Xperia V became popular when used in the
movie James Bond 007: Skyfall. The product belonging to Arc series has a curved
back.
Sony’s smartphone is dust proof and water
resistant, meeting IP57 standard. It can stand the one-meter water depth within
30 minutes. Unlike the solid-state Arco S, the model is detachable.
Sony
Xperia V - Water-Resistant Smartphone
Design and display
Like a series of models released last year,
Sony Xperia V has a curved back like in Xperia J and TX, though this device
feels sturdier with large-width linings and the rough back surface for a firm
handle.
Though designed following water resistant
and dust proof like Acro S, Xperia V doesn’t own a solid state design and its
back panel is removable, covering memory card and battery. It also features a water
proof rubber gasket while details (outside of this gasket), such as camera,
sub-micro and stereo, are tightly sealed.
The case is made of matte plastic but well
designed, making itself look like metal-made. Connectors and jack slot placed
in this case are sealed with plastic flips. Below the charge port are 2 contacts
to connect with the device’s specific docks. However, these two contacts are
bare, not covered. What differentiates Xperia V from TX and J models is that
the product doesn’t have any specific camera button. In the right there’re only
power button and volume keys.
The back was simply designed like on TX
model with details: camera, flash, micro, NFC and stereo. All are lined up.
The screen felt separate from the frame and
curved out, not inside the frame like from TX and J models. Xperia V’s display
seizes 4.3in, featuring HD resolution and nice colors which is an advantage of
Sony’s models over other rivals.
Like
a series of models released last year, Sony Xperia V has a curved back
As the screen is smaller than TX’s one,
Xperia V’s pixel density counts up to 342ppi, plus Xperia V is the only model
(in Arc series) that is equipped with Bravia Engine 2 technology. Thanks to
this integration, viewing movie was quite impressive, with high contrast and
sharp display.
That Sony threw 3 virtual keys into the
screen makes the design look much compact; however, this makes the screen seem smaller
than usual. Virtual keys are quickly responsive but in case of lagging or quick-opening
the screen, user may feel a little inconvenient.
Features
Sony Xperia V has Android 4.0.4 OS
installed by default, with Timscape interface, similar to other hi-end models
(TX, S or Ion). However, Sony also updated the interface with some new features,
one of which is mini app, allowing user to open some small apps such as
calculator, recorder, note or a few downloaded from app store. This mini app
enables small app to run at the same time with running apps, like in Galaxy
Note II. User can open mini app by tapping the app-switching button. A status
bar will appear to show mini apps for user to choose.
Sony
Xperia V has Android 4.0.4 OS installed by default, with Timscape interface,
similar to other hi-end models (TX, S or Ion).
The next striking feature is the default old
music player which now has been changed into Walkman player letting user to
manage music for better experience. This Walkman app is also integrated with
ClearAudio+ which enhances audio output when used with a headphone. Unlike
Beataudio of HTC, ClearAudio+ doesn’t increase sound volume as well as bass, it
only clarifies the sound.
Because of using Walkman app to play music,
user will have another app for viewing videos and downloading info from
websites.
Like other hi-end smartphones from Sony,
Xperia V also includes NFC supporting the brand’s smart tag connection. The device
can stream images to TV via a micro-USB port and a specific cable.
Camera
Sony equipped its Android device with a
quite high resolution, up to 13MP, similar to TX and T. By having resolution
increased, Xperia V delivers better image quality and less noise, even in
low-lit condition, though focus is a bit slow.
The camera still faces a problem:
overexposure, like in other models of the brand, user should reduce EV down to
from 0.3 to 0.7 depending on particular conditions.
Sony also integrated Superior Auto mode for
better correction. Xperia V is also equipped with filters giving various image
effects.
Aside from photo-shooting, Xperia V’s Full
HD video recording was also enhanced.
Xperia
V delivers better image quality and less noise, even in low-lit condition,
though focus is a bit slow
Performance
Using the Snapdragon S4 helped Xperia V to
work more efficiently. Its benchmark result was up to 5,677, higher than that
of One X, though Xperia V is a dual-core model.
The only weakness lies in runtime. The
battery features a capacity of 1,750mAh. With a continuous usage including pushing
mail, updating Facebook and web-browsing, the total time allotted was 6h. However,
as the model is detachable, user can fix this problem by acquiring an
additional battery.
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General info
·
2G Network: GSM 850/900/1800/1900
·
3G Network: HSDPA 850/900/2100
·
4G Network: LTE 800/850/1800/2100/2600
·
Announced: 2012, August
·
Status: Coming soon
Body
·
Dimensions: 129x65x10.7mm
·
Weight: 120g
·
Certificate: Touch-sensitive controls; IP57
certified; dust and water resistant; water proof up to 1 meter and 30 minutes
Display
·
Type: TFT capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
·
Size: 720x1,280pixel, 4.3in (~342ppi pixel
density)
·
Multitouch: Yes, up to 10 fingers
·
Protection: Scratch-resistant glass
·
Technology: Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2; Timescape
UI
Sound
·
Alert types: Vibration; MP3 ringtones
·
Loudspeaker: Yes
·
3.5mm jack: Yes
·
Memory
·
Card slot: micro-SD, up to 32GB
·
Internal: 8GB storage, 1GB of RAM
Data
·
GPRS: Yes
·
EDGE: Up to 237 kbps
·
Speed: HSPA+ (DL 42Mbps/UL 5.8Mbps); LTE Cat3,
(DL100Mbps/ UL50Mbps)
·
WLAN: Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi
Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
·
Bluetooth: Yes, v4.0 with A2DP
·
NFC: Yes
·
USB: Yes, micro-USB (MHL) v2.0
Camera
·
Primary: 13 MP, 4,128x3,096 pixels, autofocus,
LED flash
·
Features: Geo-tagging; touch focus; face and
smile detection; 3D sweep panorama; image stabilization
·
Video: Yes, 1080p@30fps, continuous autofocus,
video light, video stabilizer
·
Secondary: Yes, VGA
Features
·
OS: Android OS, v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable
to v4.1
·
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon
·
CPU: Dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait
·
GPU: Adreno 225
·
Sensors: Accelerometer, gyro, proximity,
compass
·
Messaging: SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email,
IM, Push Email
·
Browser: HTML5
·
Radio: Stereo FM radio with RDS
·
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
·
Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
·
Colors: Black, White, Pink
·
Misc. : Micro-SIM card support only;
TV-out (via MHL A/V link); SNS integration; Active noise cancellation with
dedicated micro; MP4/H.263/H.264/WMV player; MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV player; Document
viewer; Photo viewer/editor; Voice memo/dial; Predictive text input
Battery
·
Type: Standard battery, Li-Ion 1750 mAh
·
Stand-by: Up to 300h (2G)/Up to 400h (3G)
·
Talk time: Up to 7h(2G) / Up to 7h (3G)
·
Music play: Up to 18h
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