TMCnet News
Sony Xperia M2 Review [T-break Tech (Middle East)](T-break Tech (Middle East) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Sony M2 is an upgrade to the M version of smartphone manufacturer. The most important upgrade to the M version and an effective one in M2 is the Waterproofness. No matter if you are splashing in a pool-party or relaxing at the beach over weekend, the M2 stays up and running in the water. It comes packed in a plastic body and that makes it extremely light-weight. This essentially is needed to keep the unit waterproof. The smartphone is sealed from the rear and comes with a non-removable battery. Its design is somewhat identical to Xperia Z2 model. It measures a flat 8.6mm, which gives it slimmer look. The power button is placed on the center of the right-edge of the unit. In line of the power button is house for SIM and Micro SD slot. Also present underneath the power button is volume control, which is slightly inconvenient to operate unlike other devices that opts to have it placed on the opposite bezel. Sony has literally populated the right-edge with camera button also present there. The micro-USB slot is on the left bezel for charging and PC connectivity. The speakers are located on the bottom edge of M2. They are loud enough to be heard even if you are playing music in a little crowded place. However, the sound quality is not Sony like and I was really disappointed with its crackling sound – even on high bitrate music files. The Xperia M2 is equipped with 2330 mAH embedded battery with rated talk-time of up to 12 hours and standby time up to 641 hours. However, in real world the battery life with average use of the phone with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capabilities can last for a day. The battery life though can be enhanced with various power savings mode available with the device. The impressive one is the Stamina mode that completely transforms the battery performance to almost three times from the normal mode. When the Stamina mode is operational, it disables Wi-Fi and mobile data temporarily and most applications will be inactive. You can still receive phone calls, SMS, calendar and alarm notifications. As soon as the display is alive phone functions normally. Camera Sony has done some cost-cutting in integrating the camera sensor for M2. It only has an 8 Megapixel rear camera with 4x digital zoom, flash and auto focus feature. Your Selfies might not be that impressive with M2 as it comes with a VGA front-facing camera. The M2 however does provide some cool camera apps in addition to techniques like HDR and Exmor RS that drastically enhances the picture quality and visibility. The eight Megapixel camera didn't disappoint me when used both indoors and outdoors. The indoor images are quite satisfactory during the day-time as seen in the colorful baby swimming pool. The outdoor shots are also quite satisfactory from the comfort of my balcony in daylight. It does cover the minute details when zoomed with no-pixel effect. These are shot without special effects and techniques, yet turned out acceptable considering its camera sensor. Hardware, Software & Apps The Xperia M2 is packed with a quad-core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon processor and 1 GB of RAM. On the storage front it's loaded with 8 GB flash memory expandable to 32 GB using MicroSD slot. On the connectivity front, it allows Bluetooth and NFC in addition to its Wi-Fi capabilities. The M2 sports a rather bigger 4.8-inch (540 x 960 pixels) QHD display to further enhance its spec-sheet. Overall the M2 comes with a good hardware set to complement its features and price tag. Application wise the M2 does feature some decent apps to go with its smartphone functionality. Surprisingly, my review sample had Android KitKat pre-installed, which is a good lead forward for the smartphone of this caliber. The M2 comes pre-loaded with Sony Select app, which is home for downloading apps, games and themes. However, when you click to get an app or game, it re-directs to google play store. For troubleshooting and support, M2 also has an app called Xperia Care, which takes you to Sony's support webpage. You can conveniently turn your M2 into a navigation device with Navigon by Garmin – a highly rated navigation application. To my disappointment, the OS failed to update over Wi-Fi and required a PC to complete the action. Camera comes with various AR and Picture effects for fun photography. It also features Social Live camera mode, where you can live update pictures and video on Facebook. Sony fans will be delighted with Sony's proprietary Walkman App which comes pre-installed with M2. Other proprietary software installed on the device includes, TrackID TV, TrackID, Smart Connect, Pixlr Express and Xperia Lounge. Performance Sony Xperia M2 is a mid-range smartphone that does feature some high-rated hardware profile. In my set of benchmarks, the M2 performed quite reasonable as expected. Though the figures are not very high or on par with LG G3 reviewed earlier, but it does offer some decent performance. Verdict Sony has provided some great features and UI for a smartphone in their Xperia M2 with little setbacks here and there. For a price bargain of just $300, Sony has created a niche market for Xperia M2 with its all-round performance, design and specs. Overall the smartphone is packed with good features and over-average hardware profile to rival its competitors in the mid-range segment. It's waterproof and sleek yet intricate design will surely attract a good chunk of audience – not to forget the reasonable price tag. The post Sony Xperia M2 Review appeared first on tbreak.ae. COPYRIGHT 2014 TBREAK MEDIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info). (c) 2014 All rights reserved. Albawaba.com |