Review of the smartphone Sony Xperia ion: American of Japanese origin. Sony Xperia ion LTE - Specifications Description of the phone sony xperia ion

2 years ago

Gorgeous display. Quality build. The camera is good. Nimble.

2 years ago

I was immediately pleased with the quality assembly and the metal lining at the back. The case is monolithic, without gaps, does not creak in the hands - a good fit of parts is felt. Another plus is the lack of gloss .... yes, of course it's beautiful, but we all know very well that the phone is always with its owner, and it happens in different situations ... this is falling under a car seat, and wallowing with keys in pocket, and just constant interaction with different surfaces, as a result of which the gloss turns into God knows what within only one month. Bright and clear display with excellent viewing angles and rich colors. The fact that the display becomes a little cloudy when viewed from the side is a normal phenomenon of the TFT LCD matrix, and it is worth noting that this will be critical only for the most inveterate "flea detectors". Good powerful antenna, both WiFi and G

2 years ago

It catches Wi-fi very well -design and build quality at 5+ -navigation instantly finds satellites -fast, without brakes

2 years ago

Build quality - Gorgeous display - Materials - Sound - Fast operation

2 years ago

Gorgeous screen, very good black color, to be honest, I did not expect this from LCD! Very sharp, everything is clear, I like it more than the iPhone, although they are almost equal in density. Sony has no air between the screen itself, the sensor and the glass, only the fifth will have this. The case is very high quality, it is pleasant to hold in the hand, the materials are very high quality and modern. Original design. great sound on good headphones and external speaker. Android 4.0.4 out of the box. A slot for a memory card, for 1 thousand received 42 GB of memory. A very good thin film is pasted on the phone, pasted perfectly.

2 years ago

1) The screen (for me it is clearer than on one X, but on "X" the colors are warmer somehow 2) Workmanship! Everything is done perfectly, nothing backlash does not creak! The materials are nice! 3) The camera is not bad (with 4c on the level), but the camera will not replace it yet. 4) Works smoothly, as much as smooth android can be.

2 years ago

Super assembly. The screen is bright. Big.

2 years ago

High-quality assembly, design, powerful processor. This is an excellent smartphone that opens up incredible multimedia opportunities for a very reasonable price (I bought it for 10 thousand Eurotest, I immediately received updates to Android 4.1)

2 years ago

The screen is awesome. The body is comfortable The rest of the pluses have already been described.

2 years ago

Stylish. Very nimble Well-designed interface An excellent conversational phone, with excellent quality of audibility, which is rare among smartphones. Comfortable in the hand, the center of gravity is at the bottom. High-quality sound in the player. Not a bad camera (just great in the light) Android

2 years ago

Haven't seen active use in over a year.

2 years ago

2 years ago

The battery is not capacious enough ... in general, after a couple of three discharge-charge cycles, it sways, but with active use, with WiFi turned on and games, it lasts for about 10 hours.
There is a service for replacing the battery with a more capacious one in the service center.
The cost of this service is about one and a half thousand rubles, it changes in half an hour.
After replacement, it keeps stable for 13-14 hours.
Actually it is important to simply disable unused functions.
Personally, this drawback did not scare me away, because few Android devices differ in battery life.
Many also refer to the shortcomings as not sensitive enough touch keys under the screen.
The whole feature lies in the fact that the sensor zone on them is shifted a little closer to the screen.
I also came to terms with this, because

2 years ago

Battery drains quickly
-there is a light sensor, but the automatic one does not set the brightness of the display depending on the lighting, apparently it is here only to turn off the display when you put the device to your ear.

2 years ago

I would like a more powerful battery

2 years ago

Battery. oh yes, there is nothing to say here - it sits down quickly, I have enough for one day with a good load. but given the size and quality of the screen, it makes sense.
- the amount of built-in memory, or rather actually provided to the user. honestly, 4GB would be enough for me (thankfully there is a slot for MicroSD) instead of those 12 that are available to me, the proud inscription on the box about 16GB of internal memory is just annoying
- unjustified price for RosTest. take EuroTest, you won't lose, save 10 thousand.

2 years ago

Buttons, why there are four of them, is completely incomprehensible. On such a large phone, the buttons have very small sensor areas and this is not very convenient.
The battery overclocks, as with all smartphones. But nevertheless, the screen eats a lot of energy and the brightness should be kept at a minimum.

2 years ago

He is alone, as everyone writes it is battery, but so is everyone
phones, except motorola razr, but there is the most miserable screen that I have ever seen! Although otherwise I liked it, but we are talking about Sony here)

2 years ago

Hardly ever

2 years ago

No HDMI cable included

The Sony Xperia Ion smartphone was introduced at the beginning of the year, but reached our latitudes only closer to autumn. Initially, the company planned to sell this smartphone exclusively in the US from AT&T, but then changed its mind and decided to expand the geography of availability. The LT28h model entered the Russian market, which differs from the LT28i in the absence of support for LTE networks. In our country, they are still developing, and Sony Xperia V is on the way, so who needs to have support for this type of connection in their phone, it makes sense to wait for a waterproof novelty. Xperia Ion is a slightly different bird. It's one of only two 4.55-inch smartphones from the company (the other being the Xperia T/TX) and the only phone on the market that combines that size with a metal body, which makes this a very interesting phone. Let's take a closer look at it.

