Sony Xperia M - Specifications. Sony Xperia M - Technical specifications of Sony Xperia M 3

A remarkable smartphone in its class Sony Xperia The M C1905 stands out primarily for its striking appearance. Users have access to four color options, including, in addition to the classic black and white, bright yellow and bright purple. The phone turned out to be small - its screen is 4 inches, weight 112g. With a thickness of 9.3 mm, the Sony Xperia M cannot be called super thin, but it fits comfortably in your hand and can easily be carried in your pocket.

Abilities, performance

Sony Xperia M C1905 is positioned as a mid-budget device, and its characteristics represent it as such. Some discrepancy is the dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor, working with clock frequency 1 GHz and a fairly powerful Adreno 305 graphics chip, the power of the first is simply not enough to fully realize the potential of the second. Therefore, complex graphic games are a little difficult to play, but web pages load almost instantly. With volume random access memory everything is fine, 1GB is allocated.

Screen, cameras, sound

The Sony Xperia M C1905 screen received a TFT matrix with a low resolution of 854x480, but despite this, it managed to “outperform” even some more expensive models. The main feature is a large reserve of brightness with a maximum value of 422 cd/m2, which allows you to read without problems even in bright sunshine. Contrast is not up to par, color rendering is somewhat biased towards cool shades, viewing angles also leave much to be desired. The smartphone cameras do not differ in high resolution - 5MP and 0.3MP, but the main one is equipped with a shooting function in HDR mode, improving the quality of images taken in difficult conditions. The high-quality sound of the smartphone is provided by HD Voice technology, so that both during a conversation and when playing sounds, audibility and clarity are excellent.

Assessing the impression of the Sony Xperia M C1905, we must admit that it is rather positive. Pros - design, case quality, brightness, high-quality graphics, good sound. Cons: budget screen, weak cameras. It’s worth taking a closer look at the model, but when choosing, you need to take into account the strengths and weaknesses, in accordance with your own priorities.

Water and dust resistant model with average performance

The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone was presented quite a long time ago, back in the spring during the MWC 2015 exhibition in Barcelona, ​​but only now has it reached our test laboratory. The device takes the place of a mid-level offer from not the most expensive devices Sony, offering a compromise combination of a good set of characteristics and an acceptable price, how much “compromise” is generally applicable to the mobile products of this company, which traditionally turn out to be slightly more expensive than their competitors.

This fall, the Xperia M family was expanded to include the M5, which is older in all respects, but also much more expensive. However, this smartphone will appear in our test laboratory a little later, but for now let’s look at what the Japanese company is currently offering to not too demanding users for a price that is about half that of modern flagships.

Key specifications of Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual (model E2333)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939), 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz
• GPU Adreno 405 @550 MHz
• Operating system Android 5.0
• Touch display IPS, 5″, 1280×720, 294 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 8 or 16 GB
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• Map support microSD memory up to 200 GB
• 2G communication: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 3G Communication: WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz
• Data transmission FDD LTE Cat.4 (Bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20)
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz), point Wi-Fi access, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, ANT+
• DLNA, Media Go, MTP, Miracast
• GPS (A-GPS), Glonass, BDS
• Camera 13 MP Sony Exmor RS, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 5 MP Sony Exmor R (front)
• Sensors for direction, proximity, lighting, linear acceleration, vector rotation, accelerometer, magnetic compass (according to AnTuTu)
• Battery 2400 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 145×73×7.3 mm
• Weight 135 g

Equipment

The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual smartphone is sold in a very simple, flat, utilitarian-looking box made of thin, unvarnished cardboard. Sony smartphone packaging often has a nondescript, unattractive appearance, which seems to emphasize the company's commitment to taking care of the environment, because such a box is mainly made from recycled materials using soy ink (easily decomposed after disposal).

The set of accessories is more than modest, it consists only of not the most powerful charger(5 V, 850 mA) and Micro-USB connecting cable. The set didn't even include a wired headset.

Appearance and ease of use

The design of the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua is exactly the same as all previous models from this manufacturer released in recent years. Only the shape of the side rim changes from generation to generation. In this case, the sides, like those of the top-end Xperia Z3+, are rounded and smooth; there are no more notches or chamfers on the side frame. Due to this, Sony smartphones began to feel a little more comfortable in the hand, but became more slippery.

