Sony Xperia M Pro Reviews

Well built and designed, and with great battery life, we can't be too harsh on the Xperia M. Performance an connectivity is good enough, but these days for this price we want better from the display and camera. Not a bad phone, but there are better rivals on the market.

Bargain-basement specs let down this well-made compact smartphone

Looks like a mini version of the Sony Xperia Z1, but it certainly doesn’t perform like it

While we wish Sony had put a little more effort into tweaking the camera software or spent a little extra on a brighter screen, the Xperia M has all the potential to become a smart buy for the budget-conscious. Just wait a little while as right now it's priced the same as the Xperia L, which doesn't make much sense. What it means though is that a price drop is as good as inevitable.

The Sony Xperia M is a phone with good looks, streamlined user interface that we actually like, and a powerful chip for its class. Not a bad combination, is it? It has its downsides - we wish the screen was a bit better, but our biggest complaint right now is price. The handset sells for prices of between $200 and $250 off contract, and that is a bit steeper than we’d like for such a device. On Android, its biggest rival would be the larger, but cheaper 4.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Core. Even the similar yet larger 4.3” Sony Xperia L sells for around the same price. If you are willing to experiment with a different platform, the Windows Phone 8-based Nokia Lumia 520 brings a very identical package at around half the price and looks like a much better deal. All in all, we like where Sony is headed with the Xperia M, an affordable device with good looks and solid hardware like this one could become the staple in its smartphone lineup, but it needs to come down in price first.

Sony's 4-inch Samurai proved to be a little hot-head that fits in every pocket due to its compact size in the test. We particularly liked the quality build and the strong graphics unit considering it is an entry-level phone. The Xperia M also scores with its phone qualities. The message LED is a nifty and useful feature that has been implemented well in the design. On the other side, the middling screen is at the top of the list. It is surprising that a screen expert like Sony does not manage to install a viewing angle stable TFT display in its smartphone. The internal storage of 4 GB is also very tight. Despite that, we can give a clear purchase recommendation for the entry-level smartphone. Sony's Xperia M is particularly appropriate for buyers who want to play 3D games on their phone since it sports the strongest GPU in the comparison field. Buyers who want to save a bit but also value battery runtime should take a look at Huawei's Y300 that is available from 116 Euros (~$153). Just as affordable but with a much better screen is the Windows Phone alternative. Nokia's Lumia 520 starts at 130 Euros (~$172).