Sony woke up from its slumber and launched the Xperia M4 Aqua smartphone in India today. The phone was originally announced at MWC 2015, and has the new 'cap-less' USB port for charging. Here's a first look at the newest smartphone in India.
The micro-USB charging slot on the left side of the device is the hero of this device since it doesn't need a cap to be waterproof. The M4 Aqua is IP67 certified, which means it can be submerged in up to 1.5 metres of water. Note that chlorinated water will still affect the USB port and you must also ensure that the port is dry before plugging it in for charging.
The 5 inch 720p display on the Xperia M4 Aqua seems to have pretty good viewing angles. It's nowhere close to being as sharp as a OnePlus One or Xiaomi Mi4 though.
The phone, of course, runs on Android Lollipop, skinned with Sony's own UI. If you're a fan of Material Design elements, then you may not like the UI here.
The device has a 5MP front camera to satisfy selfie lovers.
The 13MP rear camera seems to be up to the standards that we've come to expect from Sony.
The overall design reeks of classic Xperia, with the rounded sides and glossy back cover. The Xperia M4 Aqua has a glass-like finish on the back, but it's made entirely of plastic, including the sides.
The volume rocker, camera shutter button, power button and microSD slot all lie on the right side of the device. There's still a flap for waterproofing the microSD slot.
The speaker grill is at the bottom of the smartphone, which could be a problem when you're out in traffic or noisy areas.
The M4 Aqua has a 2400 mAh battery along with 8GB internal storage and 2GB of RAM. You can expand the storage up to 32GB using a microSD card. The phone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 SoC.
Overall, the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua seems like a device that would be well suited at the Rs. 10-15k price range. At Rs. 24,990 though, it's grossly overpriced.