Recently, Sony’s business is not going as well as management would like. Xperia smartphones do not compete with modern cheeky Chinese ("Xiaomi" and "Meizu"). Users simply do not understand why they should pay a lot of money for devices that are much inferior in performance to the gadgets of the above brands. And only a few understand the essence of the Sony philosophy.
They pay not for the clock speed and the amount of RAM, but for unsurpassed quality. And no one is better than “Sony” smartphones. It used to be Apple, but now it has slipped. At Samsung, too, not everything goes smoothly with quality. But at “Sony” everything is as usual: at the highest level. So let's look at one of the most affordable devices of the company - Sony Xperia L1. Characteristics of the model are traditional for budget devices manufactured by Sony. Let's start with the design.
Appearance of the device
Sony’s smartphones have focused on design. It so happened with this model. Although the smartphone is plastic, the material is of very high quality. And it is he who is the first advantage of the Xperia L1. Characteristics for many are not as important as tactile sensations.
The device is made in the classic candy bar form factor. Almost the entire front panel is occupied by a screen. It is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass. There are no buttons under the screen. They are located on the display itself. Above it there is a speaker for conversations, a front-facing photo module, and light and proximity sensors. Traditionally, the body of the device has sharp corners, which can be inconvenient when carrying the gadget in your jeans pocket. But these are trifles.
The camera’s eye is located on the rear panel, and immediately below it is a flash. A little lower is an icon that indicates that the smartphone has an NFC chip. And below this icon you can find the image of the logo of the model. At the bottom there is a charging socket, a 3.5 jack for headphones, a speaker and a microphone.
At the top there is only a power button. The volume is adjusted using mechanical buttons on the right side of the device. In principle, this arrangement is standard for all Sony products. The Xperia L1 is no exception. Hardware platform specifications are the next part of our material.
Iron Performance
What will please the filling of such a device as a smartphone Sony Xperia L1. The characteristics of the hardware platform are as follows. The processor is quad-core, 64-bit, clocked at 1.45 GHz. The amount of RAM is only 2 GB, which means that games for this smartphone are prohibited. If only some are not particularly "heavy."
The graphic part is the Mali T720 MP2 chip. This coprocessor can handle OpenGL and DirectX. In general, the smartphone is fast and clear. There are no freezes, and it does not slow down. But in the devices from Sony they have never been. The manufacturer has always been famous for the good optimization of the operating system and hardware smartphones.
Hardware Features
The volume of the internal drive is 16 GB. But the user has access to only 10. No need to be upset, because you can easily add space using a MicroSD memory card up to 256 GB. This is a serious help.
The device easily works with LTE Cat 6 mobile networks, has a Wi-Fi transmitter operating at 5 GHz, Bluetooth 4.2, an NFC chip, a huge number of sensors and a smart GPS module. All this suggests that we have a completely modern smartphone. So is the Sony Xperia L1 Dual. Its characteristic (general) suggests that it is extremely difficult to attribute it to budget devices. Rather, he is a representative of mid-range smartphones. Now let's move on to the screen.
Display specifications
What screen is installed in the Xperia L1? The specifications stated by the manufacturer are as follows: 5.5 inches IPS panel with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (HD). This is not bad for a budget device. Move on. The screen is covered with a protective glass, which has an anti-reflective coating. This means that using a smartphone as a mirror will not work.
The grease-repellent (oleophobic) coating allows the finger to slide freely along the touchscreen and prevents the rapid appearance of fingerprints on the surface. This is also quite good. The maximum brightness of the screen is quite high. This means that using the gadget on the street on a sunny day will be very comfortable. The information will remain readable.
But the biggest merit of Sony engineers is that the color rendering of the display is close to real. The colors are bright, saturated, but not overloaded (as is often the case in AMOLED matrices).
Viewing angles are also decent. The image is almost not distorted when the gadget is rejected in any direction. A little upset only that the screen does not support the ability to work with gloves. That would be very helpful. But let's not forget that we have a budget model of the device. The screen is already quite good. This is what they put in many smartphones of the middle price category. Now consider the camera apparatus.
Photomodules (front and main)
Now consider the main camera Sony Xperia L1 G3312. Its characteristics are not particularly outstanding, but it is important to remember that Sonya's cameras are usually removed much better than what the manufacturer claims. So, the main camera is represented by a 13-megapixel module with an aperture of 2.2. There is autofocus and a solid flash.
This module provides excellent photo quality. This is largely due to proprietary Clear Image technology. It also provides adequate digital zoom. No pixelation. The 13-megapixel module does an excellent job of portraiture. He also succeeds in macro photography. The drop in image quality is noticeable only in the dark. But this is the trouble of all budget smartphones. Also, the photo module can write Full HD video at a speed of 30 frames per second.
The front camera is represented by a 5 megapixel sensor with an aperture of 2.2 and a focal length of 26 mm. Photos are pretty high quality. For lovers of selfies, such a camera will be very welcome. Also with its help you can chat with friends via Skype or some other application. The chip of the camera is touch autofocus and smile recognition. As soon as the camera "sees" a smile, it immediately begins to take pictures. A very useful option. Now consider the reviews of the owners of this device.
Owner reviews
What do those who have already purchased the Xperia L1 say? The characteristics do not reflect the real picture. Only by reviews of the owners of the gadget can you understand what it is capable of. It should be noted that everyone who purchased this device for themselves was aware that this is a budget phone with all the ensuing consequences.
Therefore, all reviews of Sony are positive. Owners note good performance (for a budget employee), an excellent camera (as always with Sony), an excellent screen and excellent battery life. The latter is especially important, as modern smartphones usually do not live longer than one day. But the “Sony” lasted 2.5 in normal use. And that is a plus.
Finally
The entry-level smartphone Sony Xperia L1 is quite suitable for the vast majority of users. It is fast, beautiful, well-made, has an excellent camera, chic display and boasts good battery life. Yes, and is inexpensive. What else is needed for happiness ?!