Smartphones that have fallen into water or become clogged with dust and small debris have become a major source of inspiration for electronics manufacturers in the period from 2013 to 2014. It was during this period that there was a boom in devices that meet IP 65/68 standards, protecting phones from water and dust. Each flagship could boast a new standard of protection. In this review we will talk about one of the devices that has the function of protecting against water ingress and is at the same time in the middle price category. It's about Sony Xperia M2 Aqua. W3bsit3-dns.com and other “near-gadget” resources have already made their verdicts, calling the smartphone a typical average smartphone with functions atypical for an average person. Let's take a closer look at it.

Positioning

For a long time, Sony remained the main manufacturer of waterproof smartphones. Just 10 years ago, rugged phones were bulky and ugly handsets that hardly resembled stylish consumer gadgets. Nowadays, secure smartphones cannot be distinguished from the consumer solutions we are all familiar with. Sony phone The D2403 Xperia M2 Aqua is clear proof of this. The price threshold for such devices has also decreased. Previously, dust and water protection standards were the province of only expensive, premium gadgets. Sony corrected the situation by releasing the maximum available device with the same protective properties as its older brothers.

In fact new model made on the basis of the already existing Sony Xperia M2 with the only difference being that it has become less premium, style and more functionality. Despite its position in the budget segment, the device has a number of features that are atypical for its price. This concerns not only moisture protection, but also support for fourth generation networks (LTE), which is very important, especially today, as well as the emergence of a full-fledged NFC module. Unfortunately, due to the introduction of the LTE module and the IP68 protection standard, the manufacturer apparently had to sacrifice the technical equipment of the device. As a result, Sony has come up with a good entry-level model that will suit all those who are looking at the products of the Japanese company and want to test the crowning features of Xperia phones without much expense.

Equipment

This time, Sony's delivery package is the most spartan - in the classic packaging we were able to find only the essentials:

• The smartphone itself.
• Micro-USB cable (for charging and synchronizing data with a computer).
• USB power adapter (220 volts).

Specifications

Display: 4.8 inches, 960 x 540, IPS.

Processor: Snapdragon 400, 4 cores, 1200 MHz.

Graphics: Adreno 305.

Memory: 1 GB RAM, 8 GB of permanent memory.

Cameras: 8 megapixels main, 0.3 megapixels front.

Battery: 2330 mAh.

Case design and materials

Dimensions: 140 x 72 x 8.6 mm.

Weight: 149 grams.

Sony is one of the few Android smartphone manufacturers that adhere to strict unification of the external design of their gadgets. The signature Omni Balance design, which originated with the Xperia brand, migrates from device to device, regardless of its price category. On the one hand, such attention to detail and strict adherence to style is pleasing, because even the owners budget phones They get a beautiful device, on the other hand, they are no longer so easy to distinguish from each other. Omni Balance is the same beautiful rectangles with smoothed edges and a minimum amount of gaps. The model under review uses inexpensive plastic instead of the usual glass. The material used is more practical, reliable, but at the same time it is very easily soiled and also collects small scratches, although they are less noticeable here than on glass. By the way, scratches are much more noticeable on the black version than on the white version (the one like the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua D2403 White), user reviews confirm this. When pressure is applied to the case, a crunching sound is heard, the lid flexes strongly, the display “floats” (smears appear), but all these effects are noticeable only with a fairly strong physical impact. It’s unlikely that in real-life use anyone will mock the phone like that, but the aftertaste remains. In general, the case is stronger than the M2 model, meaning resistance to drops and shocks.

As for ergonomics, everything is in order, as always, the beveled corners do not rest on the palm and do not cut it, and the matte plastic ensures a firm fit of the smartphone in the hand. There are plugs throughout the case - they protect the smartphone from water. The solution is quite ambiguous; today many manufacturers put plugs inside, but at the time of the release of the M2 Aqua, Sony did not offer anything else, so you will have to tinker with the moisture protection manually.

