Review of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual smartphone: downward trend. Sony Xperia E4 - Specifications

In order not to lose sales volumes (which, unfortunately, Lately the company's management is not happy), Sony is focusing not only on the release of flagship smartphones. To fill the gaps among budget devices, the Sony Xperia E4 Dual was released in January 2015, a device aimed at the lower price category. At the time of writing the review, the cost of the device was about $140 in stores. The Chinese model will cost about 15 “green” cheaper.

The main feature of the smartphone is the frames around the screen: they are quite miniature, which is rare for an inexpensive device. The case itself does not stand out among its competitors in any way, since other Sony products, as well as Lenovo and dozens more, have something similar Chinese companies. This is a classic rectangular case with rounded edges and a back panel. The only thing that stands out is the aluminum lock/off key on the right side. The Xperia E4 Dual is presented in two colors: black and white. In the first case, the body looks monolithic, while in the second, a light frame around the dark touchscreen stands out.

The use of Taiwanese hardware looks unusual for Sony. After all, the company traditionally uses Qualcomm products. But considering that even HTC updated version their flagship M9 was equipped with a chipset from MTK; the use of a budget quad-core from this company in an inexpensive Sony does not look strange.

CPU

The MT6582, on which the Xperia E4 Dual is based, needs no introduction. Four cores with a frequency of 1300 MHz, GPU Mali 400 MP2 is familiar to most owners of budget devices Android based. Therefore, 18 thousand points in AnTuTu look like a pattern. The chipset's performance is sufficient for most everyday tasks, with the exception of only the heaviest games that can slow down.

Memory

The Xperia E4 Dual is equipped with a gigabyte of RAM. We wouldn't expect anything else from a budget smartphone. This volume is enough to run several background programs, run heavy games and smoothly switch between tasks. The only trouble that users may encounter is a slight delay when switching between programs, if you do not restart the smartphone for several days while actively using it.

The built-in memory in the Xperia E4 Dual is 8 GB, of which about 5 are available to the user. If anyone finds it not enough, it can be expanded. Fortunately, the smartphone has a slot for MicroSD. It's a pity that only memory modules up to 32 GB are supported.

Battery

The battery capacity of the Xperia E4 is 2300 mAh, which looks normal for an inexpensive device. The operating time cannot be called outstanding, but it is quite decent. So, FullHD video will drain the battery in 7 hours, and in web surfing mode the device will work an hour or two more. If you use the Sony Xperia E4 Dual only for rare calls, then you will have to look for an outlet every two or three days.

Camera

Matrix Sony cameras The Xperia E4 only has a 5MP resolution, which seems like a disadvantage these days. In fact, the pictures are of average quality, they are comparable to those of other inexpensive devices, and sometimes even seem better. Most likely, this is facilitated by the HDR mode, which strives to turn on every time in automatic shooting mode. And the flash is quite powerful, it can be used both for its intended purpose and as a flashlight.

The front camera of the smartphone has a resolution of 2 MP and is suitable for both communication and selfies. In a word, the E4 does not lag behind in the photographic department. This is understandable: the camera has always been a strong point of the Japanese, since the days of the legendary K750.

Display

But the screen of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual disappointed us a little. Why it was not possible to use a display with a resolution of 1280x720 is unknown. Most likely, this was done in order not to interfere with sales of more expensive models. But, one way or another, the five-inch display of the Xperia E4 has a resolution of only 960x540 pixels. Not to say that this is catastrophically small, but it is by no means a lot. At 220 pixels per inch, graininess is not noticeable, but you can see the dots without a magnifying glass. The screen backlight is bright, color reproduction is correct, but the viewing angles are a little disappointing.

Connection

The smartphone is equipped with two SIM card slots located under a cover on the side. GSM and 3G communication standards are supported. And although E4g modifications numbered E2003, E2006 and E2053 work with fourth-generation networks, our hero (E2115) is deprived of their support.

Multimedia

The smartphone's music capabilities are above average. The speaker is loud, the sound is clear and quite rich. We can’t call it ideal (we haven’t come across anything like it yet), but everything is quite worthy. And with headphones the situation is even better. Moreover, the Xperia E4 supports FLAC playback out of the box.

operating system

The Xperia E4 is equipped with Android OS version 4.4, which is equipped with a proprietary custom shell from Sony. In general, its work is not satisfactory: tasks switch smoothly, the interface is fast. Yes, and it looks quite nice.

Pros and cons of Sony Xperia E4 Dual E2115

Advantages:

• high-quality housing with small frames around the display;
• good multimedia potential.

Flaws:

• the screen is weak;
• no LTE;
• The built-in memory is not enough.

Our review of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual E2115

As our review showed, the only important drawback of the Sony Xperia E4 is its insufficient screen resolution. Still, 960x540 pixels is not enough for a modern device. But, be that as it may, the rest of the device is good. If you forget about the price, of course. 140 dollars is not that much, but somehow too much for a smartphone without an HD display, and even on MTK. However, Sony fans will always find an argument in favor of their favorite manufacturer, and they will often be right.

Therefore, if you want a high-quality smartphone with good sound, but the screen does not matter, and the camera is only needed occasionally, then you can look towards the E4. The device is contraindicated only for those who are accustomed to looking at individual pixels both on the screen and in photographs. Connoisseurs of sharp images will likely be disappointed.

What I didn't like

inconvenient location of the side buttons. The power button and volume rocker are located on the side panel so that when I hold the smartphone in my hand, I constantly press them unnecessarily. Perhaps for left-handers it will not be so critical. The quality of both cameras leaves much to be desired, there is a lot of noise, especially in artificial light, the variety of camera settings does not help the situation much. Another inconvenience for me was the length of the USB cord for connecting to the computer and charger (literally ten centimeters)

What I liked

I am writing my first impressions of the model: I liked the performance, the quality of the image on the screen, the good sound, both when talking and when listening to music. It also seems to hold a charge well.

What I didn't like

8GB of memory, of which only 4 or so are available, and the inability to transfer applications to a memory card is, of course, sad. And it’s not a fact that this fairly recent device will receive an update to 5.0, which will somehow solve this problem.

What I liked

Sonistyl in action. A very compact case for a 5" device. The resolution could be higher, but there is hope that with existing phone will live longer away from the outlet.

What I didn't like

Google evil empire. There is no Double Tap to Wake, this is available on any Lumia. The screen is good, but without a backlight (LED-Backlit) and as a result you can see various artifacts in images/photos/etc. Like all Sony equipment, it gives the impression of blowing and falling apart. Although this is more of a feature than a drawback :) Google Now is a whipping girl when compared with Cortana. He can confidently tell the weather forecast, sometimes he can show the necessary photos, and even less often indicate the necessary places for shopping/resting/other things.

