Sony Xperia T2 and Xperia E1 smartphones on pre-order now

As part of the announcements at the CES 2014 trade show this year, Sony announced a pair of low-cost handsets: the Sony Xperia T2 and the Sony Xperia E1. We’ll be stocking them both at Mobile Fun soon, so I thought I’d take the time to take a look at each model and see who they’re meant for. Let’s get started!

Sony Xperia T2

The Sony Xperia T2 is the more expensive of the two, coming in at £400. For that mid-range price-point, you’ll get a massive 6″ display that rivals that of the Galaxy Note.
Sim Free Sony Xperia Z1 - Black    Sim Free Sony Xperia Z1 - Black

The phone is pretty impressive technically, with a latest-generation Snapdragon 400  quad-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage (augmented up to 64 GB by microSD). You’ll also enjoy the latest communication technologies: LTE connectivity, dual-band Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. The camera is impressive too, at 13 megapixels with LED flash. In terms of software, we’ve got a lightly skinned version of Android 4.3 – pretty good!

The cost savings here come from the fact that the display is only 720p instead of 1080p and we’re seeing a Snapdragon 400 instead of the slightly more powerful 600 or 800 series. To be honest, it’s a sensible way to keep costs low, while maintaining enough horsepower to make the most of that six inch display.

If you’re looking for a phablet but don’t want to stretch to the Xperia Z Ultra or the Galaxy Note 3, this is a good middle-ground.

Sony Xperia E1

The Sony Xperia E1 is a lower-cost smartphone, with a much more manageable price point and screen size. The phone’s going for £140 sim-free, making it a competitor of the excellent Motorola Moto G.
Sim Free Sony Xperia Z1 - Black

The screen is 4″ along the diagonal, the same size as the iPhone 5S. The resolution is a little lower at 800 x 480 (the flagship resolution from 2011), but that’s fairly acceptable at this price point. Elsewhere things are pretty low-key with a Snapdragon 200 dual-core processor, 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage (plus 32 GB of microSD storage expansion supported). There’s no LTE here, but you do get most of the other latest wireless standards – including Bluetooth 4.0 so you’ll have compatibility with most fitness accessories.

This is definitely a budget phone, but Sony have proved popular in the lower segment of the market thanks to their attractive hardware designs and relatively slick skinned versions of Android. The Xperia E1 is definitely in that mold, an updated Xperia for 2014 that should be a nice choice for anyone looking for a low-cost sim-free mobile.

Conclusion

So there you have it – two budget-conscious smartphones from Sony, both available for pre-order soon and expected to arrive in March. Be sure to let me know what you think of the smartphones in the comments below, and have a great weekend!