*** The official Sony Xperia S thread ***
- Thread starter Tejstar
- Start date
Associate
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Hope I'm not going to regret getting this. That review has made me a bit worried, especially as the camera was a big deal for me. They aren't in stock right now so I could potentially cancel it. I dunno... Tempted by the lumia now, save a bit of money too.
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Soldato
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- 18 Oct 2002
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I'm still going ahead with my order. Will make a nice upgrade over my Desire.
Common negatives picked up in reviews so far are:
1. No Micro SD Expansion - I'm more than happy with the 32GB on board. I never fill the 8GB on my Desire anyway.
2. Non removable battery - Actually you can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lHsfARv_0Y&feature=player_embedded
3. No ICS out of the box - Naughty Sony. Personally, doesn't bother me. Gingerbread is quite a capable version and will do nicely until Sony release the ICS upgrade
4. Last gen SOC.
I quite like Sony's strategy. With the Arc S, they went single core when everyone else was going dual. However, they threw in a couple of features that matched or beaten the others. The Arc S still perfomed really well but made for extremely affordable contracts. They've done it again here.
SOC might be last gen (although Sony have managed to squeeze far more out of it that HTC with the Sensation/XE) but thrown in a lovely 720p, high DPI display, decent camera and a nice design.
Yet its available on launch for free on a £20 a month contract.
I'm not a massive mobile user (calls and text. Data I tend to use home/work wifi) so this is ideal. The HTC One X's/SIII's of this world will be out ofmy price range and even now, the SII has only recently become affordable for me. However, I see the Xperia S as the better buy currently over the SII, Sensation XE etc, primarily because of the display.
Common negatives picked up in reviews so far are:
1. No Micro SD Expansion - I'm more than happy with the 32GB on board. I never fill the 8GB on my Desire anyway.
2. Non removable battery - Actually you can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lHsfARv_0Y&feature=player_embedded
3. No ICS out of the box - Naughty Sony. Personally, doesn't bother me. Gingerbread is quite a capable version and will do nicely until Sony release the ICS upgrade
4. Last gen SOC.
I quite like Sony's strategy. With the Arc S, they went single core when everyone else was going dual. However, they threw in a couple of features that matched or beaten the others. The Arc S still perfomed really well but made for extremely affordable contracts. They've done it again here.
SOC might be last gen (although Sony have managed to squeeze far more out of it that HTC with the Sensation/XE) but thrown in a lovely 720p, high DPI display, decent camera and a nice design.
Yet its available on launch for free on a £20 a month contract.
I'm not a massive mobile user (calls and text. Data I tend to use home/work wifi) so this is ideal. The HTC One X's/SIII's of this world will be out ofmy price range and even now, the SII has only recently become affordable for me. However, I see the Xperia S as the better buy currently over the SII, Sensation XE etc, primarily because of the display.
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You forgot the dodgy capacitive buttons and (rather pointless) plastic build quality. Major falts when the Xperia P and HTC One S/X exist.
Don't think I could stand another sony where pressing back is so much hassle! Back.. Back... BACK goddamm you!
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I just noticed that buymobilesphones.net state in the description that it comes in 16gb and 32gb varieties but don't specify which one you get with each contract. Anyone know?
That is strange, I'd assume it's the 16GB model though.
That's capacitive buttons for you!
Anyone seen this O2 deal over at HUKD? Seems like a good way to get the handset on the cheap.
No O2 (Tottenham Court Road). They only had 2 delivered. I can't believe 3 are selling it for less than £400 sim free - cracking deal.
Strange thing. My Market has completely disappeared. Download some 49p apps and there is not sign of the Market app
EDIT - Never mind. Google Play has replaced Market
Strange thing. My Market has completely disappeared. Download some 49p apps and there is not sign of the Market app
EDIT - Never mind. Google Play has replaced Market
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Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
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- 9,379
For those interested in getting this phone.
If you got to 02 via Topcashback, they they have £111 caskback on 18/24 month contracts for the next 2 days.
O2
200 mins
Unlimited texts
500MB Internet
Unlimited Public WiFi
24 month
£21.50 per month
Total phone cost over 24 months is £405 (£16.87). Although total cost of ownership is even lower if start removing data bundles and downgrade after x months.
