Sony’s first rugged handset since
ditching Ericsson as its partner, the Sony Xperia Go has taken a number of
design hints from its fellow Android Xperia-branded siblings, lining up with an
appealing aesthetic that detracts from the hard-wearing rugged nature of the
svelte smartphone.
Price: $299
Website: www.sonymobile.com
Ratings: 3/5
Sony
Xperia Go
Despite being IP67 certified - meaning it
is dust- proof and can be submerged up to lm underwater for as long as 30
minutes without damage - the Sony Xperia Go is a slim, compact phone that lines
up at a minimalist 9.8mm thick and 110g in weight. Bucking the trend of
increasingly oversized devices, the Sony Xperia Go features a traditional
3.5-inch touchscreen, with a 480 x 320 resolution.
With a scratch-resistant screen coating
further aiding the Sony Xperia Go’s rugged nature, the latest Xperia handset
ensures against water damage by being fitted with independent micro USB and
3.5mm audio jack connection covers.
The
latest Xperia handset ensures against water damage.
The 1GHz dual-core NovaThor processor
inside means the Sony Xperia Go is by no means sluggish, zipping along quite
nicely and largely ensuring applications are opened, run and closed relatively
quickly. Despite this dual-core processor power, however, there is an
irritating amount of lag that accompanies screen movements and application
launches. Add to this poor speaker placement and a rather glare-friendly
screen, and media playback is somewhat lacking.
On top of the handset’s multi-core CPU, the
Sony Xperia Go plays host to the sector standard 512MB of RAM as well as 8GB of
internal storage. Although this 8GB of storage seems at first impressive, in
reality, just half of this is available to the user meaning the microSD card
expansion, up to 32GB, once again becomes a necessity.
Omitting the now year-old Android 4.0 Ice
Cream Sandwich in favor of the dated, albeit largely used, Android 2.3
Gingerbread, the Sony Xperia Go partners a strong, thoroughly tested OS with an
intuitive Ul for what is a pleasant, if uninspiring software collection, that
will have you achieving all your personal needs with little fuss.
That’s entertainment
As with most modern smartphones, Xperia Go
matches a strong collection of functional features to a selection of specs that
are tilted far more towards the entertainment medium. A 5-megapixel
rear-mounted camera lines up alongside an integrated LED flash and autofocus
features.
On
the go: Matching brawn with beauty, the Xperia Go is a good choice
Although there is no secondary
forward-facing snapper, Sony has expanded the possibilities of its rear-mounted
camera, adding 30 frames per second 720p HD video recording capabilities.
Although not the most specs impressive
handset, the Xperia Go pushes the boundaries of its sub-market with largely
pleasing results. It’s not going to set the smartphone world alight but, for
anyone looking for a handset that is both beautiful on the eye and able to
stand up to whatever you can throw at it, there is no better option than the
Sony Xperia Go. And, at less than $300, it’s also a smartphone that represents
great value.
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Pros
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Rugged
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Good-looking
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Great value
Cons
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Rear camera only
·
Ageing Gingerbread
Dimensions
·
Height: 111mm
·
Width: 60.3mm
·
Depth: 9.8mm
·
Screen size: 3.5-inch
·
Weight: 110g
Specification
·
Supplier: www.sonymobile.com
·
OS: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
·
Processor: NovaThor
U8500 1GHz
·
RAM: 512MB
·
Storage: 8GB
·
Expansion: microSD
·
Rear camera: 5MP
·
Front camera: No
·
Screen type: TFT
Reality Display
·
Screen resolution: 480x320
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