Sony Xperia Ion review: a big piece of hardware. Sony Xperia Ion phone: specifications and reviews Xperia ion specifications
Sony Xperia Ion is a controversial product from a well-known brand. On the one hand, everything seems to be fine in it: a nimble set of chipsets, a good display, a pleasant appearance and good cameras. But on the other hand, this gadget was originally developed for the US market with all the resulting adaptive nuances. The brand entered into an agreement with AT&T for the exclusive supply of Sony Xperia Ion smartphones, but then something went wrong, or maybe, on the contrary, everything turned out too well, but Sony decided to expand the geography of the device's availability.
The gadget began to be sold in the European and Asian markets, and a year after the presentation it appeared in Russia. In the domestic market, the Sony Xperia Ion LT28h model is entrenched, which differs from the similar LT28i in the lack of support for LTE protocols. In this connection, those who like to work in 4G networks are better off passing by or browsing foreign online stores.
So, the subject of today's review is the Sony Xperia Ion LT28h smartphone. The characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the model, as well as the opinion of specialists in this field, coupled with user reviews, will be considered in this article.
Contents of delivery
The gadget comes in a nice box made of thick cardboard in a brand-specific black and white color. On the front you can see the image of the smartphone itself, and on the back the most remarkable characteristics of the Sony Xperia Ion. The box turned out to be small due to the competent arrangement of all internal elements.
Inside you will see:
- the device itself;
- power adapter (EP850);
- USB cable for charging and synchronizing with a PC;
- stereo headset (MH750);
- manual and specification with detailed specifications for Sony Xperia Ion;
- warranty card.
The package bundle, for its price category, can be called modest - you will not see any covers, films and other cosmetic entourage here. But maybe it's for the better, because many owners prefer to buy such accessories, as they say, according to their taste and color. Nevertheless, some users in their reviews of the Sony Xperia Ion are extremely upset by the lack of even a simple case for a model of this class.
Appearance
The gadget looks big and at first impressions it resembles a weighty "spatula". The case received only two colors - black and red. Moreover, the latter cannot be called purely feminine, because the gamma was chosen precisely dark red, and not some raspberry or soft strawberry.
The front part, regardless of the color, is black, and the back is made of velvety plastic and a textured lid in the selected range. Below you can see the familiar logo of the brand with the words "Xperia". The appearance of the camera eye of the Sony Xperia Ion is noticeably different from other similar smartphones: a bulky lens with the same rather big flash and perforation for the microphone. On the left side, you can see a large plug, under which the micro-USB interface and HDMI connector are hidden. The upper end is reserved for the standard audio output "minijack" 3.5 mm.
The upper front part is occupied by the peephole of the front camera, a decorative grill for the earpiece and proximity sensors with lighting. There is also a small indicator light that shows the current state of the Sony Xperia Ion (battery charging, almost empty, shooting, etc.).
With its dimensions - 133x68x11 mm - the gadget weighs 144 grams, which is a bit too much. Many owners in their reviews more than once complained about the massiveness of the design and weight, including: the device will easily pull off your shirt or blouse pocket, and also make you shake your hands from the weight after even a short use. Nevertheless, many see only a plus in such dimensions, calling the gadget a mini-tablet with all the ensuing advantages.
As for the assembly, there are no critical complaints here: there are no gaps, nothing backlash, no creaks or crunches while working with the device. The top cover, which opens access to the micro-SD and micro-SIM interfaces, sits tightly, but not enough to run after the tool to open it, just pry it off with your fingernail and remove it correctly.
Display
Sony Xperia Ion is equipped with a sensible TFT-matrix with a 4.55-inch display and a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. The screen received pretty good protection, where the glass excludes minor scratches, and also has an almost invisible film typical for the brand's devices.
The display is of a capacitive type, so multitouch technology is fully supported. The picture quality is at a fairly high level: rich colors, true-to-life picture and balanced contrast. The viewing angles of the Sony Xperia Ion are also good: you can easily flip through photos or watch a video in the company of one or two like-minded people.
The size of the screen allows you to wander around the Internet with due comfort, play games and work with other "android" applications. The owners' comments on this matter are ambiguous: someone is quite satisfied with the large screen with good visualization, well, someone complains about the downside - the massiveness of the case. Therefore, before buying, it is better to turn the Sony Xperia Ion phone in your hands and only then decide which side is critical for you - a large display or the heaviness of the device.
Interfaces
On the right side there is a button to turn off the gadget, and below it there is a rocker to control the volume. Some owners complain about overly beveled ends, where the button operation is not as convenient as in other smartphones. In addition, the keys themselves require a certain skill and adaptation due to the shallow stroke. At the very bottom of the right side there is a button for activating the camera, which is very convenient. Many users are used to the hardware shooting control: when the display is locked, you can hold down the camera key, after which it will launch, taking the first frame.
Under the main display are four familiar "android" buttons: "Menu", "Home", "Back" and "Search". Touch-type keys are backlit in the form of stripes. In the Sony Xperia Ion, the company has decided to completely abandon the usual traditional control buttons, so many fans of the brand will have to get used to sensitive sensors.
As for the screen itself, there were no problems with the speed of processing clicks. The manufacturer has made work on the mistakes that it made in previous generations, and now everything is fine here.
Performance
The performance of the Sony Xperia Ion LT28h is based on the well-proven Qualcomm APQ8060 processor, which runs on two cores with a frequency of 1.5 Hz. The graphic component fell on the shoulders of the Adreno 220 series accelerator. The RAM (1 GB) is quite enough for comfortable work with the interface and applications. Nevertheless, on some particularly "heavy" games, you will have to reset the graphics settings to medium or even low levels in order to avoid a drop in FPS.