The structure of the case is also quite familiar: in addition to the mentioned side frame, which here, by the way, is made not of metal, but of ordinary matte plastic painted with silver paint, there are two glass panels that completely cover the front and back of the case. In any case, glass is a more easily soiled material than plastic, so there are a lot of fingerprints left on the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua body; the body cannot be called non-staining. However, fans of the brand have long been accustomed to all this; they will not encounter anything new here.

In terms of size, the smartphone is a typical representative of modern five-inch models; the device is not too compact, but quite thin, making it quite comfortable to hold the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua in the palm of your hand. The side plastic frame has softer polycarbonate inserts embedded in the corners: the developers claim that they are able to absorb some of the impact energy when the device falls. The inserts are the same color as the frame itself.

Cards, like the rest Sony models, are inserted into the side connectors, only, unlike the flagship models, there are no plastic pull-out trays. The slots have spring-loaded gripping mechanisms; cards must be pressed in with a fingernail until a characteristic click is heard; sometimes you have to resort to the help of third-party objects. In this case, we use the option of installing two Nano-SIM format SIM cards and one microSD memory card at the same time. The card slots are located on different sides and covered with plastic covers with rubber gaskets.

Covers are needed to protect against water and dust getting inside: the device is assigned a protection class of IP65/68. It is curious that Sony has radically revised its policy related to the water resistance of mobile devices. If earlier smartphones with the same degree of protection were positioned literally as devices for underwater photography with an advertising demonstration of photo and video filming in the pool, now a formidable warning in this regard has appeared on the company’s official website, which reads: “The device is prohibited from being completely immersed under water "

From now on, according to the same official description, the device, protected from water and dust, “is not afraid of either pouring rain or washing under the tap,” but at the same time, “incorrect or inappropriate use of the device will void the warranty.” It is clear that service Sony centers We’ve had a lot of trouble with unscrupulous users who violate operating conditions while swimming, but what does IP68 protection have to do with it then? After all, compliance with the IP68 degree of protection implies that the product is suitable for prolonged immersion in water to a depth of more than 1 m.

The picture below shows an advertising poster for the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone, which has the same IP65/68 protection class. Now this picture is no longer on the Sony website, replaced by an image of a girl standing with a smartphone in the rain. To be fair, it is worth noting that for older models, like the Xperia Z3 Compact, the developers did not change the text confirming the ability to be immersed in fresh water to a depth of 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes in accordance with the IP68 standard.

And yet, covers with rubber gaskets remain on new Sony devices. In this case, there are two of them: one covers the memory card slot, the other covers both SIM card slots at the same time.

And here open group Contacts have completely disappeared from the sides of new Sony mobile devices, so previously purchased branded docking stations with charging connectors will be useless here. But the protective cover covering the Micro-USB connector has also disappeared. This is convenient because there is no longer a need to open and close such a plug when charging the battery daily. The audio jack is no longer protected from water, but this is no longer news. Also, the strap mount has disappeared from the case.

All mechanical control keys are traditionally located on one side: there is a branded round power button, a two-position volume rocker key, and a separate hardware photo button. The button travel is quite tight, but the response is clear; In general, there are no special complaints about the controls.

It is curious that despite two symmetrical grilles on the front panel, the sound of the main speaker does not come out through them, as is implemented in Sony flagships, but through a separate, third grille embedded in the bottom end. The front grilles hide the speaker and microphone underneath. Touch buttons There are no buttons on the front panel - the buttons are virtual, on the screen.

At the top of the screen, in addition to the sensors and front camera, there is such a useful element as an LED event indicator. A small round dot emits light signals to indicate charging status and incoming messages.

The camera and flash windows are traditionally located on the back side. The round camera eye is framed by a metal ring; the module does not protrude beyond the surface. The flash has one LED segment and can work as a flashlight.

On the Russian market, the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is presented in three body colors: traditional black and white, as well as an unusual pink color, which the developers dubbed “coral”.

Screen

The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix covered with a flat protective glass. The screen dimensions are 62x110 mm, diagonal - 5 inches. But the resolution is only 1280x720, that is, the pixel density is 294 ppi - this is far from modern standards, which are not even adhered to flagship smartphones. The frame around the screen is quite wide: the sides from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body are 5 mm, the top and bottom are 17 mm each.

