The smartphone was announced a couple of years ago and immediately attracted the attention of ordinary fans of Sony gadgets. It should be noted right away that this is not a flagship device with Full HD support like the Z and ZL lines, so the model fits into the segment of budget devices costing up to 10 thousand rubles.
Looking at the main characteristics of the Sony C5303 phone, we can say that it is designed to replace the NXT-series devices, that is, the Xperia S and P versions. One of the most remarkable features of these series, by which they are easily recognized, is these are polycarbonate inserts at the bottom of the devices. Here it is designed much prettier and does not divide the gadget into two parts, as was done in the previous generation.
So, the subject of today's review is the Sony Xperia C5303 smartphone. The characteristics of the model, its advantages and disadvantages, as well as the feasibility of buying will be discussed in our article. We will also take into account the opinions of experts in this field and the reviews of ordinary users.
Package
The device comes in a nice and massive box made ofthick cardboard in a brand-specific design - black on white. Unlike competing counterparts, the gadget is packaged in a square rather than a rectangular box. The company obviously did not worry about the ergonomics of the interior decoration, so a separate place is allocated for each accessory without regard to the floor layout.
On the front, the device itself is shown in full face, and on the back you can see the most remarkable characteristics of Sony SP C5303 in the form of a small specification. The ends are habitually reserved for the distributor entourage - labels, barcodes and stickers.
Scope of delivery:
- Sony C5303 smartphone itself;
- characteristics, specifications and other information in one big book;
- mains charger;
- cord for recharging and synchronization with PC;
- headset.
The configuration can be called familiar to this segment. There are no covers, films and other additional accessories here, but it's for the best. Users in their reviews of past generations of smartphones from Sony have repeatedly complained either about a nondescript case, or about too thick a film or an unsightly stylus.
Therefore, the company decided to shift the burden of choosing auxiliary accessories onto the shoulders of users and at the same time reduced the price by a good couple of thousand rubles, which is very significant for the domestic consumer. Separately, it is worth noting the very high quality headphones included in the package. They fully reveal the musical qualities and characteristics of SonyXperia SP C5303. Users leave completely positive feedback about them and are not limited to using the headset only with a phone.
Appearance
Compared to previous generations of gadgets, the design characteristics of the Sony SP C5303 can be called unusual. Here, glass and plastic parts are shackled by an aluminum rim, which is laid around the entire perimeter. Users leave mixed reviews about this solution.
On the one hand, yes, such an exterior looks unusual and fresh, but on the other hand, deliberately thickened edges, coupled with sharp polished edges, add to its massiveness. And in the era of all kinds of "ultra", including thickness, this is not the most attractive solution for a good half of users who follow fashion trends.
Nevertheless, the design characteristics of the Sony SP C5303, such as weight and dimensions, quite fall under the definition of "average". A smartphone cannot be called small, but you cannot call it a “shovel” either. But such a large decision has its undeniable advantages. Many users in their reviews give five points to the ergonomics of the device. The device fits perfectly in the palm of your hand, and it is a pleasure to operate it with one hand.
Design Features
It is also worth noting that the design characteristics of the Sony C5303 are not glossy, which almost completely eliminates the ubiquitous fingerprints and dust. Yes, the case is plastic, not metal, but it is very easy to care for.
Despite the fact that the back cover of the model is removable, a non-removable battery is firmly located under it. There you can also find slots for an SD-drive and a cellular operator card. In their reviews, users separately thank the manufacturer for the fact that the characteristics of the Sony C5303 allow for a “hot” replacement of both a memory card and a SIM card. After replacing the latter, the device independently performs a mini-reboot to update information about the mobile operator.
Distinguishing features of the phone
The front of the smartphone is completely covered with a transparent protection - glass. The latter without sides and completely flat. Glass is the same for all color modifications. By the way, there are only three of them - white, red and black.
One of the most notable design features of the Sony C5303 is the transparent insert at the bottom of the gadget, and here it plays a far from static role. Depending on specific factors, the strip changes its color. It notifies you of incoming messages, missed calls and current phone charging. In addition, while viewing photos, it can mimic the general color style of pictures, like a chameleon, or act as a musical equalizer.
Judging by the reviews of the smartphone, the transformation of the ordinary characteristics of the Sony C5303 into an attractive visualization delights users, and especially the younger generation. This decision allowed the brand to largely stand out from the crowd.competitors.
Interfaces
The usual three keys under the screen, which could be seen in previous generations, have been eliminated from the Sony Xperia SP C5303 phone. Now they are touch-sensitive and are located directly on the display. Many users leave mixed reviews about this.
