*Sony Xperia SP Review* Sony might have gotten a lot of attention with their new flagship smartphones, but they haven't forgotten about the midrange game. ***** gets down with the Sony Xperia SP. _Did you see the notification light at the bottom of the phone? what do you think of it?_
so many talking about experia. but in NYC i see daily only 3 type of phones 1 iphone 2. galaxy (note 2 more than others) 3 cheap one from non-contract company. so where is experia???
SONY said Android 4.4 update will follow, so whatever RAM issues some may have faced, they won't be present know with 4.4's new memory kernel (seriously, close your apps after you've finished, once in awhile...).
Ive had this phone for 4 years and I can definitely vouch for it. Absolutely fantastic phone and still very usable in 2018 but I was looking for a smaller device so I "upgraded" to an iphone SE this year.
Used this from June 2013 till Jan 2017. I totally LOVE that light-bar. I'm not really into the performance, although could've been better. Now I have Xperia XA. (Yea I know, i'm not so rich to go for flagship phones hoho..)
Great review, dude.. Just bought it yesterday at Indonesia Cellular Show 2013 after waiting for a month, and got pleased already.. Like the small apps features, really handy.. Great job Sony Xperia..
it's fully customizable, so yes, you can turn it off completely or leave it on for a certain function like, only calls or only music or only notifications.
As usual Fantastic review!!! I really like this phone, mid to high range features at a decent sounding price....I just hope we get it here in South Africa when my contract is due for an upgrade!
i always anticipate and watch your reviews specially "xperia phones" ... Your reviews are totally different over the others.. > unique, time-saving and accurate... im looking forward for Xperia ZR review :-) tnx and TC
Reviewers always say "the storage is expandable with a MicroSD card." While when i try to install apps&gamea onto the microsd card it won't give me that option. When i download Move2SD only very few apps are moveable to the SD. What's up with this?
Thanks! First time I saw the SP, I thought that it will be my next phone because price / quality / performance are good, and also that notification bar is nice :)
i bought this phone march 2014 with my first salary, its working perfectly fine no lag at all, well now im searching phone which is compact, handy and powerfull, my budget is $550
rt t the Xperia xz is also really good! But depending on the country you live in it might be too expensive. The x performance is another great Sony phone.
I didn't hear about any recall. My SP works fine. If you can't check it out before buying it, watch reviews and go through the specs to help you make up your mind. I haven't had any problems with phone.
It uses Micro-SIM card (there's a slot for it when you take off the back cover - lower right, next to microSD). It supports 4G connectivity and yes, you can turn off the bottom light. Hope this helps! :)
SP if you want Sony´s 2013 design and slightly bigger screen and better specs. Xperia V on the other hand offers waterproof and compact design and smaller screen of course. SP is Sony´s 2013 mid-range, while V last years mid-range device.
My point is, battery life is never a problem unless you cannot remove the battery on your phone, and even then a custom rom or underclocking the device might fix that. And that although good, the Xperia Sp's GPU is still not better than the one on the Nexus 4.
Please review between sony xperia sp vs. Sony xperia C. Which of them is the best phone. Because my dad had already xperia c in which this phone is in mid range and besides i love your review :) ....
nexus 4 if you are a regular user and don't want your phone to get outdated even after a long time Xperia SP if you are a hardcore gamer,if you do browsing regularly on your phone and do a lot of multitasking
I have Xperia U that I want to change, I'm thinking of either Xperia SP or V, everyone recommends SP but I'm looking for a high quality camera that's why I'm rooting for the V. My question is, is there a huge difference in the camera quality between the SP and the V? So that if I bought the SP I don't regret it later. Help much needed from anyone who managed to check the camera's quality of both. Thanks.
Xperia T or SP? It feels like their screens are pretty much the same and cpu-power as well. Battery better on SP I guess. Is the camera the only thing that really stands out on the T? Compared to the SP.
I dropped my iPhone 6plus in the bath so I had to get this phone temporary till my iPhone is fixed and I'm not a fan of Sony but this phone is good, front camera is not great but a part from that its alright
I have both the new Xperia L and the Xperia SP here at home and what's really disappointing is that the Xperia L (250€) has better viewing angles than the Xperia SP (350€). Viewing angles of the Xperia SP are really bad. If you say "I don't care for viewing angles! Just gimme LTE, 319ppi, Gorilla Glas, 2370mAh battery, 1080p video recording and a sexy LED-Bar!!!" then go buy the Sony Xperia SP now.