If you got to 02 via Topcashback, they they have £111 caskback on 18/24 month contracts for the next 2 days.
O2
200 mins
Unlimited texts
500MB Internet
Unlimited Public WiFi
24 month
£21.50 per month
Total phone cost over 24 months is £405 (£16.87). Although total cost of ownership is even lower if start removing data bundles and downgrade after x months.
That's a cracking deal. Mine was my current deal + more minutes & a change to 1GB (as they don't do unlimited any more 
) - £37pm
900mins
1Gb
A lot of texts (not sure how many)
Free phone & micro sim
But I get friends & family so it comes to ~£27pm.
) - £37pm900mins
1Gb
A lot of texts (not sure how many)
Free phone & micro sim
But I get friends & family so it comes to ~£27pm.
Going to order one of these with TopCashBack tonight if I can't find a better deal, Havent got much use for a phone lately so with TopCashBack is £111 cashback, 200mins, unlm txts, 100mb data, free phone. £16p/m. (24months)
I think that's pretty unbeatable value wise atm?
I think that's pretty unbeatable value wise atm?
Right - mini assessment:
I remember almost two years ago buying the X10 and being initially amazed (it was my first touch screen phone). This dissipated over time when the problems started; poor call volume, bloated software, terrible battery life (though I think this was due to a slightly defective battery) and the then SE's poor handling of updates etc. Don't get me wrong I did like the phone but it had its flaws.
I am a little impatient - been using a Nokia N82 as an in between phone since loosing my X10. Even when purchasing the Xperia S I joked with the O2 guy about potentially how amazing the GS3 will be. I am sure it will be a better specification but probably only of note in the SoC side of things. The Xperia S will be a perfectly capable phone for at least a year. The original GS was a better spec but the X10 could do almost everything (correct me if I am wrong) the GS could do. This time the Xperia S has had two generations to learn from. My view on this phone was always going to be a little more guarded but I like what I see so far:
The phone itself is elegant and stylish, as was the X10. It is a nice feel in your hands with a solid weight. Some may not like the plastic back cover, I don't mind it but do like the slightly more premium feel of the iP4/4S. Something worth noting; the seams around the edge of the phone (front and back) appear to have noticeable gaps - there could be an issue with dust.
The obvious stand out feature is the screen. It is brilliant. The cherry picked sample pictures and videos on the phone looking stunning! Very crisp and the colours are bright and vivid. The screens of the iP4/4s and GS2 finally have something to rival them - I have only used the other two briefly but the Xperia S is at least as good if not better (when I bump into a friend with either phone - I can try a more direct comparison). Finally - the viewing angles are very good too.
Sound has been another positive of this phone. Call quality is much better than the X10 and the quality on the other end was given praise as well. The speaker phone delivered a crisp and loud sound when listening to music. I haven't had a chance to listen to music on the earphones yet.
Only had a brief play with the camera, inside my office. Fast capture is a great addition but unless you have very steady hands I expect in the real world some pictures won't come out particularly well when using fast capture. It is fast though! I did notice when taking a FC picture in the office the picture looked pretty good but became quite noisy when zoomed in. I am off to Covent Garden for lunch so will take some proper pictures then and report back.
We are all a little disappointed that Sony didn't launch this phone with ICS but I have faith this time will be much better than the fiasco of updating the X10 to 2.1. Gingerbread is perfectly fine for now - the ICS update is 'due' in Q2. The UI runs like a dream, almost all actions are fluid and easy on the eye. The only minor fault is it is still not as fluid as iOS IMO; some times when changing home screens I sense a very minor jolt and this is more noticeable when pinch zooming out of the home screen to display all the widgets. The default home screens are littered with widgets so perhaps if I toned it down this minor issue will go away. ICS runs pretty damn well on my TouchPad, I forget it is an alpha - so I am sure the UI and responsiveness will improve with the update.
The capacitive buttons were an issue with most reviews, the majority saying it takes a few days to get used to them. For me it didn't take much time at all but I still miss ~1/10 button presses and it will take me a few days to get used to them in the dark.
The battery doesn't seem great, well not as good as some of the reviews (Engadget got two days of light use). It looks like about a third of the battery has drained since 7/8am with some moderate use of Google Play over WiFi and tinkering with Cerberus (including the GPS). I have yet to properly tweak sync setting etc and have only charged the battery once (takes a few times right?). It does charge quickly though - a welcome edition.
