, the signal is stable, the sound quality during the conversation is excellent, the Internet and navigation work without problems.
Summary
A very decent budget device that justifies its price by 150% and is not inferior to competitors, and in some places surpasses them. Unpretentious, reliable and durable, with a loud sound, good autonomy and performance, sufficient for most everyday tasks and many entertainment. Suitable for those who do not require extreme performance from a smartphone and prefer photo music, or can be successfully used as a second device.
Specifications
Processor : 2-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, 1.2 GHz
Memory : 512 MB RAM, 4 GB internal, SD card slot (up to 32 GB)
Video accelerator : Adreno 302
Display : 4 inches, TFT, 480x800
Camera : 3 MP
Battery : 1700 mAh
OS : Android 4.3
Protection : no
Dimensions : 62.4 x 118 x 12 mm
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/361993/
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