Specifications Sony Xperia Ion (LT28h):

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz), WCDMA/HSPA up to 42Mbps (850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz)
• Platform (at the time of announcement): Android 2.3 Gingerbread, now Android 4.0.4 ICS
• Display: touchscreen, capacitive, multi-touch, 4.55", 1280 x 720 pixels, HD Reality, Mobile BRAVIA Engine, 16 million colors, TFT, 322 ppi
• Camera: 12.1MP, flash, autofocus, Exmor R, Full HD (1080p)
• Front camera: 1.3 MP, HD video
• Processor: dual-core, 1.5 GHz, Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon S3
• Graphics Chip: Adreno 220
• RAM: 1 GB
• ROM: 2 GB
• Internal Memory: 16 GB (eMMC)
• Memory card: microSD (up to 32 GB)
• A-GPS, GLONASS
• WiFi (802.11b/g/n), DLNA
• FM radio
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
• micro USB 2.0
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Distance and position sensors, digital compass, gyroscope
• Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MIDI, OGG
• Video: MPEG4, H.264, H.263
• Photo: JPEG, BMP, WBMP, PGN, GIF, PNG
• Battery: 1900 mAh
• Talk time: up to 10 hours in GSM networks, up to 4 hours in WCDMA networks
• Standby time: up to 400 hours in GSM networks, up to 350 hours in WCDMA networks
• Operating time in music player mode: up to 12 hours
• Video playback time: up to 3 hours
• Dimensions: 132 x 68 x 10.6mm
• Weight: 144 g
• Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
• Type: smartphone
• Announce date: January 9, 2012
• Release date: Q2 2012 in the US, August 15, 2012 in Russia

Video review

Design, construction and equipment

The phone comes in a standard box for the latest Sony phones. Inside you can find a reinforced EP850 charger block, high-quality MH750 headphones, a cable for charger and PC synchronization, as well as a bunch of papers with information about the rules for using the gadget and warranty. NFC tags were not found in the kit, alas, but this could be a nice addition for this not the cheapest smartphone.

We received a red device for testing, there is also a completely black one. It looks much harsher and feels a little different than red, but the latter looks very fresh and will surely appeal to the beautiful half of humanity (although it will be very suitable for guys). In the hand, the device lies well, although the size and weight, of course, affect. I am glad that the device is monolithic. Perhaps even the most monolithic of all Sony smartphones to date. Is that the Xperia Acro S can compete with him. Which, however, is not surprising, because both smartphones have a minimum of moving parts. In Xperia Ion, only the top cover is removed, under which slots for microSIM and microSD are hidden. The lid stays on tight and won't come loose after a long time of use. This is a non-removable cap for the Xperia P (review), which, in theory, should not be removed. In general, Xperia Ion from the back is very similar to this representative of the NXT line, except that there is no transparent strip.

On the back side you can see a 12-megapixel camera and a flash, the Sony Ericsson logo, which they have already begun to get rid of in new devices and accessories, a nice speaker grille (loud enough not to miss a call). The lid itself is made of metal and cannot be removed, and the inserts are made of soft-touch plastic, which, fortunately, does not wrap around like the Xperia S case. , which has natural color reproduction and normal viewing angles. It should be noted that the company now and then mentions a 4.6 ”display, significantly rounding the size upwards. But it’s more correct to still consider 4.55”, which we do. Pixelation is not striking, and the screen itself is quite bright and contrasty. It's a pleasure to watch videos on it. Of course, the black color is not as black as that of AMOLED displays, but the colors here are more calm. In addition, as shown by a recent comparison of foreign colleagues, the Xperia Ion screen is much more contrast and brighter than the display of the latest Xperia T smartphone, which, although boasting a more detailed picture, looks much worse. In addition to the screen, on the front side you can see a speaker, a front 1.3-megapixel HD camera, a proximity sensor, an LED, and four touch keys illuminated by separate stripes. There is no light sensor here, the display brightness is adjusted manually. It is listed in the white paper, but the benchmarks do not see it. I also did not notice that the brightness adjusted to the level of lighting.

The right side of the device is equipped with a power button, volume buttons and camera activation. The smartphone boasts support for the FastCapture feature, which allows you to take pictures from a locked state, so a separate button can come in handy. On the left side there is a plug that hides the microUSB and microHDMI connectors. The plug sits tightly, but staggers a little, but during use it did not loosen a millimeter, so it inspires confidence. The top of the Ion invites us to use headphones and plug them into a 3.5 mm jack, and the bottom of the device is equipped with a microphone and a mysterious slot leading somewhere into the depths of the smartphone and apparently intended to open it in a service center.

By the way, a strap mount was not found on the case, so this is one of the few Sony smartphones that lacks such an important detail for someone. To be honest, wearing a huge, heavy, metal bar around your neck can be impatient only in one case - if you want to go to the bottom of the river.

In general, the design of the phone leaves a very pleasant impression, the build quality is on top, there is practically nothing to complain about. It would always be so, Sony! It seemed that the device is much more convenient to use with the left hand than with the right. The touch keys are quite comfortable to use, but may take some getting used to.

Software

In terms of software, the Xperia Ion completely repeats the Xperia S (review) and others like them, being its complete software clone. The phone has been updated to the latest firmware from Android 4.0.4. Accordingly, all the goodies available on the Xperia S in this update have migrated to the Ion. It uses the already familiar proprietary shell of the company, which cannot boast of unrealistic animation effects like in Sense or the possibility of deep settings like in TouchWiz, but is quite simple and stylish, and most importantly, easy to use. I like the interface from Sony for its minimalism and uniform styling. If he still sometimes worked a little smoother and faster, then he could safely be called ideal.

The desktop is presented in the form of five screens, there are themes. The menu allows you to customize the list of applications to your liking. In the Settings you can find the company's usual chips like xLOUD, which is responsible for increasing the volume of the speaker, and the Mobile Bravia Engine, which makes viewing photos and videos a little more enjoyable by adjusting color and contrast. In practice, this is not very noticeable, but upon closer examination, you can see slight differences.

With the release of Android 4.0 firmware, settings for lock screen notifications and changing its background image became available. In the Xperia section, you can see a few more branded features - PlayStation Certified, which means that the device supports PlayStation games and the PlayStation Mobile service, which, however, does not work in our country and is not going to yet, which, however, does not prevent you from making it think that you are an American, and use it more or less fully. Information about such manipulations can be found on the Internet, but I am more than sure that the procedure for this setup will discourage many people from using paid ported games from PSone and some others that can be downloaded from many places and used with some kind of PlayStation emulator available on Google Play. This section also houses the integration of Facebook into Xperia, which allows you to share various information from your smartphone directly to this social network without using the proprietary Facebook application. In the input options, you can select the type of keyboard, its mode and skins, as well as configure the required functionality.

