I’ve always been puzzled why Sony’s excellent range of Xperia Z smartphones hasn’t been been more popular in South Africa.
Beautifully crafted from steel and glass when most manufacturers were still sticking stubbornly with plastic, these flagship devices were also (and remain) water and dustproof – an example other phonemakers have followed over the years.
One drawback is the wallet-walloping price tag, not that they’re any dearer than premium devices from Samsung and Apple. High-end smartphones with all the bells and whistles are fun to play with, but let’s face it, most South Africans can’t afford, nor do they need, all these fancy extras.
That’s why I was chuffed recently to receive Sony’s entry-level Xperia E3 for review.
Priced at around the R2 000 mark depending where you buy it, here was a smartphone with Z-range looks but a price tag within reach of the average Joe.
At first glance it could be an Xperia Z device. That’s thanks to the almost identical black rounded slab styling and circular aluminium power button.
Pick it up and the illusion breaks down somewhat. At this price we’re (quite understandably) firmly back in plastic body territory. Still, the E3 feels reassuringly solid without being too heavy (144g) in the hand and without the tackiness of some cheap handsets.
Another price-driven compromise is that the E3, unlike the range-topping Xperia Z3 or M2 Aqua I reviewed a while back, is not waterproof, so don’t be tempted to go for a swim with it or text in the bath.
It’s pretty robust, though. The screen’s scratch resistant and I’m sure the rounded corners will handle a few bumps and knocks
Speaking of the display, at 12cm it’s a decent size and surprisingly bright and clear for a budget phone, although you will instantly notice the difference when you put it next to the likes of the Z3 or Samsung Galaxy S6.
Under the plastic hood it runs Android’s 4.4 KitKat operating system and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.2GHz quad core processor, pretty standard fare for a first rung on the smartphone ladder device.
A pleasant surprise at this price point was LTE/4G support, so you’ll be able to browse the Web at faster than 3G speeds where the service is available.
Another unexpected treat was the sound quality, with the rear mounted speakers pushing out way better quality music than I was expecting.
Battery life from the 2 330mAh battery was pretty good and I generally found that the E3 lasted a full day, even with fairly heavy use.
Less impressive was the 5MP camera. Pictures taken outdoors in daylight were generally pretty good, but as soon as the sun dipped towards the horizon or I moved indoors, images became darker and grainier.
Clever features like augmented reality, time shift burst, panorama and the ability to livestream to YouTube and Facebook go some way to mitigating these drawbacks, but after experiencing just how good the camera on the Z3 is, it’s hard to summon up too much enthusiasm for the E3’s sub-par snapper. Still, it’s as good, if not better, than most in this price bracket.
I liked the selection of pre-installed apps which includes my favourites, Evernote and Google’s suite of apps, as well as various social networks, cloud storage service Box and an FM radio.
If you’re in the market for a good quality smartphone that won’t break the bank, you should definitely take a look at Sony Xperia E3.
Got any questions or comments. E-mail [email protected] or direct your tweets to @alanqcooper.