Sony Xperia S
Key specs
Critic consensus
“Sony without Ericsson. Xperia S a couple of cores short and a year late to the flagship party. Doubters may still have a point there but the Xperia S has more things going for it than against.With a top-notch camera and excellent screen, standard microHDMI port, very good audio quality and plenty of storage, the Xperia S will readily meet your multimedia needs. As long as you install a proper video player from the Play Store that is, as the stock one just doesn't cut it.We didn't run into a situation where the available processing power wasn't enough, so for the time being the dual-core vs. quad-core argument seems like a matter of pride rather than performance.Sony are trying to infuse their phones with the company's innovative spirit and they've done interesting things with the NFC connectivity and the close integration with other multimedia devices in the house. The TV launcher that can be controlled with the TV remote was quite clever we thought, but in typical Sony fashion, you're likely to run into compatibility issues (unless you have a BRAVIA HDTV).The Sony Xperia S is aggressively priced, and offers a lot of bang for the buck. Still, there are plenty phones that would like to challenge it.”
“The Sony Xperia S can successfully take on the best current-gen droids and come out the winner in several key areas. Its biggest problem, however, is that the flagship trend has moved on to quad-core packing, Android 4.0 ICS running phones and Sony isn't there yet.”
“I have to say I had high hopes for the Sony Xperia S. Its aggressive futuristic style will certainly turn heads, something few smartphones are capable of. There are risks to pushing the design envelope, however, and the Xperia S stumbles in places. Its capacitive buttons are tricky to operate and the phone's illuminated band may be slickly distinctive but is more style than substance.”
“With a great HD screen, 12MP camera and a few quirky extras, the Sony Xperia S should be right up there with the best of the rest but it doesn't quite come together. The screen isn't quite as good as we'd hope and the camera is well below expectations. Meanwhile the design, although quite nice, doesn't really wow us. It is still an excellent phone, just not the barnstormer it could've been.”
Watch before you decide
In Depth
There’s no other way to describe the Sony Xperia S other than a very capable multimedia device that’s filled to the brim with top-of-the-line hardware and software features. Currently, it is Sony’s flagship Android smartphone and is considered by many as one of the most handsome phones available on the mobile phone shelves.
Sony smartphones—and yes, that includes the ones that were released under the Sony Ericsson brand back when it was still alive—have always been characterized as having excellent built-in cameras. The Sony Xperia S is of course no exception. It boasts a built-in 12-megapixel camera with autofocus and LED flash, plus it comes with several nice extras such as touch focus, face and smile detection, 3D sweep panorama, image stabilization, and geo-tagging capabilities. The rest of the phone just further emphasizes Sony’s focus on multimedia for the Xperia S. The display is an LED-backlit LCD touchscreen that supports multi-touch and measures 4.3-inches diagonally. It offers a native resolution of 720×1280 and is able to display images with rich color and textures with the help of the proprietary Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine. A front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera makes taking portrait photos easier. There’s also an excellent built-in loudspeaker that can be used not only with the music player but also with the built-in FM radio.
With all of that said, the Sony Xperia S is also one of the most powerful smartphones that you can get in its price range. It runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor, has 1GB of RAM, and comes with 32GB of internal storage. It also has a whole host of wireless features such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, HSDPA data, GPS, and even NFC. All of these come in extra handy when trying to make the most out of the built-in software as part of the default operating system, which is Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
All in all, the Sony Xperia is kind of like a smartphone that’s in a league of its own. If the world famous branding or the striking good looks don’t get you, perhaps the hardware and software features will.
Need to Know: Sony Xperia S
1. Default operating system can be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in the 4th quarter of 2012. (The Good)
2. Makes use of cutting-edge technology such as NFC capability to let on-the-go users enjoy unique features such as SmartTags. (The Good)
3. Although made mostly out of plastic materials, it still ends up feeling quite heavy in the hand. (The Bad)
4. Having a large screen makes it less ergonomic than many other phones on the market. (The Bad)
What people actually want to know
When was the Sony Xperia S released?
The Sony Xperia S was released on March 2, 2012.
How long does the battery last on the Sony Xperia S?
The Sony Xperia S has a 1,750 mAh battery.
Does the Sony Xperia S have a headphone jack?
Yes, the Sony Xperia S has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Where can I get support for the Sony Xperia S?
Visit Sony's official support page for warranty info, repairs, and troubleshooting.
Where can I download the Sony Xperia S manual?
You can view and download the Sony Xperia S manual on our dedicated manual page.
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