With the XPERIA E4 Sony promises an Android smartphone with a
five-inch display and a battery life of two days - all for less than 100 euros.
See and Feel:
The XPERIA E4 stands at the same height as an iPhone 6 - at
137 mm, the 960x540pixel display is a bit washed out and looks cloudy in the
sunlight. The E4 has a bulbous back that bends and can easily use the handset
in one hand. Holding the E4 in your right hand will affect Sony's positioning
of the volume rocker.
The volume controls are located under the on / off switch -
located on the right side of the E4. I either knocked on the buttons by mistake
when lifting the phone or tried to bend my thumb when I wanted to change the
volume. The sponge construction quality of the buttons only amplifies the problem.
Although the rear case of the E4 can be removed, there is no way to replace the
battery. However, this hardly matters because the E4 is amazingly durable. Sony
says the battery lasts two days, but in our tests it can even surpass these
high expectations. However, there is support for expanding the handset's memory
with a micro SD card of 32 GB. This is essential for anyone who wants to charge
their smartphone with photos, videos or music, since only 5 GB of the internal
8 GB of memory are free.
Software:
Sony XPERIA E4 runs on the Android 4.4 KitKat operating
system - using the Sony XPERIA painter. Although only 1 GB of RAM is available,
budget phones are fast and responsive. Most applications load very quickly, and
the navigation around the operating system is smooth and responsive. The main
problem with the XPERIA operating system is the sheer number of applications.
Sony has added a number of pre-installed applications to its
operating system, including PlayStation, Sony Select and Socialife, Kobo, XPERIA
Lounge, PartyShare, AVG AntiVirus, Garmin Navigation, TV Side View and Track
ID.
Of course, some E4 owners may find the use of each installed
application - but most will ignore this bloated choice. However, Google Now
Launcher can be downloaded for free from the Play Store, turning the Sony
smartphone into a beautiful, almost unique Google experience.
Camera:
The Sony XPERIA E4 is equipped with a 5 megapixel rearview
camera. Unfortunately, camera apps are difficult to load and focus on. When it
ends up taking photos, the results are at most inconsistent. The photos are
boring and colorful. Sony's camera app offers a variety of different shooting
modes. It ranges from simple time shifts and panoramas to built-in Vine mode to
live streaming on YouTube. Other modes can be downloaded from the app, and Sony
said the E4 will be updated with the latest add-ons as they are released. The
E4 also has a 2 megapixel front camera that has the same problem as the rear
camera, although this does not affect the video call.
At times,
the Sony XPERIA E4 exceeds the expectations of a smartphone under £ 100. The
navigation around the E4 is fast and flowing. The fluctuating internal battery
lasts many days. So you can leave your charger and the external battery at home
without sweating. However, the E4 is crammed with preinstalled Sony software
and only ships with a limited capacity of 5GB for internal storage. The E4 also
suffers from a lack of 4G connectivity and a bland 5 megapixel rear view
camera.
However, if
the priorities of the Sony XPERIA E4 as a buyer match your priorities, this can
be a great buy. However, this budget phone has some serious trade-offs that
users should know before they part with their money. The Sony XPERIA E4 is
indeed a budget smartphone, but does not mean that it is a bargain smartphone.
No comments:
Post a Comment