Characteristics Box Design Screen Software Calls & GPS Camera Performance Autonomy Conclusion Availability ConclusionCommentsSee the product sheetAvailable at €4

Already commercially available, the new Sony Xperia M2 has finally arrived at the editorial office. And good news, knowing he should switch to KitKat before the end of the summer!

Hi to you “Sony Xperia M2”!

Marketed around 300 euros, the Xperia M2 quickly saw its price decrease against the competition, and, especially when the Moto G 4G was announced at 199 euros! Sony, like others, has reviewed its pricing policy. Initially, this drop was around 50 euros, but it now seems closer to 100 euros at some retailers. Indeed, Amazon has reduced its price by 85 euros. Result of the races, the Sony Xperia M2 can be found around 215 euros, and this, without counting an ODR of 50 euros. If we do the math, that gives us 165 euros in the best case scenario… An interesting price on paper. Is the device worth it?

Technical sheet

Sony Xperia M2 box set

In the packaging, you can find:

Perfectible design

At first glance, the design of the Xperia M2 is more reminiscent of an Xperia Z, than of a possible successor to the Xperia M. Obviously, the M2 being a mid-range mobile, it does not have exactly the same finish as a Z, more expensive. But the M2 still benefits from the Z's two protective windows at the front and at the back, so as to reinforce the resistance to shocks. However, they are not unbreakable.

Held in one hand, it is impossible to exploit the entire surface of the screen with your finger.

At the front of the product, we see that there have been no changes in the thinness of the screen borders... With almost 1.8 cm on each side on the upper and lower parts, it is certain that its two gigantic black bands are not going away anytime soon, unless there is an overnight turnaround from Sony. From another point of view, most users find that the wider bezels prevent accidental touchscreen actions, although we will come back to the final aesthetics of the product. Too bad Sony doesn't show us a little more of its know-how.

Regarding the glass of the screen, it does not block the touch at all. On the contrary, it is very slippery and very responsive to the touch. We realized that there was a slight gap between the glass of the screen and the border of the telephone… As a result, dust can slip in and is not very aesthetic. Fortunately, this little black dot is not present at the back, because the hull seems slightly raised.

A 3.5 mm audio jack on the top left.

On the right side, we find the volume and power keys, as well as a key dedicated to opening the camera, even when the screen is off.

As for the left side, only the micro-USB port (2.0) is present.

At the bottom there is a metal grille, where the microphone and speaker are located.

As for my feeling in hand, Sony has still improved on the finish of the Xperia M2, which is much less sharp than an Xperia Z with its more rounded edges. For almost the same screen size, it is quite unpleasant to note that the Xperia M2 is 10 mm longer than the Moto X. As a result, one-handed use becomes much more unpleasant, and forces us to use both hands… By holding it correctly, you will therefore have understood that it is impossible to reach the notification bar with the hand that is holding the mobile…

Unlike the Xperia Z, the rear glass is not scratch resistant.

An 8 million pixel camera on the back, accompanied by an LED flash and a camouflaged anti-noise shutter on its right.

A little lower, the logo of the range.

If you were hoping to find the removable battery of the Xperia M, you will most certainly be disappointed to learn that this is no longer possible with the Xperia M2. The more time passes, the more the Japanese manufacturer seems to be moving towards form-factors designed on a single block, which only the manufacturer can open. In doing so, manufacturers announce the end of resellers of alternative batteries and the possibility of changing them yourself in the event of a malfunction...

Finally, we will note a (too) great tendency to retain fingerprints. It's quite annoying on a daily basis.

What to expect from the screen?

It is clear that choosing a resolution of 540 by 960 pixels (qHD) is the minimum required to enjoy acceptable image quality. By approaching the eye to the screen, the pixels are quite visible, but it is relative. That said, the screen of the Xperia M2 makes up for it with quite nice colors and a good level of contrast. As a general rule, the strength of LCD screens is to offer very good white, and even if this is the case, I must admit that black is also very correct! Maybe I'm going a little too far, but it's probably one of the best blacks I've seen on a mid-range mobile with an LCD screen.

On the left, the Xperia M2.

Although the definition of the screen is questionable, this 4.8-inch TFT-LCD screen displays impeccable viewing angles. And for good reason, the brightness does not decrease, and the colors and contrasts do not weaken. However, we are well in front of a screen backlit by LED and with a touch surface which does not necessarily stick to the screen. As a result, we expected the light to pass less, but it's quite the opposite! Moreover, the responsiveness is also amazing, and goes perfectly with the software fluidity. And as if that weren't enough, Sony claims that the screen is scratch resistant. Curious, so I put it in my pocket next to keys, coins and other items that could scratch the screen, but it's still intact...

Here are some screen comparisons, in order:

Xperia M2 (TFT-LCD) | Idol 2 Mini S (IPS-LCD) | Moto X (AMOLED)

Whites.

The gradients.

The sights.

Good on the other hand, we will go back to the reflections which are very pronounced outdoors:

Outdoor reflections.

A fluid interface!

