78
Sony Xperia S
7.0
final rating

reviewed on
this review has been viewed 193 times

Criteria Comments Rating
  • Reception and call quality Good quality (tested over AT&T's network in the US), but sometimes it's hard to hear. good
  • Display The Bravia display is large, gorgeous, pixel perfect, and sure as hell beats the iPhone's retina display. great!
  • Battery life Terrible software ruins this device, coupled with a non-replaceable battery. poor
  • Camera 12MP of high-quality glory, but doesn't compare the the 8MP iPhone 4S (which ironically enough uses a Sony sensor). good
  • Ease of use Android 2.3 comes pre-loaded on this device, and it's not the easiest to use, especially when it's loaded down with bloatware. so-so
  • Design and form factor Sony design is gorgeous, and the curved back feels nice in my pocket, even with the large screen. great!
  • Portability (size / weight) It's light, but heavy enough to not feel like a toy. great!
  • Media support I haven't tested this too heavily, but if you have a file you can't play, I'm sure there's an app for that. so-so
  • Durability I haven't dropped this thing, but it's of solid build, and it seems like it would hold up from my daily usage. so-so
  • Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) Android is no bueno, but the offering of Sony LiveWatch accessories is nice. Too bad those suck too. poor
Detailed review
The Sony Xperia S is a sleek looking device, coupled with power hardware, but with terrible software. The Bravia screen on this thing is stunning, even clearer than my iPhone 4S' retina display, but if you're looking at viewing angles, this phone does not have a hand over the iPhone. Battery life (another aspect you can blame on bad software) dosen't me through the day without having to plug it in to the micro USB charger, which gets annoying since the plug is behind a plastic door. The camera is staggeringly high quality, but I found the light levels on my 4S' camera are much better. If Sony were to load this thing with a smoother version of Android (4.0, or even 4.1 would have been nice) and not have tied it down with bloatware, this phone would have received a much higher rating from me. Sadly, Sony isn't the best at keeping their devices up to date with the newest software, leaving me regretting not purchasing a not-as-gorgeous Samsung device.
review history
2012-08-03
Edited comment on Portability (size / weight)
Edited comment on Media support
Edited comment on Durability
Edited comment on Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.)
Edited comment on Design and form factor
Edited comment on Ease of use
Reception and call quality rating changed from 5 to 4
Edited comment on Display
Edited comment on Battery life
Edited comment on Camera
Edited comment on Reception and call quality