The new Sony smartphones are a logical continuation of the Xperia NXT series, which included the Xperia P and Xperia S models. The new products are equipped with modern and, by the way, very powerful hardware for their class and a more laconic exterior compared to their predecessors.

⇡ Equipment

Sony Xperia SP - Package Contents

The equipment of the new product is standard. The manufacturer packed the following accessories in a thin white box made of thick cardboard:

• charger with microUSB output at 850 mA;
• microUSB ↔USB cable for data transfer;
• in-ear headphones with microphone;
• user guide.

⇡ Appearance and ergonomics

We are already accustomed to the fact that Sony smartphones look, dare we say so loudly, wonderful. This is a fact that is simply impossible to argue with. The Japanese giant is one of the few large manufacturers that continue to pay a lot of attention to the appearance of their gadgets, and this is visible to the naked eye. Against the backdrop of the same type of Android smartphones, the gadgets of the Xperia line stand out noticeably, and the proverb about a book and its cover in the case of personal electronics somewhat loses its relevance. So the new product - the Sony Xperia SP smartphone - already has every chance of success.

Sony Xperia SP - front panel

The main material of the Xperia SP body is aluminum. Here it should be remembered that the new product does not pretend to be the flagship, which at the time of publication of the article is occupied by the Xperia Z, but belongs to the middle price category and its competitors are mostly made of plastic. At the bottom of the front panel there is a transparent polycarbonate insert that can flicker in different colors depending on the displayed event.

This insert is illuminated in different colors to match the music or the color of the photographs being viewed - we saw something similar several years ago on Philips TVs with the Ambilight function, only in this case the lighting is applied to photos, not videos. Of course, you can configure it at your discretion or turn it off completely.

Sony Xperia SP - backlight settings

At the top of the panel there is a lens for the front VGA camera and a slot for the earpiece. The entire front side of the device is covered with a monolithic protective glass, which successfully protects the display from scratches and other damage. Unfortunately, its oleophobic properties are poorly expressed - the smartphone collects fingerprints extremely easily. They can only be removed using a special microfiber cloth.

Sony Xperia SP - front view

The layout of the controls on the Xperia SP is quite typical for an Android smartphone. It would be a good idea to move the metal power button of the device on the right side of the case a little higher so that your thumb doesn’t have to reach for it. There is also a volume rocker and a camera activation key.

Sony Xperia SP - right side

On the top edge of the case there is a 3.5 mm combined audio jack, used to connect a wired headset, and on the left there is a microUSB interface. The bottom end of the device is empty.

Sony Xperia SP - sides and back

The back panel of the smartphone is made of semi-gloss plastic, thanks to which the smartphone does not slip out of your hands, but is extremely willing to collect the notorious “fingers”. On the back panel there is a lens of the main eight-megapixel camera with a flash and a slot for an external speaker.

Sony Xperia SP - without backrest

The back cover of the Xperia SP is removable, but users do not have access to the battery, which, of course, excludes the possibility of hot-swapping the battery. Below it are slots for SIM and microSD cards. The smartphone is assembled reliably. No play was found during testing, except that the plastic cover may squeak when squeezed, but we have already become accustomed to this. Sony Xperia SP is available on the market in white, black and red.

⇡ Technical specifications

As for ease of use, the smartphone has no obvious shortcomings in this regard. The build quality is excellent, which can be said about any Sony devices. The new Xperia SP has absolutely no play or creaks. And the size is quite appropriate; nevertheless, a screen larger than 5 inches diagonally is difficult to use with one hand, and a 4.6-inch screen is still quite convenient to operate, at least if you have a large male palm.

Screen, built-in camera

Almost all of Sony's competitors have abandoned the use of TFT technology in more or less decent models in favor of IPS, PLS, S-LCD and AMOLED. Sony has taken a different path and equips all its smartphones with screens made using TFT technology, but often with proprietary “improvements”. So it is with the Xperia SP, which is equipped with a 4.6-inch TFT matrix, 1280x720 HD resolution and Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2.

This approach showed all its weak points, which have already become traditional for Sony smartphones. If the picture quality and color gamut do not cause any complaints, then the viewing angles could be wider. Otherwise, the screen is quite good - given its size, the image density is 319 ppi. The ten-point capacitive sensor is very responsive, and the smartphone is controlled with a bang.

The front camera is only suitable for video communication - the sensor resolution is only 0.3 megapixels. But we can talk in more detail about the rear camera. It is equipped with a proprietary BSI CMOS Exmor RS sensor with a resolution of 8 megapixels. The camera traditionally has several proprietary shooting modes, including HDR mode. But the most popular mode will be the Superior Auto mode, which automatically detects the scene (portrait, landscape, macro, night photography) and allows you to select the optimal shooting settings.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

At the time of its release in 2013, the Sony Xperia SP LTE C5303 surprised with a number of features:

• A strict, but at the same time original design, featuring a luminous bezel at the bottom of the smartphone;
• Body made using seamless casting technology using the latest composite materials;
• HD Reality Display screen with 720p resolution;
• New intelligent technology Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, responsible for ideal image quality;
• HDR technology for impeccable quality images taken in difficult conditions;
• STAMINA energy saving mode;
• Dual-core asynchronous Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor

Smartphone running at computer speed

Thanks to a processor whose cores can turn on and off independently of each other, responding to the degree of workload, the Sony Xperia SP LTE C5303 smartphone not only allows you to quickly work with several applications at the same time, but also saves battery power. The highest processor performance and 1GB of RAM make even working with web pages fast and enjoyable;

An image to admire

The creators of the Sony Xperia SP LTE C5303 have made great efforts to achieve such excellent results when displaying videos and photos. When creating the Reality Display, the experience of the developers of Bravia TVs, which were positively assessed by many users, was taken into account. Large screen resolution with progressive scan, high pixel density, wide viewing angle - all this makes watching video on the Sony Xperia SP LTE C5303 smartphone a real pleasure.

There are some disadvantages, but they are very few.

The disadvantages users include is the thickness of the device, which is 10mm and, according to some, the smartphone is a bit thick. In addition, there is no possibility of charging from a USB port, as well as the poor resolution of the front camera - only 0.3 megapixels.