I purchased this phone about a month back,and i m pretty satisfied with it. camera is pretty average but the rest of the features are absolutely brilliant for this price range.i would recommend you go for it if you are satified with average camera.cheers :)
I've got an iPhone 4S at the moment, but I want to switch back to Android without breaking the bank, plus the 5 inch screens of the Android flagships are a little too big for my hands. Is this a good upgrade? Thanks
i have xperia V. Music player was very patchy, batt life is short and gets hot very easily. Good thing is it had a 13mp camera compare to SP 8mp but SP had a bigger screen. Make your choice wisely =]
I cant decide between these 2 devices Xperia SP and Xperia ZR. I am confused,which one should i go and buy ? i wanna buy one of these great phones. Please Help me !
If you're thinking about getting this phone, DON'T!! I got it last year and the WiFi range is horrible- only about 3 metres. WiFi range is not even 1 metre if there's a brick wall between the phone and the WiFi router. I'm not the only SP user with this problem. Just google "Xperia SP WiFi issue" and you'll see forums discussing it. Sorry, but this is the truth.
depends on what you want more. nexus 4 has better cpu, up-to-date vanilla android, 2gb ram, but it also suffers from gpu throttling, poor camera, weak battery, non-expandable storage, and the glass back is prone to break. i picked xperia sp because i want good battery and expandable storage.
when you take a shot at off angle and the screen thus fades to look for a good shot, so you can get better picture and still you can see the screen with that condition.
Does the back panel of this phone lifts up at the flash area ? it looks like a good fit at every other area. but near the flash looks like the actual back panel is lifting up. is there a problem with the design ?
i have xperia u and first when i bought it (before one year) it worked perfectly and now its so slow, i'm thinking to change it but i can't decide between samsung s4 mini and xperia SP i'm scared it wont happen the same with them to first perfect than totally disappointment? any suggestions ??
You are both wrong -.-, the Nexus devices are aimed at developers and low budget customers, while still targeting every possible user. In fact Sony may have a reputation due to their Playstation, however, the Sony devices offer media apps more than anything, and yet, they target all users too. And when it comes to gaming, any device with a good CPU and GPU works for it.
I don't see a difference between a 720p screen and full hd screen on phones. There all the same in terms of the naked eye and don't effect the viewing experience.
octavia kuhn joke of the century.. Definitely the single worst mid-range, "premium" device. The screen is horrendous, same with both cameras. Everyday use is hit or miss, actually differs from time to time with me, but like 90% of the time i have to wait 3 seconds for my phone to load my apps in the app tray. Build quality is pretty great though. The speaker is also crap. I really, really hope you went with the nexus. It has a snapdragon 800, 2 gigs of ram, the camera is still mediocre but better than the sp, it also happens to have stock Android since it is a google device, which meanssssssss, SOFTWARE UPDATES :D right now the nexus 5 is rocking lollipop, 5.1.1, and will get the Android M update when it gets released, meanwhile the sp doesn't even have kitkat. There isi no comparison
![It can do it all: Sony Xperia 1 VI [review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cY46jgTSSJM/mqdefault.jpg)
*Sony Xperia SP Review*
Sony might have gotten a lot of attention with their new flagship smartphones, but they haven't forgotten about the midrange game. ***** gets down with the Sony Xperia SP.
_Did you see the notification light at the bottom of the phone? what do you think of it?_
i love my sony xperia z!
is this another touch screen smartphone?? well, i'm not too crazy with it...
The best is samsung
their service is bad. Not doing follow up on sony ericson products. Fed up with it
so many talking about experia. but in NYC i see daily only 3 type of phones 1 iphone 2. galaxy (note 2 more than others) 3 cheap one from non-contract company. so where is experia???
Sorry guys, I made a mistake, it is 1GB of RAM, not 2GB like I posted. I will make an annotation/correction letting everyone know.
No problem man! 👍
I miss this phone. This was my first Android phone. I sold it because its getting old.
This was such a cool phone back then. I received so many compliments and i loved it so much
SONY said Android 4.4 update will follow, so whatever RAM issues some may have faced, they won't be present know with 4.4's new memory kernel (seriously, close your apps after you've finished, once in awhile...).
Ive had this phone for 4 years and I can definitely vouch for it. Absolutely fantastic phone and still very usable in 2018 but I was looking for a smaller device so I "upgraded" to an iphone SE this year.