What I liked

Big screen. Good performance. Decent battery for a smartphone. Music playback is excellent as always from Sony. Compared to Windows phone, more entertainment.

What I didn't like

died within a week and won’t turn on, probably no luck, wi-fi didn’t work well

What I liked

the phone is not bad

What I didn't like

1. poor quality photographs;
2. speaker, because of the phone I slept for the first two days at work, since the speaker is on the back wall and if you put the lid down on the melody, no matter how loud it is, you can’t hear it;
3. It’s a pity that I bought the phone before the same one with 4G came out;
4. removed the camera button from the body;

What I liked

1. Among Sony Xperia the price is quite low; 2. fast processor; 3. everything is visible on the tap, even in strong sun

What I didn't like

There are many unnecessary applications that cannot be deleted, the camera is so-so, the speaker is dead.

What I liked

I liked the appearance, inexpensive, large display. Easily connects with other equipment - car radio, TV.

What I didn't like

There is a gap in the lid on the left side, sometimes it loses Wi-Fi connection and there are problems with logging in Gmail when authorizing the phone in playmarker (it always gives an error). After rebooting n-number of times, problems with Gmail go away. Complete USB cable 8 centimeters long.

What I liked

Fast, large screen, does not slip in the hand.

What I didn't like

1) Poor equipment (except for the charger there is nothing)
2) Short charger cord (causes a lot of inconvenience)
3) The overall appearance is satisfactory, but has moved away from the SONY style, and has become at the level of some Chinese noname phones, only the beautiful power button and the SONY icon save it from oblivion
4) An extremely mediocre camera that clearly does not live up to expectations. Previously, SONY put good cameras even in budget phones, but now this is not the case (although the official website claims that the camera is wonderful)
5) Outdated hardware (old processor and graphics)
6) The IPS display is poorly configured, the colors are unsaturated and incorrect, graininess is noticeable due to the small number of pixels per inch (you can adjust the white balance in the settings, but the correct color rendering effect is almost impossible to achieve)
7) Slight play and creaking of the protective cover and cheap plastic

What I liked

1) Branded operating system shell from SONY 2) Sound quality in headphones (clear sound, good bass) 3) Optimal amount of memory for a phone of this level 4) Acceptable performance (modern games run smoothly, you can perform many simple tasks at the same time) 5) Quite holds a charge for a long time (with normal use it lasts for 2 days) 6) Discreet appearance 7) Fits comfortably in the hand and does not slip off (the back panel feels like ceramics)

What I didn't like

Very little RAM, only 860MB. After six months the device began to slow down

What I liked

Holds charge very well. 2 days. The screen is large and resolution.

What I didn't like

The camera is supposedly 5 megapixels, in fact, it’s just terrible, some stains and unnatural colors. Wifi works only when you turn on 3G (you can turn off 3G only through data transfer, then Wifi is turned off - that’s how it’s intended), or rather, it doesn’t work even then - when all the gadgets are attached to Wi-fi, the valiant Xperia writes “Wifi rejected from - for an unstable signal." The system itself is clumsy to the point of disgrace. It seems that Android is everything - but there are frightening differences from the usual Android, which, as if out of spite, were created by deranged people. For example, to make a call, you need to press the handset icon, enter contacts (the button at the top of the screen), then the search icon - it is at the very bottom of the screen. The search line itself immediately appears at the very top of the screen. To dial a couple of letters of the desired subscriber, you immediately need to run your finger down again... and so on. During a conversation, some windows and notifications pop up, meaning it is often difficult to end the conversation. At the same time, if you lock the phone and then put it in your pocket, it will call someone, turn on the flashlight, etc. Why? I don’t know, this didn’t happen with the old TF. Further. The phone is quiet, the calls are 2-3 times quieter than my old phone, that is, you can really not hear the call while sitting next to the phone, the vibration is also not strong, you can’t feel it in the subway. Music through your speakers is simply terrible, and if you put the screen up, it’s 5 times quieter. You can try to set the time yourself by unchecking the “check the network” option, after an hour or two the phone itself will decide that it is smarter than you, and the time will again be an hour longer than the real one. I put Nairobi in Moscow - it holds for half a day, then it goes astray to Moscow, I need to check it periodically. Further. Working in Word is useless, the phone doesn’t want to save to SD, it only saves to the phone’s memory. It is impossible to transfer from the phone's internal memory to a computer; even after installing Sony Companion, the computer does not see the phone. You can, of course, tear off the cover and remove the SD card, but it takes a long time... in short, look for something else.

What I liked

I bought it to replace the LG, bought in 2008 for 100 bucks, naturally, a larger screen is a plus. Finally there is a slot for a rope)))

What I didn't like

I’m not sure about ips, the screen is very overexposed, hard to see in the sun, dim in itself (although on the other hand it doesn’t eat up a charge), colors are slightly distorted when viewed from angles;
- 4GB on board, not 8!
- the screen is not capacitive, it can be easily controlled with some styluses, headphone wires and a jeans pocket (my jeans really like to change songs);
- there are a lot of unnecessary applications in smart;
- the keyboard is bad: it changes dictionaries by itself, moves the cursor to the end of a word suddenly when editing a word with all corrections disabled. Very awkward to type;
- the unlock button is on the side in the middle; personally, this location is not convenient for me.

What I liked

A very nice sensor, like all Sony ones, however; + good sound, very good for a smart phone, spacious, not very loud, but clear. Some headphones will not have bass (if the headphones themselves do not focus on the lows, the bass will be very weak); + operating speed, 4 cores (albeit a media library), 1 GB of RAM - quite enough to work without brakes for calls, music, the Internet and some other applications (I don’t play games); + you can disable almost all applications (which is what I did), the battery operating time will increase significantly, Stamina mode (helps, you can add exceptions); + appearance, nice matte back panel; + build quality; + non-removable battery; + support Micro SD up to 32 GB;

What I didn't like

The sound is quiet, especially if it is lying on something. The unlock button protrudes strongly from the body, you can accidentally press it if it is somewhere far away, in a bag for example. Well, I didn’t seem to notice any significant ones.

What I liked

We can say - That's it. Fast, no glitches so far, very energy-intensive, easily enough for the whole day, although I rarely set the screen brightness to maximum, but it’s still early. The Internet is fast. The sound is very good in headphones, although some may not find it loud , that’s enough for me. True, my headphones are not earplugs, but full-size senheiser ones. I haven’t tried them in small ones. Games run easily, and there is no big heating. What else distinguishes me from my previous phones is the sound during calls, the interlocutor can always be heard perfectly, no extraneous sounds and voice distortion, at first it was even unusual. Even if it’s noisy around and you can hear me perfectly. The camera is quite good, and the photo always turns out quite clear, no matter the day or night. The flash is bright.