Sony Xperia Ion feels great in UMTS HSPA + networks on protocols from 850 to 1900 Band. As mentioned above, there is, alas, no support for LTE networks. If you cannot do without it, and you like the phone, then the only option is to look through the offers of Sony distributors on foreign Internet sites (model LT28i). The only thing is that you have to competently reflash the phone, that is, fully adapt it to our realities, but with support for 4G networks.
The owners in their reviews are generally satisfied with the performance of the smartphone. There were no serious remarks, and as for working in high-speed networks, a good half of the users are quite satisfied with the 3G format, and faster Internet access is needed more for a computer than for a mobile gadget.
Storage devices
About 11 gigabytes of memory out of 16 are available to the user for their needs. If this is not enough, then it can always be expanded using third-party SD-cards, up to 32 GB. In general, it is not clear why Sony, positioning its smartphones as multimedia, and with the existing dimensions, cannot equip the gadget, for example, with a 32 or 64 GB drive. The technical capabilities and dimensions of the device allow it to be done, but the engineers stubbornly do not want to add the built-in memory to the devices.
Wireless protocols
The smartphone supports standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols starting from version 2.1 (EDR), works well on ANT + profiles, which are used in conjunction with sports gadgets, and also has the ability to communicate with GLONASS, NFC and DLNA.
Cameras
The front camera has received acceptable characteristics, so there will be no problems with Skype and other messengers, and for more it will not work (which is not necessary). But the main camera deserves special attention.
The 12.1-megapixel matrix is capable of shooting video in high resolution and has an impressive set of effects: 3D panorama, multi-angle view in the same 3D, fish eyes and other useful and not very entourage.
The user can choose a shooting method: a regular key, a touch button on the display, or some specific customizable combination. It is also possible to quickly launch with your own presets: button and shooting, button and only start the program, etc. Fortunately, all additional functionality is easily disabled and you can work with the familiar settings that were enabled by default.
Naturally, for most users, the key point regarding the camera's capabilities is the megapixel ratio of the matrix. The figure seems to be impressive for a smartphone, but that's not the point here. Marketers constantly put pressure on the already loaded heads of users with all sorts of incomprehensible, but rather sonorous terms: here's 4 cores, 12 megapixels, 128 gigabytes, ultra-HD and full stuffing. In fact, the main question here is different: do I, the owner of the phone, need all this "beauty"? Speaking specifically about the Sony Xperia Ion, the device is able to capture a piece of the desired reality, and very high quality. But why does he need such a high resolution, if most of the owners, judging by the reviews, upload their pictures somewhere on Instagram or VK. And to work with stunning landscapes and reserved animals, there is a special professional technique. Therefore, any criticism here will be ambiguous.
Yes, on some materials you can see that the camera sometimes misses the mark, it happens that it knocks out some color, nevertheless, the picture turns out to be detailed and natural. The smartphone showed itself well during daytime shooting, but the night life did not work out for it: even a bright flash will not help to get a really high-quality frame in low light, but rather, on the contrary, it will aggravate everything. Otherwise, we have a sensible matrix that does not differ in something supernatural, but makes just normal and detailed pictures.
Autonomous work
The battery of the Sony Xperia Ion is quite modest - only 1900 mAh, which is clearly not enough for this platform. "Android" -brothers have always been distinguished by their energy-hungry, and our respondent was no exception.
When the smartphone was fully loaded (high-definition video, Wi-Fi, maximum screen brightness), the battery was discharged in three to four hours. If you find in the same "Google Play" a sensible energy saving program, then you can increase the battery life by 20 percent of the available resource. Otherwise, you will be forced to charge your phone almost every evening.
Many users in their reviews are perplexed why a smartphone with such a large screen and an impressive set of chipsets was equipped with such a modest battery. Apparently, the manufacturer had his own reasons, which he preferred to keep silent about.
Summarizing
On popular online trading platforms, the cost of the gadget fluctuates around 15,000 rubles. Judging by the experts in this field, the price is quite balanced. Here we must not forget that our respondent is a stylish multimedia gadget, not an eight-core rocket that will take you into space for “heavy” applications.
For this money, you will get an unusual and at the same time interesting design, a metal case (back cover), a good screen, a full set of wireless modules, support for all popular formats "out of the box" and an acceptable amount of memory.
As for the telephone component itself, there is also complete order here: the quality of voice transmission is at a high level with a loud speaker, albeit with slightly raised high frequencies. Separately, it is worth noting the fact that the work with networks in the Xperia Ion is implemented almost perfectly. The same iPhone of the fifth series in this regard loses significantly: in the place where Sony has caught three nets, in the same place the Apple gadget catches only one, and even then after a while.
Naturally, it was not without a fly in the ointment. This role is played by inconvenient touch buttons under the display, side keys "under the bevel", to which you need to get used to, and a massive case, by no means intended for the back pocket of jeans. This also includes mediocre battery life with such a modest battery and a stupid plug for the mains adapter, where it seems that it will break down with the next charge.
One could advise to dig a little and buy a direct competitor of the model - the third Galaxy from Samsung, but the Ion's appearance is clearly more interesting. And in general, most of the problems that users sin on in their reviews are not related to the phone itself, but to the Android platform, so anyone who is looking for a stylish device with a large display and smart “stuffing” can advise a gadget.