Controls, ports

The entire front panel is occupied by the display. Above it you can see the company logo, a camera and a hidden speaker. Despite the presence of a massive frame at the bottom of the case, there are no physical control keys on the phone, only on-screen buttons: “Back”, “Home”, menu with running programs. On the top edge there is a standard headphone jack (3.5 mm port, also known as mini-jack), on bottom end speaker - both under a plug. Hidden on the left USB port 2.0. All other elements are concentrated on the right: a SIM card slot, a memory card slot, a power key and a phone lock, and a camera shutter (triggered only when pressed twice). At the back you can see the camera, flash and microphone.

Communications

Equipped with a standard set of communication tools, both wired and wireless:

• There is support for Wi-Fi operating at 802.11 b/n/g frequencies.
• Bluetooth 4.0.
• USB 2.0.
• NFC module for making contactless payments and interacting with other NFC modules (for example, for transferring files from phone to phone).
• Miracast technology for broadcasting images from a smartphone to a TV that supports Smart-TV.
• Built-in FM module (you can listen to the radio without connecting to the network).

Display

The smartphone has a fairly compact display, by today's standards, with a diagonal of only 4.8 inches. There is an anti-reflective coating, but it is not of very high quality, and there is almost no benefit from it. There is an air gap between the glass and the display itself, due to which the screen becomes unreadable in direct sunlight, and this is the biggest problem with the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua D2403. I was pleased with the touchscreen, it understands touches the first time and supports so-called multi-finger gestures. Oleophobic coating is also available, its quality leaves much to be desired, it is not easy to clean, but the finger glides confidently. The screen is built on the basis of an IPS matrix, its resolution is 960 x 540 pixels (PPI value - 230), aspect ratio - 16:10, which is ideal for watching movies and videos on YouTube. Overall the picture is not bad, the pixelation is noticeable, but not too annoying. Color rendition is not ideal, but most users will not notice any inaccuracies, except for excessively cool tones at reduced brightness, and even those are leveled out if it is increased. Viewing angles are not maximum and, in general, far from such, despite the use of IPS technology, colors are inverted even with minimal tilt.

Processor and graphics

The heart of the gadget is a processor from Qualcomm, Snapdragon 400. This chip has 4 cores, the frequency of each of which reaches 1200 MHz. When creating the chip, a 28-nanometer technical process was used, which has a positive effect on the power consumption of the processor, and therefore on the operating time of the phone on a single charge. Performance on par with competitors. As for the smoothness of working with the system (interface, scrolling lists), everything is at a very decent level, the system works smoothly, without microlags, at least under light load. In terms of performance, this chip is not so good; it cannot handle heavy programs and tasks like video conversion, and it’s probably not worth doing this on a smartphone. In synthetic tests, the device showed the following results:

• Geekbench - 1121 points.
• Antutu - 19053 points.

Adreno 305 is responsible for graphics performance. You should not expect impressive results from this graphics subsystem. You can play on your smartphone, but preferably something simple. New products and games with complex 3D graphics run only on low graphics settings and with an unstable frame rate (often sags in detailed scenes).

Memory

The processor and graphics are complemented by 1 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. In general, the problem with all famous manufacturers is that they even skimp on things like RAM, thereby significantly reducing the performance and capabilities of their devices. The Chinese offer gadgets with 2 GB of RAM for the same money, which has a positive effect on system speed and multitasking capabilities. The main memory in the device is also small, only 8 GB, of which 3 GB are occupied by the operating system and built-in software. You can correct the situation by installing a memory card; the phone supports cards up to 32 GB.

Autonomy

The battery has a capacity of 2330 mAh. Quite a significant volume for such a compact device. As a result of independent testing, the smartphone showed the following battery life results:

• The hero of the review lived in talk mode for 11 hours.
• In video playback mode - 8 hours.
• IN game mode- 2 hours 30 minutes.

The manufacturer also promises 600 hours of standby time and 37 hours of audio playback (with the screen locked, of course). With all this, charging the device takes almost 3 hours. Unfortunately, technology fast charging They didn’t deliver it, which means you’ll have to charge your phone before going to bed.

Cameras

The Sony Xperia M2 Aqua camera is clearly not the best strong point. It can be seen that, as in the case of the display, the manufacturer made a compromise and decided to save money. The smartphone is equipped with two cameras: the main one with a resolution of 8 megapixels and the front one with a resolution of 0.3 megapixels (VGA). The front photo module does not deserve attention at all. What can I say about him? VGA is VGA. The picture is terrible even in good lighting conditions. It’s a shame to use such a camera on Skype, not to mention taking selfies on Instagram. The main module is better, but again inferior to competitors. The detail of the images is poor; only the software algorithm saves you from unnecessary noise (it actually does a good job). In poor visibility conditions there are almost no artifacts, but the brightness is not impressive either. The flash does not help in this case, but it allows the smartphone to work as a flashlight. White balance is on par with competitors. You can achieve more or less good pictures by shooting in manual mode, and only if you have the appropriate skills.

The Sony Xperia M2 Aqua was first introduced in August 2014, while sales of this device began even later. Of course, a smartphone can no longer be called some kind of advanced device, but in fact, to this day it is a very, very good option. Oddly enough, many ignored this device and did not have time to figure out what the advantages of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua are and what technical characteristics it has.

Design

In appearance, the smartphone has a fairly familiar design, similar to smartphones released in 2014 - a standard rectangular shape with smoothed corners, not too sloping ends, a completely straight back surface, and the use of the proprietary Omni Balance design concept.

The original version of the M2 has a glass back, while the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua is equipped with a back cover made of special matte plastic. Whether this option is optimal will be decided by users, since some people find plastic more attractive, while others prefer glass. If we talk about practicality, then the plastic that the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua uses is much more durable and reliable.

Color

The device is offered in three main colors - brown, white and black. If you choose among these devices, many experts immediately say that you should definitely give preference to non-black models, because fingerprints often remain on their surface, and in principle the gadget has an extremely simple appearance.

Convenience

Due to the use of porous plastic with a rough surface, as well as non-sloping edges and somewhat pointed corners, the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua fits perfectly in the hand and does not even think of slipping out during use. From this point of view, this device looks much better than the Z3 Compact or M2, since these models have a rather slippery body and the smartphone cannot be held securely in the hand. Among other things, do not forget that too smooth edges do not allow it to be conveniently lifted from horizontal, flat surfaces.

Dimensions

The dimensions of this smartphone are standard, but many people note that the weight is quite large for a plastic gadget. The front side is protected by specialized glass, but the manufacturers did not provide any clarifying information about this material. The only thing worth noting is that while experts tested the technical characteristics of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua, no chips or scratches were noticed. Similarly, no damage was noted on the back cover.

Frame

The signature insert of this design is the use of plastic translucent ends on the sides. Due to this, such a smartphone has an attractive appearance and is somewhat different from other devices that are similar to it in technical and external characteristics.

Special attention should be paid to the build quality of this gadget, since during operation it does not make any extraneous sounds, and the back part does not bend right up to the battery.

Protection

The technical characteristics of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua also differ in one more important feature - the use of specialized protection against moisture and dust. Thus, the device is characterized by extremely high protection of contacts from excessive dust accumulation, and according to the developers, this device can function normally under water at a depth of more than a meter. If, for example, the Z3 model completely lacks plugs, then reviews of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua say that these plugs are not just there, they actually retain moisture quite well.

Of course, dust, in principle, is not a threat to modern gadgets, but the protection of such a device from moisture is undoubtedly its key advantage. This protection becomes especially pleasant when you consider the cost of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua. Svyaznoy, for example, offers to pay 12,500 rubles for this device.

Considering the protection, you should not pay special attention to too wide frames, as this can be called a certain price for the fact that the device remains operational regardless of the weather. Reviews about the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua say that the device does not stop working even if you accidentally drop it in the mud.

Control Panel

At the top of the front panel there is a camera, sensors, and an indicator of missed events. It is worth noting that the speaker is not so loud, but at the same time provides very good sound quality. Since increased dust protection is used here, the design does not allow for the clearest and loudest sound, but still its quality remains at a fairly high level. Also on the top of the device is a headphone jack, which, like other elements, is initially hidden behind a plastic plug. If necessary, you can connect accessories for the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua here.

There is a microphone under the screen. It is worth noting that, in principle, you will be heard normally, but often customer reviews of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua indicate that the voice on the other side of the receiver is slightly muffled. Speaker speakerphone located at the bottom end and protected by a metal mesh.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that on the right there are slots for a memory card and a microSIM standard SIM card, which is quite convenient. Nearby there is also a round power button, characterized by an extremely hard and tight press, as well as a thin key designed to adjust the volume on the phone.

Display

The screen diagonal in this device is 4.8 inches, but the physical size is technical parameters is 60x107. The instructions for the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua say that the screen has a specialized anti-reflective coating that allows you to use the device in any conditions, but based on customer reviews we can say that this coating is not nearly as effective as it might seem at first glance . There is also one that is not made in the best way, but it still makes it quite easy to erase fingerprints, and also ensures smooth finger movement.

The characteristics of the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua indicate that the screen resolution is 540x960 pixels, while the aspect ratio is 16:10. In the process of conducting specialized tests, it was determined that at any value the image still remains too bright, and the gamma did not perform the best either, which gives, for example, too much brightness to pictures in dark scenes, making the overall appearance blurry or flat. A serious excess of blue light was also noted, and this was especially noticeable if the device was operating at low brightness.

Thus, we can say that the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua phone is distinguished by a fairly simple matrix, which makes the image appear purple or yellow at a certain angle. Also, the device does not perform well in the sun, and even with a slight tilt of the screen it is almost impossible to distinguish the picture.

Battery

"Sony Xperia M2 Aqua" (photo of which you can see above) uses a non-removable lithium ion battery, whose capacity is 2400 mAh. According to the manufacturer, this device can operate for 641 hours in standby mode, 11 hours in talk mode, and 37 hours in continuous music playback. If you constantly watch videos, the device will last for no more than 8 hours.

How in practice?

During the testing process, it was determined that, in principle, this information corresponds to reality, and in general the operating time of the gadget is standard for a modern Android smartphone of this class, that is, it works for approximately 10 hours if used in a relatively active mode with a connection to the Internet. If you want to play, you should expect about two and a half hours if you want to play at full brightness and volume through the speaker output.

Specialists often pay special attention to the fact that the company has saved a little on the supplied network adapter, as a result of which for normal charging of the device you will need to keep it connected to the mains for three hours.

Camera

As usual, this smartphone uses two modules simultaneously. The rear camera has 8 MP and is equipped with an automatic focus function, while the front camera is unlikely to please anyone with quality, since it has only 0.3 MP.

Even the main camera module can be called relatively weak, but in fact the team involved in developing the corresponding software was able to get the most out of the technologies used here. Of course, the detail here is far from optimal, but the noise reduction works more than well. You can take fairly bright pictures at night, which will be free of all sorts of “artifacts,” and are also well preserved. Thus, the camera is quite versatile and suitable for different occasions, but you shouldn’t expect any incredible results.

There is no point in discussing the front camera, since 10 years ago everyone managed to get acquainted with what a 0.3 MP camera is. Perhaps some, seeing such quality now, will think that their phone is frozen and will begin to figure out how to reboot the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua.

Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.

Design

Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.

SIM card

The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.

Mobile networks

A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.

Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds

Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.

Operating system

An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.

SoC (System on Chip)

A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.

Built-in memory

Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.

Memory cards

Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.

Screen

The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.

