Sony's Xperia Sola is a mid-range Android phone that follows the same design principles as the company's more expensive Xperia S. A compact frame, reasonable build quality and NFC capabilities are nice features, but the Xperia Sola is a little overpriced.
Compact design is a nice change, but...
The trend in the smartphone world seems to be
moving toward huge screens, but at 3.7in the Xperia Sola appears to be
resisting change. While the small screen is partly due to price point
and mid-range market position, those looking for a compact smartphone
should definitely take a look.
The Xperia Sola's
compact design has both good and bad points. On one hand, the smaller
size of this phone makes it easy to hold single-handedly. On the other
hand, however, Sony's insistence on a sharp, square shape makes for some
less than stellar ergonomics. The sharp corners of the Xperia Sola dig
into your palm when holding the phone, particularly during one-handed
use. We do like the soft plastic on the back, which has an almost
rubber-like feel, along with the excellent power button and volume
rocker. Build quality is reasonable, with little sign of poor
craftsmanship.
The Xperia Sola keeps the design consistency from Sony's other "NXT" series devices, resulting in a fairly attractive look. The phone has a thin, white LED notification light below the screen and in a unique touch, the display appears as though it's an individual element that sits on top of the base. Despite a removable rear cover, the Xperia Sola has a non-removable battery and uses a regular sized SIM card. Sony thoughtfully includes a micro SIM to SIM adapter in the sales package.
The Xperia Sola's
3.7in LED-backlit display uses Sony's Reality Display and Mobile Bravia
engine technology, which claims to enhance sharpness, contrast and
colour saturation of photos and videos while also minimising digital
image noise. The screen has a resolution of 480x854 and a pixel density
of 265 ppi, which is very reasonable for a display of this size.
Text
is crisp and clear, though the small size of the screen means it needs
to be zoomed in to a fairly high level to read without squinting. The
display produces good colour and reasonable contrast, but it has poor
viewing angles and is often hard to see in direct sunlight. A nice touch
is the fact that Sony pre-installs a screen protector on the Xperia
Sola from the factory.