Of the interesting applications, we can highlight the Walkman player with many settings, an advanced equalizer, various visualizations, a selection of music according to mood, downloading data about tracks from the network and the ability to edit information about them, an Album gallery with a breakdown of all images by date, a location map and displaying pictures, and photos in network accounts linked to the phone. It is also worth noting Movies, which is a video player with an online mode that can load various information about movies and videos.

The radio is pretty simple. It's good that it exists, but now it has become fashionable to refuse it. In the application, you can recognize songs using Track ID, like songs on Facebook.

There is an application Flash, it works very simply and clearly.

Notes allows you to create small notes and memos, and the widget of this application will always remind you of this. Synchronization with Evernote looks like a nice addition.

Of course, the aggregator of all social activity has not gone away - Timescape, which appeared already in the Xperia X10 and has not changed much since then. The application is a feed of your social networks, and various desktop widgets will help you track the status of your friends and their activity on Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare. There are some additional extensions on Google Play.

Messages, Contacts and Phone are downloaded from Xperia to Xperia. Very handy apps, nice to use.

The alarm clock and clock can be set to start when the charger is connected in the settings menu of the Smart Connect accessories. This is quite convenient if you put the device on charge before going to bed. There is also a Stopwatch and a Timer.

Track ID appeared in Sony Ericsson phones and allows you to identify musical compositions heard, for example, in a cafe, simply by recording a small passage.

Connected devices are used to synchronize the contents of your smartphone with various wireless devices, or to play files from your devices on your phone.

Perhaps the most important of all applications is Backup and Restore. It appeared in Android 4.0 firmware and allows you to back up all your settings and applications in case of unforeseen situations.

Media Remote is a program for controlling various Sony equipment using your smartphone.

Energy saving allows you to configure various power settings that operate on a schedule or in conjunction with NFC tags, as well as activated by pressing a button on a special widget.

The Update Center keeps track of all system and app updates on your phone.

Smart Connect is used to connect and configure various smart accessories such as SmartWatch. It can also be used to set various scenarios for the behavior of the device when performing certain functions.

There are several preinstalled third party apps. These are Evernote (for notes), Moxier Pro (for mail), Opera Mini (for browsing), Wisepilot (for navigation), McAfee (for virus protection), Office Suit Pro (for creating and editing documents), Neoreader (for recognition barcodes), Adobe Reader (for reading PDF files), Astro Manager (for viewing files in phone memory and SD card), and the EA App Store.

The rest of the programs are standard for Android.

Camera

The 12-megapixel camera module is similar to that in the Xperia S. Accordingly, the quality of the photos is comparable. In general, I like the result, although it is, of course, very far from Nokia 808 PureView (review). Video in Full HD-quality also writes well. I liked the very fast work of the viewfinder. The camera interface is standard for Sony. Exmor R technology allows you to take good pictures in low light, but it does not always succeed in all lighting conditions. Below you can see sample photos compared to the Xperia P, which has an 8-megapixel camera.

The Sony Xperia Ion is a controversial product from a well-known brand. On the one hand, everything seems to be fine in it: a smart set of chipsets, a good display, a pleasant appearance and good cameras. But on the other hand, this gadget was originally developed for the US market with all the ensuing adaptation nuances. The brand signed an agreement with AT&T for the exclusive supply of Sony Xperia Ion smartphones, but then something went wrong, or maybe, on the contrary, everything turned out too well, but Sony decided to expand the geography of the device's availability.

The gadget began to be sold in the European and Asian markets, and a year after the presentation, it appeared in Russia. The Sony Xperia Ion LT28h model has gained a foothold in the domestic market, which differs from the similar LT28i by the lack of support for LTE protocols. In this connection, it is better for those who like to work in 4G networks to pass by or go through foreign online stores.

So, the subject of today's review is the Sony Xperia Ion LT28h smartphone. The characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the model, as well as the opinion of experts in this field, along with user reviews, will be discussed in this article.

Contents of delivery

The gadget comes in a nice cardboard box in brand-specific black and white coloring. On the front, you can see the image of the smartphone itself, and on the back, the most remarkable features of the Sony Xperia Ion. The box turned out to be small due to the competent arrangement of all internal elements.

Inside you will see:

• the device itself;
• power adapter (EP850);
• USB-cable for recharging and synchronization with a PC;
• stereo headset (MH750);
• manual and specification with detailed specifications for Sony Xperia Ion;
• warranty card.

The complete set, for its price category, can be called modest - you will not see any covers, films and other cosmetic entourage here. But maybe it's for the better, because many owners prefer to buy more such accessories, as they say, to their taste and color. Nevertheless, some users in their reviews of the Sony Xperia Ion are extremely upset that a model of this class does not even have a simple case.

Appearance

The gadget looks big and at first impressions resembles a weighty "shovel". The case received only two colors - black and red. Moreover, the latter cannot be called purely feminine, because the gamma is chosen exactly dark red, and not some kind of raspberry or pale strawberry.

The front part, regardless of color, is black, and the back is made of velvety plastic and a textured cover in the selected range. Below you can see the familiar brand logo with the inscription "Xperia". The appearance of the camera eye of the Sony Xperia Ion is noticeably different from other similar smartphones: a bulky lens with the same rather big flash and a perforation for a microphone. On the left side, you can see a large plug, under which the micro-USB interface and the HDMI connector are hidden. The upper end is reserved for a standard 3.5 mm mini-jack audio output.

The upper front part is occupied by the front camera peephole, a decorative grille for the earpiece and proximity sensors with lighting. There is also a small light indicator that shows the current status of the Sony Xperia Ion (battery charging, almost empty, shooting, etc.).

With its dimensions - 133x68x11 mm - the gadget weighs 144 grams, which is a bit much. Many owners in their reviews have repeatedly complained about the massiveness of the design and weight, including: the device will easily pull your shirt or blouse pocket, and also make you shake your hand after even a short use. Nevertheless, many see only a plus in such dimensions, calling the gadget a mini-tablet with all the ensuing advantages.

As for the assembly, there are no critical complaints here: there are no gaps, nothing backlash, no creaks or crunches while working with the device. The top cover, which gives access to the micro-SD and micro-SIM interfaces, sits tightly, but not so much that you run for a tool to open it, just pry it off with your fingernail and remove it correctly.

Display

The Sony Xperia Ion is equipped with a smart TFT-matrix with a 4.55-inch display and a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels. The screen received pretty good protection, where the glass eliminates minor scratches, and also has an almost imperceptible film, typical for the brand's devices.

The display is capacitive, so multi-touch technology is fully supported. Image quality at a fairly high level: saturated colors, true picture and balanced contrast. The viewing angles of the Sony Xperia Ion are also good: you can easily flip through a photo or watch a video in the company of one or two like-minded people.

The screen dimensions allow you to surf the Internet, play games and work with other Android applications with due comfort. Reviews of the owners on this occasion are ambiguous: someone is quite satisfied with the large screen with good visualization, well, someone complains about the reverse side - the massiveness of the case. Therefore, before buying, it is better to turn the Sony Xperia Ion phone in your hands and only then decide which side is critical for you - a large display or the heaviness of the device.

Interfaces

On the right side there is a button to turn off the gadget, and below it is a rocker to control the volume. Some owners complain about excessively bevelled ends, where operation from the button is not as convenient as with other smartphones. In addition, the keys themselves require some skill and adaptation due to their shallow travel. At the very bottom of the right side there is a button to activate the camera, which is very convenient. Many users are accustomed to the hardware capture control: when the display is locked, you can hold down the camera key, after which it will launch, taking the first frame.

Under the main display are four familiar "android" buttons: "Menu", "Home", "Back" and "Search". The touch-type keys are backlit in the form of stripes. With the Sony Xperia Ion, the company decided to completely abandon the usual traditional control buttons, so many fans of the brand will have to get used to sensitive sensors.

As for the screen itself, there were no problems with the speed of processing clicks. The manufacturer did work on the mistakes that he made in past generations, and now everything is fine here.

Performance

The Sony Xperia Ion LT28h is powered by the well-established Qualcomm APQ8060 processor, running on two cores at a frequency of 1.5 Hz. The graphics component fell on the shoulders of the Adreno 220 series accelerator. The RAM (1 GB) is enough for comfortable work with the interface and applications. However, on some particularly "heavy" games, you will have to reset the graphics settings to a medium or even low level in order to avoid a drop in FPS.

Sony Xperia Ion feels great in UMTS HSPA + networks on protocols from 850 to 1900 Band. As mentioned above, there is no support for LTE networks, alas. If you can’t do without it, and you liked the phone, then the only option is to look at the offers of Sony distributors on foreign Internet sites (model LT28i). The only thing is that you will have to competently reflash the phone, that is, fully adapt it to our realities, but with support for 4G networks.

The owners in their reviews are generally satisfied with the performance of the smartphone. No serious remarks were noticed, and as for working in high-speed networks, a good half of users are quite satisfied with the 3G format, and faster Internet access is needed more for a computer than for a mobile gadget.

Drives

About 11 with a small gigabyte of memory out of 16 are available to the user for their needs. If this is not enough, then it can always be expanded using third-party SD cards, up to 32 GB. In general, it is not clear why Sony, positioning its smartphones as multimedia, and with the existing dimensions, cannot equip the gadget, for example, with a 32 or 64 GB drive. The technical capabilities and dimensions of the device allow it to be done, but the engineers stubbornly refuse to add built-in memory to the devices.

Wireless protocols

The smartphone supports standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth protocols starting from version 2.1 (EDR), works well on ANT + profiles, which are used in conjunction with sports gadgets, and also has the ability to communicate with GLONASS, NFC and DLNA.

cameras

The front camera has received acceptable characteristics, so there will be no problems with Skype and other instant messengers, and it will not work for more (which is not necessary). But the main camera deserves special attention.

The 12.1-megapixel sensor is capable of shooting video in high resolution and has an impressive set of effects: 3D panorama, multi-angle view in the same 3D, fish eyes and other useful and not very entourage.

The user can choose the shooting method: a regular key, a touch button on the display, or some specific customizable combination. A quick launch with your own presets is also possible: a button and shooting, a button and only starting the program, etc. Fortunately, all additional functionality is easily disabled and you can work with the usual settings that were enabled by default.

Naturally, for most users, the key point regarding the capabilities of the camera is the indicator of megapixels of the matrix. The figure seems to be impressive for a smartphone, but that's not the point here. Marketers are constantly putting pressure on the already loaded heads of users with all sorts of incomprehensible, but rather sonorous terms: here you have 4 cores, 12 megapixels, 128 gigabytes, ultra-HD and full stuffing. In fact, the main question here is different: do I, the owner of the phone, need all this “beauty”? If we talk specifically about the Sony Xperia Ion, then the device is able to capture a piece of the desired reality, and very high quality. But why does he need such a high resolution, if most of the owners, judging by the reviews, post their pictures somewhere on Instagram or VK. And for working with stunning landscapes and protected animals, there is a special professional equipment. Therefore, any criticism here will be ambiguous.

Yes, on some materials you can see that the camera sometimes misses, it happens that some color is knocked out, nevertheless the picture is detailed and natural. The smartphone showed itself well in daytime shooting, but the night “life” did not work out for him: in poor lighting, even a bright flash will not help to get a really high-quality frame, rather, on the contrary, it will aggravate everything. Otherwise, we have an intelligent matrix that does not differ in anything supernatural, but simply takes normal and detailed pictures.