What I didn't like

1. Camera. On my previous phone, Nokia Lumia 610, the 5 megapixel camera took better pictures than the current 8 megapixel one. Even the front camera seems better to me than the main one.
2. About 4 GB of internal memory is available. Some applications cannot be transferred to a memory card.
3. No headphones included and very short USB.
4. So far there is only one case for this model.

What I liked

1. Price. My budget was limited, but this smartphone is very good for its price category. 2. Screen. In bright sunlight, everything is clearly visible, the glass does not scratch, and the pixels are almost invisible. 3. Functionality. 4. Appearance. It's beautiful and fits comfortably in the hand. 5. Android 4.4. I used it before Windows Phone, Android turned out to be much simpler, more pleasant for me, and it is also more customizable. 6. Fast. 7. I was very pleased with the presence of two energy saving modes. 8. You can adjust the overall sound volume according to certain applications separately, in videos and games, for example 9. It catches the network well even in the subway.

What I didn't like

The included short USB cord is only 10 cm, it gets very hot when playing games, there is little memory, out of 8 GB only 4 and a penny are available, it is impossible to transfer some programs to a flash drive and delete unnecessary ones

What I liked

Screen, everything is visible even in bright sunshine, battery, sound level, call quality, price,

What I didn't like

1. 5MP camera... Even my previous Sony Xperia tipo with a 3.2 camera, in my opinion, took better photographs. Although, during the day, with different camera settings, the photos come out quite good! I haven’t used the front camera yet.
2. Speaker. When talking, some people complain that they can’t hear me well. Yes, and I myself noticed that the sound seemed to be removed, but for me this is not very critical.
3. As soon as it catches Wi-Fi, it immediately starts updating all programs.

What I liked

1. Large screen 2. Does not slip in the hand 3. Convenient sensor 4. Appearance 5. Convenient on/off button 6. Flashlight)))) 7. Works quickly on the Internet

An updated version of the cheapest Sony smartphone

The most inexpensive budget line Sony smartphones, consisting of simple mobile devices Xperia series E, was replenished with several models under the general name Xperia E4. This small subfamily includes both modifications with support for one or two SIM cards, as well as models that support operation in 4G networks. Models with 4G support differ not only in the additional network module, but also have noticeable external differences: design and materials of the case. We will return to this modification later, but for now we have in our hands a model without LTE support, but able to work with two SIM cards. This modification has the internal classification index E2115, and it was this modification that became the heroine of today’s review.

Main characteristics of Sony Xperia E4 Dual (model E2115)

	Sony Xperia E4	Sony Xperia E3	Philips S398	LG L Bello	Elephone P6000
Screen	5″, IPS	4.5″, IPS	5″, IPS	5″, IPS	5″, IPS
Permission	960×540, 220 ppi	854×480, 218 ppi	1280×720, 294 ppi	854×480, 196 ppi	1280×720, 294 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7 @1.2 GHz)	MediaTek MT6582 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7 @1.3 GHz)	MediaTek MT6582 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A7 @1.3 GHz)	Mediatek MT6732 (4 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @1.5 GHz)
GPU	Mali-400MP	Adreno 305	Mali-400MP	Mali-400MP	Mali-T760
RAM	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	1 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	8 GB	4 GB	8 GB	8 GB	16 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD	microSD
operating system	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4	Google Android 4.4
Battery	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 2330 mAh	removable, 2040 mAh	removable, 2540 mAh	removable, 2700 mAh
Cameras	rear (5 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (5 MP; video 1080p), front (0.3 MP)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video 1080p), front (1.3 MP)	rear (13 MP; video 1080p), front (2 MP)
Dimensions and weight	137×75×10.5 mm, 146 g	137×69×8.5 mm, 147 g	144×71×9.7 mm, 170 g	138×71×10.7 mm, 137 g	144×72×8.9 mm, 165 g
average price	T-12117545	T-11028556	T-11744036	T-11036010	T-11853900
Sony Xperia E4 Dual offers	L-12117545-10

• SoC MediaTek MT6582, 1.3 GHz, 4 cores ARM Cortex-A7
• GPU Mali-400MP
• Operating system Android 4.4.4
• Touchscreen IPS, 5″, 960×540, 220 ppi
• RAM(RAM) 1 GB, inner memory 8 GB
• Micro-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• Map support microSD memory up to 32 GB
• 2G communication: GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
• 3G Communication: WCDMA 900/2100 MHz
• HDPA+ data transfer up to 21 Mbps
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (2.4 GHz), point Wi-Fi access, Wi-Fi Direct
• Bluetooth 4.1
• GPS (A-GPS)
• Camera 5 MP, autofocus, LED flash
• Camera 2 MP (front)
• Proximity sensor, lighting sensor, accelerometer
• Battery 2300 mAh, non-removable
• Dimensions 137×75×10.5 mm
• Weight 146 g

Equipment

The Sony Xperia E4 Dual smartphone is sold in a slightly different shape, flatter, but also slightly larger, a box made of thin unvarnished cardboard, atypical for the line of budget Xperia E devices, with one small internal pocket made of the same cardboard. The packaging, like its contents, does not pretend to be premium; everything is simpler here. However, even the most expensive products of the Japanese company do not have the most luxurious packaging.

The set of accessories consists of a compact charger (5 V, 850 mA), a short ten-centimeter Micro-USB connecting cable familiar to the E series, as well as a stack of paper documentation. The headset was not included in the kit, and there were no other additional accessories in the box.

Appearance and ease of use

It is curious that, unlike expensive flagship models, Sony does not maintain continuity in design at all in its budget line. The next new product from the Xperia E series, number 4, has no similarities at all with its predecessor, the Xperia E3. And it should be noted that this did not do her any good: the Xperia E3 could definitely be proud of its design. The appearance of the smartphone was liked by everyone who picked up this nice, strict and even somewhat solid device, thanks to the preserved features of the Omni corporate design and protective polycarbonate inserts cut into the corners, even though it was an inexpensive device. In contrast, the Xperia E4 model has completely lost all its originality and complexity, turning into an ordinary inconspicuous “remnant” assembled from two halves with strongly rounded edges. There are no straight edges, sharp corners, and even less polycarbonate inserts - there is absolutely nothing for the eye to catch on, and such a device is now indistinguishable in appearance from numerous nameless Chinese handicrafts.

