It is difficult to confuse them with other smartphones. Sony Xperia 10 and 10 Plus - review

Sony Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus are two medium-sized smartphones that stand out with their looks and screen. How do they work in practice?

It's difficult to confuse Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus with other smartphones.

At first glance, you can see that Sony did something different. Smartphones are much higher than the competition due to the extended screen aspect ratio of 21: 9.

There are more surprises. The front of both smartphones looks remarkable, because the bottom frame has the same thickness as the side ones. No so-called the chin is a big advantage, because this element has not been eliminated even in the flagship smartphones of most manufacturers. Until now, we've seen a similar solution only in the iPhone.

Unfortunately, the upper frame remained wide, which extends the proportions of smartphones even more. Sony has avoided this notch, but not everyone will like it. In my opinion, it is better to have a thickened frame at the top than at the bottom, because such a system does not unnecessarily restrict the range of movement with the thumb.

Screens in cinema proportions are the biggest distinguishing feature of the new Sony smartphones.

Both variants of Xperia 10 are equipped with screens with a 21: 9 aspect ratio. We have known this standard so far, among others from the cinema, and today it also goes to streaming websites. More than half of the new production on Netflix has an aspect ratio of 21: 9.

The Sony Xperia 10 Plus has a 6.5 inch screen size, and the smaller Xperia 10 is 6 inches. In both cases, the resolution is 2520 x 1080 pixels, and the screens have been made in IPS LCD technology. In both cases, the detail and colors are really good, although this is not the level of OLED screens, which can be seen especially in blacks. However, these are some of the best IPS panels.

How do screens 21: 9 work in practice?

More elongated proportions are immediately apparent, but nowadays they are not shocking. Samsung, Huawei, or Xiaomi have in their offers smartphones in proportions of 19.5: 9, and from them a short road to 21: 9.

It quickly turns out that such a screen has much more content than the 18: 9 panel, and 16: 9 screens look almost archaic on this background. Proportions 21: 9 work well especially in multitasking mode, when we have two applications on one screen. You can, for example, pin a window with Youtube in the upper part and talk to someone below. Even if a keyboard is displayed on the screen, there is enough space.

Smartphone support is specific. The screens are so narrow that you can easily reach the other edge with your thumb, but reaching the upper beam with one hand is virtually impossible, especially in the larger Xperia 10 Plus.

Proportions 21: 9 are great for watching movies on the go. If you often travel by train or plane, you will appreciate it. It's worse when you watch YouTube and material at 16: 9. By default, we see a very large letterbox , and after enlarging the image a large part of the frame is cut off.

In turn, fans of games on the screen 21: 9 will be able to see more. Here a lot depends on the production, but in some of the titles the field of view is bigger. You have to be careful though, because not all titles are compatible with such non-standard proportions. For example, despite many attempts, I could not download Asphalt 9 to Xperia 10.

The fingerprint reader on the side edge is a great solution.

Both smartphones have a fingerprint reader on the side edge. They work quickly and practically reliably (problems only happen with a damp finger), but the great advantage is the location of readers. In both smartphones they are in the perfect place, just under the thumb.

Above the reader we have a power button and there is a volume button below it. Unfortunately, this element could be better, because the plastic button is difficult to feel under the finger. The jump is too shallow and the whole button is floating too much.

Smartphone cases are made of good quality plastic, and the fronts are covered with Gorilla Glass 5. Unfortunately, there were no certifications of leakage, so better to watch Xperia with water.

On the housings there was also a minijack and a USB-C port for charging. When it comes to connectivity, there is NFC for payment on board, Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi ac. Both smartphones also support micro SD cards, and in addition, the larger Xperia 10 Plus has room for two SIM cards (it is not a hybrid port).

The specification differs depending on the model. The larger Xperia 10 Plus is much faster.

The smaller Sony Xperia 10 is equipped with a Snapdragon 630 processor, 3 GB RAM and 64 GB of expandable memory with a microSD card. In the case of a larger Xperia 10 Plus, we have a Snapdragon 636, 6 GB RAM and 64 GB of memory, also with the possibility of expanding by microSD.