Sensors

Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.

Main camera

The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on the back of the body and is used for taking photos and videos.

Additional camera

Additional cameras are usually mounted above the device screen and are used mainly for video conversations, gesture recognition, etc.

Audio

Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.

Radio

The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.

Location determination

Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.

WiFi

Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.

Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.

USB

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.

Headphone jack

This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Connecting devices

Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.

Browser

A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.

Audio file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital audio data.

Video file formats/codecs

Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.

Battery

Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.

Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)

The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua - Review of one of the few waterproof smartphones

08.02.2015

Brief, formal...

Lyrical introduction

Have you ever had to navigate a walking route through an unfamiliar city in the pouring rain? I had this happen once last year. It's a funny feeling. I myself am wearing a raincoat, so my body is more or less dry (with the exception of wet limbs). And I got the phone number in full.

I'm lucky. On that trip, among other smartphones, I took with me a waterproof Sony Xperia Z3.

But that case is, of course, exotic. But answering a call in the rain is an ordinary thing. Dropping your phone in water is even more so. I dropped it three times. It's been a long time, really. Twice into the lake and once into a bowl of soapy water.

So for me personally, water protection is far from meaningless.

Some synthetic tests:

Built-in flash memory is 8 GB, of which about five are initially available. There is support for memory cards. But, unfortunately, normal installation of programs on a memory card is impossible. There are five free gigabytes - so make do with them.

In general, Android devices with flash memory are not easy. Let there be a large, large program (a toy, for example) that takes up, say, one gigabyte. Of this gigabyte, the program itself always takes up no more than a few tens of megabytes. Everything else is some data. So here it is. In the case of M2 Aqua, it is possible to transfer the “body” of the program to a memory card. The data always remains in the internal memory.

The set of sensors is quite ordinary. Compass, accelerometer, light sensor, proximity sensor. There is no gyroscope, nor is there a thermometer with a barometer.

Communication with the outside world

LTE is available and works without problems. Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 are supported. That is, it seems that there should be no problems in our country.

Wi-Fi dual-band, a/b/g/n, 2 + 5 GHz. Everything is fine too.

Connecting to a computer via USB is only in MTP mode.

It is possible to connect external USB devices (USB-OTG).

There is NFC, there is Bluetooth version 4.0.

MHL/HDMI no.

Screen

IPS screen with a diagonal of 4.8" and a resolution of 540x960 pixels.

Well, this is already enough to understand - they were greedy with the screen, but saved on the screen. The resolution, by today's standards, is very modest. And yes, perhaps you can even feel it. Fonts, especially small ones, do not look elegant in some places.

Alas, the coating is not very good either. And not very much. There is no smell of oleophobicity, the screen is constantly covered in greasy fingerprints, which, moreover, are difficult to wipe off. And only with a specially trained cloth. A handkerchief (clean) or even a T-shirt cannot combat the oiliness of the screen.

In the sun, again, the screen performs mediocre. He also doesn't look black enough. Now, if you put several smartphones side by side in a switched off state and look at them at an angle, it is the Aqua screen that will look the least black. It’s funny to say that the screen of the budget Megafon Login+ is even blacker.

The brightness is quite decent, 370 cd/m2 with a contrast ratio of 720:1 (which is also good). The minimum brightness for a white picture is too high, more than 20 cd/m2. This smartphone is not very comfortable in the dark.

Color temperature - 8600K.

The sensor is fine. Sensitivity is good, 10 simultaneous touches, etc.

operating system and other software

operating room Android system 4.4.4 KitKat, proprietary shell from Sony, sets of applications from Google and from Sony.

Battery

Despite the not very impressive battery capacity (2330 mAh), the battery test results are quite solid - on average 134% of the standard. The small screen resolution has an effect. And in general, they there at Sony are famous masters in battery art.

Complete charger gives an extremely small output current (850 mA, 5V). As a result, the smartphone charges quite slowly with its help - more than four hours.

The camera shoots video in FullHD resolution, 28 frames per second. The quality is also, to put it mildly, so-so. Especially if there is not too much light.

The front camera couldn't be more modest, only 0.3 MP. The quality is appropriate. In short, it’s better to forget about its existence altogether.

Sony Xperia M2 Aqua as a GPS navigator

Specifications:

• Class: smartphone
• Form factor: monoblock
• Housing materials: plastic, IP65/68
• Operating system: Google Android 4.4
• Network: one SIM card, GSM/HSPA/LTE
• Processor: 4 cores, Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926
• RAM: 1 GB
• Data storage memory: 8 GB
• Interfaces: Wi-Fi (b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0, microUSB connector (USB 2.0) for charging/synchronization, 3.5 mm for headset
• Screen: capacitive, IPS 4.8"" with a resolution of 540x960 pixels
• Camera: 8 MP with autofocus + 1.1 MP, flash
• Navigation: GPS
• Additionally: proximity and lighting sensors, FM radio, NFC, Miracast
• Battery: non-removable, lithium-ion (Li-Ion) capacity 2330 mAh
• Dimensions: 140 x 72 x 8.6 mm
• Weight: 149 g
• Price: from 12,500 rubles

Scope of delivery:

• Smartphone
• Micro-USB cable
• USB adapter for 220V network

Introduction

The device was presented at the end of August last year, and sales began even later. Yes, the device is not new Russian market, however there are several reasons to write detailed review. The first reason is the simplest: we did not have a first look at this model, much less full review. Second: strangely enough, many resources ignored M2 Aqua. I don’t know what influenced this, either a little interest in the gadget, or the IFA exhibition, where the Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 compact were shown. Third: the new M4 Aqua is not yet available for testing; you cannot even pre-order on the official website. And the price, most likely, will not be very humane for some time due to the dollar exchange rate.

There are reviews of the M2 Aqua online, but there are very few of them. However, the model itself is quite interesting: it is protected according to IP65/68 standards, that is, dust- and waterproof, can work with fourth-generation 4G communications, has an NFC chip, and, of course, Sony-style design with a proprietary metal button on the side .

The Sony Xperia M2 Aqua device is still actively sold today, and its price starts from 12,500 rubles.

Design, dimensions, control elements

Appearance The gadget is quite familiar from the company’s previous smartphones of 2014: rectangular body shape, slightly smoothed corners, not very sloping ends, straight shape of the back surface, proprietary Omni Balance design concept (“makes this smartphone stunningly beautiful, no matter which way you look at it "). The exceptions are the Z3 and Z3 compact, announced later. The body and edges have become more rounded.

If in the original version of the M2 the back side was made of glass, then in the M2 Aqua it is made of matte porous plastic. How cute it is is up to you to decide, but I still prefer glass. Although from a practicality point of view, the M2 Aqua material is much more durable.

The device is available in three colors: black, white and brown. If you ask me which one to choose, I will definitely say that not black, since fingerprints remain on the surface, and in general the gadget looks extremely simple.

Thanks to the porous plastic, rough to the touch, non-sloping edges and relatively sharp corners, the M2 Aqua fits perfectly in the hand and does not slip out. In this regard, the device is really more interesting than the M2 and Z3 Compact. I have had experience using the Z3, and I can confirm that the body is very slippery and the device often tries to slip out of my hands. In addition, it is not always convenient to lift it from a flat horizontal surface due to its too smooth edges.

The M2 Aqua has the usual dimensions – 140 x 72 x 8.6 mm, and weighs 149 grams. For a plastic gadget, the weight is quite large, at least you can feel it in your hand.

The front side is protected by glass. There is no exact information about the material. During the two-week testing period, no scratches or chips appeared. Back cover also remained unharmed.

As a feature - translucent plastic ends on the right and left. They look beautiful and at least slightly distinguish the M2 Aqua from other similar devices.

The gadget is well assembled: it does not creak or crunch when strong compression in the hand, the back part does not bend to the battery.