To adjust the brightness level, you can use automatic setup, based on the operation of the ambient light sensor, there is also the possibility of smooth manual adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process 9 simultaneous touches. There is a proximity sensor that locks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. The smartphone screen can be operated with gloves and wet fingers.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens (on the left - Nexus 7, on the right - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is not significantly brighter (brightness according to photographs is 111 versus 110 for the Nexus 7). The doubling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen (more specifically, between the outer glass and the surface of the LCD matrix) (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (slightly lower in efficiency than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 600 cd/m², the minimum was 52 cd/m². The maximum brightness is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors will be at a good level. For conditions of complete darkness, the minimum brightness may seem too high. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the logo on the front panel). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function is dependent on brightness adjustment. If it is at a minimum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 52 cd/m² (a lot), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) it sets it to 57 cd/m² (little), in a very bright environment (corresponds to the lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 600 cd/m² (to the maximum, which is what is needed). If the brightness slider is at half scale, then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 53, 98 and 600 cd/m² (in the dark the value is too high, the rest are suitable). If the brightness control is set to maximum - 94, 290, 600 cd/m² (the first two values ​​are too high). As a result, the auto-brightness function works more or less adequately, but in any case, in the dark the screen remains too bright. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

IN this smartphone An IPS type matrix is ​​used. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without significant color shift even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen and without inverting shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual and Nexus 7, with the screen brightness initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field in full screen), and color balance on the camera it is forcibly switched to 6500 K. There is a white field perpendicular to the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

Color reproduction is good and colors are rich on both screens, the color balance differs slightly. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed very much on both screens, but the contrast on the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual has decreased to a greater extent due to the greater brightening of blacks. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle of the screens decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual the drop in brightness is less. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a greenish tint or remains almost neutral gray. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is approximately the same!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since in several places the black is slightly brightened:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is good - about 900:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 17 ms (9 ms on + 8 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 28 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. Approximating indicator power function is 2.15, which is slightly lower than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power-law dependence:

According to hardware tests, this smartphone does not have any dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness depending on the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

Color gamut is close to sRGB:

The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:

As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, on average we improved the balance of shades of gray, but the spread of values ​​increased, which is not very good. In fact, there is no point in making corrections in this case.

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has good anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. For conditions of complete darkness, the minimum brightness may seem too high. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include a fairly effective oleophobic coating, the absence of air gaps in the layers of the screen and flickering, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and good color balance. Among the significant disadvantages we will attribute low black stability to the deviation of the gaze from perpendicular to the screen plane. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

In terms of sound, the Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone is unremarkable. The single main speaker produces ringing and flat sound with no noticeable presence low frequencies. This is not to say that the sound at maximum level is too quiet, but at the same time, the volume reserve is not quite enough. In headphones the situation is a little better, but still the sound is dull, not too bright, the sound is dull, although without using the ClearAudio+ enhancement system it would be even worse. With the connection of this comprehensive system, the sound of the smartphone becomes a little louder and richer. For manual control, only standard equalizer capabilities with preset values ​​are available here, and not a word is said about such functions used in Sony flagships as Clear Phase, Clear Bass and Clear Stereo, as well as xLoud volume increase technology.

There is an FM radio in the smartphone, it does not work without connected as external antenna headphones and does not know how to record broadcast programs. Record telephone conversations using standard means in a smartphone is also not provided.

Camera

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is equipped with two familiar digital camera modules with a resolution of 13 and 5 megapixels. The front 5-megapixel Exmor R module is equipped with a wide-angle lens with f/2.4 aperture and fixed focus. Front-camera can work manually and automatic modes shooting control. HDR mode is supported, there is a SteadyShot electronic stabilization function, and the camera can recognize a smile. Using the settings, you can add skin-enhancing effects to your image. For the selfie level, the quality of the resulting photos is generally quite good, the pictures are quite detailed, bright, and the color rendition is natural.

The main camera is equipped with a 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS module for mobile devices with an f/2.0 aperture lens, autofocus and its own flash. Autofocus has an object tracking function, and according to subjective feelings, it is quite fast here. The camera also has an HDR mode, face tracking, smile tracking, electronic stabilization and a lot of additional modes, the number of which, however, is not as wide as that of the flagship models of the same manufacturer. Naturally, it is possible to download additional modes, including popular ones, such as Time Lapse.

