Sony has been going with smartphones for a while now. The manufacturer does not release as many smartphones as some manufacturers, and therefore has a clear line-up. This year Sony wants to score with the Xperia 10 II. In recent weeks, we have tested the device at DroidApp. You can read our opinion in the Xperia 10 II review.
Sony Xperia 10 II review
The successor to the Sony Xperia 10 in Xperia 10 Plus is ready, the Sony Xperia 10 II. Not two separate devices in this line, but one device that has to compete against the competition. With the ‘mark two’ designation, Sony indicates that we are dealing here with the second generation of the 10 series. The manufacturer has added a number of new features, but in certain areas it also sticks to traditions in which Sony believes.
The past few weeks we spent with the Sony Xperia 10 II. We discuss the phone extensively in this Sony Xperia 10 II review. Where are the qualities, where are the points of attention and above all the question; can Sony compete against the competition with this device?
Sales package
The Sony Xperia 10 II comes in a white box. In addition to the device, we also find a USB-C cable, an adapter and a headset. Sony also included some paperwork. Actually no details and everything you need, you have directly at home, although a manufacturer always scores a plus for the delivery of a case / cover.
Design, display en interface
If we hold the new Xperia 10 II, it is striking that it is about the same size as the Xperia 10 from last year. In addition, it is also a bit lighter, with a weight of 151 grams. With this device you can choose from the colors black or white, nice and traditional we shall say. Sony released colorful colors in the past, but that time is over. Sony also sticks to the 21: 9 aspect ratio with this phone, making it longer and narrower than many competitors.
The waterproof smartphone from Japan is equipped with a 6.0 inch screen with a Full-HD + resolution. It is an OLED screen that makes black really black and the colors come into their own. The screen is quite nice, although it is not easy to read in direct sunlight. The minimum brightness is fine, so that, for example, you can consult the social networks from bed. About the watertightness; that’s something we don’t often see in this price range. The phone is IP68 certified and can withstand (fresh) water and dust.
In our opinion, the device lies well in the hand, although it slips somewhat easily out of a pocket due to the smooth housing. A cover can offer a solution. The fingerprint scanner is located on the side of the device. It does its job well and is easy to operate. On the back is the triple camera, which we will discuss later in the Xperia 10 II review. Also present on the Sony is a 3.5 millimeter connection for a headset, a USB-C port, on the left the opening for the SIM card and memory card and on the right the volume key.
Interface
The interface of the Sony Xperia 10 II is different from that of other manufacturers. In itself, it is close to the pure Android experience. Sony has added some improvements and optimizations to that. Of course, you can organize the home screen with widgets and shortcuts. With a swipe from bottom to top you open the menu and at the top of the screen you will find the notifications and quick settings.
A function that we find on the device is the ‘side sensor’. This makes it even easier to operate the device with one hand. By double tapping on the sidebar, you open this menu and find, for example, shortcuts to your favorite apps or most used quick settings. You can adjust various things, such as the gestures, which apps are shown and the sensitivity of the bar. You can also open multiple windows (maximum two) underneath each other at the touch of a button. You do not have to go through a menu for this.
In practice, it appears that the Sony Xperia 10 II performs its work quickly. Scrolling is smooth, although we sometimes notice some hiccups when scrolling through, for example, a web page. If desired, you can get started with the screen settings with the image quality and white balance. As you are used to from Android 10, in addition to a light theme, you can also activate the dark theme on the phone.
Communication and multimedia
Originally, a telephone was used to make calls. That is now different and calling is especially ‘convenient’ that you can do it. With the Sony Xperia 10 II, we experience excellent call quality and we do not notice any crazy things during phone calls. The Xperia gives you access to the 4G network, although it can also work with 3G and 2G. In addition to the mobile networks, there is also WiFi, where the smartphone can handle both 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks. We do notice that WiFi is somewhat weaker in terms of signal than with its competitors.
In terms of connectivity, the Xperia 10 II has even more to offer. Thanks to the presence of dual SIM, you can use two SIM cards. It is a pity that the second slot is at the expense of the space for a memory card. The phone is also equipped with NFC, Bluetooth and location determination via GPS, among other things.
Multimedia
Multimedia enthusiasts can also use the Sony Xperia 10 II. For the movie enthusiast there is of course the 21: 9 screen, which is perfect for watching a movie. The image quality of the OLED screen is excellent and the colors show up well on the display.