The small body of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual has a fairly simple structure: most of it is made up of a solid plastic casing, which fits onto the frame and forms not only the back cover, but also the sides - a sort of trough made of cheap matte plastic. The weight of the smartphone is small; due to its small dimensions, you can comfortably hold the device in your hand. Its surface cannot be called scratchy, although the matte plastic here is hard and even a little slippery - a slightly rubberized soft-touch effect would definitely not hurt it. By the way, the case of the Xperia E4g modification has one, and this pleasantly distinguishes the model with LTE support from the regular modification that we tested.

The outer cover does not have any special hooks; to remove it, you just need to pull it anywhere from the glass, and then remove it entirely. At first it seems inconvenient, but you get used to it quickly, you can get the hang of it, although the method of fastening is not the most sophisticated.

All mechanical buttons are attached to a removable cover, so when the cover is removed, it becomes impossible to use the smartphone. The keys do not always work perfectly, but in general there are no special complaints about the mechanical controls.

Inside, under the cover, all three card slots are located in a row: two for SIM cards and one for a microSD memory card. The SIM card slots are equivalent in their capabilities; both support Micro-SIM cards. SIM card slots do not have spring-loaded gripping mechanisms; the cards are held only by friction and are sometimes quite difficult to remove, especially if an adapter is used.

The front of the case is completely covered with protective glass with a very poor oleophobic coating or even without it at all - the glass instantly becomes covered with fingerprints and is very difficult to wipe off. There are two symmetrical slots in the glass at the top and bottom - for the speaker and for the microphone. In the upper part above the screen, in addition to the front camera eye and sensors, there is also the following useful element, like an LED notification indicator - a dot glowing in different colors notifies you of charging status and incoming events.

Unlike older models, there are no two speakers - the bottom slot with a grille serves only to accommodate a microphone. There are also no buttons under the screen; the system and applications are controlled using virtual on-screen buttons, so the empty space at the bottom under the screen looks a little redundant.

Accordingly, the main speaker is placed on the rear side through a slot in the lid. There are no protrusions near the hole, so the sound is significantly muffled when the smartphone is lying on a hard surface with the screen facing up.

At the top of the back wall there is a main camera module next to a single-section LED flash that can work as a flashlight using a pre-installed program.

The universal Micro-USB connector located on the left side, to our surprise and unlike the Xperia E3, does not support connecting additional devices and flash drives in OTG mode. The connectors are not covered with covers, since the device is not protected from water and dust. There is no support for wireless charging either. But the strap mount was returned in this modification (it had to be removed in the Xperia E3 due to the polycarbonate corners).

As for the color design of the new smartphones, Sony continues to unpleasantly surprise in this regard: in contrast to the bright lemon and copper shades available for choice among the Xperia E3 modifications, here everything is limited to a dull list of two standard black and white options. In general, we can say with confidence that in terms of appearance and design, the new product called Sony Xperia E4 Dual is much inferior to the previous Xperia E3 model, and this is sad.

Screen

The Sony Xperia E4 Dual smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix with a small diagonal size by modern standards, especially considering its considerable physical size with a five-inch diagonal. The screen dimensions are 62x110 mm, the diagonal is 5 inches, but the resolution is only 960x540 pixels. Accordingly, the pixel density here is low: it is only 220 dots per inch.

The frame around the screen is quite wide (at least 6 mm on the sides), the width of the frame at the top is 12 mm, and at the bottom - 15 mm.

To adjust the brightness level, you can use automatic adjustment based on the operation of the ambient light sensor (the first models of the series did not even have one). Multi-touch technology here allows you to process 5 simultaneous touches. The smartphone also has a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Activating the screen by double tapping the glass, operating with gloves or wet fingers—the budget model from Sony didn’t get any of this from the developers.

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 much worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). The surface of the matrix itself under the glass is matte, so the screen reflects both direct light sources (by the external surface) and scattered light (by the surface of the matrix), this reduces readability in conditions of strong external illumination. 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 E4 Dual, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual is noticeably lighter. On occasion, I would like to ask the creators of this device what they were guided by when ordering matrices with a matte film glued on them. Both the sticker stage and the film itself cost some money, and the result is a significant reduction in consumer qualities. The ghosting of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia E4 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. True, in this case, the possible improvement in anti-glare properties is completely neutralized, leaving only the low maintainability of the screen. There is no special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating on the outer surface of the screen, so fingerprints are difficult to remove and appear instantly.

When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, the maximum brightness value was about 330 cd/m², the minimum was 17 cd/m². The maximum brightness is low, and, given the disgusting anti-glare properties, readability on a sunny day outdoors will be basically non-existent. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. In stock automatic adjustment brightness by 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. In complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 55 cd/m² (high), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 150 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 330 cd/m² (to the maximum - this is how it is needed). It turns out that the automatic adjustment function works more or less adequately. At any brightness level, there is virtually no backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This smartphone uses a matrix IPS type. In the micrograph, if desired, you can see the subpixel structure typical for IPS:

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

At the same time, we present another micrograph with a focus on the film covering the matrix:

Visible dots are artificially created surface defects that create the effect matte finish. These defects are small relative to subpixels, which causes the virtual absence of the characteristic “crystalline” effect.

The screen has good viewing angles without a significant color shift even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen and without inversion (except for the very darkest when the view is deviated along one diagonal) of shades. For comparison, here are photographs in which Sony screens Xperia E4 Dual and Nexus 7 display the same images, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (across the white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forced to switch to 6500 K. The white field is 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. 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 E4 Dual has decreased to a greater extent due to greater black bleaching and a significant decrease in brightness. And a white field:

The brightness of the screens at an angle decreased (by at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual the drop in brightness is noticeably greater. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted to an average degree absolute values, but very much considering the drop in the overall brightness of the image. In this case, the black field acquires a violet or red-violet tint. 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 along the edge in several places the black is slightly lightened:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is low - about 670:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 29 ms (16 ms on + 13 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 41 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. The power function fit exponent is 2.03, which is lower than the standard value of 2.2, so the image is slightly brightened. In this case, the real gamma curve slightly deviates from the power-law dependence:

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 acceptable, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered for a consumer device good indicator. 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 there is no color balance of great importance, 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, we significantly reduced ΔE on white and brought the white point a little closer to 6500 K. However, at the same time, catastrophic changes for the worse occurred in the rest of the gray scale. Yes, it's better not to interfere.

Let's summarize. The screen has low brightness and has disgusting anti-glare properties, which are deliberately spoiled by the matte film on the matrix. As a result, it will be impossible to use the device outdoors on a clear day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. It is also possible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works more or less adequately. The advantages of the screen include the absence of flicker, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance. Significant disadvantages include the absence of an oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating, low black stability due to gaze deviation from perpendicular to the screen plane, and a strong decrease in image brightness at an angle to the screen. In general, given the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices, the screen quality is low.