The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 1920×1080 at a speed of up to 30 frames/s. There are no options for shooting in 4K resolution or recording at 60 frames per second. However, the camera generally copes well with video shooting; there are no special complaints about the quality of the resulting video image or the sound recorded. True, the noise reduction system sometimes fails to cope in strong winds.

Examples of test videos:

• Video No. 1 (26 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)
• Video No. 2 (48 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)
• Video No. 3 (19 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)

	Good sharpness across the frame and in the plans.
	The text is well done.
	You can notice an area of ​​blur in the left top corner frame, but otherwise the sharpness is good.
	Long and medium plans are very blurry, as if the focus has gone to the foreground.
	Again the problem with long-range plans. It looks like a focus error, since the camera can focus at infinity.
	The camera copes well with macro photography.
	With the removal of the plan, the foliage does not merge for a long time.
	Once again the long shot is spoiled, although not much.

Sony, as usual, sets a distance between flagships and middling ones. True, Sony’s flagships sometimes suffer from blurriness in the corners of the frame, but otherwise it is clear that a good module is “dressed” in a fairly simple and not ironed program. However, the main complaint that can be made to the camera is its walking sharpness. The foreground, part of the frame, all plans in the center, but not in the periphery, can be sharp, and even the entire frame can be quite sharp. At the same time, sharp parts boast good detail. The noise reduction is quite typical for Sony - not the cleanest, but effective and not soapy. The camera practically does not resort to sharpening.

As a result, the camera can be called good for this segment, although the instability of the result forces you to keep an eye on it and focus more carefully.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also supports fourth-generation LTE Cat networks. 4 with a theoretical maximum possible reception speed of up to 150 Mbit/s. Seven LTE FDD bands are supported, so this smartphone will function in the three most common bands among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20). In practice, with a SIM card from the Beeline operator in the Moscow region, the smartphone was confidently registered and worked in 4G networks. The quality of signal reception is not satisfactory; the device confidently maintains communication indoors and does not lose the signal in areas of poor reception.

The rest of the communication capabilities are also quite worthy: two Wi-Fi bands are supported (2.4 and 5 GHz), NFC technology, Bluetooth has version 4.1 with support for the A2DP stereo audio transmission profile, and the ANT+ standard is also supported. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels; there is support for Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Media Go, MTP, Miracast. Surprisingly, despite all this, the connection of external devices to USB port in OTG mode.

The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system; the device also sees satellites from the Chinese Beidou (BDS). There are no special complaints about the navigation module; the first satellites during a cold start are identified within the first minute. The device is also equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs operates.

The smartphone supports working with two SIM cards, but the mode settings are frankly spartan: you can strictly bind only the data transfer function to a specific card, and for voice calls and text messages you need to select a SIM card each time in the appropriate interface while dialing. In general, this does not cause irritation at all, but some may miss such obvious functionality as the initial binding of certain functions to specific cards.

The connectors for SIM cards are equivalent in their capabilities, high-speed data transmission in 3G (4G) networks is supported by the card in any slot, switching is carried out directly from the menu without the need to physically change slots. Work with two SIM cards is organized according to the familiar Dual standard SIM Dual Standby, when both cards can be in active standby mode, but cannot work at the same time - there is only one radio module.

OS and software

The fifth version is used as the operating system software platform Google Android (LolliPop) with Sony's proprietary shell installed on top, which absorbed many of the innovations that appeared with the advent of Android 5.0. Instead of the branded menu of the latter open source software and the notification menu now uses the interface proposed by Google itself, interactive pop-up information tiles have appeared, the ability to create guest accounts, store and restore has been added backup copy V Google account, although much of this has already been previously implemented by the developers of Sony itself.

At the same time, the main recognizable features of the proprietary shell have been preserved, including a menu of installed applications with a sliding side additional menu controls, and the familiar widgets for the camera, weather, music and What's new remained scattered on the desktops. The set of pre-installed programs also does not change much over time: here you can still find TrackID (a replacement for the popular Shazam), the Sketch program, the Deezer music service, a full-featured OfficeSuite package for working with office documents, the Movie Creator video editing program and other familiar ones applications. The menu of small applications, opened through the section of recently launched programs, has not disappeared anywhere.

