Sony Xperia SP Review: The Mid-Range Android Smartphone That Can - Forbes

Sony Xperia SP

Sony continue to bring out interesting and well put together Android handsets. The latest handset I've had the chance to review is the Xperia SP, a mid-range handset available worldwide, that mixes a budget price with some impressive specifications.

The clue is in the name. Sony has carried on with the Xperia branding, but by combining the two letters of their handsets announced at the start of 2012 – the Xperia S and the Xperia P – have laid out their hopes for the SP handset. While the Xperia S was last year's 'high-end' handset and the P was the midrange equivalent, the SP is the best of both world.[

Sony is clearly aiming this handset to the mid-range market, as you can see with the pricing of the handset. But it really is close to a high-end device, with a dual core processor running at 1.7 GHz, 1GB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, and a 720p screen with a physical size of 4.6 inches.

Apart from the RAM not being 2GB, that's as close to a high end specification as I've seen for a mid-range Android handset. The 8 GB of storage is a bit tight, so heavy users will need a microSD card to carry a significant amount of music and video. The lower RAM does mean Android itself can get a bit laggy and unresponsive, so if you are looking for an instant response at all times you might find the SP is a touch underpowered. Personally it was never an issue for me on the few occasions I noticed it, but it might be an issue for some.

If you're looking for the best deal with the highest numbers, this is the handset for you. Sony have differentiated their Xperia Z flagship in other areas, notably in the 13 megapixel camera, the waterproofing, and the modern styling – the Xperia SP is going to be selling itself on having high specs, but at a much lower price than you would expect.

The Xperia SP moves away from the regular lines of the Z and goes for a design that feels a little bit older, with sloped sides leading away from the (lets be honest) large screen on the front of the device. The back of the handset features a curved removable cover which reveals the slots for the microSD card and the SIM card. It is plastic, and does flex, but because of the curved nature there is some structural integrity here that minimises the flex when it is clipped in place.

An 8 megapixel camera feels about for a midrange handset in 2013, but once more the camera is performing above expectation. With a physical shutter button on the case that can also launch the camera app, the SP camera is easier to use that that on the Xperia Z (mostly because of the physical button, which is lacking on the Z). It doesn't have the same level of optics as the Xperia Z, and it's nowhere close to the high end cameras on the Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, or Lumia handsets, but it is one of the best mid-range cameras I've seen. It's quick to use, it reproduces colours well, and it has a good eye for detail.

The SP also brings back Sony's glowing and transparent bar at the base of the handset. I though Sony were going to make this their signature over the whole range, but the high end handsets have focused more on the distinctive power on button instead. Both feature here, and while the power button does exactly what you would expect, the light up bar is a little more temperamental.

Then there are the moments when it does work, but you wonder if anyone tried it in the real world. You can have it light up and flash to your music, like a pocket set of disco lights, but they only run when the screen of the SP is on. When the screen times out, the music keeps playing, but the disco lights go off. This seems to me to be the exact opposite of what should happen.

It can be used as a massive alert light for incoming messages, alerts, calls, texts, and alarms. With seven colours available, you can customise the visual alerts to your own personal needs. The downside here is the huge settings menu means you will need to explore to find the option (settings / device / display / light effect), but anyone who's spent time on Android will be aware of the huge number of settings and the sometime illogical layout.