First Look of Xperia™ sola (Update - added unboxing video)

Search This thread

X-Droidinary

Senior Member
Jan 22, 2012
309
30
46
NSW
Sorry but these links don't work.

Xperia™ sola - Get entertained with a sense of magic
3cf041c0-9a65-6f33.jpg


Xperia™ sola with floating touch
3cf041c0-9a2e-a204.jpg


Xperia™ sola unboxing video (via Xperia Blog)
3cf041c0-99e6-7d49.jpg



Sent from Noah's Arc using Tapatalk 2.0.2
 
Last edited:

kms108

Senior Member
Sep 16, 2007
6,333
1,109
If anyone is after a xperia sola, i'll stay away from it until may be when the second or third batch arrives, i'm not too sure if they have QC during the manufacturing.

I was about to buy one today, opened 4 units, all of them had large specks of dust and thin line of hair in the screen, could of opened more, but couldn't be bothered. For me I have the advantage to inspect the unit instore, but most people from the forum buy from mail order, so you get the problem of returning the unit.
 
If anyone is after a xperia sola, i'll stay away from it until may be when the second or third batch arrives, i'm not too sure if they have QC during the manufacturing.

I was about to buy one today, opened 4 units, all of them had large specks of dust and thin line of hair in the screen, could of opened more, but couldn't be bothered. For me I have the advantage to inspect the unit instore, but most people from the forum buy from mail order, so you get the problem of returning the unit.

I was going to buy it tomorrow!Now I'm not sure whether to buy it or wait a bit...

I already got one. Is there a Topic for it?

could you make a little review of it?
 

sheron

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2011
218
23
Chennai
Sola Review

I bought the Sola on 19th.

the battery backup is amazing!!!:D
for the first two days, the backup was like ****!:mad: ,(normally for the first week you will experience ****ty battery life)
then the battery stabilized and the battery decreased around 40% in 14 hrs with
Reduced brightness
Bravia engine off
2G internet only when needed (2 hrs)
frequent task killing

the camera quality is outta this world!!!(better than my old 7 MP digicam)
Don't use the hardware button!. it's a two stage button( focus-snap)
focus is really easy but for the snap you've got to push the button inside the frame. causes the hand to shake. atleast they've provided a button on the display.

you've got 3GB internal memory for user data(songs videos photos and sh*t)

the remaining 2 GB is separated for apps.( Hurray! no need to partition SD card)

and yes the gorilla glass display works!!. 4 days without screen guard with it sharing my pocket with my keys:eek: (still no screen guard available on the market in india:()



there are only two major drawbacks on the OS of the phone.
1. there are abt 50-60 processes idling at any given time
(i'm using go Trust go security(with built in task manager) and easy task killer in tandem)

2. the launcher rarely lags, no lag in any HD videos, no lag in high Q games etc. only the launcher lags for 1-2 sec

hope these two defects are fixed with the ICS update

i'd say go for the phone. and to kms108, i believe the qc was rushed for the release. my phone had 3 videos from sony max HD. they've must have forgot factory reset :p

---------- Post added at 10:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:20 AM ----------

To Moderators, Plz start a new section for our SOLA!!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: notass

saanil

Member
Jan 21, 2012
22
3
My Review for Xperia Sola:

1. Sony phones have always been good looking. Their new phones of the Xperia NXT series are not different. The NXT series comprises of 4 models – Xperia P, U, S and Sola. All models are available here except the Xperia P. P, U, and S share the same looks whereas Sola is the only model to have different looks. I do not think anyone can hate Sola’s looks. Thee design is quite unique and pleasing to the eyes. Build quality is also very good – materials look and feel sturdy and I did not find any part to be loose or creaky.

2. The Dual core processor does its job fairly well. The touch is quite responsive, opening apps is a quick, scrolling is also quite fluid and the touch buttons at the bottom also work effectively. Their so called “floating display touch” works only on the home screen and the stock browser. I have not yet tried playing any kind of games on it but I think basic games should run without any hassle but doing that will drain out the battery pretty fast.