Offline work

The battery of the Sony Xperia Ion is quite modest - only 1900 mAh, which is clearly not enough for this platform. "Android" brotherhood has always been energy-gluttonous, and our respondent was no exception.

With a full load of the smartphone (high-definition video, Wi-Fi, maximum screen brightness), the battery was discharged in three to four hours. If you find an intelligent energy saving program in the same Google Play, you can increase the battery life by 20 percent of the available resource. Otherwise, you will be forced to charge your phone almost every evening.

Many users in their reviews wonder why a smartphone with such a large screen and an impressive set of chipsets was equipped with such a modest battery. Apparently, the manufacturer had his own reasons for which he preferred to remain silent.

Summarizing

On popular online trading platforms, the cost of the gadget fluctuates around 15,000 rubles. Judging by the estimates of experts in this field, the price is quite balanced. Here we must not forget that our respondent is a stylish multimedia gadget, and not an eight-core rocket that will take you into the space of "heavy" applications.

For this money, you will get an unusual, but at the same time interesting design, a metal case (back cover), a good screen, a complete set of wireless modules, support for all popular formats out of the box, and an acceptable amount of memory.

As for the telephone component itself, it is also in full order: the quality of voice transmission is at a high level with a loud speaker, albeit slightly raised high frequencies. Separately, it is worth noting the fact that the work with networks in the Xperia Ion is implemented almost perfectly. The same iPhone of the fifth series loses significantly in this regard: in the place where Sony caught three nets, the apple gadget catches only one there, and even then after some time.

Naturally, it was not without a fly in the ointment. This role is played by uncomfortable touch buttons under the display, beveled side keys that you need to get used to, and a massive body, well, not intended for the back pocket of jeans. This also includes mediocre battery life with such a modest battery and a stupid stub for the AC adapter, where it seems that now it will definitely break during the next charge.

One could advise to save up a little and buy a direct competitor of the model - the third Galaxy from Samsung, but the appearance of the Ion is clearly more interesting. In general, most of the problems that users sin in their reviews are not related to the phone itself, but to the Android platform, so you can advise the gadget to anyone who is looking for a stylish device with a large display and a smart “stuffing”.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of a particular device, if any.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Used materials, suggested colors, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile technologies and data rates

Communication between devices in mobile networks is carried out through technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

The operating system is the system software that manages and coordinates the operation of the hardware components in the device.

SoC (System on a Chip)

System on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device in one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has a built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed amount.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

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rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the device and can be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a PTZ camera, a cutout or hole in the display, a camera under the display.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about navigation and location technologies supported by the device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for short distance data transmission between different devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between different types of devices over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to communicate.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, which is also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by the device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

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Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge they need to function.

For most, this model will most likely turn out to be something like a continuation of the , only with an emphasis on a redesigned and increased case size.

Thus, now there is an interesting situation when there are three very similar devices of the Sony Xperia line on the market at the same time. These are the Xperia S, Xperia ion and Xperia acro S models. The last two are very similar in terms of characteristics, but the model tested today does not have protection against moisture and dust.

The main functions of the smartphone are as follows. 4.55" HD screen, Android 4.0.4, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, microSD slot, Dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 12MP autofocus camera with 1080p video recording, large battery at 1910 mAh.

Contents of delivery

• Smartphone


• Stereo headset with attachments


• USB cable


• High Power Charger

Design

Sony Xperia ion turned out to be larger than other Sony smartphones. There is a simple explanation for this, it has the largest screen of all available models of the brand. The dimensions of the smartphone case are 133x68x10.8 mm, weight 144 g. The model is stretched up and quite a bit wide compared to the Xperia acro S, the weight even slightly decreased compared to it.

By appearance, you can immediately determine that we have transferred a device from Sony. Angular body, straight lines, strict forms - all this hints at the key features of the appearance of this year's product.

It will be available in two colors, black and burgundy, it can also be called dark red. Sony has a model Xperia P, according to my feelings, there is a similar body color.

Above the screen is a speaker, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and a proximity sensor. Next to it there is also a light indicator for notification of events of various types, it is highlighted with different lights, highlighting events.

Below the screen are touch buttons, a search key has been added to the basic menu and back, which is often found in models created for the American market. Symbols indicating the purpose of the buttons are not backlit. Under them are highlighting dashes, but in the dark they do not highlight the icons, so it comes to act blindly, from memory. This is not very convenient.

The screen is edged with a black frame with a low side. This plastic part runs along the entire perimeter of the case, standing out with semicircular shapes on the upper and lower ends.

On the left, under the combined cap, there are microHDMI and microUSB connectors.

At the bottom of the microphone hole.

The top has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

On the right is a row of mechanical buttons: a screen lock key, volume control, a button for shooting. I liked their shape more than the Xperia acro S. They are more comfortable than the Xperia S, the lock button located on the side is especially good, you don’t need to stretch your fingers to reach it, everything is thought out better here.

The back is almost entirely made of aluminium. There are only small plastic inserts at the top and bottom, as well as from one of the sides. The sloping shape has a positive effect on ergonomics, it is convenient to use a smartphone.

The compartments for the SIM card and memory card are located under a removable plastic cover. The smartphone has a regular sized SIM card.

At the back, there is a round cutout for the camera lens, next to it is an LED flash. Slightly below the speaker hole.

Screen

The Sony Xperia ion has a screen diagonal of 4.55 inches, a resolution of 720x1280 pixels, and up to 16 million colors. Here is a beautiful picture with clear fonts. The pixel density is high, it is 323 ppi.

The capacitive screen supports 10-point multi-touch and responds well to touch. The smartphone does not have an air gap between the glass and the matrix, which has a positive effect on the quality of the picture.

The proximity sensor turns off the screen when the phone approaches your face during a call. Thanks to the built-in accelerometer, when you turn the phone on its side, the picture on the screen changes its orientation from vertical to horizontal. There is no automatic screen brightness setting in the menu, although the sensor itself is present here.

