Introduction

Sony has made some great entry-level Android phones, but it's been a while since we saw a new model. The Xperia M injects new blood into the segment with both single and dual-SIM options. Based on the trademark Xperia design, the M scores high on looks and build quality.



Sony Xperia M official images

The Sony Xperia M shares many of the design features that made its Xperia Z sibling such a looker, including the signature power key. It also has a hardware shutter key along with a couple of other features that are becoming quite rare in the smartphone world - a removable battery and a microSD card slot.

The Xperia M also offers a relatively big and sharp screen, 4" FWVGA of 245ppi, and a dual-core Krait processor, plus 720p video capture with its 5MP camera. These are specs that can be hard to find in the Xperia M's price bracket. Most entry-level Androids either have Cortex-A9 CPUs (or A5/A7), or record only VGA video or have sub-WVGA screens, which is why entry-level Windows Phone handsets are such an enticing alternative in the price range.

Key features

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE and dual or quad-band HSPA support

Also available in a dual-SIM variant, called Xperia M dual

21 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA

4" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of FWVGA resolution (480 x 854 pixels) at 245ppi

Android OS v4.1.2 Jelly Bean

Dual-core 1 GHz Krait CPU, Adreno 305 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8227 Snapdragon chipset

1 GB of RAM

4 GB of built-in storage (2 GB user available)

microSD slot (cards up to 32GB supported)

5 MP autofocus camera, single LED flashlight, geo-tagging, touch focus, HDR, hardware shutter key; VGA front-facing camera

720p @ 30fps video capture

Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP

NFC support

ANT+ support for connecting low-power wireless sports accessories

GPS with A-GPS; GLONASS

PlayStation certified

Accelerometer, ambient light and proximity sensor

Standard 3.5 mm audio jack; Walkman music player with many audio enhancements

Stereo FM radio with RDS

microUSB port (charging)

Built-in LED strip provides a breathing light and notification light

1,750mAh Li-Ion battery, user-replaceable

Main disadvantages

Still and video camera quality not great

No Mobile BRAVIA engine for the screen

Screen has sub-par viewing angles

Poor video codec support out of the box

Limited internal storage for installing apps

Sony may have hit a spot that Samsung, LG and HTC haven't thoroughly covered, which bodes well for the young Xperia M. The optional dual-SIM is great too, since a good smartphone with a second SIM slot can prove harder to find than you would expect (with screen, camera and chipset considerations in mind).

The Sony Xperia M runs Android 4.1 with Sony's magic sprinkled over many of the apps, including a Walkman music player with a dazzling array of sound enhancement options, plus the Album and Movies apps, which have some unique media management skills.



Sony Xperia M in our office

The bold Purple and Yellow colors are a plus too, with an excellent, soft touch plastic on the back - a welcome break from black-or-white options and the prevailing glossy plastics. Hop over to the next page to see what's behind that back cover, as well as whether the screen and camera live up to the expectations and more.