3. Battery is pretty average. Unfortunately this is one area where Sony has gone horribly wrong. Why couldn’t they just provide a 1500 mAh battery? The phone lasts a day on minimal to moderate usage. One of the major battery consumer is Android OS services – I think this is happening because of the bloat ware already installed. God knows how many times you will have to charge it if you play a game or watch a movie on it. For ex: today the phone went to 13% in 24 hours on just some voice calls and nothing else. This was after disabling background data, disabling data connection/auto sync, turning off Bravia engine and setting the screen brightness at 40%.

4. I do not know what the WOW! thing is about Bravia engine. Those who think that it is a great technology just look at an AMOLED screen at 50% brightness and let me know what difference there is. In fact I find AMOLED to be better than BRAVIA powered screen. Those who still think Bravia screen is good – try running your phone with it and let me know what battery performance you get. A good screen nonetheless at the price being asked.

5. There is no front facing camera. Those looking for Video calls – this is not the phone for you.

6. The UI is pretty neat – almost all the basic things are done quickly. However I did not find a task manager. Samsung has an inherent task manager and I think Sony should also have included a task manager of their own.

7. Music quality/loudness is average – nothing great but not bad too.

8. Camera quality is good for occasional pictures (meant to be put up on Facebook etc).

9. This phone will be getting ICS.

10. There is a notification light which blinks when there is a missed call or an unread message. A feature which many phones do not have – Even my SGS2 does not have this. I know this is not a WOW feature but it is quite useful.

In short this phone is for first time Android users or those people who want a stylish phone with moderate to low usage. Those looking to do a lot of gaming or using tons of apps on this – kindly look at some other models.

I have bought plenty of phones previously and after buying all of them I always had a feeling that I had got the right product. But sadly this time it has not happened – The only issue that is bugging me seriously is the battery life. I do not care about Bravia screens or NFC if I have to sacrifice my battery life in order to use them. I know all smart phones these days suffer from insufficient battery life on heavy usage but at least they give decent battery life on moderate/low usage. Xperia Sola fails to do even that – this shortcoming just eclipses all its positives. Sorry if I am too harsh on this phone but I just wrote what I am feeling. This phone would have been perfect at this price if only a better battery was provided – probably a 1500 mAh one.

I feel Sony has gone wrong with their product strategy this year. I do not see people buying Xperia U, S or Sola in huge numbers for one reason – phones have got the basics wrong. All of them have some issue with them. I even went to xda forum in the Xperia S section to see what kind of battery life people were getting. My fears were proved correct when many people were not happy with the battery life. Although a firmware update from Sony might increase the battery life, what remains to be seen is when will that happen for Sola. The Xperia P is supposed to be launched in some time which IMO will suffer from similar issues. Plus it will face intense competition from the Galaxy Advance which is slated to be launched in the next week. I think in the Android space, Samsung is the king and will remain so this year too. They will be in the forefront with S3, Ace 2 and S Advance.
 
  • Like
Reactions: notass
My Review for Xperia Sola:

1. Sony phones have always been good looking. Their new phones of the Xperia NXT series are not different. The NXT series comprises of 4 models – Xperia P, U, S and Sola. All models are available here except the Xperia P. P, U, and S share the same looks whereas Sola is the only model to have different looks. I do not think anyone can hate Sola’s looks. Thee design is quite unique and pleasing to the eyes. Build quality is also very good – materials look and feel sturdy and I did not find any part to be loose or creaky.

2. The Dual core processor does its job fairly well. The touch is quite responsive, opening apps is a quick, scrolling is also quite fluid and the touch buttons at the bottom also work effectively. Their so called “floating display touch” works only on the home screen and the stock browser. I have not yet tried playing any kind of games on it but I think basic games should run without any hassle but doing that will drain out the battery pretty fast.

3. Battery is pretty average. Unfortunately this is one area where Sony has gone horribly wrong. Why couldn’t they just provide a 1500 mAh battery? The phone lasts a day on minimal to moderate usage. One of the major battery consumer is Android OS services – I think this is happening because of the bloat ware already installed. God knows how many times you will have to charge it if you play a game or watch a movie on it. For ex: today the phone went to 13% in 24 hours on just some voice calls and nothing else. This was after disabling background data, disabling data connection/auto sync, turning off Bravia engine and setting the screen brightness at 40%.