Information about the brand, model and alternative names of a specific device, if any.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, offered colors, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 68 mm (millimeters) 6.8 cm (centimeters) 0.22 ft (feet) 2.68 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 133 mm (millimeters) 13.3 cm (centimeters) 0.44 ft (feet) 5.24 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 10.6 mm (millimeters) 1.06 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.42 in (inches) |
| The weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 144 g (grams) 0.32 lbs (pounds) 5.08 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with a rectangular parallelepiped shape. | 95.87 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.82 in³ (cubic inches) |
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 technology and data rates
Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is the system software that controls and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on a Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) integrates all the major hardware components of a mobile device into a single chip.
| SoC (System on a Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software required for their operation. | Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. The value in nanometers is half the distance between the elements in the processor. | 45 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The main function of the processor (CPU) of a mobile device is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | Scorpion |
| Processor size The bit size of the processor is determined by the size (in bits) of registers, address buses and data buses. 64-bit processors offer better performance than 32-bit processors, which in turn are more efficient than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction set architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets / controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| Level 1 cache (L1) The cache memory is used by the processor to reduce the time it takes to access more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (Level 1) cache is small and is much faster than both system memory and other levels of cache. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 32 KB + 32 KB (kilobytes) |
| L2 cache L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1, but instead has a larger capacity to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for them in L3 cache memory (if available) or in RAM memory. | 512 KB (kilobytes) 0.5 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes program instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to execute in parallel. | 2 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 1500 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics processing unit (GPU) A graphics processing unit (GPU) handles computation for a variety of 2D / 3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most commonly used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, and more. | Qualcomm Adreno 220 |
| The amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. The data that is saved in the RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 1 GB (gigabytes) |
| Memory type (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR2 |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels means higher data rates. | Single channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of the RAM determines its speed of operation, more specifically, the speed of reading / writing data. | 500 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) fixed memory.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage space for data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type / technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the image quality of information directly depends. | TFT |
| Diagonal On mobile devices, screen size is expressed in terms of the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 4.55 in (inches) 115.57 mm (millimeters) 11.56 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.23 in (inches) 56.66 mm (millimeters) 5.67 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 3.97 in (inches) 100.73 mm (millimeters) 10.07 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect ratio The aspect ratio of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels horizontally and vertically on the screen. Higher resolution means sharper image detail. | 720 x 1280 pixels |
| Pixel density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be shown on the screen in clearer detail. | 323 ppi (pixels per inch) 126 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen footprint The approximate percentage of the display area on the front of the device. | 63.31% (percent) |
| Other characteristics Information about other functions and features of the screen. | Capacitive Multitouch Scratch resistant |
| Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine Reality display |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical metrics into signals that can be recognized by the mobile device.
Main camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for photo and video shooting.
| Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the photocell used in the camera of the device. | Sony Exmor R |
| Sensor type Digital cameras use photo sensors to take photographs. The sensor, as well as the optics, are one of the main factors in the quality of the camera in a mobile device. | CMOS BSI (backside illumination) |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of cameras on mobile devices is their resolution, which shows the number of pixels horizontally and vertically in an image. | 4000 x 3000 pixels 12 MP (megapixels) |
| Video Resolution Information about the maximum supported resolution for video recording by the device. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video - frame rate / frames per second. Information about the maximum number of frames per second (fps) supported by the device when shooting video at maximum resolution. Some of the main standard video capture and playback speeds are 24p, 25p, 30p, 60p. | 30 frames / sec (frames per second) |
| Specifications Information about other software and hardware features associated with the main camera that improve its functionality. | Autofocus Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographic tags Panoramic shooting Touch focus Face recognition |
Additional camera
Additional cameras are usually mounted above the screen of the device and are used mainly for video calls, gesture recognition, etc.
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technology supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Locating
Information about the navigation and positioning technologies supported by the device.
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is a technology that enables wireless communication for transferring data over short distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless transfer of data between different types of devices 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, which is also called an audio connector. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
| Browser Information about some of the main features and standards supported by the device browser. | Html HTML5 Flash CSS 3 xHTML CSS 2.1 |
Audio file formats / codecs
Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode / decode digital audio data.
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 in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge required for their function.
| Capacity Battery capacity indicates the maximum charge it can store, measured in milliampere-hours. | 1900 mAh (milliampere-hours) |
| Type of The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, by the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries most commonly used in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| Talk time 2G Talk time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 10 h (hours) 600 min (minutes) 0.4 days |
| Standby time 2G Standby time in 2G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 400 h (hours) 24000 min (minutes) 16.7 days |
| Talk time 3G Talk time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 4 h (hours) 240 min (minutes) 0.2 days |
| 3G standby time Standby time in 3G is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 350 h (hours) 21000 min (minutes) 14.6 days |
| Specifications Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Removable |
The Sony Xperia Ion smartphone was presented at the beginning of the year, but it only reached our latitudes closer to autumn. Initially, the company planned to sell this smartphone exclusively in the US from AT&T, but then changed its mind and decided to expand the geography of availability. The LT28h model entered the Russian market, which differs from the LT28i in the lack of support for LTE networks. In our country, they are still developing, and the Sony Xperia V is on the way, so whoever needs to have support for this type of connection in their phone, it makes sense to wait for a waterproof novelty. The Xperia Ion is a slightly different bird. It is one of two smartphones from the company with a 4.55 ”screen (the other is the Xperia T / TX) and the only device on the market that combines such dimensions and a metal body, which makes this phone quite interesting. Let's take a closer look at it.
