Best Price: Starting from Rs.10,771 - Rs.15,490
The
manufacturer advertises the Xperia J with the slogan "Big Screen
Entertainment". Comparing the screen diagonals of the Xperia J and Samsung's Galaxy Note 2
(4.0- vs. 5.5-inches) makes clear that such statements always have to
be seen subjectively. The Xperia J's screen looks rather small in a
direct comparison. However, we will disregard the device's appearance
for the moment. Sony's slogan is not very revealing when it comes to the
power of the used hardware - and this is where notebookcheck.net comes in.
The Xperia J is powered by the same SoC (system-on-a-chip) as Samsung's Galaxy S DUOS, which is the Snapdragon S1 MSM7227A with a clock rate of 1 GHz. It is supported by 512 MB of working memory. The installed GPU for rendering content on the 4.0-inch TFT touchscreen is dubbed Adreno 200.
The hardware runs on Android version 4.0.4. The tech specs already
reveal that the Xperia J is not striving for a place among the high-end
devices. The manufacturer's RRP of 239 Euros (~$323) underlines this even more.
Case
The casing consists of three parts, all made of polycarbonate. The display bezel is covered in black piano paint
and juts slightly over the screen so that the latter does not directly
lay on the touchscreen when turned around. As is usual with glossy black
plastic, fingerprints are inevitable. The casing's center part is a colored contrast to both other enclosing parts. Fingerprints are also an issue for the high-gloss chrome edge. The matte plastic back cover
features a slight bulge, which allows holding the entire smartphone
comfortably. The "soft curves" of the Xperia range might be preferred to
the very angular design of Apple's latest devices. Overall, the casing
exhibits good workmanship and is rigid to the largest extent. The
touchscreen only yields marginally under selective pressure.
Considering the price, this is a good result in terms of build quality.
Nevertheless, the buyer should not expect the build of an iPhone 5.
Using plastic usually results in a lower total weight. However, the Xperia J's weight of 124 grams cannot quite compete with the contenders. HTC's Windows Phone 8S weighs 113 grams with an equal screen size of 4.0-inches and Samsung's Galaxy S DUOS weighs 120 grams. The reference in terms of workmanship, the iPhone 5, manages with just 112 grams. The gap gets tighter in dimensions. The Xperia J is quite lengthy at 124.3 x 61.2 x 9.2 mm, but it is a bit thinner than the equally priced contenders. The smartphone is currently available in four colors:
black, white, pink and gold. However, we have to mention that all
versions feature the chrome edge and piano paint. Just the back cover is
exchanged.
Connectivity
We did not experience an "Oh" feeling
while looking at the button placement. The power button is directly
above the volume rocker on the right. In our opinion, both buttons are not sufficiently spaced but that is a matter of taste. The hardware button's spongy pressure point will need more familiarization. This is particularly noticed on the power button since there is no physical home button, like in the Galaxy S3. Also, the button is inserted deep in the casing and is not particularly big. The 3.5 mm headphone jack
is located on the casing's top and the micro USB port on the left. The
smartphone was immediately identified when connected to a PC. The microSD slot is underneath the back cover and is to support cards with up to 32 GB. This slot is essential since the internal memory only has a gross capacity of 4 GB and net 2.01 GB. The Xperia J also sports a message LED.
Software
Sony delivers the Xperia J with Android 4.0.4, aka Ice Cream Sandwich.
The standard launcher has been modified a bit, but the home screens
already feature a lot of widgets. Sony also installs quite a bit of
bloatware in the form of apps, such as "LiveWare Manager", "Music
Unlimited" and "Walkman". According to Sony, an update to Android 4.1 is planned in the first quarter of 2013. It is currently unknown if or when operating system updates will be released.
Communication & GPS
The Xperia J sports a Wi-Fi module that transmits in the 802.11 b/g/n standard and is also certified in accordance with the DLNA standard. Mobile internet is possible via HSDPA with 14.4 Mbit/s
when the user is remote from a Wi-Fi network. The Bluetooth module
supports the older 2.1 wireless standard. Devices featuring Bluetooth
4.0 are now no longer unusual. The A-GPS receiver quickly finds a
connection to a satellite even indoors in the area of a window. We also
did not detect any unexpected signal interruptions during our test. NFC (near-field communication) is not available.