The Mobile Bravia Engine function, familiar from the TVs of this company, has been implemented. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that when this option is activated, the contrast and sharpness of the image increase. The picture is bright, the colors are juicy, natural. On the examples of Sony Xperia ion next to Sony Xperia acro S.

The display is covered with tempered glass, it should serve as a reliable protection against scratches and scuffs. But just in case, all smartphones will be sold with a pasted factory film. It is practically invisible, additional protection never hurts. Outdoors, the display reads perfectly under the bright sun, which is rare for its class.

Filling

The smartphone runs on Android 4.0.4 operating system. It is powered by a Qualcomm MSM8260 dual-core processor with a frequency of 1.5 GHz, an Adreno 220 graphics chip. There is 1 GB of RAM, as well as 16 GB of internal memory, there is a slot for a microSD memory card. This means that everyone can choose for themselves the optimal amount for storing data if they are not satisfied with the size of their own memory.
Pleasant shell, high speed, smooth reactions in the menu, all this creates favorable conditions for comfortable use of the smartphone. There is nothing to complain about, everything is fast and good, everyone will be satisfied with the device.

Menu

At the top of the screen is a service line, which displays the time, battery charge, signal reception level indicator. Active connections and other data are also displayed there. By clicking on it, you can learn more about what programs have been downloaded, what messages and letters have been received, or what files have been received via Bluetooth.

As design elements, both pre-installed images or wallpapers from Sony, as well as your favorite pictures, are used. Seven colorful menu themes are available. In addition, shortcuts and folders are placed on the desktop. For the latter, you can choose one of eight design options, give it a name. Icons are added by dragging from the phone menu directly to this area.

There are also widgets, they can also be added to the desktop. There can be five such screens, their number does not change. At the same time, an interesting function works: you can swipe with two fingers from different angles, all desktops will decrease and be displayed on one screen. Widgets have been improved, for example, a large list of icons is available for making various connections, which is initially hidden in a small rectangle. The weather forecast data is animated and beautifully displayed.

The application manager is activated by the Home button. It displays 8 programs and is essentially not your usual task manager. As you know, Android closes applications on its own, guided by the amount of free RAM.

When the screen is locked, the display shows the date and time. To unlock the screen, you need to slide your finger along from left to right. If you do it the other way around, then the silent mode is turned on, as evidenced by an additional icon. Additional information about missed calls, new messages, emails, calendar events, and Facebook notifications can be displayed here. If such notifications seem superfluous, then they can be turned off.

The smartphone menu consists of several work areas, initially there are three of them. If you install additional applications, then over time there will be more such areas. The screen has 20 icons on a translucent background, under which you can see the wallpaper installed on the main screen. Icons can be arranged as it is convenient for the user. There is also sorting by several criteria: alphabetically, frequently used, recently installed.

Phone book

The smartphone has a handy assistant for importing contacts both from the SIM card and from Facebook and Google accounts, they are displayed in a single list. A backup copy of the list of numbers is created on a memory card, later the data can be restored. Works sorting by first and last name.

When you create a new contact, a lot of fields are created. These are various types of phone numbers, e-mail addresses, quick communication tools (AIM, ICQ, Gtalk, Skype and others), residential addresses and others (nickname, note, Internet call).

The smartphone has a list of alphabetic characters located on the right side of the screen. If you press your finger on this line and drag it down or up, then a letter pops up on the screen - a kind of quick search, which helps in cases where there are several hundred or even thousands of contacts on the phone. The search by the first letters of the contact name works for both language layouts.

There is a menu of favorite numbers where you can add the most popular contacts. A quick menu is available: you need to click on the place for the icon with the contact photo, after which you can make a call, send a message by SMS or e-mail, view data on Facebook.

Call log

Directly from the phone book you have access to the call log, it is highlighted by a separate tab. There, a single list includes dialed numbers, received and missed calls, for clarity, they are marked with icons of different colors. By clicking on the line, you can remove the number from the call log, add it to a contact, or perform some other actions. Selecting a number from the list will display detailed information about the call.

When viewing the call history, you can not only make a telephone conversation with the selected subscriber, but also send him an SMS or an e-mail from this list without going to another menu. Dialing is carried out using a convenient virtual keyboard. There is an automatic search for numbers that match the numbers.

Messages

For SMS and MMS, there is a shared folder where received messages go. When sending, by adding various objects to the SMS, you can automatically convert it to MMS. Messages are grouped by recipients in the conversation feed. When dialing a subscriber's number, the phone displays a list of matching numbers in alternating digits.

While typing, a small field reserved for characters will be displayed. The longer the message, the more the space allocated for the character set increases. The device can copy, cut and paste text. For navigation, a convenient cursor is used, which helps to correct typos, highlight the necessary sections of text. In addition, you can use the arrow buttons.

Predictive text input is available when word correction and auto-completion systems help you type text, allowing you not to waste time correcting mistakes. Possible word options are shown as a separate line above the keyboard. Copying and pasting fragments is supported. Now Sony has implemented Swype, which simplifies text input.

Email

To work with e-mail, automatic mailbox setup is launched (if it is not Gmail, connecting immediately after the mail address was entered during the initial activation of the phone). It includes entering basic information (login, password). The phone perfectly understands various encodings, supports downloading attachments (you need to insert a memory card, otherwise this function will not work) of familiar formats.

When creating a letter, you can also attach various files from the device's memory to it. The function of copying text and automatic checking of the mailbox also works (the interval is set manually). The device simultaneously runs two applications - Gmail and Email. The only difference between them is that in the first one, mail comes only from the gmail.com server, while the second application works with any mail storages. You can create multiple email accounts, each with a different color. This is convenient, because you can view mail for each mailbox separately, and display messages from all accounts into one. Works sorting mail by date, subject, sender and size.

Camera

The smartphone uses a 12-megapixel Sony Exmor R module with backlight, autofocus and LED flash. Today it is the most powerful module among Android smartphones. To launch the camera, a dedicated key on the side of the smartphone is used. Hold it for a few seconds, and the shooting mode will start, this can be done from any application, it is not necessary to go to the main menu. I liked the high speed of launching the camera, as well as the very fast saving of pictures.