Used this from June 2013 till Jan 2017. I totally LOVE that light-bar. I'm not really into the performance, although could've been better. Now I have Xperia XA. (Yea I know, i'm not so rich to go for flagship phones hoho..)
TheSunMoon how do you even live with a 5 inch phone
Great review, dude..
Just bought it yesterday at Indonesia Cellular Show 2013 after waiting for a month, and got pleased already.. Like the small apps features, really handy..
Great job Sony Xperia..
I had this phone for over a half of the year and this phone is awesome..
are you sure your talking about Sony Xperia SP
Yup :D
+zlatkio then I must have gotten some weird version
it's fully customizable, so yes, you can turn it off completely or leave it on for a certain function like, only calls or only music or only notifications.
My first touchable phone 🤗
As usual Fantastic review!!! I really like this phone, mid to high range features at a decent sounding price....I just hope we get it here in South Africa when my contract is due for an upgrade!
i always anticipate and watch your reviews specially "xperia phones" ... Your reviews are totally different over the others.. > unique, time-saving and accurate... im looking forward for Xperia ZR review :-) tnx and TC
What do you mean midrange is not as exciting? Technology within my budget is the most exciting there is! ;)
haha nice
by the way your reviews are THE BEST! no bias at all.
This was a great review dude. It's arriving tomorrow. Mid-range ftw
Reviewers always say "the storage is expandable with a MicroSD card." While when i try to install apps&gamea onto the microsd card it won't give me that option. When i download Move2SD only very few apps are moveable to the SD. What's up with this?
I just got one today! I can't wait to see it in person.
I still remember this phone today. I loved sony phones till xperia z3.
Used the SP for 2yrs, had a great experience, after SP got xperia Z1.
The original glyph concept any phone had before. Nothing phone 1 is not the first one . This was my go to phone for everything that time ☺️
Lol It's 1GB RAM Not 2GB but anyways It's fast, i Love my #XperiaSP
WOW - what a great review vid! answered all my questions with style. thx.
Thanks! First time I saw the SP, I thought that it will be my next phone because price / quality / performance are good, and also that notification bar is nice :)
How much I loved this phone
I'm in love with those lights at the bottom!!! :O
i bought this phone march 2014 with my first salary, its working perfectly fine no lag at all, well now im searching phone which is compact, handy and powerfull, my budget is $550
Go for the a sony device! In particular, maybe one from the X series
Edit: go for an xperia x compact
let me check.....do you have more suggestion??....i cn extend my budget to $600.....thantjs for your reply
rt t the Xperia xz is also really good! But depending on the country you live in it might be too expensive. The x performance is another great Sony phone.
rt t if you want a great phone that is not Sony, get the Samsung galaxy a5 2017! It isn’t flagship but has the s8 design & fast processor.
oneplus 5
I didn't hear about any recall. My SP works fine. If you can't check it out before buying it, watch reviews and go through the specs to help you make up your mind. I haven't had any problems with phone.
It uses Micro-SIM card (there's a slot for it when you take off the back cover - lower right, next to microSD). It supports 4G connectivity and yes, you can turn off the bottom light. Hope this helps! :)
Sick of hearing this people complaining. Why you guys buy it at first then? I pretty like it though, my brother owned it once.
Just got one today can't use it till christmas but looks real cool.
SP if you want Sony´s 2013 design and slightly bigger screen and better specs.
Xperia V on the other hand offers waterproof and compact design and smaller screen of course.
SP is Sony´s 2013 mid-range, while V last years mid-range device.
Superb review good job !!!
:D
My point is, battery life is never a problem unless you cannot remove the battery on your phone, and even then a custom rom or underclocking the device might fix that. And that although good, the Xperia Sp's GPU is still not better than the one on the Nexus 4.
Sony Xperia sp or Google Nexus 4????
Please review between sony xperia sp vs. Sony xperia C. Which of them is the best phone. Because my dad had already xperia c in which this phone is in mid range and besides i love your review :) ....
love the review... Keep it up!
Will this get the KitKat update?
Looks neat. I'm thinking of getting a new phone but can't decide between Xperia SP or the Nexus 4.