4. I do not know what the WOW! thing is about Bravia engine. Those who think that it is a great technology just look at an AMOLED screen at 50% brightness and let me know what difference there is. In fact I find AMOLED to be better than BRAVIA powered screen. Those who still think Bravia screen is good – try running your phone with it and let me know what battery performance you get. A good screen nonetheless at the price being asked.

5. There is no front facing camera. Those looking for Video calls – this is not the phone for you.

6. The UI is pretty neat – almost all the basic things are done quickly. However I did not find a task manager. Samsung has an inherent task manager and I think Sony should also have included a task manager of their own.

7. Music quality/loudness is average – nothing great but not bad too.

8. Camera quality is good for occasional pictures (meant to be put up on Facebook etc).

9. This phone will be getting ICS.

10. There is a notification light which blinks when there is a missed call or an unread message. A feature which many phones do not have – Even my SGS2 does not have this. I know this is not a WOW feature but it is quite useful.

In short this phone is for first time Android users or those people who want a stylish phone with moderate to low usage. Those looking to do a lot of gaming or using tons of apps on this – kindly look at some other models.

I have bought plenty of phones previously and after buying all of them I always had a feeling that I had got the right product. But sadly this time it has not happened – The only issue that is bugging me seriously is the battery life. I do not care about Bravia screens or NFC if I have to sacrifice my battery life in order to use them. I know all smart phones these days suffer from insufficient battery life on heavy usage but at least they give decent battery life on moderate/low usage. Xperia Sola fails to do even that – this shortcoming just eclipses all its positives. Sorry if I am too harsh on this phone but I just wrote what I am feeling. This phone would have been perfect at this price if only a better battery was provided – probably a 1500 mAh one.

I feel Sony has gone wrong with their product strategy this year. I do not see people buying Xperia U, S or Sola in huge numbers for one reason – phones have got the basics wrong. All of them have some issue with them. I even went to xda forum in the Xperia S section to see what kind of battery life people were getting. My fears were proved correct when many people were not happy with the battery life. Although a firmware update from Sony might increase the battery life, what remains to be seen is when will that happen for Sola. The Xperia P is supposed to be launched in some time which IMO will suffer from similar issues. Plus it will face intense competition from the Galaxy Advance which is slated to be launched in the next week. I think in the Android space, Samsung is the king and will remain so this year too. They will be in the forefront with S3, Ace 2 and S Advance.

thanks for the review, i prefer knowing the bad things about this phone before buying it.BTW, for how many days have you been using it?because the previous post from yours also talk about the battery...

I think the battery needs 1 week of charges at least, and then we can see how much it longs...but i´m with you, it´s a very small battery...

Can you desactivate the floating touch?perhaps without that the battery drains slower...
 

sheron

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2011
218
23
Chennai
dude chill out man!!!!

the battery life is awesome it just needs time to settle down
screenshot_2012_05_24_0759.png


this is with
24 hr mobile internet connection sync enabled
10% brightness
2 hrs music
4 hrs internet usage
weather widget

i think it's awesome!! don't know how sony did it but they've managed to make more out of a lesser input battery.(if still it isn't enough, turn mobile data on only when u need it)

i agree with you on the bloatware
but for the camera this is only 5MP!!! and takes darn good pictures for one
even with all sony extras, 5MP can take you only so far!!

P.S my last phone was a samsung and i believe this outstrips samsung phones at similar price by far!! (u'll get extended support for samsung's flagship models but nada for the rest. I've experienced it - ordered a battery and back panel last september still did not get one last week when i bought this baby!)

for xperia s the android 2.3.4 was done in a hurry to compete with galaxy III, HTC one X etc... so it is bound to have some issues. For xperia u the only issue is fixed memory but they cancelled it out by giving OTG support!(u can connect pendrive, external powered HDD keyboards etc..) try to get any other phone for less than Rs 25000 or 450 dollars with OTG support!!

