Sony has gone for a much less square look with the Sony Xperia tipo when compared to the recent NXT range and its models such as the Sony Xperia S. All corners are rounded off nicely, as is the rear cover, giving it a pebble-like shape similar to the HTC Desire C.
It's even smaller than its HTC rival at 57 x 103mm but a little on the chunky side at 13mm. The Sony Xperia tipo is nice and light, our sample weighing exactly 100g.
The Sony Xperia tipo phone is simple looking but stylish too. The only oddity we found was the placement of the on/off switch which is on the top of the handset, to the left. Android phones more commonly have it on the opposite side and we found it awkward to use.
Our review sample came in black but you can also get the Sony Xperia tipo in white, blue and red.
Sony Xperia tipo: Build quality
At just over £100 we didn't have high hopes for excellent build quality. However, the Sony Xperia tipo is a solid little smartphone. There are no premium materials but the handset is well made – for example, the screen, chassis and rear cover all sit neatly flush to each other. The latter is predictably thin and flimsy.
Sony Xperia tipo: Hardware and performance
Things take a turn for the worse when you investigate the internal hardware and subsequent performance. It's not surprising to find an 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 512MB. However, this combination just isn’t enough to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and our benchmark results paint the picture.
The Sony Xperia tipo won the award for the worst result we've seen in GeekBench 2, with a score of just 262 points. The budget Xperia U for example scored over 800.
Results weren’t any better in the SunSpider JavaScript test with an extremely slow average of 5781ms – also the worst result we've recorded. And in practice, using this phone involves a fair bit of waiting around.
Storage is extremely limited at 2.9GB but fortunately there is a microSD card slot hiding underneath the rear cover. Investment in a memory card will be almost essential.
The screen is very small at only 3.2in so tasks like gaming and web browsing aren't the easiest on the Xperia tipo. The low resolution of 320 x 480 means a pixel density of 180ppi, which is actually better than the 165ppi and 125ppi found on the HTC Desire C and LG L3.
The Huawei Ascend G300 trumps the lot with 233ppi on its 4in screen and also costs under £100.
Little is offered in the way of connectivity on the Sony Xperia tipo. You get the basic set of Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and aGPS. The only port is microUSB for charging and transferring data.
Sony Xperia tipo: Camera
The Xperia Tipo is far from being a photographer's phone. There's only a rear-facing camera, with a low resolution of 3.2Mp. Results were predictably poor quality with plenty of grain. And you can forget taking pictures in low light, especially since there’s no LED flash on-board. Video is equally as bad, at 640 x 480 size, and results are even worse should you move the phone while filming.
Sony Xperia tipo: Sofware
Sony is now shipping its smartphones with a version of Android more recent than 2.3 Gingerbread. The Sony Xperia tipo comes with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). At first glance it's almost the same as before with the same customised Sony interface. However, you do get extra features like multi-tasking, the key feature missing from Sony's devices running on Gingerbread.
As usual, Sony provides plenty of additional widgets, wallpapers and themes which help with customisation. The pre-loaded apps are varied and will get you off to a good start but adding a memory card will be necessary if you want to install many more.
Sony Xperia tipo: Battery Life
An advantage which we often find with budget phones can be decent battery life, when the lower specification hardware makes less demands on the battery. We found the Sony Xperia tipo lasted a couple of days of varied smartphone use. Sony meanwhile quotes 5 hours talk time, 30 hours music playback or 3 hours video playback. The removability of the battery could be advantageous.
Comments
Hi9_5 said: its pretty gud mobile if you see only cons we don get any mobile in market which is economic bt tipo has all the features and its worth for the cost
Lesbobly said: I have exactly same problem and it is intermittent therefore O2 refused to refund and repair is problem because of intermittent Sadly I have always purchased Sony where possible - TV hi-fi etc but this is changing my mind my plea is dont make it cheap if it cheapens your brand I trusted that it was Sony and would be good - but RUBBISH about as useful as a chocolate teapot I would rather you said 50 more and it worked I would still have purchased
sunshine said: is it tipo dual sim os can be updated to 42 jelly bean is it possible
Matt Egan said: Of course Chris has tested the phone - the benchmark results ought to tell you that The fact is that cheap doesnt always mean good value You may review phones but youd have more credibility if you focused more on reading the review in question and less in making weak jokes based on the authors name
David Jenkins said: Go back to coldplay this phone I have seen and I review phones as well the value for money makes this phone a lot more appealing than many alternatives when you look at the Wildfire S which is older less memory slower processor and STILL more expensive with an older OS I think you have missed the point of this phoneIt is as up to date as it can be with the specs it has albeit the camera could be better I wouldnt say that could put anyone off completelyAs of right now in the UK you can find some excellent deals for the tipo for less than 100 so if you need a phone for the time being this would be one of your best bets although similar specs a front facing camera on the huawei blaze in phones4u for 40 even betterI suggest you look at your review from a non-biased position and revise what you have said as it seems rather anti-sony and personally I am not their biggest fan either but you cant deny good value when you see itHeres a question have you actually personally tried this phone All of your information seems to be based on other peoples information
Firstt Secondd said: the worst rew ever the phone rocks and there is No waiting aroundI have the phone and is awesome so yeah fak you
Hanna Gibson said: did u resolve this i hav the same problem hnna
Alejandro Umb Arevalo said: httpswwwfacebookcomgroup UNANCE PARA DARLE UN MEJOR USO Y PROVECHO AL CELULAR
Mariemichelebeedasy said: i bought zis phone in sept in southampton in carphone house and ive used it just one week and it said no sim card found n no service im very disapointing
Flok2flok said: Worst phone ever Was working fine for 6 weeks and then for no reason screen went crazy - have to press 3-5 times on icon before it responds Worst is texting After being frustrated and angry first couple of days now it is just funny - typing is impossible - never know what word will be composed no matter what letter am I pressingI quess u get what u paid for thank God I have my 2nd phone xperia Arc - works just fine Tipo brend new - junk
Augjes said: Wtf Value for money 25 stars This had to be 5 dude Very bias In the reviewers optic the tipo has to cost 50 bucks or so to archieve 5 stars Get realGreat phone for the money
crave said: You must have a pretty high standard for smartphones where as I dont The Tipo I got the Dual Sim is a funky little smartphone it does everything out of the box The app store is awesome but the Tipo wont run the latest 3D games but it handles most without a problem The camera does suck I mean it really does but I didnt buy it because of that I bought it because it was cheap and its is actually a nice looking phoneNo need to buy a screen cover itsupposedlyhas a scratchresistancescreen and I can honestly say after 2 weeks of heavy duty use it looks greatBasically get this phone if you are just stepping into the world of Android phones as I did afortnightago and Im loving it Yes for a few dollars more you can get MORE duh but if you only have so much to burn then tip you hat to the Tipo I think its worth it