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Introduction

Sony launched four smartphones at the last MWC in Barcelona, but it was easy to miss the cheapest of the quartet - the Xperia L3. The Xperia 1 had the 4K and the company's first triple camera, the Xperia 10 and 10 Plus brought 21:9 Cinemawide screens to the midrange, while the Xperia L3 seemingly had no trump card of its own. Well let's find out if that's indeed the case or if there's more to the entry level handset than the specs sheet suggests.

The Sony Xperia L3 is the maker's cheapest 2019 smartphone, but unlike the previous L devices, this one seems more ambitions and appealing. The L3 adopts Sony's latest design language and has a trendy tall screen even though its aspect ratio is 18:9 and not 21:9.

Another cool feature lifted from the more premium models is the side-mounted fingerprint reader. The side is one of the best places to put a biometric scanner and has already proven to be very convenient and natural.

The main camera of the Xperia L3 is not particularly exciting with its 13MP sensor and f/2.2 lens, but it has a 2MP depth sensor for portraits and simulated bokeh.

Finally, the Helio P22 is one of the weakest chips on the market, but it might do just fine under that 720p display. We'll find about that in a bit, but first let's take a thorough look at the specs sheet.

Sony Xperia L3 specs

Body: Plastic unibody with "metallic finish"; Gorilla Glass 5 on front; 154 x 72 x 8.9 mm; 156 grams; Color options: Black, Silver, Gold

Plastic unibody with "metallic finish"; Gorilla Glass 5 on front; 154 x 72 x 8.9 mm; 156 grams; Color options: Black, Silver, Gold Screen: 5.7" IPS; 18:9 aspect ratio; HD+

5.7" IPS; 18:9 aspect ratio; HD+ Rear cameras: Primary: 13MP, f/2.2, 1.12µm; 2MP depth sensor; 1080p video

Primary: 13MP, f/2.2, 1.12µm; 2MP depth sensor; 1080p video Additional camera features: Contrast AF, ISO 3200 for photos and videos, Bokeh, 4x Clear Image Zoom (digital)

Contrast AF, ISO 3200 for photos and videos, Bokeh, 4x Clear Image Zoom (digital) Front camera: 8MP, 83-degree super wide-angle, ISO 1600; 1080p video

8MP, 83-degree super wide-angle, ISO 1600; 1080p video Chipset: Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) chipset, octa-core processor (8x2.0 GHz Cortex-A53), PowerVR GE8320 GPU.

Mediatek MT6762 Helio P22 (12 nm) chipset, octa-core processor (8x2.0 GHz Cortex-A53), PowerVR GE8320 GPU. Memory: 3GB of RAM + 32GB storage; Up to 512GB microSD card support

3GB of RAM + 32GB storage; Up to 512GB microSD card support OS: Android 8.1 Oreo

Android 8.1 Oreo Battery: 3,300mAh Li-Ion; Smart STAMINA, Battery Care; USB Power Delivery compatibility

3,300mAh Li-Ion; Smart STAMINA, Battery Care; USB Power Delivery compatibility Connectivity: Dual-SIM/ Single-SIM options available (market dependent); Cat.6 LTE; USB 2.0 Type-C; Wi-Fi; GPS + GLONASS; Bluetooth 5.0; NFC; 3.5mm audio jack

Dual-SIM/ Single-SIM options available (market dependent); Cat.6 LTE; USB 2.0 Type-C; Wi-Fi; GPS + GLONASS; Bluetooth 5.0; NFC; 3.5mm audio jack Audio: Single bottom-firing speaker, Smart Amplifier

Single bottom-firing speaker, Smart Amplifier Misc: Side-mounted fingerprint reader

The Xperia L3 has some obvious omissions - the chipset we already mentioned, but also the Android version is Oreo instead of Pie and there is no info if the L3 will ever get Android 9. And the phone isn't shipping with a fast charger even though it supports USB-PD.

On a positive note the Xperia L3 packs a Gorilla Glass 5 to keep the screen safe, there is a 3.5mm audio port, a microSD slot is present, and FM radio is supported, and we are sure a lot of people will appreciate those.

Unboxing the Sony Xperia L3

The Xperia L3 is packed within a generic Sony paper box - meaning all while with a few Xperia inscriptions around. Inside we found the Xperia L3 itself, a USB-C cable, and a 7.5W charger.

The Xperia L3 supports Fast Charging, but you will have to purchase the a compatible PD charger separately if you want to use it.