---------- Post added at 08:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:18 AM ----------

My Review for Xperia Sola:

I feel Sony has gone wrong with their product strategy this year. I do not see people buying Xperia U, S or Sola in huge numbers for one reason – phones have got the basics wrong. All of them have some issue with them. I even went to xda forum in the Xperia S section to see what kind of battery life people were getting. My fears were proved correct when many people were not happy with the battery life. Although a firmware update from Sony might increase the battery life, what remains to be seen is when will that happen for Sola. The Xperia P is supposed to be launched in some time which IMO will suffer from similar issues. Plus it will face intense competition from the Galaxy Advance which is slated to be launched in the next week. I think in the Android space, Samsung is the king and will remain so this year too. They will be in the forefront with S3, Ace 2 and S Advance.


dude did u even read the full thread?? they r getting 26 hrs with wifi on!!!
next time u quote something completely read the sources hmmm...??
 
Last edited:

saanil

Member
Jan 21, 2012
22
3
dude chill out man!!!!

the battery life is awesome it just needs time to settle down

dude did u even read the full thread?? they r getting 26 hrs with wifi on!!!
next time u quote something completely read the sources hmmm...??

You are one lucky guy to get such a battery life. The phone barely lasts 24 hours without much usage. Trust me - Battery is the only issue with this otherwise brilliant phone. I am trying different things - probably a few more days of use and the battery will normalize.

BTW just saw this - There is a 1305 mAh battery in Xperia P which is of bigger size than Sola. Although there is whitemagic in there I doubt it will be of much help.

Can you desactivate the floating touch?perhaps without that the battery drains slower...

Today is the 7th day with the phone - So it is one week old. I am not sure whether you can disable floating touch. I did not find the option. Do you know if its possible?
 

sheron

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2011
218
23
Chennai
yes u can (presently it works only with the inbuilt android browser)
so goto browser->settings->uncheck Use Floating Touch(at the end of the page)

---------- Post added at 02:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:23 PM ----------

this is a link to the systems folder download (haven't checked it myself!)
if u wanna use it for ray go ahead

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1665012
 

Aiibo

New member
May 28, 2012
2
1
Beograd
Hi guys. Can anyone tell something about the audio quality? I mean music trough some nice headphones. Phones at this price range (Samsung, LG, HTC...) usually don't have very good audio, but this is Sony and that's why I'm hoping it could be as good audio player as more expensive expirias.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: levior

tyrand3

Senior Member
Apr 20, 2011
86
20
Jakarta
Is it worth upgrading from an arc?
What about battery life when browsing on 3G ?
My arc only can get about 20-30 minutes with 10% of battery when browsing on 3G, i think that's bad especially compared to iPhone4,
how about sola?;)
Can someone test it for me?
Thanks. :D
Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2
 

sheron

Senior Member
Mar 4, 2011
218
23
Chennai
Is it worth upgrading from an arc?
What about battery life when browsing on 3G ?
My arc only can get about 20-30 minutes with 10% of battery when browsing on 3G, i think that's bad especially compared to iPhone4,
how about sola?;)
Can someone test it for me?
Thanks. :D
Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2


battery quality is quite good excluding internet connectivity (browsing & download are two main battery drain but this doesn't show in power option)

u can get one hour browsing for 15% battery (for light mobile adapted pages)

i dunno abt heavy browsing but download drains battery much faster

---------- Post added at 08:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------

Hi guys. Can anyone tell something about the audio quality? I mean music trough some nice headphones. Phones at this price range (Samsung, LG, HTC...) usually don't have very good audio, but this is Sony and that's why I'm hoping it could be as good audio player as more expensive expirias.


yes the sound quality through headphones is quite good

i also heard that sound quality in HTC one V was also very good
 
  • Like
Reactions: Aiibo and tyrand3

saanil

Member
Jan 21, 2012
22
3
My Review for Xperia Sola:

I will eat my words here. The only issue I had with this phone in the initial days was its battery life. But things have changed. The battery lasts for 3 days on just voice calls and messaging (No internet/No games - Since this phone is for my dad). I am assuming on 3G this phone can last for 1.5-2 days easily keeping some things in mind. I am thinking of taking up a 3G connection for my dad and see how the battery fares. But I am quite happy now with this battery for normal use.
 

void1

Member
Jun 11, 2012
5
2
upgrade to android 4

I read there is Android 4 upgrade for Sola, but when I check with PC companion it tells me the system is up2date.

