Sony Xperia M2 Aqua, The Submersible Newcomer!

Hi!

Today I’m going to share about another gadget that catch my eye.

Guess what? The Sony Xperia M2 aqua!

             This Smartphone is basically an upgraded version of Xperia M (or also L, I can say), which got buffed with an IP68 certification of dust and water resistance. This offer the highest dust and water resistance IP rating currently available on any Smartphone. Fyi, the Sony’s current flagship Sony Xperia Z2 is only IP58-certified. Even Samsung’s proud flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S5 only reaches the IP67 rating. Wow, such an amazing achievement, isn’t it?

            Sony Xperia M2 Aqua specs are actually the same as the original Sony Xperia M2, except for the aforementioned IP certification. Instead of attempting to being a high-end powerhouse, it chooses to only upgrade the necessary things to keep the price budget friendly while at the same time retains its quality to compete the mid-end market.

            So let’s not waste any other time, shall we?

Let’s talk about the screen first

            Sony Xperia M2 Aqua decided to upgrade the screen size of its predecessor. It is now a 4.8 IPS LCD (not sure about this though, CMIIW) with a resolution of 540x960 px (229 ppi). To be honest, this is not a great resolution for a screen this big. It should have been like 720p, but it’s not a big problem though, it should be fine.

            The bigger screen allows more pleasing experience in watching movies and playing games, though it might not be as sharp as the other Smartphone with big screen like Sony Xperia Z or Samsung Galaxy S3. The phone size is still great though, measuring at 140 x 72 x 8.6 mm, it should still be comfortable in your pocket.

            How about the OS?

            KitKat 4.4.2 out of the box! It’s the same with what those flagships got, what else can you wish for?

             Let's see the the processor power

            Guess what? Yup, finally a quad core mid-ranger! It’s now more awesome than ever to do stuffs. The KitKat OS should be running very smoothly and few lags only. The quad core 1.2 GHz processor allows the AnTuTu score of 17808, not the best for a quad core, (Sony Xperia Z reaches about 20k AnTuTu score) but it’s still great for hardcore gaming and other stuffs. The standard 1 GB RAM backed with Adreno 305 and Snapdragon 400 chipset should allow great performance as smooth as hot knife cut through butter.

            Okay, the next section, the photography and videography tools

            A 8 MP still with the same Exmor RS that Xperia L has, so it should be quite similar in quality. But guess what? It finally brings the so coveted AR effect mode so you can finally bring the killer dinosaur to your side

            AR effect mode or Augmented Reality Effect Mode basically combines the real world and the virtual world in your screen, which means you can snap a photoshoot beyond reality!

            Not only dinosaur, there are many other options, but personally I like the dinosaur the most (don’t blame me for this, okay? :D). It’s maybe not that great for adults, but it can give a taste in photography, especially in a tour documentary.

There’s also the panorama mode, I took the pic from gsmarena.com. This one is quite long.

Okay enough about the camera, now the video

            Sony Xperia M2 is capable of recording a 1080p-fullHD video. It captures a crisp, sharp video. I can say that this device is a great video recording tool, but you might have to notice the light condition, as it’s not that great in low light condition, even with HDR on.

            However the main selling point is, the ability to record a clear video underwater

            It’s not an ability that usual mid-ranger Smartphone have. People usually result to high end Smartphones such as Xperia Z1, Samsung Galaxy S5, and such only for this ability. Okay, there is Xperia V for this case, but Xperia M2 Aqua features better processing power, overall durability, and also newer OS for the roughly same or lower cost.

            Now let's see the sensors

Sensors                        : Accelerometer, proximity, compass

            Okay it’s a pity that this Smartphone still lacks the gyroscope, but it’s not a big problem as accelerometer can still handle this, although not as smooth as gyro does.

            Finally The Battery!

            The Battery got really beefed up to 2300 mAh. This ensure a day of full entertainment. You’re not that dependent anymore to powerbank, although it’s best to be prepared than not.

            So that’s it guys my overview. (not really a review, because I haven’t yet used this phone. In fact, it hasn’t been released yet. It would be released on September, 2014, but the specs are similar to the original Sony Xperia M2 which I use to review this gadget) Imo, this is a great mid-ranger with heaps of utilities and especially its great dust and water resistance. You should really consider this one if you’re about to buy a new gadget and need a budget-friendly one. The details hasn’t been published yet, but I'm sure it will be under $400.

Sources: gsmarena.com, oketekno.com, google images for the pictures

Sony Xperia L review

Hi guys, I’m back!

