Sony Xperia M2 Unboxing and Review

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Category: Mobile Phone
Release: 2014
Price: P6,500
Bought at: SMART Communications, Inc. (SM Masinag Branch)

Following the unfortunate event of my mom losing her Samsung Note 3, she bought back the Samsung S5 I bought from her. It was a free phone on postpaid I’m paying that ran for about three months so I only got back around P5,000. Next thing I needed to do was to look for a phone that’s worth an upgrade to my previous Kata i1 but still within the budget. Upon rigorous research, I found the Sony Xperia M2!

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I think it’s phased out now, but you can opt for the latest generation Xperia M5. I got my M2 via my Smart Postpaid P500 and just cashed out P6,500. For the techno-nerds out there curious about the specs:

SONY XPERIA M2 SPECIFICATIONS

Released 2014, May
Network 2G, 3G, 4G
SIM Micro-SIM
Body Dimensions: 139.7 x 71.1 x 8.6mm
Weight: 148g
Display Type: TFT capacitive touchscreem, 16M colors
Size: 540×960 pixels, 4.8in (229 ppi pixel density)
Multitouch: Up to 4 fingers
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Sound Vibration, MP3 ringtones, Loudspeaker, 3.5mm jack
Memory Card Slot: microSD up to 32GB
Internal: 8GB, 1GB RAM
Data GPRS, EDGE, HSPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, USB
Camera Main: 8MP 3264×2448 pixels, auto-focus, LED flash
Features: Geo-tagging, touch focus, face/smile detection, HDR, panorama
Video: 1080p@30fps, HDR
Front: VGA 480p
Features OS: Android v4.3 Jelly Bean (upgradable to Kitkat v4.4)
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8926 Snapdragon 400
CPU: Quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7
GPU: Adreno 305
Sensors: Accelerometer, proximity, compass
Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, IM, Push Email
Browser: HTML5
Radio: FM radio with RDS
GPS: Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS
Java: Yes, via Java MIDP emulator
Colors: Black, White, Purple
Battery Non-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery
Standby: Up to 588 h (2G) / Up to 633 h (3G)
Talk Time: Up to 14 h 36 min (3G)
Music Play: Up to 58 h 25 min

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UNBOXING

The packaging is small and compact (see first photo on this post) so as you open it you’ll find the basics a smartphone should come bundled with: the phone, battery, charger, headphones and the manual.

REVIEW

Purchase Rationale: My old Kata i1 is actually still in good condition even after 2 years, but I decided to upgrade because (1) my postpaid has fulfilled its initial contract and was ready to start a new one with a free phone, (2) I wanted to buy one that’s branded for a change but most of all, (3) I post a lot of stuff online while outside so an LTE-capable phone felt necessary. After all, I don’t just upgrade on a whim- with my hard-earned money- I see to it that my expenditures are logically justified. Not insanely rich enough to always follow the latest fad haha.

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PROS:  Having good specs already with its affordable price, the Sony M2 is fluid enough to function smoothly as a mid-to-high tier smartphone. Responsive (but of course the top-class phones like the S5 and iPhone 6 are better), can play the latest graphics-heavy games (PS1 emulator? no problem! PSP emulator? possible!), has a long battery life and with its Android OS being 4.3 Jelly Bean upgradable to 4.4 KitKat, it’s also compatible with the latest apps. Though not a big deal, but Sony has yet to release the KitKat update.

Above all, there are three things I love about the phone most(1) the LTE feature of course, (2) audio quality when music is played, as well as its music player and the earphones that come along with the M2. Knowing that Sony specializes in audio, you can expect a good musical experience with anything they offer that’s related to audio. Last but not the least, (3) the camera. It’s crispy and clear in broad daylight, but it also performs as well in dark environments if you use the built-in HDR feature. How good is it? Well, I don’t really have to bring my DSLR anymore to the places I make reviews of. I use the M2 instead for portability.

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CONS: I don’t really have any big issues concerning the M2, but I guess I can cite out stuff about what I’m bummed about or some minor technical difficulties I encountered before. Here they are:

(1) The non-removable battery. It’s self-explanatory- although my battery is still alive and kicking, we don’t know when it will wear out. And when it does, you can’t just replace it willy-nilly. You have to go to Sony to have it fixed and that means more bucks to spend. (2) Once in a blue moon, the phone hangs or loses its touch-screen features. Not sure if it’s because I’ve put too much files and apps on my phone, but it happens sometimes. Can be remedied though by just resetting the phone. (3) Screen brightness is sometimes an issue when outside and the sun is too bright. My Kata i1 actually has a brighter and crispier screen. (4) Not really a con, but yeah, expect that this isn’t waterproof unlike its successors.

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Sony M2 and Samsung S5 Camera Comparison:

The Samsung S5 operates with a larger aperture (see the focus on the Snickers and the blurred Chiaki) while the Sony M2 has a smaller one (both are focused.) What this means is that the S5 will work better on darker environments at the cost of bokeh, which the M2 can easily compensate by using the HDR feature.

The S5 photos are smoother with lesser grain, whereas the M2 are sharper but with more grain. For the price difference of the S5 being twice the cost of the M2, you can’t really be won over by buying the S5 primarily because of it’s camera features. Anyway, in the end, it all boils down to personal preference. ????

dsc_0543-e1420463154678-630x354-9831850 SONY XPERIA M2

dsc_0544-e1420463270844-630x354-9754216 SONY XPERIA M2 w/ HDR FEATURE

20150105_205619-630x354-7484183 SAMSUNG S5

20150105_205628-630x354-3051263SAMSUNG S5 w/ HDR FEATURE

Overall, if you’re planning to buy a phone that’s near the P10,000 mark, maybe its latest version, the M5, is for you. Keep in mind that this is also offered in P500 postpaid plans with about P6,000 cash-out (possibly free in bigger plans.) Anyway, I hope this blog proved useful in your journey to technology. Cheers!

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