The most original feature of the device is fast shooting. The smartphone can take a picture in just 1.5 seconds. It is required to point the device at the target, hold down the shutter button and in a moment a picture will be taken. Very convenient, because you do not need to unlock the device, wasting precious time. The main thing is to hold the button until the frame is displayed on the screen, otherwise you can shoot the wrong object.

The interface is designed not only for landscape, but also for portrait mode. Help icons are displayed on the screen to help you set up shooting modes and conditions. In the upper left corner is the parameter mode, the flash is turned off at the bottom. At the top right there is a lever for switching between photo and video, then there is a shutter button. Even lower is a stack of icons that show thumbnails of recent shots. If you click on it, you can go to the gallery.

Various options are available:

Image Capture Mode: Normal, Scene Detection, Panorama, 3D Panorama, Multi View, Front Camera.

Photo size: 12M (4000x3000), 9M (4000x2250), 2M 4:3 (1632x1224), 2M 16:9 (1920x1080 pixels).

Shooting Conditions: Normal, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Night Portrait, Beach & Snow, Sports, Party, Document.

Focus: Single AF, Multi-AF, Macro, Face Detection, Infinity, Touch Focus.

Flash: auto, off, fill, red-eye reduction.

Timer: 2, 10 seconds.

exposure number.

Image stabilizer.

Geotags.

Shutter sound.

Shooting method: on-screen button, touch shooting, key only.

Quick start: start and remove, just start, turn off.

White balance: auto, room lighting, fluorescent, daylight, cloudy.

Measurement: center, middle level, point.

ISO: auto, 100, 200, 400, 800.

Capturing a smile.

The phone shoots very well, allows you to get high-quality photos and videos.

