Sony Xperia SP

“While the styling is not as sharp as that of the Xperia Z flagship, the Xperia SP's more traditional shape makes it pretty attractive in its own right. And the transparent LED strip at the bottom gives it extra style points - all the while being quite usable too. The Xperia SP shares another important similarity to Sony's flagship line in the inclusion of the Adreno 320 GPU, which offers an impressive graphics performance thanks to its lower resolution screen. Overall, the still camera is somewhat of a disappointment but the 1080p videos partially make up for that. The battery is non-user-replaceable but the memory card slot is a welcome improvement over the Sony Xperia P, which is the Xperia SP predecessor.”

“The Sony Xperia SP is available for roughly US $500 unlocked, which is a decent price for a device in this class. The SP isn’t currently ranged by any American carrier, but it should come for $100 to $150 on a two year contract. Now for the big question – is it worth it? If you are a spec fiend, there isn’t anything on the Xperia SP to get you excited. You’ll be better off with an Xperia Z (if you prefer Sony), Galaxy S4, or HTC One. However, if you are a budget-conscious customer that wants to get the most bang for the buck, the Sony Xperia SP is an excellent choice. It costs far less than current high-end devices, and it’s able to hold its own respectably.”

“The Xperia SP is by no means perfect. It's got a grime- and glare-loving screen that misses the mark despite its HD resolution. Other problems: a penchant for bloatware and other small flaws like the terrible WiFi reception. The design may be a little bland for those who aren't interested in the transparent element, but the build quality is solid. Also to its credit are the capable shooter, long battery life and internal hardware that delivers serious performance for the price point.”

“The Sony Xperia SP is a good mid-range phone. There's power and flexibility on board and there's the performance to back it up, aside from a few minor quirks. The design of the handset is good too with the metal frame giving the SP a nice solid feel. We're not sold on the flashing bar however, it just seems a little too much at times, especially when you're lying awake at night, watching it illuminate your bedroom. The camera performance isn't great. Although there's a lot on offer, it just doesn't seem to all come together and give you the good shots you'd sometimes expect, with focusing being the thing that frustrated us the most. However, the Sony Xperia SP is reasonably priced and for that you get a good display and a device that will showcase the fun of Android nicely, with a battery that will get you through the day.”