Specifications Sony Xperia Ion (LT28h):
- Network: GSM / GPRS / EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA / HSPA up to 42 Mbps (850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz)
- Platform (at the time of announcement): Android 2.3 Gingerbread, now Android 4.0.4 ICS
- Display: touchscreen, capacitive, multitouch, 4.55 ", 1280 x 720 pixels, HD Reality, Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 16 million colors, TFT, 322 ppi
- Camera: 12.1 megapixel, flash, autofocus, Exmor R, Full HD-shooting (1080p)
- Front camera: 1.3 MP, HD video
- Processor: dual core, 1.5 GHz, Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon S3
- Graphics chip: Adreno 220
- RAM: 1 GB
- ROM: 2 GB
- Internal memory: 16GB (eMMC)
- Memory card: microSD (up to 32 GB)
- A-GPS, GLONASS
- Wi-Fi (802.11b / g / n), DLNA
- FM radio
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
- microUSB 2.0
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Distance and position sensors, digital compass, gyroscope
- Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC +, eAAC +, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MIDI, OGG
- Video: MPEG4, H.264, H.263
- Photo: JPEG, BMP, WBMP, PGN, GIF, PNG
- Battery: 1900mAh
- Talk time: up to 10 hours in GSM networks, up to 4 hours in WCDMA networks
- Standby time: up to 400 h in GSM networks, up to 350 h in WCDMA networks
- Operating time in music player mode: up to 12 hours
- Video playback time: up to 3 hours
- Dimensions: 132 x 68 x 10.6mm
- Weight: 144 g
- Form factor: candy bar with touchscreen
- Type: Smartphone
- Announce date: January 9, 2012
- Release date: 2 quarter 2012 in the USA, 15 August 2012 in Russia
Video review
Design, construction and equipment
The phone comes in a standard box for the latest Sony-backgrounds. Inside you can find a reinforced EP850 charger block, high-quality MH750 headphones, a charger cable and synchronization with a PC, as well as a bunch of pieces of paper with information on the rules for using the gadget and warranty obligations. NFC tags were not found in the kit, alas, but this could be a nice addition for this not the cheapest smartphone.
We received a red device for testing, there is also a completely black one. It looks much harsher and feels a little different than red, but the latter looks very fresh and will certainly appeal to the beautiful half of humanity (although it is very suitable for guys). The device lies well in the hand, although the dimensions and weight, of course, affect. I am glad that the device is monolithic. Perhaps even the most monolithic of all Sony smartphones to date. Unless the Xperia Acro S can compete with it. Which, however, is not surprising, because both smartphones have a minimum of moving parts. In the Xperia Ion, only the top cover is removed, under which the slots for microSIM and microSD are hidden. The lid holds tight and will definitely not loosen over a long time of use. This is a non-removable cap for the Xperia P (review), which, in theory, should not be removed. In general, the Xperia Ion from the back is very similar to this representative of the NXT line, except that there is no transparent strip.
On the back you can see a 12-megapixel camera and a flash, the Sony Ericsson logo, which has already started getting rid of in new devices and accessories, a nice loudspeaker grill (loud enough not to miss a call). The cover itself is made of metal and cannot be removed, and the inserts are made of soft-touch plastic, which, fortunately, does not fit like the Xperia S. with natural color reproduction and normal viewing angles. It should be noted that the company now and then mentions a 4.6 "display, significantly rounding up the size. But it would be more correct to count 4.55 ”, which is what we are doing. Pixelation is not striking, and the screen itself is quite bright and contrasting. It is a pleasure to watch videos on it. Of course, black is not as black as AMOLED displays, but the colors are calmer here. In addition, as shown by a recent comparison of foreign colleagues, the Xperia Ion screen is much more contrast and brighter than the display of the latest Xperia T smartphone, which, although it boasts a more detailed picture, looks much worse. In addition to the screen, on the front side you can see an earpiece, a front 1.3-megapixel HD camera, a proximity sensor, an LED and four touch keys, which are illuminated with separate stripes. There is no light sensor here, the display brightness is adjusted manually. It is listed in the white paper, but benchmarks do not see it. I also did not notice that the brightness adjusts to the lighting level.
The right side of the device is equipped with a power key, volume buttons and camera activation. The smartphone boasts support for the FastCapture function, which allows you to take pictures from a locked state, so a separate button can come in handy. On the left side there is a cap that hides the microUSB and microHDMI connectors. The plug sits tightly, but wobbles a little, but during use it did not loosen a millimeter, so it inspires confidence. The top of the Ion invites us to use headphones and plug them into a 3.5 mm jack, while the bottom of the device is equipped with a microphone and a mysterious slot leading somewhere into the depths of the smartphone and apparently intended for opening it in a service center.
By the way, it was not possible to find a strap mount on the case, so this is one of the few Sony smartphones lacking such an important detail for someone. Honestly, wearing a huge, heavy, metal bar around your neck can only be impatient for one case - if you want to go to the bottom of the river.
In general, the design of the phone leaves a very pleasant impression, the build quality is excellent, there is practically nothing to complain about. Would always be like this, Sony! It seemed that the device is much more convenient to use with the left hand than with the right. The touch keys are quite comfortable to use, but they may take some getting used to.
