Sony Xperia C : Review of Mid-range smartphone from Sony
Are you looking for a mid-range smartphone from Sony? Well, Sony Xperia C is here. In this article we will see the detailed review, features and complete specifications of Xperia C. Read more to find pros and cons and even the price and availability of mid-range Android based smartphone from Sony.
After the success of the high-end smartphone from Sony, Xperia Z, it seems they are now concentrating on the mid-range devices. It is the second one in this range that the company announces after the Xperia Z. Previously we saw the features of Sony Xperia M and in this article we will be focusing on yet another mid-range device from Sony, which is Sony Xperia C. The device was announced in June, 2013. Read more on this article to see what features they have included in this mid-range smartphone, Sony Xperia C.
Display Features
Before we dive into the technical specifications of the phone, let's take a look at the exteriors of the phone. Now a days, apart from the specifications of the device, the design and style are also taken into consideration and this is mainly among the teenagers. Sony is again here with another device which is smartly designed targeting the teenagers only. By the first look itself, the device is a bit big one, with an enormous screen size of 5 inches.
The company hasn't used any display enhancing technologies in the Xperia C like Bravia Engine. And here they have gone for a typical TFT capacitive touchscreen, measuring 5 inches and supports multi-touch feature up to 4 fingers. Meanwhile it comes with 16M colors, which is a relief. The new Xperia C comes with a resolution of 540x960 pixels and the display is of QHD. And it will be coming with 720p HD display screen too. Along with it, they have done something to enhance the display by providing pixel density of 221ppi, which is pretty good.
It also comes with some screen protection covering to protect the screen from scratches and other damages. The device will be an outstanding one, if they had provided the Bravia technology in Xperia C. It doesn't mean that the current option is bad, but it would be a lot better if they included it. But being a mid-range smartphone, the provided features are more than enough.Design Features
In case of design also, Sony has done its 'thing'. The structure of the device resembles the typical Sony smartphone and all the Sony's elegance can also be found in Xperia C. The dimensions itself prove it. The device is 141.5 mm tall, 74.2 mm wide and 8.9mm thick (141.5x74.2x8.9mm) and the art of designing can be understood from the thickness of the device itself.
While talking about the weight, it measures about 153 grams. The device is of typical bar shaped by smoothening the edges and sometimes resembling the Xperia Z itself. On closely examining the outlook of the device, we find 3 physical keys on the device. You will find no keys on the left side of the phone, while they have only provided a USB cum charging port there. On the right side you will find volume rocker, power button and camera capture button. The buttons are placed on the right for easy access of them with one hand without any difficulty. And on the top, we find 3.5mm jack for the audio output and speaker placed behind the device. On the front, you will find a front facing camera on top right, along with some sensors and on the bottom there is a pleasant notification light.
Below the display panel, you won't find the usual 3 soft buttons in Xepria C and here they have provided these buttons as a part of the display. We don't yet know the reason why they have gone for a design like this and may have for lowering the price tag. From the closer look of the design of the device it is clear that they have done their magic, same as before on the Xperia C too. If you are looking for stylish smartphone with pleasing looks and better in-hand experience just wait for Xperia C to be released. This is the best you can get at this price.Hardware and OS Features
We have seen the Xperia C in detail from the outside, discussing its design and related stuffs and now let's see the device from the inside. The new Xperia C won't be coming with the Qualcomm chipset like all the other Xperias, and now it's the Media Tek MT6589 chip. There are news everywhere that the Media Tek chip is not that good as the Qualcomm one and this may be the reason behind the low price tag of the Xperia C. But the performance of the provided chip will not be that bad and it will do the job.
Coming to the processor, the device is loaded with 1.2 GHz quad core processor making it more pleasing. Along with this the device is also featured with 1GB of RAM and with all these features the Xperia C is a powerful one. There some news for the gamers too. In Xperia C, you will find PowerVR SGX 544 as the GPU and does pretty well in gaming and generating complex graphics. In case of the storage options, they have not gone for a wild 16 or 32 GB inbuilt memory space, rather they have provided 4 GB of it. But if you find this not really enough, you can expand the memory up to 32GB. The new Xperia C runs on Android platform and comes with latest Android v4.2.2 Jelly Bean along with TimeScape UI. The hardware specifications provided for the Xperia C is pretty good from the first glance itself and this reflects the team's hard work and dedication. The company has gone for the features that is required to attract the teenagers mind and have to wait to know whether it will or will not attract the crowd.Connectivity and Camera Features
The next thing that is considered after the design and hardware is the Camera itself and Sony has given its best in this. The latest Xperia C comes with an impressive camera options including one on the rear and one on the front. The rear one is of 8 megapixels and is enhanced with Exmor R sensor for fast capturing without losing the essence. The camera is also assisted with LED flash, making to possible to capture your favorite moments in low light too. It can capture an image of resolution 3246x3448 resolution. The camera features also includes auto-focus, touch focus, geo-tagging, face and smile detection and HDR. The one in the front is of VGA quality and it is of 0.3 megapixels and comes in handy during video calls.
The connectivity features in Xperia C are also promising. It features both 2G and 3G connectivity. There is no LTE connectivity feature. The Xperia C features Wi-Fi which is of 802.11 b/g/n. It also comes with Wi-Fi Direct and Wi-FI- Hotspot. It is provided with Bluetooth feature which is Bluetooth v4.0 and also has microUSB v2.0. Another drawback we can note is that the Xperia C doesn't have NFC support and it may also be removed due to pricing concerns. Anyways, the provided camera and connectivity features in Xperia C are way better than another smartphones in this range, especially the camera. By reviewing all these features it is clear that the Xperia C will have a good place in the market for sure. Battery and Other Features
With all these features coming with Xperia C should have a better battery too. And the Xperia C comes with a battery of 2390 mAh, which is never seen any other mid-range smartphones. The only problem is that the provided battery is non removable. The 2390 mAh battery will keep the device alive for days for optimal usage. The battery is of Li-ion and they claims a stand by up to 588 hours. On talking about the other features, it has GPS with A-GPS support, have proximity sensors and accelerometer. The device comes in 3 colors Black, White and Purple.
Price and Availability
The new Sony Xperia C is a mi-range smartphone and the price and availability of the device is not out yet. But with all these features and specifications we can expect the device to be priced around Rs 19,000. And the Xperia C is expected to be out by Q3, 2013. Verdict and review
Sony is in the news again by announcing another mid-range device Sony Xperia C and we have seen almost all features of it. The device features a screen of 5 inches, Media Tek chips and 1.2 quad core processor, 1GB of RAM and 4 GB of in-built memory. All these features in that price tag is more than a fair deal. By considering the price tag and features, it comes clear that the device is focused mainly on students and teenagers. The drawbacks or suggestions we see is that they could have included the Bravia engine and NFC. But demanding that will not be fair because this is the best a mid-range smartphone can offer and be happy that it is from the legendary Sony. So, all we have to do is to wait for the device to be officially launched and let's see whether Sony Xperia C will shake the market.
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