Sound

In terms of sound, the Xperia E4 Dual smartphone is quite simple and no different from its predecessor. There is only one speaker, the sound is simple and muffled, low frequencies are not noticeable, there is no richness of colors either, the smartphone sounds cheap, the maximum volume level is not high. In conversational dynamics, the voice of the interlocutor, the intonation and timbre of a familiar voice remain recognizable, the voices sound natural and natural, there are no problems with this, conduct telephone conversations Using the Xperia E4 Dual is quite comfortable.

To play music, the device uses its own proprietary player, traditionally called a Walkman, but in terms of sound quality, the Xperia E4, like the entire budget line of Sony smartphones, is far from a music solution. As standard, in the settings you can use sound enhancement technologies Clear Phase, xLoud or virtual surround sound. Most settings are available if the complex ClearAudio+ function is disabled, otherwise sound control is carried out automatically.

Traditionally, there is an FM radio as standard, but again there is no voice recorder. The radio cannot record programs and will not work without headphones connected as an external antenna. The smartphone also cannot record telephone conversations from the line using standard means.

Camera

Sony Xperia E4 Dual is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 5 and 2 megapixels (in the previous model of the series, the resolution of the front module was limited to only 0.3 megapixels). Accordingly, in the Xperia E4, the front-facing camera has become much better, and this is one of the most noticeable differences between generations in the line, especially for those who like to take selfie-style photos. Although, of course, there is no possibility of automatic focusing and its own front flash, but the quality of the resulting images became significantly better than the front one Xperia camera E3.

The main camera is equipped with a 5-megapixel module with f/2.6 aperture. Sony's proprietary Auto Sensing feature detects up to 36 types of shooting conditions and adjusts the settings accordingly. This mode is the camera's default setting and will also turn the HDR feature on or off depending on conditions.

By default, the camera, as standard for all Sony smartphones, shoots in automatic mode with the settings already set. To achieve maximum resolution, and also to be able to manually change the settings yourself, you need to set the camera to manual mode. In addition to automatic and manual, the Sony Xperia E3 camera software has several more shooting modes familiar from previous Sony models, such as Timeshift burst or an augmented reality mode called AR effect, which makes it possible to combine pictures with animation. There is a Social live function that allows you to immediately upload footage to social media. Using a special online service, you can download and add other modes.

The camera can shoot video in a maximum resolution of 1920×1080, the video quality is modest.

• Video No. 1 (29 MB, 1920×1080, 30 fps)

	Good sharpness across the field and plans. Shadows are too harsh and dark due to the low dynamic range, but look good in places.
	The car number is visible. The noise reduction grain is large, but not very noticeable.
	Small branches are well worked out.
	In general, the camera does not do too bad when shooting indoors.
	Sometimes the camera can handle macro photography as well.
	The license plates of nearby cars are distinguishable. Even in distant shots the sharpness is quite good.
	Judging by the filming of the shield, the camera can handle the text quite well. Sometimes an area of ​​blur appears on the left side of the frame, as in this photo.

It turns out that a 5-megapixel camera can be quite good. It is, of course, worse than “ultrapixel” (with the same formal resolution, HTC), but not by much. If you close your eyes to the low resolution, then the camera can be considered good for a budget smartphone. A little narrow dynamic range, so the shadows are quite harsh and mostly dark. Due to the low resolution, noise reduction grain is noticeable, but it handles details well. When shooting indoors, the camera does a good job, although not always. But it is especially worth noting the good sharpness in the field of the frame and in the plans and attention to small details even at this resolution.

The camera is quite suitable for documentary shooting, and in some situations it can also cope with artistic shooting.

Telephone and communications

The Xperia E4 Dual smartphone works as standard on modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks. There is also a modification of the Xperia E4g on sale that supports the fourth generation networks used in Russia (LTE Cat 4 with a theoretical speed of up to 150 Mbit/s), but not in the case of the hero of the review. The modification we tested, which works with two SIM cards, does not support LTE, and its wireless data transfer capabilities are limited to 3G mode (maximum HSDPA+ speed up to 21 Mbit/s for downloading).

The rest of the network capabilities are also very modest: there is no support for NFC, and the device does not support the second Wi-Fi band (5 GHz). The mode for connecting external devices to USB port(USB Host, USB OTG). The operating speed of the navigation module does not cause any particular complaints, but only the GPS network is supported, the domestic Glonass system and the Chinese Beidou system (BDS) are not supported. An element necessary for the functioning of an electronic compass in navigation programs, such as a sensor, is also not built in. magnetic field. In general, it can be stated that the network capabilities of the Sony Xperia E4 Dual model are primitive today.

The smartphone supports dual SIM cards. However, there is no way to pre-assign one of the SIM cards as the main one for organizing voice calls or sending SMS messages; this is only possible for data transfer. When dialing a number, you must always select the desired card in the context submenu. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G networks, but only one of the cards can function in this mode at a time. To change the assignment of slots, cards do not need to be swapped - this can be done directly from the phone menu. There is only one radio module, but Sony has introduced an automatic card-to-card forwarding function here, so it is possible to use two SIM cards at the same time. While you're on a call on one SIM card, you can answer a call on the other instead of having it go to voicemail. This way you can put one call on hold and answer another. The same function called “Active Mode” has already been seen previously in “dual-SIM” Samsung devices.

OS and software

The operating system used is not the latest version of the Google Android 4.4.4 software platform. A proprietary graphic is traditionally installed on top of it. user interface Sony. The interface is standard, well known from the manufacturer’s previous models, nothing has changed here, in this regard, Sony does not have such a big gap between top-end and budget models, the interface of any smartphone from the Japanese company always remains uniform, familiar and familiar in everything. All branded services and pre-installed applications are in place.

Performance

The Sony Xperia E4 Dual hardware platform is based on a single-chip SoC entry level MediaTek MT6582. This outdated 32-bit platform, which is quite weak in its capabilities, has 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores operating at a frequency of up to 1.3 GHz. Graphics processing is handled here by the low-power Mali-400MP video accelerator. The amount of RAM is 1 GB. MicroSD memory cards up to 32 GB are supported; there is no support for connecting external devices to the USB port in OTG mode.

The device initially has about 5.5 GB (out of 8) of its own memory available for user needs, and this is the biggest advantage of the new model over its predecessor, the Xperia E3. That one's built-in memory was limited to 1GB and was really not enough even to install the most necessary applications. Here things are better with this.

According to the testing results, the platform showed expectedly very modest results, below the average value (~18K in AnTuTu). At this point, it is worth noting that the new product did not show the slightest improvement in terms of increased performance compared to the previous Xperia E3 model - the results of the old and new models in all tests are almost identical.

