Analyzed: Sony Xperia sola

Continuing with our reviews of Sony's Xperia line-up, we took a look at the sola. We would put the sola in the middle of the Xperia pack considering its not so top end features. It is bigger than the Xperia Ray we tested and smaller than the Xperia S. From a looks perspective it is a mini version of the Xperia S minus the see through strip with the navigation buttons that light up when you touch them. It is about the size of the iPhone 4S albeit not as streamlined. Here are some of the specs on the sola:

1. 3.7" display at a resolution of 854 x 480 pixels
2. 1GHz dual core processor
3. 512MB RAM
4. 8GB storage with support up to 32GB via microSD
5. 5MP rear camera with LED flash
6. 720P HD video recording with 16x digital zoom
7. Operating system: Android Version 4.0.3 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
8. Weight: 107g
9. Battery capacity: 1320mAh

The phone is also equipped with NFC capability. You know, in case you like bumping your phone against someone else's to transfer data. You get all the cool features that are included with ICS including facial recognition and the built in power saver to name a couple. Usage is quite simple and isn't unlike other Android powered smartphones in the market. Instead of shortcuts (you still have them), Sony has included something called SmartTag to manage profiles. You can touch your home SmartTag to turn on Wi-Fi, launch news or the  weather app, turn the phone sound on or off. It is customizable. 

The display is pretty much like other Xperia models with Sony's mobile BRAVIA engine which makes viewing images and videos a joy to watch. Sony displays have always had that oomph in them and this has been translated in their smartphones as well. It isn't as good as the display we saw in the Samsung Galaxy S III, but it is quite good nonetheless. The camera is very fast, in starting up, taking pictures and recovering for the next shot. All this can be done in about a second. It could have used a better camera, like the 8.1MP included in the Xperia Ray or the Xperia S, but it isn't the top of the line phone so it looks like Sony settled. The battery life could also use some work since we were able to pull less than 6 hours on a complete charge (which by the way happens to be the magic figure for most Android powered phones especially during heavy usage). The life can be extended using ICS' built in power saver feature or a 3rd party app like Juice Defender, but not by much. Still, the Sony Xperia sola is a decently packaged phone for a not so hefty price. And you can get it in Black, White and Red colors!

Our Rating: 

The Sony Xperia sola is currently on sale in India for about Rs. 19,500 (~$360).