Software
In terms of software, the Xperia Ion completely repeats the Xperia S (review) and others like them, being its full software clone. The phone has been updated to the latest firmware from Android 4.0.4. Accordingly, all the goodies available to the Xperia S in this update have migrated to the Ion. It uses the already familiar proprietary shell of the company, which cannot boast of unreal animation effects like in Sense or the possibility of deep settings like in TouchWiz, but is quite simple and stylish, and most importantly, easy to use. I like the Sony interface for its minimalism and uniform style. If he still sometimes worked a little smoother and faster, then he could safely be called ideal.
The desktop is presented in the form of five screens, there are themes. The menu allows you to customize the list of applications as you like. In the Settings, you can find familiar to the company chips like xLOUD, which is responsible for increasing the speaker volume, and Mobile Bravia Engine, which makes viewing photos and videos a little more pleasant by adjusting the color and contrast. In practice, this is not very noticeable, but upon closer examination, you can see small differences.
With the release of Android 4.0 firmware, settings for lock screen notifications and changing its wallpaper have become available. In the Xperia section, you can see a few more branded chips - PlayStation Certified, which means that the device supports PlayStation games and the PlayStation Mobile service, which, however, does not work in our country and is not going to yet, which, however, does not prevent you from making him think that you are American, and use it more or less fully. Information about such manipulations can be found on the Internet, but I am more than sure that the procedure for this setting will discourage many from all the desire to use paid ported games from PSone and some others, which can be downloaded many places and used with some PlayStation emulator available on Google Play. This section also houses the integration of Facebook into Xperia, which allows you to share various information from your smartphone directly to this social network, without using the proprietary Facebook application. In the input options, you can select the type of keyboard, its mode and skins, as well as configure the required functionality.
Interesting applications include the Walkman player with many settings, an advanced equalizer, various visualizations, a selection of music for the mood, downloading data about tracks from the network and the ability to edit information about them, an Album gallery with a breakdown of all images by date, a location map and displaying pictures and photos in network accounts linked to the phone. It is also worth noting Movies, which is a video player with an online mode capable of loading various information about films and videos.
The radio is pretty simple. It is good that it exists, otherwise it has now become fashionable to refuse it. In the application, you can recognize songs using Track ID, like songs on Facebook.
There is a Flash application, it works very simply and clearly.
Notes allows you to create small notes and memos, and the widget of this application will always remind you of this. Syncing with Evernote looks like a nice touch.
Of course, the aggregator of all social activity - Timescape, which appeared already in the Xperia X10 and has not changed much since then, has not gone anywhere either. The application is a feed of events from your social networks, and various desktop widgets will help you keep track of your friends' statuses and their activity on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. There are some additional extensions available on Google Play.
Messages, Contacts and Phone are downloaded from Xperia to Xperia. Very user-friendly applications, pleasant to use.
The Alarm and Clock can be set to start when the charger is connected in the settings menu of Smart Connect accessories. This is quite convenient if you put the device on charge before going to bed. There is also a Stopwatch and a Timer.
Track ID appeared in Sony Ericsson phones and allows you to identify songs heard, for example, in a cafe, simply by recording a short passage.
Connected devices are used to synchronize the contents of your smartphone with various wireless devices, or to play files from your devices on your phone.
Perhaps the most important of all applications is Backup and Restore. It appeared in the Android 4.0 firmware and allows you to back up all your settings and applications in case of unforeseen situations.
Media Remote is a program for controlling various Sony equipment using your smartphone.
Energy saving allows you to configure various power supply parameters operating on a schedule or in relation to NFC tags, as well as activated by pressing the button of a special widget.
Update Center keeps track of all system and application updates on your phone.
Smart Connect is used to connect and configure various smart accessories, such as SmartWatch. It also allows you to set various scenarios for the behavior of the device when performing certain functions.
There are several third-party apps preinstalled. These are Evernote (for notes), Moxier Pro (for mail), Opera Mini (for browsing), Wisepilot (for navigation), McAfee (for virus protection), Office Suit Pro (for creating and editing documents), Neoreader (for recognizing barcodes), Adobe Reader (for reading PDF files), Astro Manager (for viewing files in the phone memory and on the SD card) and the EA app store.
The rest of the programs are standard for Android.
Camera
The 12-megapixel camera module is similar to that in the Xperia S. Accordingly, the quality of photos is comparable. In general, I like the result, although it is, of course, very far from the Nokia 808 PureView (review). Full HD video is also good. I liked the very quick work of the viewfinder. The camera interface is standard for Sony. Exmor R technology allows you to take good pictures in low light, but it does not always and not in all lighting conditions. Below you can see examples of photos compared to the Xperia P, which has an 8MP camera.
The world debut of the Sony Xperia ion smartphone took place at the beginning of the year and only a week ago it reached Ukraine. The new Xperia represents a work on the mistakes made when the Sony Xperia S was released. Does this mean that the Xperia ion is now the flagship? Yes, although Sony is convinced that the Xperia S is still the flagship, but we understand that this is not the case. Therefore, we will treat the assessment of the top model with the utmost rigor.
Appearance and ergonomics
The dimensions of the device are comparable to the flagships of Samsung, LG, HTC. To understand how much, let's compare several smartphones
Sony Xperia ion- 133 x 68 x 10.8mm, 144g
- 137 x 71 x 8.6mm, 133g
- 132 x 68 x 8.9mm, 133g
- 134 x 70 x 8.9 mm, 130 g
- 128 x 64 x 10.6mm, 144g
It would seem that the difference in thickness between S and ion is 0.2 mm, which is difficult to notice even when comparing head to head, but a larger smartphone is "given out" by the sidewalls expanding to the back side, which also worsen the grip of the smartphone. The ends have the same appearance. In fact, it turns out that the dimensions of the Xperia ion could be close to the Xperia S, but only if you compare their front parts. Surprisingly, 5mm high and 4mm wide was rated as a "shovel" by the owner of the Sony Xperia S. Which once again underlines the fact that everything is relative.
