Xperia SP Hands On Review: Mid-Range But Better

Having recently acquired a new Sony Xperia SP, this review aims to answer any burning questions you might have about what to expect from the phone upon it's release and whether or not it's the right phone for you. I'll be detailing everything from hardware, software, design, exclusives and more with the aim that by the end of it all, you'll be familiar enough with the phone to be able to confidently decide whether or not the Xperia SP will be the next phone making it's way to your pocket.



The first thing of note about the SP is its shape and design. Whilst the phone pulls its design cues by hybridizing the visual features of the Xperia S and Xperia P, the SP is remarkably similar to the Xperia T in terms of size and dimension with just the smallest size increase to account for the light bar which I’ll go into more detail about later.

Those who may be ending two year contracts with the Xperia arc will be pleased to know the Xperia T’s design resembles the arc in many ways, and so the SP feels very much like a natural progression. Put simply, you shouldn’t feel too far out of your comfort zone by upgrading to an SP.

One thing present on the Xperia T which is missing from the SP is the arc design which some have come to know and love, but Sony have maintained a firm comfortable feel with the inclusion of an aluminium frame, similar to the skeleton design seen on the Xperia Z. In fact, so much so is the inclusion of an aluminium frame a well-placed addition that it actually feel’s much more firm and well-built than the Xperia T.

So let’s look on the outside of the phone. The very top of the device contains just a headphone jack, keeping things simple. On the left hand side of the device is the USB connection port and the bottom is kept clean with nothing present. The microphone, which in previous generations has been included on the bottom, now finds its home on the front of the device.

The main focus is on the right hand side, containing the volume keys camera keys and the signature power button.

There’s a lot going on here. First, for those of you who have been put off by some of the slightly eccentric design choices Sony have recently made in terms of key placement, you’ll be glad to know that Sony have seen the error in their ways and moved the volume keys back to the top of the device.

In addition to this, the presence of the camera key is welcomed in comparison to this year’s flagship which has seen the camera button axed from its design.

I’m beginning to warm more and more to the design of the new signature power button which sees itself laced throughout the Xperia software, representing toggles throughout the interface’s menus. For now, it’s worth pointing out that it’s very comfortable and requires little effort, unlike some devices which have stiff or awkwardly placed power keys, making it feel like brute force is required before the action’s even begun!

One thing I’m not too certain on is the placement of two small screws on either side of the device. I’m uncertain if this was an intentional design choice or just carelessness, but either way it does make the device look the smallest bit cheaper than it needs to. This is only really noticeable up close, so nothing to worry too much about.

The back of the device is a little ‘loud’. Most prominent is the camera, and to the left of this is the device’s speaker. Below the camera is the device’s LED flash, and further down is the 2nd mic for noise cancellation. About half way down is the XPERIA logo. Something which really isn’t necessary is the inclusion of a small ‘NFC’ sticker, or at least what appears to be a sticker. I’m sure I’ll find out when I try removing it! Seriously, that sort of thing should be on the box, not on the phone itself, and I really don’t see the point in its inclusion. You may notice the absence of the Sony Ericsson Orb which has been removed from all new Sony phones starting this year.

Upon removing the back cover, you’ll see two ports. One for a Micro SD card and another for a micro-SIM.

On first firing up the device you’re greeted with the new clean lock screen, and upon unlocking you’ll see the standard set of widgets found on all Xperia devices these days, which can be customized using the latest iteration of the Xperia user interface.

Sony’s interface customizations add certain enhancements to the android experience such as adding or removing up to 7 home screens, the ability to fire up small apps which itself has some great potential, and just an all-around simple to use design.

You’ll instantly notice the responsiveness on the Xperia SP. Having jumped from last year’s Q3 flagship the Xperia T to this year’s mid-range phone, I’m instantly impressed with the speed and responsiveness, but this is something I’m always quick to reserve judgement on, In my opinion, the time it takes for a device to degrade is far more important than its condition prior to any usage.

Some of the technologies featured in last year’s mid-range and budget phones have made their way to the SP, the first of which is white magic, instantly emphasizing the colours on the device.

This makes for extremely good and instantly noticeable light enhancements to the picture quality and even on a low brightness setting, colours are vibrant, though it does make a small few images appear more ‘pastelly’ than they need to be.

All in all it’s a welcomed feature, though users of the Xperia P did comment on the battery drain this caused so it will be interesting to see if Sony have taken this into account by optimizing it for a longer lasting phone.

The next feature to be carried across from the 2012 range is the hardware powering the Xperia Sola’s floating touch. Floating touch was renamed with the introduction of Ice Cream Sandwich and is now known as ‘Glove Mode’, which can be found on the SP.

To activate glove mode, simply unlock the phone while wearing a pair of gloves, or by mimicking the unlock mid-air. The inclusion of glove mode is questionable. When wearing a pair of gloves, I still struggle to unlock and control the phone, and without gloves I often find myself touching the screen anyway.

