User Profile, Smartphone past:
I use the phone (probably slightly below) average circumference. Ie for mobile browsing, navigating, email and short message services (ie Internet functions), for listening to music on the go, to make phone calls and photos on the road (not as a main camera on vacation). Everything to a moderate extent.
Past Smartphones: iPhone 3G, HTC Desire, HTC Desire S, Samsung Galaxy Ace 2
Appearance:
The black version is really very nice. In the shop I could only examine white and was mediocre enthusiastic (the transparent plastic around the edge did not look so chic), but I am also not a fan of white smartphones - a matter of taste.
In black but it looks absolutely elegant and cool, the edges of the display are very narrow, forehead and chin above or below the display are also nice and flat. The plastic enclosure looks good, just like the buttons. The back is as smooth and black as the front.
Feel and dimensions:
The device is very comfortable to hold, contrary to initial skepticism when trying out the store (there even with safety block behind). Direct competitor was the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini. Coming from a (cheap) Samsung, whose rounded shape and soft plastic back I liked even better. However, Sony is not as edgy in his hand as the iPhone 5 (S), which I could compare with acquaintances despite its more angular appearance by far. Only the very smooth backside makes it slippery (be careful when dropping to a sloped surface and when taking it out of your pocket, for example).
It's size is technically comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S2, however thin, a touch narrower, a little longer or higher. In the front pocket of jeans, for example, it fits (without shell) into pleasant.
The screen has just the right size for one-handed use relaxed, also thanks to the very narrow edges of the casing around the display. By comparison, a Nexus 5 I can not easily (ie without changing the grip or convulsions) with one hand. Likewise, a iPhone 6, even if the display itself is not much bigger (screen size alone is not the problem).
Software (OS, UI, Apps, bloatware):
The device is rated for Saturn, without branding. It is currently running Android 4.4.4 Kitkat, where Sony has announced for spring 2015 update to Android 5.0 Lollipop. The OS runs smoothly.
Sony's user interface is very neat and pretty close to stock Android, characterized everything runs as smooth as silk.
Preinstalled apps include a bunch of Google Apps (Chrome, Maps, Drive, Gmail,) and yet another bunch Sony Apps. They include Walkman, the camera app with various enhancements, image and video gallery (both very nicely done!), The Playstation App (for PS4 owners certainly interesting) and a handful of other Apps. Most can uninstall or disable any problems.
Of particular note is still that Xperia Edition Garmin Navigation (Navigon) is preinstalled. Within this you can apply for a region (Europe / USA / other) decide once and can then download this region all country maps. A great thing for offline navigation abroad. I had bought Navigon in the telecom Edition on my previous devices and sometime for the 20 European maps. In this respect, a great bonus!
Hardware (performance, battery life, screen, camera):
The processing power is more than sufficient. Everything is super liquid at my use habits. Also with regard to future Android updates are sufficient reserves in the typical smartphone lifecycle of about 2 years (maybe even more herewith). I'm not a smart gamer, so I can not comment.
For battery life, however, already: Finally holding a phone more than a day in normal use! 2 full days are traveling loosely in it, even for heavy users, when the Stamina mode can be exploited. When the phone is much in one place or remain in the same WLAN and UMTS Netztwerk, it also keeps 3-4 days, even if it is used normally. That is very impressive and undoubtedly a huge plus point.
The display like absolute hardware fanatics are not enough (to read here and there of too low resolution and not very accurate color reproduction), but it is bright and the resolution is completely sufficient at this screen size since the battery would otherwise not last as long. Who wants (sense used) 4K resolution, a phablet or tablet must buy halt. The color reproduction is actually a bit cold, so with a slight blue tint. Me personally does not bother, it perceives it only when one keeps other devices for comparison next.
The camera has a wide range of functions and triggers very high on. However, since resolution says very little about image quality, you should not be blinded them. The camera is good, but not outstanding. Colours are naturally captured, but there are smart phones with better cameras. This can be done in advance on the net enough to read / watch many comparisons. For the good snapshot in between them is quite sufficient, especially features like panorama and depth of field effect are available (and can be turned off in the App menu if necessary). However, the panorama function of Sony's big botch: The image transitions are often distorted, exposure settings will not be compensated or adjusted, so that when shooting outdoors in the sunshine, a part of the image is either extremely dark or too bright, and if you do not exploit the maximum swivel range wants the rest of the image remains black and it has to be cut manually. This can Samsung worlds better! A big plus is the dedicated button outside, which serves as a camera shutter button and the app calls directly from the locked state.
In addition, the phone is dust and waterproof, thus dust particles are likely to belong under the display cover of the past.
The music playback via headphones is very good, which I attach great importance. Very sophisticated sound, natural reproduction of all frequencies. There is also a 5-band equalizer on board, along with additional sound settings in "Sound" menu settings.
Conclusion (Pros & Cons, recommendation):
+ Chic look
+ Pleasant, quality haptics
+ Optimum size for one-handed operation
+ Fast (Hardware Power, UI close to stock Android)
+ Extremely long battery life
+ Little bloatware, everything can be uninstalled / -Activate
+ Bright, sharp display
+ Excellent music playback via headphones
+ Android 5.0 arrive safely
- Back very smooth (contributes to good feel, but possibly slipping)
- Camera only good, built-in panorama function unusable
Therefore: Unrestricted buy recommendation! A top Smartphone for one-hand use and the perfect all-rounder with big power reserves. Price and performance are absolutely justified in relationship, since a high-end smartphone has been implemented in a compact format.