Sharp corners prevail in the design of the smartphone. The front panel is covered with mineral glass. The plastic surrounding the glass is made flush with it. This means that putting the phone on a table with the display down is not recommended, as there is a possibility of spoiling the appearance of the device.
At the top is the speaker, HD camera lens, proximity and light sensor, and event indicator. At the bottom there are four touch-sensitive keys - "Menu", "Home", "Back" and "Search". The latter suggests that the design of the device was developed long before the Sony Xperia S, released a few months ago, in which they abandoned the use of this useless key. The second element that prompts this idea is the backlighting of the keys. It is located directly below the key icons and looks like small glowing stripes.
Looking at the smartphone from the front, you notice that it has more from Sony Ericsson 2011, for example, Sony Ericsson Xperia ray, than from Sony Xperia S, Sony Xperia acro S. the design of the smartphone is less expressive.
On the left edge there is a retractable plastic cap, under which the MicroHDMI and MicroUSB connectors are hidden.
On the opposite side, four hardware keys are visible, two of which are combined into one oblong one responsible for volume control. The other two are the power / lock button at the top and the camera button at the bottom. Sony Xperia ion is the second smartphone with a large display, in which the unlock key is located not on the top end of the case, but on the side. Thanks to the "correct" placement, you do not have to train your thumb by stretching it in length. All keys protrude above the body level just enough so as not to attract attention and can be easily groped blindly.
There is one hole at the ends of the smartphone. At the top is the headphone jack and at the bottom is the microphone. The case is slightly raised around the 3.5 mm jack. Why this was done is not clear to us. Perhaps one of the design delights.
The back side is convex. Its main part is made of aluminum, while the area in the area of the ends is made of plastic, which is caused by technical necessity, since there are antennas of wireless communication modules. Such a sacrifice had to be made on the sidewalls, on one side there is a plastic cap, and on the other - a plastic insert around the mechanical keys.
At the presentation of the Xperia ion, I could not determine where the SIM card is inserted, but it turned out to be in the same place as the memory card slot. Both of the Micro format. To access them, you need to move the upper part of the case away from you with considerable effort. Fortunately, this action will not have to be carried out often, so there is no need to talk about it as a minus.
With such a proven solution, it is not clear why Sony Xperia S decided to use a removable back cover, which is only needed to install a SIM card. On the other hand, even with a minimum of collapsible parts, the body of the smartphone creaks. Perhaps, by making a removable cover in the S-ke, the manufacturer provided the owners with the opportunity to fight squeaks with their own methods?
The camera lens is edged with a protrusion, which is most likely designed to protect it from scratches. Below it, closer to the center, there is a flash, a mesh of slots for a speaker and, of course, the Sony Ericsson logo. I wonder when the company will come up with a new one?
So what about the design, ergonomics, build quality and materials of the device? The smartphone is really not small, but those looking for a compact device will never look towards such giants. As befits a top-end device, the display diagonal is 4.6 ″ and its resolution is 1280x720 pixels. The materials used are not satisfactory, as is the build quality. The only thing that surprised me was the presence of squeaks, which are almost impossible to eliminate at home. Unless you have a hex screwdriver. The smartphone fits well in the hand, and using a properly placed unlock key does not require any special skill.
Operating system and interface
You can write one thing here - read the review, since the interface is one-to-one with the one we described six months ago. At the presentation, a fresh version of the Android 4.0.4 operating system was installed in the smartphone, respectively, it remains to be hoped that an update for the Xperia ion is not far off.
Platform
Another part of the review, which completely repeats Sony Xperia S. There are only two differences - half the amount of ROM, which is directly related to the second - the presence of a slot for memory cards. Everything! Chipset that includes two ARMv7 cores Qualcomm MSM8260 one and a half gigahertz each, graphics core Adreno 220 and 1 GB RAM... It may seem that such characteristics do not correspond to the vision of the flagship for mid-2012, but even this is quite enough for comfortable work with any applications or games, moreover, Qualcomm MSM8260 has other advantages - low power consumption, which with a 1900 mAh battery h gives good results. In numbers, this is a day of work with a small amount of calls, using a camera, automatic syncing over Wi-Fi, and communicating on social networks.
Display
Traditionally, for the latest Sony devices, the No air gap technology is used, which means there is no air gap between the display matrix and mineral glass. In practice, this translates into higher brightness and a pattern-on-body effect. Compared to the LG Optimus 4x HD, the brightness is the same, the Optimus 4x HD has better viewing angles and the Sony has better sharpness, even without the Mobile Bravia Engine. Sony has obvious problems with viewing angles, as soon as the screen is tilted away from 90º, the colors start to fade. But at typical viewing angles, the picture is pleasing to the eye, and in the sun the Sony performed well.
Camera
The final test also copies what we already described, but since we could not compare the Xperia ion and Xperia S in the same conditions, we went the usual way - we checked the camera in various situations, including the work of image stabilization. In the meantime, a few words about the camera itself. The Sony Xperia ion has the highest resolution matrix among 12 MP Androi-smartphones available in Ukraine. The maximum resolution of the recorded video is 1920 x 1080 pixels at 30 frames / s, 12-15 Mb / s bitrate, and two-channel audio.
