Following our last review roundup for the Sony Xperia S, we’ve come across another nine reviews that we thought were worth sharing. Many of the arguments remain the same. On the plus side, the phone is praised for its display, design, camera and build quality. On the negative front, the lack of ICS on launch is the biggest bugbear along with pernickety capacitive buttons. Click through for the full roundup.
Android Central: “We think Sony’s dropped the ball in shipping its first major handset of 2012 with an old version of Android. But the Xperia S makes up for this shortcoming in other areas, not least of which is its hardware. Once it gets that sorely-needed ICS update, the Xperia S could be one of the first great handsets of the year. Until then, it’s another decent Android phone with a handful of outstanding features.”
Eurogamer: “While it delivers in terms of processing power and screen quality, the Xperia S repeats too many of the same mistakes Sony Ericsson was guilty of last year; unfocused software and poor integration of PlayStation services being two of the most galling issues. Still, the power behind this device will ensure that it remains a viable contender for the majority of 2012, and the promise of a forthcoming 4.0 update – which could solve many of the ills highlighted in this review – makes this a phone that is worth looking into if you’re a dyed-in-the-wool Sony supporter.”
Expansys: “It’s probably clear by now that we really, really like the Xperia S. Design wise we loved the angular lines and very industrial design feel, and the glassy break near the bottom edge just gives this handset a little something extra and helps the overall innovative look. A great start for Sony’s Xperia NXT design aesthetic, and a very distinctive phone.”
GSM Arena: Sony without Ericsson. Xperia S a couple of cores short and a year late to the flagship party. Doubters may still have a point there but the Xperia S has more things going for it than against. We didn’t run into a situation where the available processing power wasn’t enough, so for the time being the dual-core vs. quad-core argument seems like a matter of pride rather than performance. The Sony Xperia S is aggressively priced, and offers a lot of bang for the buck. It can stand up to so many different phones – old, current and upcoming – that Sony can pat themselves on the back for a job well done.
The Inquirer: “The Sony Xperia S offers a fantastic display and great multimedia features, but is let down by very poor battery life. It also needs an upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich.”
Modaco: “There’s no denying that it would have been nice if the device had arrived a little bit thinner than it is and maybe with some slightly more interesting design features (transparent strip aside), but on the whole Sony [Ericsson] have done a good job here. If your contract renewal comes round or you snag a Xperia S SIM free, probably at a price that undercuts a lot of its rivals, I doubt you’ll be disappointed.”
Pocket Gamer: “The Xperia S is undoubtedly the best smartphone to have been released by Sony (Ericsson) thus far. With an amazing screen that far exceeds the density of anything produced by Apple or its many other rivals (for now), excellent performance from both the processor and battery, and a great camera, there’s little to dislike beyond the questionable touch-sensitive buttons.”
Swedroid: “There really isn’t a perfect device out there and the Xperia S is of course no exception. Most of the problems such as the ever so slightly loose removable cover, doesn’t really matter that much. On the other hand we do have a major problem with the not so responsive front mounted capacitive buttons. To call them unresponsive might not be fair though since the problem really is about the touch sensitive area being too small. In time it does get better as we learn exactly where to press. We still never really feel that comfortable with them as we would’ve wished though and do hope that this is fixable via a FOTA update.”
VR-Zone: “The Xperia S touts itself as Sony’s flagship Android smartphone that was announced earlier this year, though we are disappointed that it has not been equipped with the latest quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 mobile processor, nor preloaded with Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. However, its 1.5GHz dual-core processor should be fast enough to run your mobile applications, let you game, video watching and even navigate your home screens seamlessly. For those who want to shoot high resolution pictures and HD videos with the phone’s built-in 12-megapixel camera will not be disappointed with the image quality. Like most dual-core phones, battery life performance is average, even after we have updated to the latest firmware updates that is available here.”