Now, if Sony had built their new budget model on the MediaTek platform of a more recent generation, MT6732, which is also intended for entry-level smartphones, but already demonstrates incredibly high results for its class, then the model would clearly sparkle with completely different colors. But this did not happen, and the smartphone, which was quite dull in appearance and capabilities, turned out to be equipped with the same dull, outdated and underpowered platform. So, in terms of the performance level of the hardware platform, the Sony Xperia E4 Dual smartphone cannot be classified as an average level; by today’s standards, this is only an initial level. The device's capabilities are enough to perform basic organizational tasks, but this is not a multimedia solution.

What would have happened if the Japanese had not been greedy to install the more recent MT6732 platform into their smartphone was clearly demonstrated by the review of Elephone P6000. For comparison, we have placed the test results of this model in comparison table. The result of the comparison requires no comment: the same budget, but incomparably more powerful 64-bit SoC MT6732 demonstrates one and a half, or even two times higher results than the outdated 32-bit MT6582 with its Cortex-A7 cores.

Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. 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 of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark,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).

	Sony Xperia E4	Elephone P6000 (Mediatek MT6732/ Mali-T760)	Sony Xperia E3 (Snapdragon 400/ Adreno 305)	Philips S398 (Mediatek MT6582/ Mali 400MP)	LG L Bello (Mediatek MT6582/ Mali 400MP)
3DMark Ice Storm Extreme (more is better)	2120	4989	2887	2073	2127
3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited (more is better)	2871	7974	4912	2872	2881
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Onscreen)	9 fps	18 fps	17 fps	7.1 fps	9.8 fps
GFXBenchmark T-Rex HD (C24Z16 Offscreen)	4 fps	11 fps	6 fps	4.1 fps	4.2 fps
Bonsai Benchmark	1912 (27 fps)	3647 (52 fps)	2468 (35 fps)	1250 (18 fps)	2112 (30 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.

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 needed to fully play 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 install additional custom codecs, because now this player Does not officially support AC3 audio format.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3		The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

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

Further testing of video playback was performed 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. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Methodology for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) 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 uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The exception is files with 60 fps, in which two frames are skipped per second due to the screen refresh rate reduced to 58 Hz. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows only a couple of shades do not differ in brightness from black, but in the highlights all gradations of shades are displayed.

Battery life

The non-removable battery installed in the Sony Xperia E4 Dual even has a slightly less capacious battery than the previous model with a capacity of only 2300 mAh. The hardware platform in a smartphone is low-power, the screen has a low resolution - they are not too demanding in terms of energy resources. Accordingly, the duration battery life The device demonstrated a good performance, but it should be remembered that the hardware capabilities of this smartphone are not enough to adequately handle demanding multimedia tasks. Yes and previous model The Xperia E3 turned out to be more advantageous in terms of power consumption in all tests without exception. It is also worth noting that the Xperia E4 Dual, like all other Sony smartphones, has a proprietary Stamina energy saving mode.

	Battery capacity	Reading mode	Video mode	3D Game Mode
Sony Xperia E4 Dual	2300 mAh	13:00	09:00	5:00 a.m.
Sony Xperia E3	2330 mAh	16:30	11:00 am	6:00 am
Philips S398	2040 mAh	12:00 pm	7:00 am	3 hours 30 minutes
Micromax Nitro	2500 mAh	16:30	9:30 a.m.	4:00 am
Acer Liquid E700	3500 mAh	15:30	11:00 am	5:00 a.m.
Fly Tornado One	1920 mAh	13:00	7:30 a.m.	3 hours 30 minutes
Fly Tornado Slim	2050 mAh	10:30 a.m.	7:00 am	3 hours 10 minutes
LG L Bello	2540 mAh	14:00	10:20 am	4 hours 50 minutes
Acer Liquid Jade	2100 mAh	13:20	8 hours 40 minutes	4 hours 30 minutes

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted until the battery was completely discharged for about 13 hours, and when continuously watching YouTube videos (360p) at the same level brightness via home Wi-Fi network The device lasted 9 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for 5 hours. Full charging time is almost 3.5 hours, because there is no proprietary technology here fast charging, such as in Qualcomm platforms.

Bottom line

If Sony approached the issue of creating last year's budget smartphone with imagination, at least providing its youth device bright colors and attractive design, then this is not observed in the next model. The next device in the Xperia E series turned out to be perhaps the most uninteresting in terms of appearance, if we recall the previous ones bright and original inexpensive representatives of the E series. As for the characteristics and hardware capabilities of the smartphone, there is also nothing to brag about: the relatively large screen is not of high quality, neither is the sound, network capabilities are primitive, the camera produces photos of modest quality, battery life, contrary to expectations, is also not a record. On the other hand, a smartphone costs about 10-11 thousand rubles in official retail, this is not much at the current price level, and for a product positioned for the entry level, much of the above can be forgiven.

The Sony Xperia E4 smartphone, which retains a number of flagship design elements, received capacious battery, supplemented by new energy saving mode. At the same time, the main emphasis in the device was on simplicity and ease of use. All features of the new product were tested by Vesti.Hi-tech

In times of sky-high prices for premium devices, the average buyer’s gaze inevitably turns to cheaper models. Moreover, economy and middle class smartphones are increasingly borrowing individual flagship solutions. This trend is most clearly evident in the products of A-brands, such as Sony. Thus, the Xperia E4 smartphone, which inherited only some features of the corporate design, thanks to Stamina and Ultra Stamina technologies, boasts an enviable autonomy. This device replaces one of the cheapest in the line - Xperia E3. Moreover, it seems that the new product also saved on almost everything, including, for example, the lack of headphones and the length of the charging cable. By the way, like its predecessor, there is a variant with two SIM cards - Xperia E4 Dual (E2115).

Specifications

• Model: E2105
• OS: Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) with Xperia proprietary shell
• Processor: 4-core ARM Cortex-A7, 1.3 GHz, based on MediaTek platform (MT6732)
• Graphics subsystem: Mali-400 MP2 (500 MHz)
• RAM: 1 GB
• Built-in memory: 8 GB (about 3 GB memory + 5 GB storage), microSDHC card support (up to 32 GB)
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz), Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB (USB 2.0) for charging/syncing, USB-OTG, 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Screen: capacitive, IPS, 5-inch diagonal, protective glass, resolution 960x540 pixels (qHD), pixel density per inch 220 ppi
• Cameras: main - 5 megapixel with autofocus, 4x digital zoom, Full HD video recording (1080p@30 fps); front - 2 megapixel, video 720p@30 fps
• Network: GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA (3G)
• Number of SIM cards: one microSIM (3FF format)
• Navigation: GPS, A-GPS
• Radio: FM RDS tuner
• Sensors: accelerometer, proximity and light sensors
• Battery: lithium-ion, 2,300 mAh
• Colors: white, black
• Dimensions: 137x74.6x10.5 mm
• Weight: 144 g

Design, ergonomics

As already noted, some features of the Xperia E4’s corporate design are borrowed from Sony’s flagship smartphones.