The camera can be started via the menu or by using a mechanical key. Its functionality is configured in the menu, and when you press it for a long time, the camera starts with freezing of the frame, starts the camera without fixing, or no action at all. The key is two-position, which allows you to use it for focusing with subsequent fixation. During video recording, you cannot focus using this key, but the camera does it automatically.
Testing has shown that when photographing and shooting video, the use of stabilization deteriorates the final result. Therefore, we advise you to disable this function.
Sample 12 MP photos
Examples of 12 MP photos, left - stabilization on, right - stabilization off
Examples of Full HD video, with about stabilization
Examples of Full HD-video, b without stabilization
Outcomes
To the question: “Was the Sony Xperia ion better than the Sony Xperia S?”, We answer - yes! In our opinion, the Xperia ion wins over the S in everything, it's another matter whether you can use a smartphone with such dimensions, because the new product is larger. The second parameter, more subjective, design is already a matter of taste.
If we talk about official prices, the advantage will be on the side of Sony Xperia S, which is quite logical, it appeared earlier, and Sony's requests were much more modest. The recommended cost for Sony Xperia ion is UAH 7500. We are sure that the market will quickly make the company descend from the skies. We do not undertake to assert which price is "correct" (minus earnings on the new product), but we can assume that by the beginning of September it will be at the level of 5500-6000 hryvnia.
Notify when on sale
Sony originally released the SONY XPERIA ion smartphone in the US market for the local cellular operator AT&T. In the states, the smartphone, as they say, went to the masses and the company decided to release it in other markets, including Russia.
But the following story turned out: officially, the smartphone began to be sold in our country only in September, this is a very late date for such a smartphone. At this time, analogs from competitors are already being sold on the market in full, for example, the Samsung Galaxy SIII costs 22 thousand. rub., there are excellent smartphones from LG and HTC. The price at the start of the SONY XPERIA ion was 24 thousand. rub. and the phone went unnoticed, as they say, "not flooded"!
For Sony itself, this means absolutely nothing. This is not a flagship for the company, the flagship is still SONY XPERIA S. If you like, the SONY XPERIA ion is a "plug" between the SONY XPERIA S and the expected new flagship SONY XPERIA TX.
But nevertheless, there is something to tell about SONY XPERIA ion .....
Device Specifications
Manufacturer: Sony
Model: Xperia ion
Year of issue: 2012
Opera. system .: Android 4.0.4
Battery capacity (mAh): 1900
Dimensions (mm): (width x height x thickness) 68 x 133 x 10.6
Weight (g): 144
Processor type: Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260
Clock frequency (MHz): 1500
RAM (MB): 1024
ROM (Mb): 2048
Built-in memory (GB): 16
Communications: GSM 1800, GSM 1900, GSM 850, GSM 900, UMTS 1900, UMTS 2100, UMTS 850, UMTS 900
Bluetooth: 2.1
Wi-Fi: 802.11b, g, n
Other: EDGE, GPRS, GPS, HSDPA, HSPA +, HSUPA, NFC, UMTS / WCDMA, GLONASS
Screen Size: 4.55
MultiTouch: Yes. 10 touches.
Screen protector: Yes, Sony proprietary glass.
Screen resolution (px): 720 x 1280
Screen type: TFT
Video accelerator: Adreno 220
Rear camera (Mp): 12
Autofocus: Yes
Photo flash: Yes
Front camera (Mp): 1.3
Speaker: Mono
Headphone output: 3.5
Other: FM Radio, G-Sensor, Gyroscope, Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Digital Compass
Memory cards: microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC
Ports: microHDMI, microUSB
Features: Sony Exmor R camera sensor, Mobile BRAVIA Engine screen
Packaging, equipment
The smartphone comes in a flat rectangular packaging. The package contains an image of a smartphone and brief technical information. The same packaging for smartphones: Sony XPERIA U, Sony XPERIA Sola, Sony XPERIA P, Sony XPERIA S.
Equipment:
1. Smartphone.
2. USB cable.
3. Charger.
4. Warranty card.
5. Various documentation.
6. Adapter for microSIM card.
The battery is not removable. As you can see, the equipment is budgetary. It is strange that the manufacturer did not include an HDMI cable in the kit.
Appearance, design
Outwardly, the SONY XPERIA ion looks just fine. For me personally, this is one of the best designs on the smartphone market. Moderate thickness, sharp corners, pleasant weight, monolithic black body all create the look of a fashion model. When the screen is off, the entire front of the smartphone becomes a single whole, it looks very impressive. The phone fits perfectly in the hand thanks to the rounded back. In appearance, the smartphone is suitable for both men and women, but the execution in red is more suitable for the weaker sex.
The smartphone is made of high quality matte and glossy plastic. The back is made up almost entirely of metal with a nice texture (invisible vertical stripes). The top and bottom are made of matte plastic inserts. Glossy plastic runs along the perimeter of the screen. Few prints remain on the screen and the back of the smartphone.
The build quality of the SONY XPERIA ion is excellent, I would even call it a reference. There is simply nothing to find fault with. Everything is done as high quality as possible. Naturally, there is no backlash, creak or other defects. For build quality, the highest score.
Functional connectors on the device body:
1. At the top, exactly in the middle there is a 3.5mm headphone jack.
2. On the right side there is a key on / off / unlock / lock the smartphone. Below is the volume rocker. At the very bottom there is a separate key for the camera.