It makes me wonder whether or not this technology was effective on the Sola. If so, will a future software update improve its responsiveness? If it was never any good to begin with, then why include it this time around?

The final device specific technology to make its way to the SP is the NXT light bar, famously found on the S, P and U. While present on all three NXT devices, this carries over the Xperia U’s customisability with more enhanced customisation and prominence than what was seen in the U.

 What do I mean by enhanced prominence? First of all, by playing music in the Walkman player, you’ll see the phone join the party, lighting up to the beat and melody which is more or less emphasised based on the tone of the music. In addition to this, the light picks up from the overall look of the album art, which also applies itself to the background colour of the Walkman player itself. This doesn’t work in Spotify, and I’m betting it won’t work on any other third party players. It also doesn’t work when outside of the app, or when the screen is off.

In addition to matching the mood of the music being played, the light bar also matches the prominent colour in any photo being viewed in the album, which is a nice touch which still surprises me every time!

The light bar also provides notifications for texts, incoming and missed calls, emails, Facebook and other LED enabled apps.

A new technology making its way to all Sony mobile devices is the ability to use a PlayStation controller without the need for third party applications, device rooting, or a fiddly setup.

The feature makes its debut of the Xperia SP and looks to be a fan favourite upon its release.

Unfortunately I’m currently unable to test the feature without the necessary cable to connect a controller, but I’ll be interested to see if the controller is restricted to Playstation Mobile games, or whether it will work on all gamepad enabled games.

The camera on the SP includes the same revamped software as the Xperia Z including HDR mode and superior auto, although HDR video recording is limited to the Xperia Z for now.

Video playback now makes use of the new and improved BRAVIA Engine 2, and upon playback of the same video on both the Xperia SP and Xperia T side-by-side, the Xperia SP was superior with eye popping clarity. Maybe surprisingly, the same can also be said for sound quality. Comparing the SP to the T, whilst the SP focuses more on the higher frequencies, playing the same piece of music on the T sounded much lower in quality.

The Xperia SP isn’t without its low points, some of which mid-range Sony phones have been able overcome in previous years. As a mid-range phone, it’s limited to 8 gigabytes of internal storage with no included SD card and an 8 megapixel camera.

Whilst the Xperia P was restricted to an 8 megapixel camera, it packed a generous 16 GB internal storage, and the more recent Xperia V came with just 8 GB internal storage, but a 13mp camera. Sony also felt the need to restrict quad-core technology to the Xperia Z, however with octacore technology readily available, dual core really is tested as to how long it’s going to be until it’s just no longer feasible.

On the plus side, the dual-core 1.7 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ S4 Plus is far from a cheap oversight, and Sony have been careful to assure that the Xperia SP isn’t left behind too far into the near future.  It’s also important to note that cores don’t solve everything, so just because it has more, doesn’t mean it’s better.

All in all, my experience so far with the Xperia SP has been a welcoming one. I’ve enjoyed using it so far and look forward to seeing how well it stands the test of time.

The Xperia SP oozes nostalgia for those transitioning across from a 2012 phone as well as being transition ready for those reaching the end of their two year contracts. It packs enough clout to be considered a fine alternative to other mid-range phones on the market.

Whilst some of the technology such as the inclusion of glove mode, which could potentially hinder development of future firmware, or dual core which can only go so far may be questionable, mid-range devices aren’t there to showcase the breaking edge. The SP however manages to combine last year’s breaking edge technology whilst still leaving enough room for some showcasing of its own, namely with the inclusion of HDR and the debut of integrated Sony Controller connectivity.

The SP is less than what is required for those that need breaking edge, understandably. Those that want it are looking at an extra £100 for a SIM-free handset in the form the Xperia Z. The Xperia SP is however a decent phone which still manages to innovate in small ways, something that you’ll be lucky to find in most mid-range handsets. Sony’s position and reputation as innovators is left unharmed, and so far manages to shine across the entirety of the 2013 range.

The Xperia SP is available to pre-order from the Carphone Warehouse for £379.95 or direct from Sony for £349. Alternatively if it’s a contract you’re after, O2 will be supplying the handset directly, whilst contracts for EE, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone are available on Phones4u.

As usual with any device I’m able to get my hands on, you’ll see more from me about the Xperia SP in due course.

If you have any burning questions about the SP, please feel free to use the comments section and I’ll answer if I can.


UPDATE: Having investigated further into the presence of White Magic, it appears I may have been mistaken due to a combination of confusion in sources for this device and a separate 'rumoured' device, mutters of the inclussion of White Magic in the SP and a notably enhanced brightness on the screen on the SP in general.

Whilst there does appear to have been an amphasis on clarity as well as bringing out the brighter shades on the Xperia SP, this does not appear to be the result of White Magic technology. The morale of the story? You can never have too many sources!