One of the main features of this model is protection against dust and moisture according to the IP65/68 standard. It has full contact protection against dust, in addition, M2 Aqua can work underwater at a depth of more than one meter. If the Z3 device does not have plugs, then the M2 Aqua is equipped with them. It’s not very convenient, but the cost of the device is almost three times lower.

I won’t go into detail about IP65/68, I’ll just note that everything is fine: water doesn’t get inside the case, and dust isn’t that bad for modern gadgets.

Considering the protection, you shouldn’t pay attention to the thick frames (6 mm on the right and left): they are indecently wide, but this is a certain price to pay for the device’s performance in any weather, at sea, or even if you drop it in the mud.

On the front panel at the top: voice speaker, camera, sensors, indicator of missed events. The speaker has a volume slightly above average, the quality is good. Since protection from water and dust is provided here, the design does not allow producing a clear, ringing sound.

There is a microphone under the screen. They can hear you, in general, quite well, but a little muffled. The speakerphone is on the bottom end under the metal mesh.

The 3.5 mm jack for connecting headphones is on the top. It is hidden under a plastic plug, in fact, like all other elements.

On the left is micro-USB. Any cables are suitable, even with a short plug.

On the right are slots for a memory card and for installing a microSIM standard SIM card (here they have not yet been distorted using nanoSIM, as in the Z3). Nearby there is a metal round power button (very tight, minimal travel, firm press), a thin volume rocker key and a camera activation button (double press).

On the back of the device there is a camera recessed into the body, a flash and a microphone.

Display

This device uses a screen with a diagonal of 4.8 inches. Physical size – 60x107 mm, frame on top – 18 mm, bottom – 15 mm, right and left – approximately 6 mm each. There is an anti-reflective coating, but it is not very effective. The oleophobic coating is perhaps not the best, but the main thing is that fingerprints are easily erased and the finger glides smoothly.

Permission Sony display Xperia M2 Aqua – qHD, that is, 540x960 pixels, aspect ratio – 16:10, density – 230 pixels per inch. IPS matrix with air gap.

The maximum brightness of white color is 452 cd/m2, the maximum brightness of black color is 0.52 cd/m2. Contrast – 868:1.

The white line is the goal we are trying to achieve. The yellow line is the actual data of the device. You can see that we are directly above the target curve, meaning that for every value between 0 and 100 the image is too bright.

The gamma is quite clumsy. From 20% to 40% it decreases sharply, and from 80% it begins to increase. This gives us a less bright picture with too much brightness in dark scenes, causing the view to become flat/blurry.

Judging by the levels graph, there is a clear excess of blue, especially at low brightness.

Temperature is a different story: at minimum brightness the picture takes on very cold shades (almost 10,000k), at maximum it more or less levels out to the optimal value.

Judging by the diagram, the data obtained roughly corresponds to the sRGB triangle.

If we abstract from the data obtained, then I can say that the matrix is ​​very simple: at certain angles it turns violet or yellow. It behaves poorly in the sun: when the screen is slightly tilted, the picture becomes almost indistinguishable.

Viewing Angles

Checking the Light

Display in light and sun

Battery

This model uses a non-removable lithium-ion (Li-Ion) battery with a capacity of 2400 mAh. The manufacturer provides the following data:

• Talk time: 11 hours 23 minutes
• Standby time: up to 641 hours
• Music playback time: up to 37 hours 31 minutes
• Operating time in video playback mode: up to 8 hours 4 minutes.

In general, I agree with these indicators.

The operating time of the gadget is exactly the same as that of any other Android smartphone in this class, i.e. “lives” for about 10 hours in a relatively active mode with a 4G connection: 20-30 minutes of talking, about an hour of using the camera, the same amount of video watching, 3-4 hours on Twitter and mail. If you want to play, expect about 2.5 hours at full brightness and full sound volume when output to the speaker.