3. At the bottom there is a microphone hole.
4. On the left side there is an HDMI and USB connector, which in turn are covered with a single plug. It is good when various connectors on the case are covered with caps, as this significantly reduces the risk of dust getting into the connector or damaging it.
5. On the front of the smartphone there are: proximity sensor, speaker, front camera lens, notification LED. At the bottom of the screen there are touch keys: menu, home, back, search. The keys are white and have no backlighting. The backlight is only in the form of stripes under the keys themselves. Controversial decision. Under the keys there is an inscription "XPERIA". There is no automatic brightness control sensor.
6. On the back of the smartphone is the main camera, flash, second speaker, inscription and logo "XPERIA".
Functional elements
The smartphone has Android 4.0.4 version. An update to 4.1 is rumored to be promised before the end of the year. The main menu is built according to the 4x5 formula for three desktops. Installed a skin from Sony called TimeScape, this is one of the best skins. The shell itself has extensive customization options. Menu navigation is smooth and without any delays.
Support for microSDXC memory cards has been implemented. 64GB card. works great.
As mentioned above, the smartphone has a separate button for using the camera. A snapshot can be taken both from the locked state and directly when the camera is active. A very convenient function, you can always take a picture at the right time. In the camera settings, you can turn off the shutter sound, which is good when you need to take a picture, so to speak, in secret. The sensor that is installed in this smartphone is exactly the same as that of the SONY XPERIA S. The 12MP camera allows you to take excellent pictures and even in the evening the pictures are obtained at a good level. I also think that at the moment this is still one of the best cameras in a smartphone.
Sample photos:
The camera allows you to shoot video in the now fashionable format as FullHD at a frequency of 30fps. The video looks quite good on a 42-inch FullHD panel.
Screen. The screen size is 4.55 inches. 10-touch MultiTouch. The screen resolution is 1280x720 pixels. TFT type. Excellent screen for color rendering (natural colors), great sharpness. This screen does not have an air gap between the screen and the protective glass, so the image on the screen looks just amazing, as if alive, you want to touch it. It is a pleasure to watch the movie in HD format. Keep in mind that a protective film is already glued on the screen by the factory method, which will additionally protect the screen from scratches. The screen behaves well in the sun, information is almost always discernible. The only thing is the viewing angles, they are not very large. With a strong deviation, the colors on the screen fade, but this is most likely nitpicking rather than some significant drawback. There is a large margin of brightness, which is very good.
I will say a few words about the touch keys: they have some sort of inhibited reaction to touch, sometimes you have to press two or three times for some kind of action to take place. Sometimes this disadvantage is very annoying when you need to quickly do something.
I really liked the sound in the smartphone. The speaker is moderately loud. There is a "fancy" equalizer with extensive sound settings. The smartphone has a Walkman application, which also hints at the musical component of the smartphone. Excellent bundled headphones. In general, lovers of quality music will be satisfied. This smartphone is perfect for the role of an MP3 player.
The smartphone has an HDMI connector, which allows you to display any information on the monitor or TV screen. It is very convenient to view captured photos or videos.
In work, testing
The smartphone has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 processor and an Adreno 220 video accelerator. This is certainly not the best "hardware" filling considering the end of 2012, but nevertheless, this bundle allows you to play modern 3D games quite comfortably. N.O.V.A 3, Dead Trigger, etc. go without problems. When working in 3D, the smartphone heats up noticeably, but this does not affect its work in any way.
Results in synthetic tests:
There is a full-fledged GPS module. There are no navigation problems so that it makes no sense to dwell on this point in detail. Works with Navitel.
Wi-Fi. This smartphone has problems with Wi-Fi. The signal is not very strong, perhaps it is a problem with the metal cover and the poor location of the antenna.
I liked the quality of the transmitted speech. The sound is very clear with no interference or distortion. All thanks to the second microphone which is responsible for noise suppression.
Implemented the possibility of fast charging. It takes about 45 minutes to fully charge.
Out of the box, the smartphone has support for the following formats: 3GPP, MP4, Matroska, AVI, WebM, so there is no point in installing the player separately.
There is also an NFC chip in the smartphone. For some reason, it was not possible to establish work on this protocol with the Samsung Galaxy SIII ...
Battery life
The smartphone has a 1900mAh non-removable battery. The power consumption test results are as follows:
1. Work in the "just phone" mode - 92 hours.
2. Play MP3 file. Headphones, maximum volume - 27 hours.
3. Work in a mixed cycle: games, Internet, video, calls, music - 12 hours.
4. Video playback - 6 hours.
The indicators are quite consistent with the declared density of the battery. However, playing an MP3 file in time seemed small.
conclusions
The smartphone will turn out to be almost perfect. The price for it is falling rapidly and if you want a smartphone with an excellent design, workmanship and camera, then you should definitely look towards the SONY XPERIA ion.
Competitors. At the time of this writing, the cost of SONY XPERIA ion is 21.890 rubles. In the price range up to 22 thousand. rub you can buy: HTC One X, LG P880 4X HD - as you can see, these are solutions on 4 core processors and here SONY XPERIA ion simply loses outright to competitors. And for 20.350 rubles. we get the Meizu MX M032 with the Galaxy SIII stuffing.
pros
1. Excellent appearance.
2. Excellent build quality.
3. Very good camera.
4. Good sound.
5. Resistant to scratches on the case.
Minuses
Of the minuses in this smartphone, I would only single out the not too responsive touch control buttons.
I repeat: an almost perfect smartphone. And one of those for which I would like to change my Galaxy SIII.
