Sony Xperia E dual Review

Interface:

The Sony Xperia E dual runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box, but an update to Andorid 4.1 Jelly Bean is in the works. Layered on top of it is the Sony Timescape user interface with its broad selection of useful widgets and integration of social networking features. In addition, Sony has added widgets that leverage the smartphone's dual-SIM functionality. Among them are ones that let you pick favorite contacts associated with either of the two SIM cards. An SMS counter comes loaded as well. Overall, the user interface is more practical than pleasant to the eye, and will surely meet the needs of customers interested in the Sony Xperia E dual.


The on-screen keyboard, however, requires time and patience to get used to. Since the smartphone's screen is relatively small, its virtual keys feel tiny and that's why typos are common. Fortunately, the auto-correct feature takes care of that, and you can always flip the keyboard sideways to its landscape orientation.



Dual SIM functionality:

Behind the back cover of the Sony Xperia E dual reside the two slots for regular-sized SIM cards. Both are on stand-by at all times and can be set to handle different tasks. For example, outgoing calls can be handled by SIM number one and the second SIM may be responsible for 3G data connectivity. Or vice versa, it is up to the user.

The toggle switch on the drop-down menu selects which SIM card takes care of outgoing voice calls and text messages by default. If one uses both cards for calling, a dedicated widget can be used to assign a list of contacts to a respective SIM. Both SIM slots can take advantage of 7.2Mbps HSPA. .



Processor and memory:

There's a low-end Snapdragon system-on-a-chip powering the Sony Xperia E dual – MSM7227A, with a single-core CPU topping out at 1GHz and enhanced Adreno 200 graphics. There are 512MB of RAM present on board, which is the bare minimum a smartphone should have today. Yet overall, the device is usable and responsive enough for its class. Unless a live wallpaper is loaded, lags whine navigating through menus and home screens are rare. Of course, advanced 3D games can't be played on the Xperia E dual, but some less complex ones, such as Jetpack Joyride, Angry Birds Star Wars and Temple Run 2 run just fine.

	Quadrant Standard	AnTuTu	NenaMark 2
Sony Xperia E dual	2424	5552	27,4
Samsung Galaxy S Duos	2032	3439	19,9
HTC Desire V	1807	2866	19,7
LG Optimus L3	1271	2559	13,2

Since the Sony Xperia E dual has only 4GB of on-board storage, chances are you'll have to supply a microSD card of your own. Still, those who prefer using the device as it is will have 780MB available for their applications and 2.2GB for photos, documents, music, and other media.


Web Browser:

The built-in web browser on the Sony Xperia E dual struggles with heavy, content-rich web pages. Still, it gets the job done if it isn't being pushed too hard, as long as you're comfortable with viewing pages on a relatively smallish, low quality display. Sony has not altered the app itself from its stock form so you get only the bare necessities, such as bookmarks, multiple tabs, and pinch to zoom. Features like saving pages for offline reading and requesting desktop versions of web sites are accessible as well. Embedded YouTube videos are playable, but we don't recommend running them as that renders the browser unresponsive.