Sony saved a little on the AC adapter (or maybe it just decided to worry about battery life), so you can charge the battery in almost 3 hours.

Communication capabilities

The device operates not only in 2G/3G networks (GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz, WCDMA 850/900/2100 MHz), but also 4G CAT 4 (FDD-LTE 2100/1800/850/2600/900/800 MHz ).

There is Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot), Bluetooth v4.0 (A2DP, apt-X, LE), NFC chip and antenna, USB 2.0 (OTG verified). Available GPS, GLONASS and even Beidou (very high sensitivity!)

Memory and memory card

Inside the device there is only 1 GB of LPDDR3 RAM. Today, this amount of RAM is the minimum in budget devices. However, the Sony M2 Aqua is by no means a cheap device, so I would still like 2 GB. On average, about half of the “gig” is free.

Built-in memory 8 GB Flash, 5 GB available. You can expand it by installing a microSD memory card (is it worth checking the memory type now if you still don’t have another?) The maximum volume is 32 GB.

Camera

As always, there are two modules: the main one is 8 MP with autofocus (aperture F2.4), and the front one is only 0.3 MP (F3).

The main camera module is quite weak, but the team that develops the software for the camera tried to get the most out of the Sony Exmor RS. The detailing, of course, is not so great, however, noise reduction works perfectly: even at night the pictures turn out to be quite bright and without artifacts. White balance also works well. That is, the camera turned out to be suitable for all occasions, but you should not expect anything more.

There is no point in talking about the front camera. You yourself understand what 0.3 MP is, and even F3. The device was clearly not “tailored” for “selfies”.

The device records video in FullHD resolution at 30 fps during the day and 24 fps at night. The quality is ordinary, that is, in principle, normal. The focus is automatic, there is a SteadyShot stabilization function. Works great without cropping the image. Of course not optical stabilization, but also not bad.

Settings:

Examples of photos taken with the main camera:

Example photo on front camera:

Examples of videos day and night:

Performance

This model Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8926 chipset. The 400 line of “sheaves” is not new (the chip was introduced at the end of 2013); this modification contains a 3G and LTE modem.

The processor has 4 ARM Cortex-A7 cores, the maximum frequency of each is 1.2 GHz, the technological process is 28 nm. The graphics are handled by Adreno 305 with support for OpenGL ES 3.0.

If we talk about the speed of animation and visual work in general, then there are no problems: the gadget is fast, not slow, no microlags were found.

And when it comes to performance, you won't see mind-blowing results here. For example, Dead Trigger 2 can only be played at medium settings; Ral Racing 3 runs well, but there are no additional effects.

In general, you can play, but not with the most demanding toys.

Brief information:

Multimedia

The volume of the polyphonic speaker is average, the sound is not very clear, there is no overload - it does not wheeze.

The sound in the headphones is very loud, I liked the quality. We should also say thank you to Sony for the equalizer and many other sound settings. There is a radio.

As for the video player, below are the results of the Antutu Video test.

Conclusion

Overall, the Sony Xperia M2 Aqua turned out to be a fairly successful smartphone. Yes, it may lack performance, but it has protection from water and dust, LTE and a nice Sony-style design. The only thing that makes me sad is the price. On at the moment the device can be found from 12,500 rubles. However, in large chain stores the cost is 17,000 rubles. And, as you understand, for this money it’s easier to look for something similar among B-brands with better parameters. But this is purely my personal opinion.

The main positive aspects of the device:

• IP65/68
• Ergonomic design
• Good music player
• Excellent build and materials

Flaws:

• Weak processor
• Not very high quality main camera
• Extremely weak front camera

If you need a smartphone with protection from dust and moisture, then the choice is not so large, and if you are looking at a device under 17,000 rubles, then it is easy to find a more interesting replacement.

The M4 Aqua is coming soon, but you'll also be pleased with its price. I think that you should count on 20,000 - 23,000 rubles. So, the M2 Aqua will remain for some time as an expensive replacement.