Performance

The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual hardware platform is based on the familiar eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 (MSM8939) single-chip system (SoC). This 64-bit platform is made using big.LITTLE technology, where four Cortex-A53 processor cores are adjacent to four of the same Cortex-A53 cores, but these “fours” have different maximum operating frequencies. Depending on the nature and degree of load, either 4 “lower” (up to 1 GHz) or 4 “higher” (up to 1.5 GHz) cores are turned on, which allows you to save energy. The Adreno 405 video accelerator with a frequency of up to 550 MHz is responsible for graphics processing here. The Snapdragon 615 SoC is made using a 28 nm process technology and belongs to the category of mid-level solutions.

The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB. The device has 16 GB of flash memory, of which no more than 9.5 GB is available for the user’s needs. However, there are several modifications of the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua (E2303, E2353, E2312), which have only 8 GB of internal memory. The memory capacity can be increased using microSD cards, and the capacity of such cards is officially supported up to 200 GB. In practice, our 128GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was reliably recognized by the device. The mode for connecting external devices to the Micro-USB (OTG) port in the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual unexpectedly did not receive support.

According to the results Sony testing The Xperia M4 Aqua showed rather modest results, even lower than one would expect from the already far from the most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 platform. According to the popular comprehensive benchmark AnTuTu, this is only 28K points, or about 29K in the 64-bit version of that same test.

It is curious that by this time several mobile devices based on an updated and slightly more powerful version of the second generation Snapdragon 615 platform had already been released onto the market. Its maximum operating frequency of processor cores has been increased to 1.65 GHz, and, for example, the Xiaomi Mi 4i and Lenovo Vibe Shot that we previously tested are based on this SoC. Based on their results, put into a comparative table, you can see how much more productive these smartphones have become. But, unfortunately, Sony did not follow this path, installing a modification of the platform into its smartphone, which demonstrates much worse results, which, again, is clearly visible from the data comparative table(However, the Xperia M4 Aqua model, as we already mentioned, was announced relatively long ago).

If we compare with competing solutions, then there is almost complete parity with the MediaTek MT6753 platform, which is similar in level and positioning, which, unlike the more widely used MT6752, also has a noticeably reduced core frequency (MT6752 itself, in comparison with these two cut-down modifications, produces much better results). Similar numbers in all tests are shown by another mid-level SoC, which Huawei uses in its smartphones - HiSilicon Kirin 620.

Testing in latest versions comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

All the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the most latest versions popular benchmarks, we have summarized them in tables for convenience. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that at one time they passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark game tests,GFXBenchmark, and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Thermal photographs

Below is a thermal image of the rear surface obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

It can be seen that the heating is clearly localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 48 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees). This is very hot for this test compared to other modern smartphones.

Playing video

To test omnivorousness when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, for example subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.

According to the testing results, the subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are necessary for full playback of most of the most common multimedia files on the network. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after installing an alternative custom audio codec; The standard player does not have this setting

Tested video output features Alexey Kudryavtsev.

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. For this we used the set test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methods for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The exception is files with 50 and 60 fps, in which the probability of missing a couple of frames per second is very high. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to standard range 16-235 - all shade gradations are displayed in shadows and highlights, which is what is required for correct playback of typical video files.

Battery life

Fixed accumulator battery, installed in the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua, has a capacity that is not very large by modern standards, only 2400 mAh. As a result, the smartphone cannot boast of a record duration battery life, it is at an average level, not higher. It is also worth noting that testing was carried out without using any energy-saving functions, and they were Sony smartphones traditionally there are several options, united under the common name Stamina. By the way, with the arrival of the fifth Android versions The OS also introduced Google's own power-saving mode, which is included in the system by default - it is hidden in a menu subsection dedicated to battery usage.

According to the testing results, continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme, in auto-scrolling mode) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted about 11.5 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and with continuous viewing video from YouTube high quality(HQ) with the same brightness level via home Wi-Fi network the device lasted 9 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for 4 hours. The developers themselves insist that in normal average use, the smartphone can last two days on a single charge, talk time is about 13 hours, and standby time is up to 493 hours. The time to fully charge the battery is, according to our measurements, approximately 2 hours.