In short - I like what I see. It is a beautiful and capable phone but I need more time over the weekend to try out all of the other features, whilst trying to complete ME3.
I remember almost two years ago buying the X10 and being initially amazed (it was my first touch screen phone). This dissipated over time when the problems started; poor call volume, bloated software, terrible battery life (though I think this was due to a slightly defective battery) and the then SE's poor handling of updates etc. Don't get me wrong I did like the phone but it had its flaws.
I am a little impatient - been using a Nokia N82 as an in between phone since loosing my X10. Even when purchasing the Xperia S I joked with the O2 guy about potentially how amazing the GS3 will be. I am sure it will be a better specification but probably only of note in the SoC side of things. The Xperia S will be a perfectly capable phone for at least a year. The original GS was a better spec but the X10 could do almost everything (correct me if I am wrong) the GS could do. This time the Xperia S has had two generations to learn from. My view on this phone was always going to be a little more guarded but I like what I see so far:
The phone itself is elegant and stylish, as was the X10. It is a nice feel in your hands with a solid weight. Some may not like the plastic back cover, I don't mind it but do like the slightly more premium feel of the iP4/4S. Something worth noting; the seams around the edge of the phone (front and back) appear to have noticeable gaps - there could be an issue with dust.
The obvious stand out feature is the screen. It is brilliant. The cherry picked sample pictures and videos on the phone looking stunning! Very crisp and the colours are bright and vivid. The screens of the iP4/4s and GS2 finally have something to rival them - I have only used the other two briefly but the Xperia S is at least as good if not better (when I bump into a friend with either phone - I can try a more direct comparison). Finally - the viewing angles are very good too.
Sound has been another positive of this phone. Call quality is much better than the X10 and the quality on the other end was given praise as well. The speaker phone delivered a crisp and loud sound when listening to music. I haven't had a chance to listen to music on the earphones yet.
Only had a brief play with the camera, inside my office. Fast capture is a great addition but unless you have very steady hands I expect in the real world some pictures won't come out particularly well when using fast capture. It is fast though! I did notice when taking a FC picture in the office the picture looked pretty good but became quite noisy when zoomed in. I am off to Covent Garden for lunch so will take some proper pictures then and report back.
We are all a little disappointed that Sony didn't launch this phone with ICS but I have faith this time will be much better than the fiasco of updating the X10 to 2.1. Gingerbread is perfectly fine for now - the ICS update is 'due' in Q2. The UI runs like a dream, almost all actions are fluid and easy on the eye. The only minor fault is it is still not as fluid as iOS IMO; some times when changing home screens I sense a very minor jolt and this is more noticeable when pinch zooming out of the home screen to display all the widgets. The default home screens are littered with widgets so perhaps if I toned it down this minor issue will go away. ICS runs pretty damn well on my TouchPad, I forget it is an alpha - so I am sure the UI and responsiveness will improve with the update.
The capacitive buttons were an issue with most reviews, the majority saying it takes a few days to get used to them. For me it didn't take much time at all but I still miss ~1/10 button presses and it will take me a few days to get used to them in the dark.
The battery doesn't seem great, well not as good as some of the reviews (Engadget got two days of light use). It looks like about a third of the battery has drained since 7/8am with some moderate use of Google Play over WiFi and tinkering with Cerberus (including the GPS). I have yet to properly tweak sync setting etc and have only charged the battery once (takes a few times right?). It does charge quickly though - a welcome edition.
In short - I like what I see. It is a beautiful and capable phone but I need more time over the weekend to try out all of the other features, whilst trying to complete ME3
.
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Thanks for that, I followed you through the X10 trial and tribulations
And looks like I will be doing the same with this handset.
XDA had some great battery saving roms for the X10, so I presume they will have the same for the Xperia S..
And looks like I will be doing the same with this handset.
XDA had some great battery saving roms for the X10, so I presume they will have the same for the Xperia S..
Soldato
- Joined
- 18 Oct 2002
- Posts
- 9,379
Don't think you'll find many phones with a 720p display and 12MP camera for that amount per month to be honest!