Gallery Photos and various images stored in the smartphone's memory, as well as videos, are shown here. The gallery works in both vertical and landscape orientations. They are divided into small groups, sorted by dates. Separately, a map stands out, where images with geotags fall, as well as a group with different pictures from social networks. At the beginning of each group is a large thumbnail, and next to it are smaller images. The image opens in full screen, scaling works with multitouch. Files are sent via email, Bluetooth, SMS or posted on Picasa. You can assign images as desktop wallpaper or assign them to a contact. Rotation of pictures, reduction of their size is supported. A photo editor is available that helps you add various effects to existing images. The video is played from the gallery, where a separate folder is allocated for the videos. Nothing special can be said about the phone here. Adreno 220 is not the most powerful accelerator. The smartphone is capable of playing avi videos, but not all. Many have no sound or no picture. It is best to use a third-party player, then it will be more convenient to watch high-quality video on this large, excellent screen. timescape Timescape combines tabs that combine messages from various social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Vkontakte. In addition, there is data on phone calls, SMS and MMS, e-mail. Displayed data is configured, unnecessary can be hidden. The update is also installed: manually or automatically. Additional applications are installed from the market. So, for example, you can supplement the set with the Foursquare program. Messages are presented in the form of translucent panels on which the name of the sender, the test of the message itself, as well as the source from where the message came from are written. The list scrolls very quickly, without a hint of delay. In general, the thing is beautiful and interesting, the main drawback is associated with a not very beautiful design - if the author of the message has an avatar, then this image will be displayed stretched to the full width of the transparent panel. Player The player menu has been redesigned. Now it consists of a couple of tabs. The first is assigned to the song currently playing, and the second contains all the information about the music in the device's memory. To listen to music, you can select tracks organized into several categories: artist, album, tracks, lists, SenseMe, and favorite tracks. Each group is allocated in a separate box, under which the number of data is indicated. A search function is available, which is useful for working with large music storage. The information is sorted alphabetically, for faster scrolling, you can use the cursor that appears on the screen, as well as the initial letters. Separately, I would like to highlight the SenseMe function, which came from Walkman players. It allows you to choose tracks according to your mood, which is very convenient. To do this, an application that is installed on a computer is useful and with its help you can analyze the entire media library by entering the necessary data into the file tags. From the list with music, you can add songs to a playlist or send via MMS, Bluetooth or email, as well as to a cloud service. Mixing mode is provided. The screen displays the name of the artist, the name of the album and the song being played. In the music playback mode, the album cover is displayed (if it was assigned earlier), there are playback control buttons on the screen. You can switch tracks not only by pressing the buttons, but also by flipping through the album covers. If desired, the song is set as a ringtone, and you can also find additional song data using tools from Google, YouTube, or download additional modules through the Play Market. Equalizer settings available. These presets are: Normal, Heavy, Pop, Jazz, Unique, Soul, Light, Bass Boost, Treble Boost, Special. The last profile allows you to set your own parameters for playing music. The xLOUD function allows you to get very loud sound from the speaker. It is easy to notice the difference, this option allows you to hear your phone in any, even a very noisy place. Surround sound emulation is turned on: concert hall, club, studio. Very interesting and useful is the function of editing data directly in the phone. You can take a song, make changes to the tags, correct the name, the smartphone will find the cover itself or offer one of the options. Now on the lock screen there are buttons to control the player when playing music in the background. Previously, they were very lacking, now it has become much more convenient to manage the player. The bundle comes with a very decent quality headset, one of the best headphones you can get with a phone these days. Also included is a set of interchangeable rubber nozzles. A separate button helps answer the call, control the player: the start-stop, forward-back functions work. Despite what it says about compatibility with Apple accessories, you won't be able to get this functionality. The mids are well developed here, and the lower range is also pleasant. Deep bass lovers can try playing with the equalizer. The sound margin is not the largest, it is, but sometimes you have to set the volume to the maximum. Radio The smartphone has a radio that has the function of automatic search for stations, you can switch manually. Also, several tens of frequencies are stored in the phone's memory. You can easily switch between your favorite stations by clicking on small icons that will move between waves. While listening to the radio, you can record a snippet of a song, identify track information using Track ID, and post the information to Facebook. TrackID allows you to identify the melody sounding on the radio in your smartphone or somewhere nearby. Not only the song title will be displayed, but also the album title, artist name and cover art. Applications The calendar is configured to display information for a whole month, week or a specific day. You can customize the type and alert tone for recorded events and appointments. There is a separation of information by storage location, each option has its own color label. A new record is given a name, a period, a place. It is indicated with which of the calendars it will be synchronized, you can send invitations to contacts from the notebook. The repeat period is set (every day, weekly, monthly, yearly). A reminder will help you not to lose sight of the recording - the signal will work in advance. Alarm The smartphone allows you to save several alarms in memory. The repetition is set both for 1 time and for every day, only on weekdays or weekly. You can also set specific days. The melody of the signal is set, you can add a vibrating alert and a text file to it. Sets the period for the re-triggering of the signal. Displays time in different time zones. There is a stopwatch and a timer. The calculator works in both portrait and landscape orientations. The Play Market will be a useful source for installing new applications. There is a convenient search function, as well as dividing programs into categories, which greatly simplifies browsing. You can look at the reviews, evaluate the rating and express your opinion about the software. Each application is provided with a brief description and images for greater clarity. Purchased applications are displayed in a separate list, which is convenient: if a new phone was purchased, you can immediately install the programs that were previously purchased. The application, which is standard for most modern devices, allows you to view videos and search among them. The application runs in full screen mode. The built-in version of Office Suite can work with Word, Excel, PDF, Power Point files. Weather forecast and news are useful every day. The Facebook application will allow you to communicate in the network of the same name directly from your mobile device. Built-in Google Talk chat. The Google+ social client is also installed on the smartphone. You can create notes. You can set a series of actions to take place when certain accessories are connected. The smartphone works as a remote control for controlling equipment. File browser installed. The flashlight turns on. Can read barcodes. Built-in Google search. Opens access to the content store. The data is backed up. Browser For Internet surfing, a convenient application is used. A navigation bar is displayed at the top of the screen, to the right of it there is a shortcut that allows you to bookmark the page. The phone remembers the most visited pages, there is a log of pages viewed. Several windows open, search for words on the page, text selection, as well as a practical function for changing the brightness of the screen directly from the browser. Thanks to multi-touch, pages are easily scaled (virtual keys also work to change the size of the displayed one). The font size changes, saving passwords works. Excellent scrolling speed allows you to comfortably use your smartphone to browse the pages. GPS navigation Google Maps is used for navigation. Traffic jams are displayed, thus, the application has become full-featured and convenient not only for pedestrians, but also for car owners. There is a function of determining the current location, calculating the route from the start to the end point, and the method of movement is set: by car, on foot or by public transport. The route is laid on the map, while key places are indicated in the form of text messages that are displayed on the screen in the form of a column, you can switch between them: view the route in advance or vice versa, go back and lay a different path. Scaling works using multitouch or virtual buttons. Visually displays data about the area thanks to the convenient Google Street View option. Connections The smartphone operates in the GSM 850/900/1800/1900 and UMTS 900/1700/2100 bands. There is Bluetooth 2.1 with support for EDR and A2DP, in addition to support for other common profiles. The operation of the Wi-Fi b\g\n module is implemented at the usual level. The smartphone remembers the entered passwords for networks, can automatically connect to them, being within their range. The device can work as an access point, serve as a source for Internet access for other devices. Using the microUSB connector allows you to connect your phone to a computer for synchronization and battery charging. The presence of a microHDMI slot allows you to connect your smartphone to various external sources (TV or monitor) and broadcast media content from the device to them. NFC support allows you to use Smart Tags with your smartphone. Working hours A non-replaceable lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 1910 mAh is installed. Official data on the operating time are as follows: up to 10 hours of talk time, up to 400 hours of battery life in standby mode, up to 12 hours of music listening, up to 3 hours minutes of video. In the continuous video playback mode at maximum brightness, the device worked for 4 hours and 4 minutes. Using the widget, it is easy to set up the power saving mode. It sets several profiles, each of which varies the number of functions used. Thus, for example, you can immediately reduce the brightness of the screen, turn off Wi-Fi with one click. There are settings in the menu that allow you to set certain operating parameters when the battery is low. The charge is enough from morning to evening, if you use the Internet, social networks, listen to music, and at the same time make calls. With infrequent use of network connections, you can stretch one charge for a couple of days. But most likely, you will have to charge the phone at least once a day, and maybe twice. Conclusion Sony Xperia ion is sold at a price of about 25,000 rubles. "Gray" phones cost 16,500 rubles. The big smartphone is an alternative to the Xperia S, with a larger screen and an aluminum body with no removable parts, if you don't take into account a small plastic part. Despite its rather large size, the smartphone is easy to use, all the buttons are where they should be. I would like to praise the smartphone for a screen with an honest HD resolution and very good behavior in the sun, which distinguishes very few devices. From multimedia tasks Sony Xperia ion copes equally well with a variety of goals. A high-quality camera pleases with the resulting pictures and videos, the gallery works quickly. In addition, the model itself is quite nimble and reacts without pauses, the interface works smoothly. The advantages of the smartphone are its high-quality music player, although the sounds through the speaker of the model do not work out very well, they turn out to be slightly rattling. The call is heard normally, but in noisy conditions it can be missed. I liked the model, it is pleasant, there is everything you need. Although it would be better if you use the phone longer, the active mode of use drains the battery quickly, you have to charge the smartphone twice a day. But this is a common occurrence for many large-screen smartphones. A beautiful phone with a high-quality screen in a stylish case and attractive multimedia filling is a good addition to the Sony model range in the Russian market. Competition with similar Sony smartphones is unavoidable, but the user can choose exactly those qualities that are more important to him between three similar smartphones in the Xperia line: Xperia S, acro S and ion. © Alexander Pobyvanets, Test Lab Date of publication of the article - September 25, 2012