Sony Xperia ion vs LG Nitro HD
15
Introduction:
Being the new kid on the block that’s attached with a killer price point out of the gate, the Sony Xperia ion is surely going to be attracting quite a few heads in AT&T stores all around. However, the LG Nitro HD has being making the rounds for quite some time now, and as we look online, it’s now affordably priced at $49.99 with a 2-year contract. Knowing that these two share some commonalities, it’s going to be a mad dash to the finish line to find out exactly which smartphone will end up taking your hard-earned cash at the end of the day. Let’s find out shall we?
Design:
Neither one actually comes off as sporting a fresh design that we haven’t seen before, but if we’d had to pick, we’d stick with the Sony Xperia ion with this one – mainly for the fact that it’s sporting a more pronounced industrial design. Additionally, Sony’s offering exudes a premium finish with its brushed metallic casing, which so happens to give it more sturdiness than the all-plastic construction of the LG Nitro HD. Conversely, the selling points going for LG Nitro HD is its lightweight and comforting feel in the hand – though, its overall design is bland by today’s standards.
Seeing that these are Android 2.3 Gingerbread powered devices out of the box, they naturally feature Android capacitive buttons. On one hand, we have no issues activating the Nitro HD’s trio of buttons, but we’re frustrated beyond belief trying to press on any of the Xperia ion’s four capacitive buttons. Furthermore, the physical power and volume buttons of the LG Nitro HD are more preferable since they’re responsive – whereas the Xperia ion’s buttons are indistinct to the touch and stiff.
Right away, Sony’s flagship is flexing its muscles by sporting the beefier 12.1-megapixel camera with Exmor R sensor. Oppositely, the LG Nitro HD’s 8-megapixel baby is still respectable against most other things. In addition, they both share single LED flashes and the ability to shoot 1080p videos. As for their front-facing cameras, they come to the table packing the same 1-megapixel camera with the ability to shoot in 720p.
No doubt we like that we’re able to gain access to the Nitro HD’s internal battery, but both offer the convenience of expandable memory their microSD card slots. However, we take notice of the Sony Xperia ion’s convenient microHDMI port for video out, whereas the Nitro HD relies on its microUSB port with the aid of an MHL adapter for the same functionality.
Display:
Visually, it’s almost difficult to say which display is the superior between the two, even more when they’re exquisite looking to the eye. Specifically, the Xperia ion features the larger 4.6” HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, while the Nitro HD sizes up with its 4.5” True HD IPS display. On paper, the Nitro HD has the higher pixel density of 326 ppi, versus 323 ppi for the Xperia ion, but it doesn’t really matter seeing they’re equally detailed from various distances. On top of that, we love their punchy color production and high-contrast. However, the slight advantage goes to the Nitro HD for the mere fact that it maintains its crisp appearance at all angles – whereas the Xperia ion tends to distort at extreme angles. Outdoors though, we’re still finding ourselves shielding them from the sun.
Being the new kid on the block that’s attached with a killer price point out of the gate, the Sony Xperia ion is surely going to be attracting quite a few heads in AT&T stores all around. However, the LG Nitro HD has being making the rounds for quite some time now, and as we look online, it’s now affordably priced at $49.99 with a 2-year contract. Knowing that these two share some commonalities, it’s going to be a mad dash to the finish line to find out exactly which smartphone will end up taking your hard-earned cash at the end of the day. Let’s find out shall we?
Design:
Neither one actually comes off as sporting a fresh design that we haven’t seen before, but if we’d had to pick, we’d stick with the Sony Xperia ion with this one – mainly for the fact that it’s sporting a more pronounced industrial design. Additionally, Sony’s offering exudes a premium finish with its brushed metallic casing, which so happens to give it more sturdiness than the all-plastic construction of the LG Nitro HD. Conversely, the selling points going for LG Nitro HD is its lightweight and comforting feel in the hand – though, its overall design is bland by today’s standards.
Seeing that these are Android 2.3 Gingerbread powered devices out of the box, they naturally feature Android capacitive buttons. On one hand, we have no issues activating the Nitro HD’s trio of buttons, but we’re frustrated beyond belief trying to press on any of the Xperia ion’s four capacitive buttons. Furthermore, the physical power and volume buttons of the LG Nitro HD are more preferable since they’re responsive – whereas the Xperia ion’s buttons are indistinct to the touch and stiff.
Display:
Visually, it’s almost difficult to say which display is the superior between the two, even more when they’re exquisite looking to the eye. Specifically, the Xperia ion features the larger 4.6” HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, while the Nitro HD sizes up with its 4.5” True HD IPS display. On paper, the Nitro HD has the higher pixel density of 326 ppi, versus 323 ppi for the Xperia ion, but it doesn’t really matter seeing they’re equally detailed from various distances. On top of that, we love their punchy color production and high-contrast. However, the slight advantage goes to the Nitro HD for the mere fact that it maintains its crisp appearance at all angles – whereas the Xperia ion tends to distort at extreme angles. Outdoors though, we’re still finding ourselves shielding them from the sun.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: