Sony Xperia S Hands-on

Sony Xperia S Hands-on

Sony Xperia S Philippines
Sony Xperia S Philippines
Hands-on with the Sony Xperia S

Meet the Sony Xperia S

The Sony Xperia S is now officially in the Philippines! The flagship model of the Sony Xperia series was formally launched together with it’s siblings (Xperia U, Xperia P, Xperia Sola) yesterday in a press event at the Mind Museum, BGC. There were a few demo units available for testing so we were able to spend some time playing around with it. At first glance the Xperia S is definitely an impressive device and our initial tryst with it was equally remarkable. We would definitely love to get our hands on a unit for an extended time so we can give a comprehensive review. For now we’d like to share our initial impressions via this hands-on post.

First things first, let’s check the specs!

Sony Xperia S Spec Sheet

  • Dual-core 1.5 GHz CPU (Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon)
  • 1 GB RAM, 32 GB storage
  • HSDPA, 14.4 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps
  • 4.3 inches display (Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine) , 720 x 1280 pixels (~342 ppi)
  • 12-megapixel camera, 4000×3000 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
  • Records video — 1080p@30fps, continuous autofocus
  • OS: Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradeable to Android 4.0 ICS, Timescape UI
  • Standard battery, Li-Ion 1750 mAh
  • NFC (Near Field Communications) technology enabled
  • Comes with NFC chips

Here’s a short video we made while we were playing around with the unit:

Initial Impressions

The first thing you’ll definitely notice is the hardware design. Sony added a transparent strip near the button which glows giving the Xperia S a very unique look and feel. The strip actually goes well with the 4.3-inch screen making the device look like it came from a sci-fi movie.

The display on this device is also amazing! It has a pixel density of ~342 ppi which is even higher than what you get with the Apple iPhone 4. The Sony Mobile Bravia Engine also makes sure that the images, animations, and text on your screen are crisp, rich, and bright.

The Sony Xperia S!

As for the actual body the Xperia S kinda reminds me a lot of the Xperia Arc S. It has the same curved back which gives it a pretty sezzy profile when compared to other smartphones.

The Timescape UI was snappy an intuitive. We didn’t get to put it though the paces though to check if it will bog down later on (which is the problem with most Android smartphones).

Sony Xperia NFC Chips
Sony also tried to highlight the NFC (Near Filed Communications) technology with their new line of Xperia smartphones. The Xperia S comes with free NFC chips which you can basically use as quick shortcuts to different apps and services in your phone. It’s kinda difficult to explain in words but you’ll get the idea if you watch the short video below.

Cool right? Hehe.

It also comes in black. Woot.

The Sony Xperia S is now available in Sony stores. SRP is Php27,990.

As far as first impression goes we’re pretty much happy with the Sony Xperia S. It’s a beautifully made Android smartphone and I’m sure that Sony will continue to innovate so that their handsets will integrate well with their Bravia TV, Vaio laptops, and tablets. I’m really looking forward to seeing their 4-screen strategy evolve and mature over time. I’m also hoping to see NFC play a bigger role in technology. Let’s see if Sony will come up with NFC TVs, tablets, and laptops as well!

Welcome (back) to the smartphone game Sony!

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