31 replies to this topic

[PaulOBrien]

Following on from our Xperia S / P / U preview... we're taking #askmodaco questions on the Xperia S!

If you have a burning query you'd like us to answer, you'd like to know something about the hardware or software or indeed you'd just like me to test something for you... ask below! If it's a question I can't answer i'll forward it to Sony as appropriate.

This item was promoted to the News page - click here to view.

[evad]

How does it feel like in hand compared to Galaxy Nexus and HTC One X? It looks much thicker hence heavier, is it really that noticeable?

[evad]

Also, how does it compare to Arc/ArcS in terms of footprint and general in-hand feeling?

[PaulOBrien]

It's not really much thicker in hand that the Galaxy Nexus, at least mine with the slightly bigger battery. It feels a fair bit bigger than the Arc / S tho, primarily because of the cool curved back on that!

P

[AP2012]

Realise this is early days, but any inkling about battery life?

Unless battery life is stellar, could be a deal breaker for me given it is non-replaceable.

[evad]

Thanks Paul. Does Xperia S have roughly the same footprint as Arc/ArcS? I'd expect so, given both have same screen size (4.3").

Few other things that crossed my mind:
1) How is the camera, is it better than in Arc? The latter seem to struggle with lots of noise in lowlight conditions.
2) Is the gallery app replaced/improved, ie. does it also lag to load pics when swooping through the gallery quickly as on Arc/ArcS?
3) Is 32GB memory accessible via USB mass storage or MTP only?
4) How the display compares to Galaxy Nexus, which one do you think looks better?

[3shirts]

Do you know if the bootloader can be unlocked easily.  I've heard talk that it's a simple command much like the Nexii.

[PaulOBrien]

Quadrant 2 score!

P

[PaulOBrien]

AP2012, on 01 March 2012 - 03:25 PM, said:

Realise this is early days, but any inkling about battery life?

Unless battery life is stellar, could be a deal breaker for me given it is non-replaceable.

Far too early to say! It's 1750mAh tho, so hopefully it'll be pretty decent.

P

[flibblesan]

Impressive Quadrant score on stock. I can only imagine how high it could be with some nice customisations and tweaks

[PaulOBrien]

evad, on 01 March 2012 - 03:35 PM, said:

Thanks Paul. Does Xperia S have roughly the same footprint as Arc/ArcS? I'd expect so, given both have same screen size (4.3").

Few other things that crossed my mind:
1) How is the camera, is it better than in Arc? The latter seem to struggle with lots of noise in lowlight conditions.
2) Is the gallery app replaced/improved, ie. does it also lag to load pics when swooping through the gallery quickly as on Arc/ArcS?
3) Is 32GB memory accessible via USB mass storage or MTP only?
4) How the display compares to Galaxy Nexus, which one do you think looks better?

1. I'm just about to go out and start taking pictures. I found the Arc / S pretty good tho!
2. I'll test.
3. Ewww, it appears to be MTP only. I imagine that'll be the case with ICS too.
4. I'm not a massive fan of the GN display tbh, I think the the Xperia S looks sharper!

P

[PaulOBrien]

3shirts, on 01 March 2012 - 03:37 PM, said:

Do you know if the bootloader can be unlocked easily.  I've heard talk that it's a simple command much like the Nexii.

It will depend I believe on where you buy your device, but generic devices can be unlocked via the official Sony Mobile tool as I understand it.

P

[jack42]

What sort of protective layer, if any, is there on the display? Does it offer Gorilla Glass-like protection?

In case the camera software is final or near-final, I would love to see some actual camera pictures too.

[PaulOBrien]

jack42, on 01 March 2012 - 03:44 PM, said:

What sort of protective layer, if any, is there on the display? Does it offer Gorilla Glass-like protection?

In case the camera software is final or near-final, I would love to see some actual camera pictures too.

It doesn't say if it's gorilla glass per se, but it is 'reinforced and scratch resistant'.

P

[AP2012]

PaulOBrien, on 01 March 2012 - 03:39 PM, said:

Far too early to say! It's 1750mAh tho, so hopefully it'll be pretty decent.

P

Thanks Paul.

Also, have you seen it in white, and if so how to the two colours compare? Any difference in finish or your own preference?

[3shirts]

In what way does the 'Playstation certified' slogan manifest on the S?

[PaulOBrien]

3shirts, on 01 March 2012 - 04:28 PM, said:

In what way does the 'Playstation certified' slogan manifest on the S?

It doesn't yet - the Playstation icon goes to a mid-march launch placeholder.

P

[PaulOBrien]

AP2012, on 01 March 2012 - 04:08 PM, said:

Thanks Paul.

Also, have you seen it in white, and if so how to the two colours compare? Any difference in finish or your own preference?

Sadly i've only seen it in black. The white looks great in the pictures tho...

P

[3shirts]

Did they give you a timeframe for ICS or the usual 'soon' or 'Q2' or whatever?

[PaulOBrien]

3shirts, on 01 March 2012 - 04:44 PM, said:

Did they give you a timeframe for ICS or the usual 'soon' or 'Q2' or whatever?

'Q2'.

P