Image maker
You can only wake the screen by reaching up to the top of the handset – there’s no physical Home button that works when the phone's in standby in the way there is on the iPhone or the Samsung Galaxy Ace. There is an exception though, the camera's hardware button. Press and hold this, and the camera launches and takes a photograph. This happens with impressive speed, so make sure you want to do this, as I took several photographs accidentally. But it does mean if you want to snap in a hurry, you can.
Sample Shots
Click for full-resolution image
Click for full-resolution image
Click for full-resolution image
The camera is one of the phone’s headline features: at 12Mp it’s more than most. Sony Ericsson handsets had strong cameraphone features and these continue with the new brand. It’s very responsive and takes great shots with rich detail and vibrant colours. A half-press on the trigger sets the focus, though if you elide this step, it’s still very fast. The lens is a little too easy to cover with your finger, if you’re not careful.
12Mp stills snapper with full HD video too
There’s also a 1.3Mp camera on the front for video calling and discreet preening. The main camera utilises a Sony Exmor R sensor, which is especially good for low light situations, and your snapped images look suitably impressive. A word to the wise though, every single snap ended up looking brighter and more appealing on the phone's screen than when viewed on a PC screen, so don't be fooled by the vibrant results the handset displays.
Next page: Hi-def handset
COMMENTS
Re: Flagship phone 12 months ago maybe
I know, it's embarrassing isn't it. We all know the number of cores you have is THE most important thing a phone can have. For instance I don't get out of bed in the morning unless there is a penta-core phone on my bedside table. It's just not worth my valuable time.
Oh and don't get me started on Sony. I mean they did bad stuff with rooting or something and something that offended linux people. I mean, how bad can a company get?
And lastly, that thing looks suspiciously shiny. We all know that's bad too. Something to do with Apple or something.
All in all, just outrageous.
Re: Flagship phone 12 months ago maybe
Nobody has managed to ship a device with the ICS yet apart from Google. I think people generally underestimate the work required to get a new OS up, running, fully tested and certified on new (or existing) hardware. And remember google don't do their OEMs any favours - the source code was only released in November - no "partner previews" or "developer previews" like Microsoft tend to provide in advance of the public release of a new OS.
So you get a code drop in November - you have to update or rewrite your HAL and device specific drivers along with any custom software components. It then has to be run through an absolute barrage of basic quality, regulatory, and carrier tests and certifications. And only then you can get it to market - 5 months doesn't really sound like a lot of time to me. And anyway, Sony have already committed to an ICS upgrade in Q2.
Re: IPhone please!
Why have a poxy 3.5in screen when you can have a 720p 4.3in job?
Have you seen an Xperia S next to an iPhone 4S? I have. For video playback the Sony knocks the iP4S into a coked hat, "retina display" not withstanding.
Twit, Troll. Apple Catamite.
How does it sound?
Actually Sony have been really good with updates for their recent devices and have donated devices and drivers to XDA. I have an Arc S which is running the ICS beta and it's rock solid so I doubt the ICS upgrade for the S will be far away. And the Home button is still the Home button - press and hold it and bingo, a list of apps appears.
I wish these reviews would talk about music playback quality as surely many people use their phones as music players? I had an S2 for a while and couldn't believe how bad the audio quality was for a flagship phone (thanks to some crappy Yamaha chipset) and so I swapped it for an Arc S - which sounds fab in comparison.
However, no removable battery? No expandable storage? And that little USB flap? Ack. That's a shame Sony.
Re: Flagship phone 12 months ago maybe
Me either.
But he has a point on price. Regardless of how silly people think the race for number of cores has got, Sony are selling a phone full of 'last year'
It's not even shipping with the latest OS.