After a long time without any updates, this day I’m going to post about something that I’ve never done before. I’ve been dabbling in gadgets stuff lately, so what I’m going to do is to write my own gadget review based on my own viewpoint. Btw, what I mean as gadgets here are stuffs like smartphones, tablets, and such.

My very first review is about my very own smartphone, the Xperia L C2105

Xperia L is Sony’s mid-range smartphone which was released on May, 2013. It has quite impressive specs for its price range.

Let’s look about the screen first.

 

Screen                    : 4.3 inch TFT, 480x854 pixels (228 ppi)

The screen in my opinion, is impressive. 4.3 inch is just big enough for us to surf the internet, play games, or even watch movies while at the same time retains its small size for an easy one-hand operation. Sure that its resolution isn’t the best one around, but it’s pleasing enough to watch stuffs. Its clarity is quite good indoor, but unfortunately poor against sunlight considering it’s a TFT.

Now let’s see the OS

                    

OS                             : 4.1.2 Jelly Bean (4.2.2 update available)

Sadly, no Kitkat yet for this smartphone. 4.1.2 Jelly Bean is still nice though, as it still supports the  majority of application on the Play Store, and it’s really smooth anyway. 4.2.2 update is also available, but seems no major difference other than UI stuffs.

How about the processing power?

                       

Processor               : Dual Core 1 GHz Krait

GPU                          : Adreno 305

Chipset                    : Qualcomm MSM8230 Snapdragon

RAM                         : 1 GB

Yeah, dual core is no powerhouse anymore with quad cores running rampant around the market. But it is actually a really solid processor for a mid-ranger. For example, it reaches 12k in AnTuTu Benchmark which outlevels almost any other competitors in its range. Backed up with a 1 GB RAM and Adreno 305 GPU, it excels for playing some 3D Games smoothly. I never feel that this spec isn’t enough for daily usage and gaming, but be careful that it can be quite laggy if you put too much stuffs in your memory.

Okay, so how much stuffs we can add?

Storage                   : 8 GB Internal (5.8 GB user available), microSD slot (up to 32 GB)

Why Dropbox logo? Well it resembles storage right, so why not? Xperia L got a quite ample of storage. 5.8 GB might not too much, but it’s great considering you can save things like pictures, video, music, and many other things in your whopping 32 GB external memory. So 5,2 GB is mostly only for application that you download from the Playstore. Wow! That’s a lot of game :D

                Let’s move to the utility stuffs

Camera                   : 8 MP back, VGA front

Video Recording    : HD 720p @30fps

Xperia L is blessed with a 8 MP camera with many features like face detection, smile shutter, geotagging, touch capture, panorama, and HDR mode. Yes it lacks the   -- Bring the killer dinosaur here --  AR mode, but it software matters anyway, so you can get it if you want to.

The Camera itself is great, but it’s somehow lacking in software utilities. I recommend you to use camera apps on the Play Store for the best result such as Camera360, Lenovo Super Camera, etc.

Anyway here is the camera samples of Xperia L (taken from gsmarena.com)   
         

Unfortunately, the VGA front facer is not a great deal for all of you selfieholic. It also lacks the Exmor sensor, so you really have to adjust the light conditionif you expect a good result. Again, use the Play Store Camera App for better result. I myself have been using Camera360, and it had barely disappoint me till now.

Video recording capability is average. Good enough for this price range, but it’s a pity that the other 720p recorders like S3 mini and Lumia 720 outlevels Xperia L in this section. It’s not that bad though, it captures a quite good video in the right light condition, and with enough details too.

The Sensors? Hmm ..

Sensors                  : Accelerometer, ambient light and proximity sensor

Okay, I don’t really know much about this part. It has the standard sensors just like the other smartphones do. It lacks the gyroscope though, so you can’t have that really smooth rotation when playing games like minion rush. But it’s still awesome generally.

The last,  how about the battery?

Battery                   : 1750 mAh Li-Ion battery, user-replaceable

I took the battery data from gsmarena.com again. It just provides nearly anything that you could wish for. It’s a 1750 mAh removable battery. Usually it last a day of normal usage, and a day of gaming and video streaming will cost you two times charging. It’s a good idea to bring a powerbank when you attempt to have a trip somewhere.

So that’s it guys my first review about Sony Xperia L C2105. It’s an impressive mid ranger to have, and it won’t set you back too much, only about $299 at release (should be a lot cheaper by now). It’s not the best phone for selfies, but otherwise it’s worth it.

Sources: gsmarena.com, techradar.com, dropbox (logo), mousehunt (processor pic)