Great review. Hope gonna buy one soon
great review!, seems like my kind of phone, im sold
nexus 4 if you are a regular user and don't want your phone to get outdated even after a long time
Xperia SP if you are a hardcore gamer,if you do browsing regularly on your phone and do a lot of multitasking
nice work .what should i buy samsung galaxi s4 mini or sony xperia sp?
Thats a tough question coz both phones have similar specs...720p display, 1gb ram, dualcore 1.7 Ghz etc. I prefer the sp coz of lesser bloatware
I have Xperia U that I want to change, I'm thinking of either Xperia SP or V, everyone recommends SP but I'm looking for a high quality camera that's why I'm rooting for the V. My question is, is there a huge difference in the camera quality between the SP and the V? So that if I bought the SP I don't regret it later. Help much needed from anyone who managed to check the camera's quality of both. Thanks.
Nice vid.
What are the best cases for xperia sp ? I'll go with case-mate barely there.
Android Authority can you please do a drop test of the sony xperia sp because there hasnt been any droptest of it on UA-cam.
Thanx
Xperia T or SP? It feels like their screens are pretty much the same and cpu-power as well. Battery better on SP I guess.
Is the camera the only thing that really stands out on the T? Compared to the SP.
hi there, can you please do a comparison review of xperia sp against xperia zr? also, which one should I buy among the two? thanks
I dropped my iPhone 6plus in the bath so I had to get this phone temporary till my iPhone is fixed and I'm not a fan of Sony but this phone is good, front camera is not great but a part from that its alright
+Alisha Rose Keates Especially considering that it's a little over 3 years old already too.
I have both the new Xperia L and the Xperia SP here at home and what's really disappointing is that the Xperia L (250€) has better viewing angles than the Xperia SP (350€). Viewing angles of the Xperia SP are really bad.
If you say "I don't care for viewing angles! Just gimme LTE, 319ppi, Gorilla Glas, 2370mAh battery, 1080p video recording and a sexy LED-Bar!!!" then go buy the Sony Xperia SP now.
Not really a fan of Apple though.
But would love to give Sony mobile device a try.
Any suggestions?
I've been a Samsung user for the past 2 years.
the best SP review i saw so far
In most countries, the Nexus 4 does not have the same price as the ones shown in Google Play store mainly because Google has not expand its service.
I'm looking for a new phone and I've narrowed it down to the xperia sp and moto g. Which should I buy?
nice review you got there. makes me wonder when will I got this phone in my pocket haha
I must say, ur a bit geeky but the American accent helps. After ur clear cut crisp review i'm getting this phone.
Cool smartphone and solid review B-).
What Do You think, should I go for Xperia SP or Xperia T?
My mom had this phone but she gave it to her sister I always like the Sony Experia SP!
Thanks and cool last name that was my elementary school!.. :)
I bought this to use as a temporary phone until I can update my old one and it's alright. The worst thing about it is the camera, it's horrendous.
hey, I was planning to buy the sony xperia SP, but should I spend a little more and buy the xperia ZL? Is it worth it?
I purchased this phone about a month back,and i m pretty satisfied with it.
camera is pretty average but the rest of the features are absolutely brilliant for this price range.i would recommend you go for it if you are satified with average camera.cheers :)
apparently the xperia sp has a 'glove mode' so in the winter you can still touch screen without having to take your gloves of? is this true or fauls?
i just bought the xperia sp, and get awesome display view and smart fast all in one smartphone
Im planning to buy SP. How's the front camera? It's only VGA. Thanks
Yes thats just onky Vga
am lookin for a new phone, i kinda liked this one, but is it worth it?
I'm pretty sure the Xperia SP only has 1GB RAM?
Thanks for the informative review, I think I'll get it.
depends if you prefer long battery life and slightly better core (SP) or a better camera and bigger inner storage (T) . Make your choice ;)
Xperia SP for sure, this phone is several months newer than the T, and that gives certain features :)
You said the sd card slot can hold up to 32 gb sd card, my sp is using a 128gb sd card working fine
really? What brand?
Xperia sp or the nexus 4...which is the better performer throughout.??
Good review, BTW this phone is only $299 off contract on Virgin mobile in Canada.
So which is better? Sony Xperia V or Xperia SP?
I've got an iPhone 4S at the moment, but I want to switch back to Android without breaking the bank, plus the 5 inch screens of the Android flagships are a little too big for my hands. Is this a good upgrade? Thanks
i have xperia V. Music player was very patchy, batt life is short and gets hot very easily. Good thing is it had a 13mp camera compare to SP 8mp but SP had a bigger screen. Make your choice wisely =]
I cant decide between these 2 devices Xperia SP and Xperia ZR. I am confused,which one should i go and buy ? i wanna buy one of these great phones. Please Help me !
