There was a time when Sony, in collaboration with Ericsson, made mobile phones so small that they would fit snugly in a credit card holder.
I owned one myself and remember it, sometime around the Millennium, jangling around in my pocket along with loose change, car keys and probably a few moths. This was the post brick-size era when having a tiny phone was cool, despite the buttons being so awkward that text messages were unintentionally littered with offensively bad grammar and spelling.
Today we find Sony without Ericsson, having bought out the mobile phone joint venture in 2011, and instead of devices that look like they were designed to fit in the hand of a young child we are blessed with big screens that beam out mind-bogglingly beautiful, crisp images.
The Xperia T3 is a strong example of how far Sony has come in the mobile sector, given that the handset fits in the mid-range segment of the market, below the company’s flagship Xperia Z range.
The first thing that is noticeable is the device’s weight in relation to its size – it has a 5.3-inch screen, yet tips, or should that be touches, the scales at a mere 148 grams and is just 7 milimetres thick.
Then there’s the quality of the display, boasting Sony’s Mobile Bravia Engine and Triluminos technology. This means, in the company’s words, redder reds and bluer blues. It’s hard to disagree that there is some technical wizardry going on behind those crystal clear pictures and videos.
The Android operating system provides straightforward navigation, and the phone comes with a host of creative tools, such as Timeshift Burst, AR Effect and panorama mode, for those who like to doctor their pictures, which are taken with the 8-megapixel rear camera.
The battery life is, like the phone in general, excellent.
Although it is priced above most of its rivals at around Dh1,500, the Xperia T3 has that Sony mark of quality with its sleek, lightweight design and comfort in the hand. It might have the brain of a mid-range smartphone, but it is blessed with the body of a flagship.
Q&A
How does it compare to the Xperia Z2?
Naturally, it doesn’t have quite the same oomph with a 1.4GHz quad-core processor compared with the flagship’s 2.3GHz, while the 1GB of RAM falls short of the Xperia Z2’s 3GB. There’s quite a difference in the camera, too, with the Z2 armed with a 20-megapixel rear snapper and 2.2 megapixels at the front compared with the Xperia T3’s 1.1 megapixels.
Is there anything else missing?
Yes, it isn’t waterproof, so don’t go taking selfies underwater or attempt to upload pictures of yourself on Facebook while doing the washing up. If such activities are your cup of tea, Sony has just announced the launch of what it says is the most waterproof mobile ever – the Xperia M2 Aqua.
Why was a dinosaur stomping across the screen?
Ah, that’s the AR Effect. It adds “augmented reality” capabilities to the camera, so a simple portrait can be overlaid with said T-Rex on the prowl amid an erupting volcano. Or, if something softer is preferred, you can add a fairy tale theme, or have your subject swimming underwater with fish. Necessary? No. Fun? Yes.
If Sony isn’t your thing, what alternatives are there?
Well, there there’s the much-heralded Motorola Moto G which is retailing at almost half the price if you want a smaller screen, while the HTC One range would be another option, along with the BlackBerry Z30.
ioxborrow@thenational.ae
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