Cameras & Multimedia
The Xperia J sports two moderately sized camera modules. The rear-facing, primary camera has a resolution of 5 megapixels and allows recording videos in VGA quality at 30 frames per second. Samsung's Galaxy S DUOS features the same specs in this field. HTC's 8S
primary camera can record videos in HD quality (720p). However, this
smartphone does not sport a front-facing camera. The front-facing camera
in the Xperia J is designed as a webcam and should not be used for
anything else considering its resolution of 0.3 MP. An LED flash is available for low ambient light.
Slight image noise was noticed when shooting pictures in weak ambient light. A bluish cast is very evident on all pictures.
This affects the color perception massively. The pictures do not show
as much noise outdoors, but the bluish cast remains. Furthermore, all
pictures lack sharpness. The front-facing camera is absolutely unsuitable
for taking pictures or videos. This camera can be used for occasional
video calls when no other alternative is available. The recorded videos
only feature VGA quality and thus lack focus. We also doubt whether the camera really supplies the promised 30 frames per second.
Accessories
The smartphone's rather large box awakes hopes
of finding a few additional accessories. But this is not the case. The
Xperia J does not stick out from the masses in this point and follows
the motto: less is sometimes more. We find various instructions, the battery, a modular charger and the smartphone in the box. The buyer has to waive on an in-ear headset in favor of the low purchase price.
Warranty
Sony's Xperia J's warranty period encompasses 24 months from purchase date and 12 months is included on the accessories.
Input Devices & Controls
The capacitive touchscreen implements the inputs accurately. The Xperia J also copes well with multi-touch gestures. The screen only detects inputs from two fingers at a time. Navigating through menus and the app drawer is mostly smooth. However, we did notice the odd micro-stutter.
There is still enough room when using the virtual keyboard for
inputting, scrolling on web pages in the browser or to follow the
message history in "Whatsapp" in portrait mode. However, the keyboard
takes up over 50% of the screen when the phone is used in landscape
mode. Only a small gap of the website is seen when the browser's address
bar is opened.
Display
The 4-inch, LCD-TFT touchscreen in the Xperia J has a resolution of 854x480 pixels (FWVGA) with
16.7 million colors. We do not have more specs about the screen's
technology. The screen size and available resolution result in a pixel density of 245 ppi. Since the Windows Phone 8S has 54 fewer pixels vertically, it only achieves a pixel density of 233 ppi. We measured a maximum brightness of 347 cd/m² in
the lower center using Mavo Monitor. The illumination of 90% confirms
our subjective impression of a homogeneous brightness distribution. We
ascertained an average brightness of 329.1 cd/m². HTC's 8S achieved an average of 330.8 cd/m² and the Galaxy S DUOS managed
a rate of 326.7 cd/m². However, a brightness difference between the
three contenders is not visible due to the very similar rates.
Conversely, a difference can be ascertained in the black value. With 0.32 cd/m², the Xperia J can prevail against the Galaxy S DUOS (0.66 cd/m²). HTC's 8S is also defeated (0.41 cd/m²). This results in a high contrast of 1050:1, which is even slightly higher than that of the iPhone 5 (1040:1).
The smartphone is compelling in outdoor use. Although the glare-type screen struggles with massive reflections in sunlight, the content usually remains easily legible. This is due to the convincing black value alongside the average brightness rate.
The viewing angle stability of the Xperia J's screen is impressive although it does not use IPS technology. The color reproduction and contrast remain on a consistently high level even up to extremely acute angles.
Performance
The Xperia J's RRP indicates that the buyer should not expect a high-end device with a quad-core processor, like in Google's Nexus 4. Accordingly, a somewhat older Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM 7227A SoC beats inside. It is based on the ARM v7 platform and the CPU is an ARM Cortex A5 single-core with 1 GHz. The processor was built in a 45 nm manufacturing process and sports the Adreno 200 (Enhanced) GPU. The SoC is supported by 512 MB of working memory. For comparison, current premium devices include a 2048 MB working memory. Samsung's Galaxy S DUOS, which we reviewed, features identical hardware. Consequently, big similarities can be seen in the performed benchmarks. HTC's 8S provides similar specifications, but it uses a completely different operating system and the SoC is from a newer generation.
