Xperia M : A quick Hands On

I finally managed to get the hands on with the Sony's Xperia M , a device that has a specs that're a mix bag between mid to low range  , also 1 GB ram , with an average display camera , whole package combined in an package that costs only 13k INR which is the extremely affordable  segment , and quite huge in demand  ( NOTE : This is the single sim version not dual sim which is slightly higher in price)

[caption id="attachment_147" align="aligncenter" width="225"] Xperia M[/caption]



Design and Hardware :



The back of the device is the mat finish plastic , which is little bit textured and does not feel too premium , also mat finish choice makes the device fit perfect in the hand , reducing the chances of slipping from the hand , which is good . The device has 4" screen which makes the phones perfect in size , easy to handle , pocket friendly  , also finger prints are barely visible . The device is available in PURPLE , WHITE , BLACK , YELLOW color + choice of single and dual sim verison , which makes the phone choice friendly .

The right side of the device has Sony's Circular power button , which is now the trademark in the Sony phones . Volume button and camera shutter button are also placed at the right side . They provide good tactile feedback , and also they're easy to reach as the phone  is crafted beautifully in a compact sized plastic chassis .



While the left side of the device has Micro USB 2.0 port , and nothing else ( barren land ) .. The phone is made concavely considering the back side to be the reflecting surface. On the top of the device there's a 3.5 mm audio jack in the center and on the bottom of the device there's a micro phone only .. The device is powered by 1GHz dual core processor and 1 GB ram , this combination makes the performance of the phone good , but not up to the mark of High-End devices like Note 3 , iPhone5s etc ..



The device has touch screen navigation buttons , the stock android buttons , but just made translucent and more natural thumbnails ...Device has all Wifi , BT , even NFC which makes this phone for usable ...

Camera:

The device has a 5MP camera with a a single LED flash and a VGA front camera . The picture quality of the device of the device is below average , more amount of noise is seen the bright photos , low images are also below average. The front camera is VGA , it might not be the best one out there , but you can't complain much because of it's price .



Display:

The device has a 4" inch screen with a 480*854 res , which is good deal considering it's price , but it's not Z1 or Zultra .. Outdoor visibility is good . But if you're a user from a high - end device , Pixels will suck you , as more and more amount of pixels are seen in the device

But compared to the competitors like Galaxy Core , HTC desire C etc , it's much good looking display and bright . All this display technology , translates the device's display with 245 PPI .



Software and LED notification bar :

The device runs on Android 4.1 with Sony's TimeScape on it , while the dual sim version of the device runs on Android 4.2 ( with an update) . Actually this skin feels much more clean and natural , than TouchWIz , which at times feels likes STILL NEEDS TO IMPROVE , and chopped performance .  Occasional lags are seen in the device when Multitasking , Swiping in app drawer , and swiping between home screens .. But they're barely noticeable and anyone can live with  it with ease . But performance get's chopped during heavy games like RipTide GP 2 , FL Commando etc + during playing 720p HD Videos ( I'm not sure about 1080p) ..

The one feature most of us will love with this phone is LED notification bar . It's customizable , classifying it based on Notifications . Like Red color for WhatsApp , Pink color for SMS , Blue color for Email etc . LED light also adapts as per what color is mainly seen in the image when viewing photos in Albums . Also it lights up during active calls and in the sony's Music Player , which feels standalone as most of the devices have LED notification lights ( small dots ) not bars , also unlike most of the manufacturers it is customizable ..



Conclusion :

Pros :  1 GB ram , Led bar , color options ,Front cam at affordable price , Display is good considering competition

Cons: Though 1 GB ram performance get's chopped sometimes , Camera could be better as Lumia 520

UPDATE (Speakers and Storage):

Speakers were good  and were loud enough , also the device is Play Station certified ..   Earphones comes pretty standard , and were average in terms of sound .. Overall Sound and speakers quality was good considering it's price . The device has 4 GB internal storage out of which about 1.5 to 2 GB space is available which is pretty low  , but at this price all you get is this , also storage is expandable up to 32 GB via Micro SD card .. Sadly you can't move apps to SD Card ..