Bottom line

Currently, the price of Sony Xperia M4 Aqua in official Russian retail varies between 20-21 thousand rubles. For this money, the Japanese offer a fairly typical set of capabilities, characteristic of a true average peasant, based on the mid-level and far from the most productive Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 platform. There are a sufficient number of smartphones on this platform on the market now, and many of them are cheaper than the Sony device, but the hero The review has a couple of distinctive points. Firstly, moisture protection. This question, however, Lately was greatly discredited by the actions of Sony itself, which unexpectedly banned the immersion of its devices in water, for which they continue to claim compliance with IP68 specifications. Against this background, adding the word “Aqua” to the model name, by the way, looks especially ridiculous. Well, secondly, the popularity of the Sony brand is still making itself felt: the recognition of this brand is so high that the company can afford to produce fairly similar mobile products, which each time become more and more difficult to distinguish from each other, both in terms of characteristics, as well as in appearance.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Rear camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.

Front-camera

Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Additional Information

General characteristics

Screen

Multimedia capabilities

Connection

Memory and processor

Other features

3 years ago

3 years ago

Since 2005 It’s been working for almost 4 years, I bought it for 14, for some reason I got a larger battery, 1900 mAh, the quality of the plastic is very good, I dropped it a hundred times, it didn’t even crack anywhere, I’ve already removed the cover more than a hundred times because I charge it directly from wires... when disconnected sharply and not carefully, the power controller died because it began to discharge 3 times faster, and from frequent removal of the cover, the film holding the buttons under the cover came off and one button now does not work, of course there is not enough memory for applications, but it doesn’t need much not a gaming one...the screen is bright...

4 years ago

1. Design - the phone looks very nice. 2. Camera - the main camera justified its 5 MHz performance, it works well. 3. Speed ​​- the phone itself is fast, if you don’t load it with all sorts of applications that require a large amount of RAM. 4. The phone came with an adapter, which personally makes me happy, and headphones, which in combination with this phone harmonize well. 5. There were no problems with LTE, nor with wi-fi.

4 years ago

It seems to work

4 years ago

1) price; I took it for 5700 or so, the test did not grow 2) an excellent combination of operational and internal memory(2GB is certainly not enough, but with 1GB of RAM the phone doesn’t slow down) 3) excellent screen, bright 4) good sound, but over time the speakers got tired 5) warning light, a small thing, but nice 6) Android 4.3 Tfu Tfu Tfu no glitches so far

4 years ago

Dimensions appearance, sound

4 years ago

quality of workmanship, ease of use

4 years ago

Good design, pleasant to the touch body, fits perfectly in a jeans pocket, good color rendition and viewing angles, good speaker sound, works quickly, autofocus, smile detection.

4 years ago

Design, -build quality, -moderate communication reception, -price, -time to use the phone with the mp3 player turned on.

4 years ago

Output sound quality in headphones. Camera only in good lighting. User-friendly interface.

3 years ago

1.Quality 2.Camera (sometimes much worse) 3.Price

3 years ago

But for some reason it’s not updated, well, I don’t really like the new firmware... the buttons are immediately changed to ones like those of other brands, on average it freezes maybe a couple of times a month, and it happens a little bit a couple of times a day, considering that it’s compared to many veteran...the cameras are certainly not very good, but not bad...

4 years ago

1. Memory - of course, in relation to price quality, the memory may still be passing, but for me personally it was catastrophically little. Plus, due to lack of space on the phone, the mobile phone simply refuses to function. All applications that are on the smartphone crash without the ability to restart (only stopping the application or rebooting the phone will help), the camera similarly does not work and no screenshots are taken. 2. Front camera - again, for the price, the front camera should not exceed 3.2 MHz, but what we call the camera on the front of the phone is simply terrible in quality. 3. The speaker is rather weak, and over time the volume has generally decreased.

4 years ago

4 years ago

The only and significant disadvantage is that applications cannot be transferred to a memory card.

4 years ago

The flash died, the glass came off, the 3G module died

4 years ago

there is little internal memory, it’s better to throw away the headphones that come with it

4 years ago

The front camera leaves much to be desired, the lack of built-in memory, and the inability to transfer applications to a flash card.

4 years ago

Quality of images, - connectors become unusable after a couple of years of use, - lack of updates to stock firmware, - quality of GPS signal reception in all models (The satellite is caught successfully, but if the signal is lost, then the GPS falls off completely, you have to turn off and turn on the module again) .

4 years ago

Gradually, the glued parts of the case began to fall off - sound buttons, recording buttons, end cladding. Erases back cover. Very small internal memory.