I kinda wish Sony still had this light bar on their newer phones.
So which one is worth to buy Xperia SP or LG Optimus G.......
If you're thinking about getting this phone, DON'T!! I got it last year and the WiFi range is horrible- only about 3 metres. WiFi range is not even 1 metre if there's a brick wall between the phone and the WiFi router. I'm not the only SP user with this problem. Just google "Xperia SP WiFi issue" and you'll see forums discussing it.
Sorry, but this is the truth.
Aaaand now the speakers don't work. Congrats, Sony. You have made a majorly flawed phone.
I have the same problem
hey, which one will you recommend me, xperia SP or samsung galaxy trend plus?!
SP for sure
Awesome phone!!! Especially the LED notification light!!
What is the best phone? Sony Xperia SP, HTC One X Plus, Nexus 4?
depends on what you want more. nexus 4 has better cpu, up-to-date vanilla android, 2gb ram, but it also suffers from gpu throttling, poor camera, weak battery, non-expandable storage, and the glass back is prone to break. i picked xperia sp because i want good battery and expandable storage.
This review says 2GB of RAM. However, most (if not all) other reviews say it has only 1GB. I'm confused :-/
Xperia SP or the Nexus 4? Which one to choose?
when you take a shot at off angle and the screen thus fades to look for a good shot, so you can get better picture and still you can see the screen with that condition.
Does the back panel of this phone lifts up at the flash area ? it looks like a good fit at every other area. but near the flash looks like the actual back panel is lifting up. is there a problem with the design ?
Love this! Can't wait to buy my own.. :') Thanks AA ^^,)
You gotta love the price. Incredible.
ive got it and recommend getting it
i have xperia u and first when i bought it (before one year) it worked perfectly and now its so slow, i'm thinking to change it but i can't decide between samsung s4 mini and xperia SP i'm scared it wont happen the same with them to first perfect than totally disappointment? any suggestions ??
If devs can build with last year's specs but improve battery life I'm okay with that.
you said 2GB of ram, but gsmarena list it as 1 GB? which is the correct one?
Since when is 4.6'' Small? I've been using a 4.2'' for years, and a 3.5 before that and those were fine
Here in Indonesia, Xperia SP is at USD 399, and Xperia L at USD 299...
Sony experia SP VS Samsung galaxy s3 ??? which is the best and why ?
props for including childish gambino in the video and music testing haha :D
i like your profile picture
Xperia T is 250 euro (due to cashback) and the SP is 350 euro in Belgium. Which one should I buy? Thanks.
Hi guys would be nice if you could answer this should i get Sony xperia SP or Sony xperia V??
You are both wrong -.-, the Nexus devices are aimed at developers and low budget customers, while still targeting every possible user. In fact Sony may have a reputation due to their Playstation, however, the Sony devices offer media apps more than anything, and yet, they target all users too. And when it comes to gaming, any device with a good CPU and GPU works for it.
I don't see a difference between a 720p screen and full hd screen on phones. There all the same in terms of the naked eye and don't effect the viewing experience.
Sony Xperia SP or the Nexus 5 16GB? Im really mindless of which one to get :-(
nexus 5 has better specs, but is slightly more expensive
Nexus 5 I got it over the sp and the sp freezes and crashes a lot the nexus 5 never lags or crashes
i have the xperia sp, though it does lag at times the lag is minimal. Still recommend the nexus 5 cuz it has superior specs.
Adam Gilchrist the sp never freezes
octavia kuhn joke of the century.. Definitely the single worst mid-range, "premium" device. The screen is horrendous, same with both cameras. Everyday use is hit or miss, actually differs from time to time with me, but like 90% of the time i have to wait 3 seconds for my phone to load my apps in the app tray. Build quality is pretty great though. The speaker is also crap. I really, really hope you went with the nexus. It has a snapdragon 800, 2 gigs of ram, the camera is still mediocre but better than the sp, it also happens to have stock Android since it is a google device, which meanssssssss, SOFTWARE UPDATES :D right now the nexus 5 is rocking lollipop, 5.1.1, and will get the Android M update when it gets released, meanwhile the sp doesn't even have kitkat. There isi no comparison