A budget Android handset with a dual-core processor
The Xperia U is the cheapest entry-level model in Sony’s new range of Android smartphones. Despite the price, it has the same dual-core 1 GHz processor as the midrange Xperia P and near-identical performance. The rest of its specification has been reduced.
The Xperia U has 4GB of storage space available for use. There is no memory card slot for adding more, making the Xperia U more suited forapps and a small music collection than holding lots of video. The 3.5in screen has a resolution of 480x854 pixels that looks very crisp.
The real grumble is that at just 1.75in across in portrait mode, there is not much room for the onscreen keyboard. Typing is much fiddlier than on smartphones with slightly larger screens, although installing the Swiftkey keyboard, which is available from the Google Play store and has larger keys than the stock Xperia keyboard, improved matters. The small screen also means the Xperia U is very compact, yet still feels very sturdy. The rounded back means the smartphone wobbles from side to side when used on a flat surface, though.
The Xperia U also has the same clear plastic strip across the bottom of its case as Sony’s other Xperia models, with labels for the three touch-sensitive Android buttons above it.
We have previously complained about the Xperia’s use of white labels on clear plastic, but the U is especially bad - the tiny button labels are all but invisible, even when the clear strip is illuminated. The plastic base detaches so you can swap it for different coloured alternatives.
Sony has also given the Xperia U a five megapixel camera, compared with 12 megapixels in the Xperia S and eight in the Xperia P. It has autofocus and a flash but photos taken in anything other than broad daylight are rather washed out and noisy. Outdoor shots were better, but it is best for a few snapshots rather than as a replacement for a digital camera.
We mentioned the Xperia U’s performance at the start of the review, but while it is on a par with the Xperia P, that was one of the slower dual-core Android models in our benchmarks. There are no obvious speed issues in actual use, though, and apps and games run smoothly.
Battery life is not bad and the Xperia U lasted for almost 11 and a half hours in our video playback test with flight mode enabled, which is almost twice as long as its Sony siblings.
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1 comments :
Click here for commentsBattery lasts a day and a bit if you use it! Never considered that a new phone would not have and SD card slot! 4gb int just about OK. Screen nice but small. Speed of video etc is fine on Virgin with little buffering.
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