This translates into big differences in synthetic tests, where Xperia 10 Plus has better results by about 1/3. And how is performance in practice? Both smartphones work smoothly and do not lag. However, there are differences in favor of Xperia 10 Plus, especially when using multiple applications at the same time. More applications in RAM means faster loading times and switching between applications. For this, a better processor in the Xperia 10 Plus will allow you to squeeze more from mobile games.

However, it is difficult not to get the impression that such a specification is not enough in 2019. You could accept it, if not for the price of smartphones, but we will lean over it later in the text.

Android 9.0 on board.

Sony Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus are on board Android 9.0, which is what you should applaud. As you can see, even on the average shelf, you can enter a product equipped with the latest system.

We have known Sony overlay for a long time. It is quite light and non-invasive, and on the deck there are also several original accessories, such as a side panel. After double-tap the right part of the screen, we have access to a quick menu, which we can customize to your own needs, or rely on algorithms to receive applications that may be most useful at the moment.

There is also a rasp. In a smaller Xperia 10 the level of the interface enlargement is poorly matched, so some of the system inscriptions overlap. Fortunately, the situation fixes the change in the screen magnification.

Cameras are a positive surprise.

The Sony Xperia 10 and 10 Plus are mid-range devices, but both deal with pictures really well. I was surprised especially by the portrait mode, which works unexpectedly well. Of course, there are scenes in which the camera does not fully recognize the background, but generally the blur looks believable.

Pictures taken during the day have a good quality, and for a medium shelf even very good. the only downside is the low tonal range. At night you can see a noticeably inferior quality, but again: it is above average on its price shelf.

The parameters of the larger Xperia 10 Plus are as follows:

• main module 12 MP, f / 1.8, 27 mm, with a pixel size of 1.25 micrometres,
• tele module (x2), 8 MP, f / 2.4, 53 mm, with a pixel size of 1.12 micrometres,
• front camera 8 MP, f / 2.0, 24 mm, 1.12 micrometer.

The smaller Xperia 10 is also equipped with two cameras, but this is a slightly different arrangement, because instead of the tele lens there is a supporting module responsible for depth detection. The main sensor is also slightly different. In general, the camera is very similar to the Xperia 10 Plus, although at night the photos have a slightly lower quality.

Below you will find two recordings made with smartphones.

https://youtu.be/dx0cFgKktWg

https://youtu.be/hDbGhFIS3Dk

Parameters of the Xperia 10 camera looks like this:

• main module 13 MP, f / 2.0, 27 mm, with a pixel size of 1.12 microns,
• additional module 5 MP, f / 2.4, 22 mm, with a pixel size of 1.4 micrometres,
• front camera 8 MP, f / 2.0, 24 mm, 1.12 micrometer.

The battery will have to be charged frequently.

Sony Xperia 10 has a battery with a capacity of 2870 mAh, which in combination with a six-inch screen gives quite average working time on a single charge. A smartphone with more intensive use will hardly last until the evening.

In turn, the Xperia 10 Plus falls out a bit better. The cell has 3000 mAh, which is not too much value, but the smartphone lasted a bit longer on one charge. Both devices will be charged via the USB-C interface using fast charging in the Quick Charge 3.0 standard.

In conclusion, Sony Xperia 10 and 10 Plus are good smartphones, but they are definitely too expensive.

If we look at Xperia 10 and 10 Plus in isolation from the price issue, we are dealing with a very interesting medium-range proposition. Smartphones have large and very good screens, which make great use of the application and watch movies, are equipped with the latest Android system, and they have really good in their class cameras and offer great fluidity on the latest Android.

There are only two problems here: the battery could be larger and the processor slightly better. However, these are not factors that would delete the new Xperia ... if not their prices.

https://youtu.be/V-d2jUhBUj0

Unfortunately, Sony has priced new devices in a way that is difficult to understand. Sony Xperia 10 costs PLN 1499, while Xperia 10 Plus costs PLN 1899. At the same time, Xiaomi showed a medium shelf offer - Redmi Note 7 - for PLN 899 and the flagship Mi 9 for PLN 1899. In this context, both Xperia are priced really unattractive. It is a pity, because there is potential here.

It is difficult to confuse them with other smartphones. Sony Xperia 10 and 10 Plus - review