We performed various benchmarks to
classify the Xperia J's performance and compare the device with high-end
smartphones. The expected result was confirmed in the synthetic
benchmarks. Sony's Xperia J and Samsung's Galaxy S DUOS
achieve virtually identical scores in all runs and are miles away from
the scores of upper-range devices. We adversely noticed that the GLBenchmark 2.5.1 could not be executed because the system crashed in every attempt. Thus, we cannot supply a result for this benchmark.
Games
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Newer 2D games run smoothly on the Xperia J. This is also true for many 3D games, although it becomes clear that the SoC quickly finds its performance limits here. The gaming fun in GTA III is quite restricted because numerous stutters and snags make
it difficult to navigate through the streets. Even the lowest hardware
settings (minimum details and resolution) cannot prevent occasional reloading.
Speech Quality
Several
test calls confirm that the Xperia J features good speech quality. Both
participants hear the partner clearly and very distinctly. Background
noise is not suppressed quite as well and makes it a bit more difficult
to make calls, for example, in the car (as a passenger).
Emissions
Temperature
Sony has done a good job with the thermal design. The passive cooling components discharge the produced waste heat well. The device only partially reached 40 °C during load. The temperature assessment resulted in a maximum of just 37.2 °C. The equally clocked SoC in HTC's 8S (41.1 °C) and Samsung's Galaxy S DUOS (43.8 °C) reach a noticeably higher rate. An identical picture is
seen in idle. The Xperia J was better than both contenders and
exhibited an average of 30°C. The modular power supply unit also reached
an absolutely harmless temperature. The midrange model stays cool.
Speakers
The speaker for audio output is, matching the price, unexceptional.
The music sounds tinny and vague through all volume levels. We would
discourage listening to music in maximum volume - for health reasons.
Also, the Xperia J suffers from the same problem as many other
smartphones or tablets. When the device is laid on its back, the speaker
is covered and the sound distorts extremely. The volume is reduced and the sound is very muffled.
Energy Management
Power Consumption
The Xperia J's power consumption is within limits. Our test device consumes much less power than the Galaxy S DUOS. The smartphone was satisfied with 0.3 to 1.1 watts in idle contrary to the 0.7 to 1.8 watts needed by the dual-SIM contender featuring the same hardware. This difference is even clearer in the next part where we look at the battery runtimes. HTC's 8S
consumes considerably more power although it sports newer components.
We measured 1.2 to 2.6 watts in idle and even up to 4.1 watts during
full load. In contrast to that, the Xperia J is a real power saver with a maximum of 2.1 watts during maximum load. The Galaxy S DUOS' maximum consumption is 2.7 watts in this case.
Battery Runtime
The very satisfactory power consumption
of the Xperia J is seen in this part. We ascertained the battery
runtime by running four different scenarios. Three tests determine the
device's maximum runtime in different situations and the fourth measures
the time needed for a full recharge. One parameter for this was an
absolutely drained battery. The device was turned on after connecting
the power supply unit and set to standby mode. A complete recharge took 3 hours and 20 minutes before the 1750 mAh battery was again ready for use. The battery lasted for a remarkable 5 hours and 21 minutes during full load. The 2:46 hours of HTC's 8S are remote from that. The screen was also permanently on in the idle scenario, but reduced to minimum brightness. The smartphone's screen ran for 21 hours and 30 minutes before it was forced to shut down. This runtime is almost on the record-breaking level of the iPhone 5
(22:20 hours). The screen's maximum brightness is reduced to approx.
50% in the practical Wi-Fi reader test, where browsing on different
websites is simulated via a script. Our midrange model achieved 12 hours and 51 minutes here. Neither the Galaxy S DUOS nor the Windows Phone 8S can compete with it in any of the runtime measurements.
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