A smartphone and portable gaming console combined? That’s great news for the gamers! However, if you look at its capabilities beyond gaming, it is hard to feel excitement for the Xperia Play. The phone has okay performance, a bulky form factor, a disappointing battery and a handicapped camera. The lack of 720p HD video recording capabilities is a glaring omission. The gaming console experience is very good though, thanks to the full-fledged gaming pad and smooth graphics. The Play is currently retailing around Rs 29,000 (box price- Rs 32,000), and is meant for those who will utilize the gaming capabilities to the fullest.
Being a phone, the Xperia Play does well when it comes to the traditional tasks. The call quality on offer is pretty good even though the earpiece’s loudest volume isn’t very loud, which is a drawback in noisy surroundings. For those of us who send out a lot of messages and mails, the on-screen keyboard is an absolute delight. Portrait mode and landscape modes are witness to well spaced out keys, even more so in the landscape one.
Battery life is a disappointment though. Barely one day from full charge to full discharge, with a mix of voice calls, messages, constant social network updates syncing and a bit of gaming. If you are going to game quite a bit, we suggest you keep a charger with you at all times.
Our take
For someone who wanted a portable gaming console and a smartphone as one single device, the Xperia Play might just be the best possible answer, at the moment. The device does well as a portable gaming console, but is just okay as a smartphone. But for Rs 30k , this is a pretty expensive deal. If you want a gaming phone, there really is no alternative. However, if you want an Android phone, basically, but were attracted by the entire package, there are alternatives. The HTC Desire HD or the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc make for better (and sleeker) smartphone alternatives
Specifications:
Network: Quad band GSM 3G capable; Display: 4.0-inches with 480×854 resolution, LED backlit LCD type; OS: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread); SoC: Qualcomm MSM8522; RAM: 512MB; Memory Expansion: microSD (up to 32GB); Battery: 1500 mAh; Weight: 175g
Price: Rs. 32,000
Ratings:
Features: 7.50
Performance: 6.75
Build: 7.00
Value: 6.75
Overall: 7.00
| Brand | Sony Ericsson |
| Model | Xperia Play |
| Street Prices (Rs) | 30,000 |
| Price (MRP, Rs) | 32000 |
| Features | |
| Physical Specs | |
| Form Factor | Bar |
| 2G Network Bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Network Bands | HSDPA 900 / 2100 |
| Screen Resolution | 480 x 854 pixels |
| Screen Size (inches) | 4.0 inches |
| Maximum Screen colours | 16M |
| Touchscreen / Dual Screen (Y/N) | Touchscreen |
| Battery Rating | 1500 mAh |
| Dimensions (L x W x H) | 119 x 62 x 16 mm |
| Weight | 175 grams |
| Expandable Memory Type | microSD |
| RAM (in MB) | 512MB |
| SoC (CPU, GPU) | Qualcomm MSM 8255 |
| CPU Clock speed | 1GHz |
| No. of CPU cores | 1 |
| Hot Swappable (Y/N) | N |
| Available Colours | Black, White |
| Other Features | |
| Operating System (Tested with) | Android 2.3.2 |
| Charging via USB (Y/N) | Y |
| Hardware Keypad (Regular/QWERTY) | Gaming Pad only |
| Accelerometer (For auto rotate) | Y |
| Address Book Capacity | Unlimited |
| No of calls in register | Unlimited |
| Talk Time / Standby Time (3G) * | 6 hrs / 413 hrs |
| No of Profiles # / Customisable | NA / Y |
| Offline Opearability (Y/N) | Y |
| Inbuilt GPS / A-GPS support (Y / N) | Y / Y |
| Connectivity | |
| Browsing (GPRS/EDGE/3G) | Y / Y / Y |
| EDGE max speed (in kbps) | 236.6 kbps |
| 3G max speed (in mbps) | 7.2 Mbps |
| Connectivity (WiFi/Bluetooth/IR/USB) | Y / Y / N / Y |
| Bluetooth Version/A2DP support | 2.1 / Y |
| Camera Specs | |
| Camera Resolution (Mega Pixels) | 5 |
| Video Capture Resolution | 800 x 480 |
| Auto focus / flash | Y / Y |
| Type of flash | single LED |
| Secondary camera for video chat | Y |
| Mirror for self portrait (Y / N) | N |
| Camera Settings (So 10) | 6.5 |
| Zoom (Optical/Digital) | Digital |
| Multimedia | |
| Music Formats supported | MP3, eAAC , WMA, WAV |
| Video formats supported | MP4, H.263, H.264, WMV |
| FM Radio / RDS (Y/N) | Y / Y |
| Accessories | |
| Bundled Accessories | Data cable, wall charger, handsfree |
| Size of memory card provided | 8GB |
| Build and Ergonomics (So 10) | |
| Surface materials used | 6.75 |
| Overall build and in-hand feel | 7 |
| Quality of moving parts | 7.25 |
| Design and ergonomics | 7.5 |
| Keypad design (on-screen or hardware) | 7 |
| Menu and interface | 7 |
| Settings and ease of navigating menus | 7.25 |
| Camera menu options | 6.5 |
| Performance | |
| Signal Reception and Voice Clarity (So 10) | |
| Zone 1 | 7 |
| Zone 2 | 5.5 |
| Zone 3 | 4 |
| Handsfree Clarity | 7 |
| Loudspeaker Clarity | 6.75 |
| Earpiece Clarity | 7 |
| Handsfree Volume | 7.5 |
| Loudspeaker Volume | 6 |
| Earpiece Volume | 6 |
| Bluetooth Transfer Speed (in KBps) | 191.3 |
| Imaging and multimedia tests | |
| Captured Photo Colour | 6.75 |
| Captured Photo Crispness | 7 |
| Captuted Photo Detail | 6.5 |
| Captured Video Quality | 5.5 |
| Effectiveness of integrated flash | 5.5 |
| Music Quality (loudspeaker) | 6 |
| Music Quality (handsfree) | 6.5 |
| Volume levels (loudspeaker) | 6 |
| Volume levels (handsfree) | 7.5 |
| Display (So 10) | |
| Crispness | 7 |
| Colour | 7.25 |
| Contrast | 7 |
| Font rendition | 7 |
| Legibility in bright sunlight | 7.25 |
| Video playback | 7 |
| | |
| * Manufacturer Rated |
Contact: Sony Ericsson India
Phone: 1800111800
Email- N.A.