Fluidity, speed and simplicity… here are the three striking words that sum up my opinion of Sony's interface, which is surely the house design that is as faithful as possible to the stock version of Android. Speaking of Android version, the Xperia M2 is installed on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, yes… That said, Sony has confirmed the existence of an update to Android 4.4 KitKat which should be rolled out this month, in July 2014. Knowing Sony and its delays, it is possible that Sony will be a little late with the deployment date of this update.

Overview of the Sony Xperia M2 interface running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean.

Like most Sony Xperias from 2013 and 2014, the Xperia M2 features the brand's famous interface, with color palettes and features that remind us of the PlayStation universe, of which it is is the designer. Alongside this, you will find some of the familiar features, with the modified and slightly modifiable application launcher, the mini-applications that launch in windowed mode, the various preloaded themes and others to download from the Web, the Multimedia aspect with its Video and Music applications, in particular, and many other things that we mentioned during the recent test of the Sony Xperia E1.

In communication and GPS

On the mobile network side, the Sony Xperia M2 is not doing too badly and maintains relatively good phone calls, with good clarity and no crackling or disturbing cuts. The other good point of the Xperia M2 is its compatibility with 4G LTE up to 150 Mbps, but does it pick up really well? If you are close to an antenna, we have seen very good network stability without interruption.

Some attempts at GPS synchronization, using the GPS Data and Google Maps applications.

In the space of 37 seconds, the Xperia M2 had already managed to synchronize on 7 out of 23 GPS satellites with an accuracy of 8 meters! It's not the best result I've seen, but it's conclusive. By the way, Google Maps agrees with us on the last screenshot. Once fixed, the synchronization to Maps was only a formality and was instantaneous.

A decent camera

Like the other Sony Xperia (2013-2014), the M2 has the advantage of offering almost all the features of its big brothers, with the possibility of taking photos and videos in HDR, modifying the ISO, adjusting the focus on the fly or to adjust the desired mode and brightness according to your needs.

The Sony camera interface has not changed.

For a product at this price, the quality of the photos offered by the 8 million pixel camera installed on the back is really good. Indoors and outdoors, the photographs rendered are always very clear and legible, even if its great weakness is the dark parts; like most mobiles for that matter.

I must say that the automatic mode is smart. Focusing is fast and captures photos almost without lag in any mode. Sure, there's some scrambling, but it's got Qualcomm's S400 processor, not an S800. So inevitably, the capture speed in a very heavy mode will necessarily be slower to process for the processor, especially in HDR.

Anyway, I let you discover the few photos we made for you:

(right click and open to see full size photos)

First example:

normal mode.

HDR mode.

Second example:

normal mode.

HDR mode.

Third example:

normal mode.

HDR mode.

That being said, forget the front photo and video sensor, it will only be useful for video conferencing purposes.

It is still less good on video, here is a demonstration in Full-HD (1080p):

YouTube linkSubscribe to Frandroid

Top performance!

I was very satisfied with the software optimizations made by the manufacturer. It shows very good execution speed (when opening/closing applications), no slowdown when coming out of standby and good average benchmark results. They are not excellent on paper, but remember that they are only there to give us an overview of the capabilities of the product.

And presto, some results on AnTuTu, 3DMark, etc.

What about the multimedia aspect? Regarding the camera, taking photos and videos is relatively fast, and without any jerks during capture. On the gaming side, we are (again) facing a four-core Snapdragon 400 processor at 1.2 GHz, with an Adreno 305 graphics chip and 1 GB of RAM. As a result, the gaming experience is also conclusive: big titles such as Real Racing 3, Riptide GP2, Into The Dead and Soulcraft 2 are very playable.

On the software aspect, our impressions of Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are quite good, with stability that does not bend and an ability to pick up from quite a distance. For example, the Wi-Fi will hold perfectly up to 30 to 40 meters, depending on the obstacles between the mobile and the Internet box. A fluidity as conclusive as a Moto X? Indeed, we are not far from it at all! With KitKat, this should all get even better

For benchmark enthusiasts, here is our comparison table:

Autonomy at the rendezvous!

Having used it for a short week, I can attest that the mobile is able to hold the charge for a good day and a half in moderate use. In more intensive use, the Xperia M2 is more than capable of holding the day, unless you only watch videos and play constantly, of course.

Test: 15% battery lost for 1 hour of video on YouTube, with brightness and volume at maximum.

That said, logic also dictates that the autonomy is good with a battery that rises to 2300 mAh. Heating question, I did not notice any abnormal behavior of the battery (overheating, forced shutdown or any other recurring problem). A good battery and software optimization aren't everything, you also need to have chosen a SoC that consumes less power than the behemoths on the market. Verdict? Sony has chosen an ARM Cortex-A7 architecture in 28 nanometers, energy consumption is therefore reduced and designed for low-power tasks. To see if the benefits will hold when the KitKat update has been deployed.

Availablity

The Sony Xperia M2 is available from carriers and retailers:

For operators, it is in stock at …

For the more general, it is also available from other operators and MNVO.

For resellers, it is in stock at …

A refund offer is also available! Based on Amazon's offer, the Sony Xperia M2 at 215 euros goes to 165 euros (with this ODR of 50 euros valid until September 2).