Verdict
Key Specifications
- 13MP camera
The Sony Xperia T is Sony’s new flagship phone, packing in a 13MP camera, NFC, and Android Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s also going to feature in the next Bond film, but is it more license to kill or license to ill?
Design
There’s no two ways about it, we’re not enamoured of the Sony Xperia T’s looks. Sony has returned to the curvy, inward arching design of the Xperia Arc, rather than continue the standout style of the Xperia S, P and U. It feels like a step backwards stylistically and the finish isn’t all that special either – it feels plasticky and details like the plastic flap that covers the SIM and microSD slots looks really cheap. You’ve got a choice of black, silver and white.
Features
Features wise, though, Sony is much more on the ball. Not only do you have the aforementioned microSD for expanding storage but there’s a class-leading 13MP camera with shutter button and 1080p video recording. And, there’s one rather impressive screen.
The Xperia T has a 4.6in LCD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, making it super sharp. It also employs Sony’s Bravia television tech to make for superbly rich colours, deep blacks and great viewing angles.
Ergonomics are pretty good too. The side mounted power button falls within easy reach for activating the screen as do the volume controls, and the curvy design sits nicely in the hand. Sony has also conformed to Google’s guidelines and used soft-keys for the main navigation buttons.
Powering this phone is a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, which seemed to do a pretty good job of keeping it feeling nippy.
Also helping is that it runs Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean will be even faster and an update is the works but it won’t be available for a little while yet.
Sony has customised the Android interface quite a bit, with the most prominent features being the music player, gallery and video player apps – we particularly like the varied icon sizes in the gallery.
Wrap up
We’re not totally taken with the Sony Xperia T when it comes to design, and it lacks a truly killer standout feature but it seems like a sensibly designed high-end Android phone with easy to use features. So if the price is right it could be a winner.
How we test phones
We test every mobile phone we review thoroughly. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly and we use the phone as our main device over the review period. We’ll always tell you what we find and we never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Trusted Score
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