So, on a body with smooth, rounded shapes, the features of the OmniBalance concept immediately catch the eye, perhaps,

round branded button made of anodized aluminum

and a stainless steel ring around the main camera lens.

As befits an economy-class device, the design of the Xperia E4 is dominated by plastic. A removable unibody-style back cover, made of matte, slightly rough-to-the-touch polycarbonate, covers the ends and side ribs. The manufacturer positions the Xperia E4 as a simple and high-quality smartphone with many entertainment functions. True, the classic - black or white - color of the case does not harmonize very well with this approach, since it is more consistent with premium devices. Bright colored panels would be more appropriate here, especially since the back cover is removable.

With its weight and thickness, the Xperia E4 (10.5 mm, 144 g) is difficult to compete with the 5-inch “standard” of the 2013 model - (8.6 mm, 130 g). However, in this sense it does not stand out in anything special among its “classmates” represented in the lower price range by other A-brands, including HTC Desire 700 (10.3 mm, 150 g), LG L90 (9.7 mm , 124 g), Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (8.6 mm, 156 g).

The entire front surface of the smartphone, including the screen, is covered with protective glass. Note that, according to unofficial information, in the flagship Xperia smartphones(for example, and others) Dragontrail glass from the Japanese company Asahi Glass is used. In this case, authorship protective glass also not disclosed. If there is an oleophobic coating, it is rather ineffective.

Above the screen there is an LED charge/event indicator, a front camera lens, as well as proximity and light sensors. At the same time, the cutout for the speaker grille is made directly above the Sony logo.

Three touch keys - "Back", "Home" and "Recent applications" - took their place on the screen itself,

below which a cutout was arranged for the “conversational” microphone grille (symmetrical to the “conversational” speaker).

At the top end of the device there is a 3.5 mm jack for an audio headset,

and on the bottom (in the left corner) there is a groove for the strap.

The right edge of the case is traditionally occupied by the proprietary power/lock button and volume rocker,

and the left one is a microUSB connector for charging and synchronizing with a computer.

The removable back cover hides slots for microSIM and microSD cards. At the same time, in the “single-carrying” version of the smartphone, space for the second subscriber identification module is already provided, but is simply not used.

On the cover itself, decorated with the Sony and Xperia logos,

didn’t forget about the holes for the main camera lens and LED flash (above),

as well as for the “multimedia” speaker grille (bottom).

What cannot be taken away from all Xperia devices is High Quality assembly and materials. As they say, the position obliges.

But from an ergonomic point of view, the volume rocker on the Xperia E4 is perhaps too low, so you have to grip the smartphone with your fingers to use it. However, thanks to the rough, but pleasant to the touch surface of the back cover, the device lies quite confidently in the hand.

Screen, camera, sound

For its display, the Xperia E4 received a 5-inch IPS matrix, characterized by brightness and richness of colors that are not lost even at relatively large viewing angles. However, the screen resolution is only 960x540 pixels, which corresponds to a pixel density per inch of 220 ppi. The name of this resolution - qHD - is due to the fact that the total number of points is one quarter of Full HD (518,400 / 2,073,600 = 1/4). Let us recall that the predecessor - Xperia E3 - with a 4.5-inch diagonal IPS screen had a resolution of 854x480 pixels and a dots per inch density of 218 ppi, respectively. So there are practically no changes in the last parameter.

When choosing the backlight brightness level, you can rely on correct operation light sensor, or adjust this parameter manually. The “Backlight Control” option is also available in the settings, which keeps the screen on while the smartphone is being held in hands, otherwise it turns off the display in accordance with the set “sleep” parameters. In addition, it is proposed to independently set the white balance for the screen, making the colors warmer or, conversely, cooler. The Xperia E4's screen confidently supports multi-touch, and the result of the MultiTouch Tester program confirms that up to five simultaneous presses are recognized.

The smartphone has an absolutely unimpressive photo module for the main camera - with a 5-megapixel sensor, autofocus and 4x digital zoom. Such parameters are now more appropriate, perhaps, for the front camera, which is equipped with a 2-megapixel sensor. By the way, compared to the previous model Xperia E3 (5 MP/0.3 MP), improvements affected the front photo module.

In SCN Auto mode maximum size The image from the main camera is obtained with a resolution of 2560x1440 pixels (16:9, 3 MP). All sensor capabilities - 2560x1920 pixels (4:3, 5 MP) - are available only in the "Manual" mode. For the front camera, only one image size is available - 1600x1200 pixels in the classic 4:3 aspect ratio. Examples of photos from the main camera can be viewed (Dropbox). The quality, alas, is quite sad.

The main camera can shoot video in Full HD (1080p) mode with a frame rate of 30 fps, and the front camera records images only in HD quality, but with the same frame rate - 720p @ 30 fps. At the same time, the shooting results are saved into MP4 container files (AVC - video, AAC - sound).

The Camera application practically replicates the capabilities of similar programs in other Xperia devices. Here, it is easy, for example, to select the desired scene (SCN), including night modes and high ISO mode. By the way, there is a “Night Portrait”, but for some reason simply “Portrait” and “Macro” are completely absent. In the settings you can also enable HDR mode and image stabilizer, adjust exposure and white balance, set geotagging and smile detection options, use or download additional applications (including various effects and augmented reality elements), select data storage, etc. P. The volume rocker is useful for digital zooming or releasing the shutter. The “Soft Skin Effect” option is clearly aimed at those who love self-care.

I was frankly pleased with the smartphone’s sound, although not very loud, but quite clear. By the way, to increase the volume level of the “multimedia” speaker, as well as automatically adjust the sound quality, two options are offered in the menu - xLOUD and Clear Phase, respectively. A dynamic normalizer will help you level the volume of different melodies and videos. For headphones, there is a 5-band equalizer with 9 factory presets and a pair of custom settings. It is worth noting that standard tools can listen to files created by codecs for compressing audio data without loss of quality (lossless codecs), in particular, with the FLAC extension. The built-in FM tuner with RDS requires a wired headset, which acts as a short-wave antenna (sound can also be output to the “multimedia” speaker). Please note that this accessory is not included with the smartphone.