On the one hand, this adds convenience to management, but on the other hand, the usable screen area from this becomes a little smaller: instead of the specified 1280 by 720 pixels, here it is 1184 by 720. It seems to be a little, but nevertheless it affects the visualization.
Mechanical buttons are located in places familiar to Sony gadgets. The power button, camera activation and volume rocker are all located on one side, while the other is empty. The solution seems to be convenient, but, for example, when taking a screenshot of the screen, that is, when simultaneous pressing is necessary, problems arise.
The classic 3.5mm headphone jack is located on the top end, and the micro-USB interface is on the bottom. The latter serves both to charge the Sony C5303 phone and to synchronize it with a personal computer and other peripherals.
Screen
The matrix of the smartphone was not the most successful, and, judging by user reviews, the main complaints are about viewing angles. Even with a slight rotation of the screen, it becomes whitish, and the saturation of colors disappears. In all other respects, the matrix proved to be quite worthy: pixelation is invisible, the font is not loose, and responsiveness is at an acceptable level.
A resolution of 1280 by 800 pixels is enough for a 4.6-inch display with a pixel density of 319 ppi. Brightness and contrast are enough for normal work indoors, but on the street, under direct sunlight, it is quite difficult to see the information. Therefore, you have to either look for a shadow, or close the gadget with your palm.
Display features
There are also no questions about automatic adjustment of brightness and contrast. The sensor works as it should and does not blind the user unnecessarily. In any case, all settings can be easily set in the menu, since the tools for this are sensibly implemented.
The screen itself is completely covered with mineral glass. There are no protective films that were pasted directly on the conveyor, but, in principle, they are not needed. A high-quality oleophobic coating protects the screen from fingerprints and dust, but if any remain, they are removed with just one movement of the hand (with a napkin or handkerchief). Judging by user reviews, reinsurers still stick films and, as a rule, of mediocre quality, and then complain about the abundance of fingerprints and dirt on the screen.
Performance
The device was built on the basis of the Qualcomm chipset of the Snapdragon S4 Pro series, also known as MSM8960T. A dual-core processor works in tandem with an Adreno 320 series graphics accelerator. 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal memory are installed on board.
By modern standards, these are very modest figures, sinceThe internal storage can be expanded with third-party memory cards up to 32 GB, so there should be no problems with data storage.
The device's interface works like clockwork, and there are no complaints about it: the tables turn smoothly, the icons are responsive, and regular applications start very quickly. Despite the modest amount of RAM, the gaming software is surprisingly brisk. Of course, "heavy" modern applications will be choked with one gigabyte of RAM, but when you reset the graphics settings to medium or minimum values, the situation is more or less corrected.
Cameras
Here we have a solid middle peasant for our segment. The front camera of 0.3 megapixels is suitable only for making avatars and at least some communication via video messengers. And the main camera boasts quite decent photos. The latter are obtained only in normal lighting, and in the dark, even a powerful flash does not save.
The output is photos in a resolution of 3104 by 2328 pixels or a video sequence in HD resolution - 720 p at 60 frames per second. The camera interface has a lot of settings for almost all occasions, so there is something to experiment with.
Autonomy
The device is equipped with a 2370 mAh lithium-ion battery. The indicator is not the largest, especially for the gluttonous android brethren, besides, it is impossible to pull out the battery in which case, alas, it is impossible. Such solutions have long been adopted by venerable Chinese brands like Huawei, Xiaomi or Meizu. But there they at least added capacity to 3000mAh And Sony is far from the most successful implementation.
Nevertheless, the battery cannot be called a voracious one, especially when the proprietary Stamina mode is on. The latter provides good energy savings and greatly increases standby time.
At maximum load, the smartphone adequately lasted almost three hours. If we compare it with similar competing gadgets from other brands, then this indicator can be called average. Galaxy S4 - 1 hour 30 minutes, NTS One - 2 hours 15 minutes, LG Nexus - 3 hours, LG Optimus - 3.5 hours. In mixed mode, the device will easily last all day.
Summing up
In general, the device turned out to be very good. One of the main advantages of the gadget is its original appearance with an attractive dynamic insert at the bottom. Such a decision will surely appeal to the beautiful half of humanity and young people.
In addition, the smartphone boasts a decent set of chipsets, thanks to which modern gaming applications, albeit at medium settings, work without problems. Pluses include exceptional build quality and non-staining materials.
It is rather difficult to write down mediocre cameras and a whitish screen as cons, because the cost of the device does not imply the presence of a premium matrix and 12 or 16 megapixels in the camera. So here we have a solid middling that fully justifies the money invested in it.
