Sony Xperia TL Review

Introduction:

The name’s TL, Xperia TL. Just as the secret agent made famous in the big screen, this “James Bond phone” from Sony surely comes off as being nonchalant with its attitude, since it’s deceitfully packing some killer hardware under its façade. No doubt, it’ll be making an appearance in the latest movie installment of the James Bond franchise, Skyfall, but more importantly, is this something that would actually impress even the famed secret agent?

The package contains:

• microUSB cable
• Rapid charging wall charger
• Quick Start Guide
• Sony Xperia SmartTag

Design:

If you’re scratching your head and wondering why this smartphone looks familiar, it’s because the Xperia TL is none other than a rebranded Sony Xperia T for the US market – AT&T’s lineup to be specific. Employing the Xperia Arc’s best element, the Xperia TL follows in form, as it’s able to stand out from other things for its arched back casing. Obviously, the overall design is undoubtedly Xperia-like, but it’s still a looker for its clean appearance, aluminum rear casing, solid construction, and modest size. More impressive is the fact that it’s actually smaller in footprint to the Sony Xperia ion from not too long ago, with the two sharing the same sized displays.



You can compare the Sony Xperia TL with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

There are no capacitive buttons beneath its display, mainly because Sony opts to incorporate its Android buttons with the interface, which is something that Ice Cream Sandwich is known for. Above the display, we find its earpiece, tiny LED notification light, and 1-megapixel front-facing camera – the latter of which can shoot videos in 720p.

Checking out the stuff littered around the handset’s trim, it features all the usual suspect of characters we’d expect to find – like a standard microphone, noise-cancelling mic, 3.5mm headset jack, microUSB port for charging/data/video-out connectivity, power button, shutter key, volume control, and a small plastic flap that hides away its microSIM and microSD slots.


Protruding out from the surrounding area, the Sony Xperia TL also stands out for its above average 13-megapixel auto-focus camera, which features an F2.4 lens, Exmor R image sensor, LED flash, and 1080p video recording. Right below the camera, there’s a circle etched into the metallic rear casing for its NFC chip. Lastly, on the opposite end, there’s a notch for its internal speaker. With its closed design, there’s no access to its internal battery


Display:

Being the James Bond phone and all, it’s naturally going to need one sharp looking display to keep even 007 interested. Luckily, its 4.55” HD 720 x 1280 display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine will turn heads thanks to its exceptional detail (323 ppi pixel density), warm color tones, and its deep black color. However, its usability is compromised in direct sunlight due to its high reflectiveness and weak viewing angles.