Filling, performance

Under the hood of the Xperia E4 lies a MediaTek MT6732 chip, made in compliance with 28 nm design standards.

Four ARM Cortex-A7 cores can operate at a maximum frequency of 1.3 GHz, and the ARM Mali-400 MP2 (500 MHz) coprocessor with two execution units is responsible for accelerating graphics operations. In addition, the chip integrates tools to support two SIM cards, UMTS/HSPA+ modules, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, as well as a GPS receiver, FM tuner, etc.

According to the manufacturer, this energy-efficient chip is intended for inexpensive mainstream smartphones. Judging by the published benchmarks, its power can be compared with other chips with ARM Cortex-A7 cores (and the same clock frequency), or, for example, with the Nvidia Tegra 3 processor (ARM Cortex-A9), which is mainly focused on for simple everyday tasks, viewing streaming video and Internet surfing. Let us remind you that the Xperia E3 has Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 400, equipped with 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores (1.2 GHz). In addition, both of these devices received one gigabyte of RAM.

In synthetic tests AnTuTu Benchmark version 5.6.2, the Xperia E4 scored 18,211 “virtual parrots” and fell behind last year’s 5-inch.

On the new Vellamo benchmarks (version 3.1) - when measuring Metal horsepower (724) and in the fight for Multicore efficiency (1,190) - the Xperia E4 competed with varying success with the Google Nexus 4 (711, 1203) and Motorola Droid Razr i (741, 1157).

On the Epic Citadel visual test, the Ultra High Quality mode was unavailable, but with variable High settings Performance and High Quality (performance at the expense of quality and vice versa), the average frame rate was practically the same - 56.8 and 56.7 fps, respectively. Although, with a resolution of 960x540 pixels, this result is generally not impressive.

The universal gaming benchmark 3DMark recommended the usual Ice Storm set for testing (without any Extreme or Unlimited). The score of 3,240 points made it clear that “heavy” games are not the Xperia E4’s cup of tea. Ordinary multimedia is another matter. To be fair, it’s worth noting that the shooter Dead Trigger 2 and the racing game Asphalt 8: Take Off ran on this smartphone the first time. Not to mention Subway Surfers, Cut the Rope 2 and, of course, Andry Birds.

According to the manufacturer, of the declared 8 GB of internal memory, approximately 3 GB are allocated for applications, cache memory and program data, and about 5 GB for storing videos, images, music, program data and other files. You can expand the existing data storage with a microSD/HC card with a capacity of up to 32 GB, the slot for which is located under the cover of the smartphone. Thanks to the support of USB-OTG technology, it is also easy to connect a flash drive or external disk drive.

Wireless communications include Bluetooth 4.1 and Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz only). The microSIM (3FF) subscriber identification module slot is located under the back cover, next to the microSD card slot.

GPS satellites help in determining location and navigation. At the same time, the smartphone also supports A-GPS mode. This is confirmed by the testimony test program AndroidTS GPS Test.

The Xperia E4 smartphone received lithium ion battery by 2,300 mA*h, while, compared to the Xperia E3 (2,330 mA*h), its capacity decreased by 30 mA*h. However, this battery capacity is clearly average from the point of view of famous “classmates”: HTC Desire 700 - 2,100 mAh, LG L90 - 2,540 mAh, Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime - - 2,600 mAh.

The smartphone earned 6,191 points in AnTuTu Tester battery tests. According to the manufacturer, the battery charge on average lasts for two days of battery life. The device will last about 13 hours in talk mode, when listening to music - more than 48 hours, and when playing video - almost 7 hours. Thus, a test set of videos in MP4 format and HD quality at full brightness played continuously for about 4 hours, while all options for saving battery charge were disabled.

The battery life of a smartphone can be easily increased by using energy saving modes. Thus, Stamina allows you to limit performance, disable background processes during inactivity, and also set a list of applications that are allowed to access the network. More radically, by almost a week, Ultra Stamina extends the battery life, although leaving only the basic functions of the phone (voice calls and SMS) enabled.

Software

The Xperia E4 is equipped with the Android 4.4.4 (KitKat) operating system, over which a proprietary graphical shell, well known from other smartphones in this line. At the same time, the power of the hardware is quite enough to cope quite quickly with the graphical interface.

The launcher desktop, by default, consists of five pages, the number of which can easily be increased to seven. In addition, there is a separate application menu where a swipe to the right opens the panel quick settings. In addition to the functions of searching, deleting and organizing applications, you can also download new programs from Google Play and Sony Select. On the notification shade that drops down by swiping down there is access to the installation quick settings(sound, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, brightness, etc.).

The positioning of the smartphone for entertainment could not but affect the set of pre-installed applications. It included, in particular, such programs as What's New, PartyShare and Sketch. For example, PartyShare helps organize a small party (up to 10 people), where it is easy to exchange music and photos via Wi-Fi Direct.

Purchase, conclusions

The advantages of the Sony Xperia E4 smartphone primarily include its exterior with elements of a flagship design, which is complemented by high-quality assembly and materials. Equally important is the simplicity and ease of use of this device, which is largely ensured thanks to the pre-installed launcher. When using energy-saving options, it is easy to increase the battery life of the Sony Xperia E4. An additional advantage of this smartphone, designed for the world of mobile entertainment, is high-quality sound and the ability to listen to FLAC files.

Among the main disadvantages of the Sony Xperia E4 are the low performance of the hardware and the lack of LTE support. By the way, we note that the company solved the last problem by releasing Sony model Xperia E4g. But even the rich software for it cannot compensate for the weak parameters of the main camera. And the resolution of the 5-inch screen could be higher.

Smartphones Sony Xperia E4 and Sony Xperia E4 Dual arrived in retail chains at prices of 10,490 and 10,990 rubles, respectively. As for their “classmates” from A-brands, then, according to Yandex.Market, on average, for the HTC Desire 700 they are now asking 14,990 rubles, for the LG L90 - 10,770 rubles, and for the Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime - 11,990 rubles.

If you don’t rely on a big name, then for that kind of money it’s easy to buy a device from a less popular brand (for example, Elephone P6000, ZTE Grand S, etc.), but with cooler hardware, including, in particular, a 5-inch HD-, or even a Full HD screen, 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal memory, LTE support and a 13-megapixel camera. Therefore, before purchasing, you should decide whether you just need a “smartphone” or a “Sony smartphone.”

Review results of the Sony Xperia E4 smartphone:

Pros:

• High-quality assembly with corporate design elements
• Simplicity and convenience software interface
• High autonomy using energy-saving technologies
• Pleasant sound and ability to listen to FLAC files

Minuses:

• Low filling productivity
• Low screen resolution
• Lack of support cellular networks fourth generation
• Weak main camera