Music lovers can also enjoy themselves on the phone. Positive is that the speaker is on the front of the smartphone. We sometimes see them at the bottom, so you can quickly block them in the lying position with your hand. The speaker produces a moderate sound. It sounds a bit on the shrill side and the volume can not be loud. For this price, we expected better sound quality. In addition to using the speaker, you can also use the 3.5 millimeter headset connection.
Camera
Sony lenses can be found in a vast majority of smartphones. Of course Sony also uses its own sensors in its own devices. The Xperia 10 II has a triple rear camera. This is a 12 megapixel main lens, 8MP wide angle lens and an 8MP telephoto lens.
The operation of the camera app is self-explanatory. If desired, you can adjust some settings, such as the color temperature and exposure. You can also find the manual mode on the Xperia 10 II. You can also get started with ‘Creative effect’ on the device and there is a night mode. The camera allows you to use the wide angle lens, or zoom twice.
The most important part of this part in the review of the Xperia 10 II is of course the question; “How’s the camera quality?” We tested the Sony’s camera under different conditions. The smartphone usually delivers fine pictures. They are rich in color and have sufficient detail. With larger contrast differences, dark parts are sometimes captured just a bit too dark, but otherwise a camera that certainly scores well in daily use. We have certainly seen this differently with Sony devices.
The photo below we shot with the Sony Xperia 10 II. If you want to see more photos, view it online photo album.
Video Camera
You can also adjust some settings with the video camera. One of these options is the slow-motion function. In the settings you can adjust the video quality to your liking. By default, this is in Full-HD, although you can also choose 4K. The disadvantage of filming in 4K or in 60fps Full-HD is that you cannot use video stabilization, smile shutter and object tracking. In the other modes, these features work.
The video quality of the Sony Xperia 10 II is reasonable. With more variation in contrast, we find that the videos are a bit on the dark side. However, they do contain sufficient details and the recording of audio is sufficient.
Performance and other possibilities
The Sony Xperia 10 II has received a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor from the manufacturer. This is a chipset that we regularly see with smartphones in this price range. The processor seems to do its job well. The Snapdragon is assisted by 4GB of RAM. As mentioned earlier in the review, we sometimes notice some crashes when scrolling through, for example, a web page.
There is also 128GB of storage space on board the smartphone. Those who do not have enough can expand the memory with a memory card of up to 1TB.
As mentioned, you can use the fingerprint scanner to unlock your phone. Face recognition is not available on the Xperia 10 II. Sony has probably omitted this from this device because it cannot guarantee its security. Without the necessary sensors and the like, facial recognition can be fooled with, for example, a photo. However, we are sorry that Sony has not yet added this option to the phone.
Updatebeleid
Sony has an update policy that is pretty good. For a period of at least two years you will get Android and security updates. During the review, the device ran with the patch from March. We received the May security update during testing. Every quarter you can expect a security patch for the device for the Xperia 10 II.
Battery life
On paper, a battery with a capacity of 3600 mAh is on the average side. In recent weeks we have used the Sony Xperia 10 II under different conditions. We can conclude that the Sony Xperia 10 II has a good endurance. With an average screen-on-time of about 5 hours, we can squeeze out the phone for an average of two days. With mainly WiFi use, we achieve a screen time of 7 hours. Very neat.
The phone is equipped with battery care for charging. This improves the health and life of the battery. In this situation, the phone charges 90 percent. The last ten percent will be finished later. For this, the phone looks at your use, and when you usually remove the device from the charger. The Sony Xperia 10 II also offers a Stamina mode that allows you to activate battery saver.
Review
Sony is no longer as big a player on the mobile phone market as it used to be. Quite strange actually, because Sony still makes good smartphones. The Sony Xperia 10 II also proves this. The device is fast, has a perfect battery life, excellent camera, is relatively compact and is simply a pleasant phone in daily use. It is a pity that the screen is not perfectly readable on sunny days and that we occasionally have a crash. The latter can also be improved with a software update. If you don’t listen to a lot of music over the speakers and you buy (against the smoothness) a good case for the Xperia 10 II, then this device is definitely recommended.
You can buy the Sony Xperia 10 II directly from Bol.com, Mobile, Belsimpel, Media market, T-Mobile in Coolblue.
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Sony Xperia 10 II
- Design and ease of use – 8.2/10
- Camera – 7.9/10
- Speed and performance – 8/10
- Stamina – 9/10
- Value for money – 8/10
8.2/10
Review
Pros:
- Battery life
- Relatively compact
- Speed
- Ease of use
- Shoot beautiful photos
Negatives:
- Occasional lockups
- No facial recognition
- Smooth device
- Sound quality is poor
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