How do people upgrade to Android 4?

Also when I check for latest soft on Sony's site,

Latest available software: 6.1.A.0.452
Release date: 2012-06-21

But on my phone it is:

6.0.B.1.564

(Android 2.3.7)
 

Top Liked Posts

  • There are no posts matching your filters.
  • 2
    Sony Xperia™ sola
    xperiasola_gallery_post.jpg


    xperiasola2_gallery_post.jpg


    xperia_sola_white.jpg


    gsmarena_001.jpg


    gsmarena_002.jpg


    gsmarena_003.jpg


    xperia_sola_black_smarttags.jpg


    Xperia™ sola at a glance

    Highlighted features:
    * 1 GHz STE U8500 Dual Core Processor.
    * ARM® Mali™ 400 GPU and NEON®CPU extensions.
    * Networks: Quad EDGE/GSM/GPRS 850, 900, 1800, 1900; W-CDMA Band I, II, V and VIII.
    * Support for floating touch™ technology.
    * Launched with Google™ Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgraded to Android™ 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) during the second quarter of 2012.
    * 8 GB (up to 5 GB user-accessible memory) internal phone storage.
    * 512 MB RAM.
    * microSD™ card, up to 32 GB.
    * 5 MP Camera resolution.
    * 16x digital zoom.
    * 720p HD video recording.
    * Supports NFC.
    * Includes 3D surround sound.
    * Includes Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine.
    * Supports Bluetooth™.
    * DLNA Certified®.
    * Support GPS.

    Installed apps & services:
    * PlayNow™ service*.
    * TrackID™ music recognition*.
    * Facebook inside Xperia™.
    * Sony Entertainment Network*.
    * Sony channel in Play Shop*.

    Xperia™ sola - Get entertained with a sense of magic

    Xperia™ sola with floating touch

    Xperia™ sola unboxing video (via Xperia Blog)

    http://developer.sonymobile.com/wp/...ging-magical-floating-touch-technology-video/

    http://blogs.sonymobile.com/products/2012/03/13/introducing-our-magical-xperia-sola-2/

    http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/13/2867059/sony-xperia-sola-launch-specs-features-android-nfc

    http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_pepper_goes_official_is_the_sony_xperia_sola-news-3970.php
    2
    Is it worth upgrading from an arc?
    What about battery life when browsing on 3G ?
    My arc only can get about 20-30 minutes with 10% of battery when browsing on 3G, i think that's bad especially compared to iPhone4,
    how about sola?;)
    Can someone test it for me?
    Thanks. :D
    Sent from my LT15i using Tapatalk 2


    battery quality is quite good excluding internet connectivity (browsing & download are two main battery drain but this doesn't show in power option)

    u can get one hour browsing for 15% battery (for light mobile adapted pages)

    i dunno abt heavy browsing but download drains battery much faster

    ---------- Post added at 08:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 AM ----------

    Hi guys. Can anyone tell something about the audio quality? I mean music trough some nice headphones. Phones at this price range (Samsung, LG, HTC...) usually don't have very good audio, but this is Sony and that's why I'm hoping it could be as good audio player as more expensive expirias.


    yes the sound quality through headphones is quite good

    i also heard that sound quality in HTC one V was also very good
    1
    Way too expensive. For the same money you can buy a Neo with a better camera. It's ugly too, the only thing I like about it is the floating touch.
    1
    Why Sony didn't upgrade the RAM, it's been a pain for the previous gen Xperias. They should have made it at least 700+MB or 1GB.

    And is that a raised display?

    Sent from my Sony Arc w/ ICS
    1
    who the heck even needs quad core? when have you ever seen any apps use dual core let alone quad? its a phone not a pc.