If you’re a fan of Sony’s design language and want the same styling in a budget phone, The Xperia L1 brings you what you are looking for. Sony has a history of serving the Android phone market at a low price point, and the Xperia L1 is just the continuation of that trend. You can’t expect a high-end device at this price point, though. That’s exactly the case with the Sony Xperia L1, which has its obvious shortcomings with a weaker chipset, no fingerprint sensor, and an average camera. Nevertheless, there are a few good specs and a reasonable performance to cherish for budget buyers. Here’s a detailed Sony Xperia L1 review to help you get a closer feel of this handset.
Design
Over the years, we have seen Sony sticking to the same boxy design language, making its phones pleasantly unique in the market. The same goes for the Sony Xperia L1 too. The handset comes with an all-plastic body, but it’s reassuringly sturdy. The rear panel has plain, gently curved edges and somewhat sharp corners. The back of the phone has a camera in the top-left corner, with the LED flash sitting just underneath. In the middle, it has the Xperia logo, and just above it is the NFC touch-point indicator.
On the front, you can easily notice hefty bezels around the Xperia L1’s display. Especially the bottom bezel is too big for a phone that doesn’t feature a physical home button.
The power button and the volume rocker are conveniently located along the right edge of the device. The bottom edge is home to a USB-C port and a single speaker, while a 3.5mm headphone jack can be spotted at the top.
Display
The Sony Xperia L1 features a 5.5” IPS LCD display, boasting 720 x 1280 resolution and 267ppi pixel density. Obviously, the numbers aren’t too impressive, and it becomes evident in your day-to-day use. The panel doesn’t look too great in terms of contrast either, as things are a bit yellowish compared to the typical OLED displays.
Cameras
Cameras are not the forte of most budget handsets, and that’s also true for the Xperia L1. It comes with a 13mp rear camera that captures some lovely pictures in supporting conditions. Nevertheless, it’s not one of the best cameras you could find on Android phones today. You can also use the phone’s back camera to record 1080p videos at 30fps but lacks stabilization and the quality may not be great either. The front camera is a 5mp snapper, and it performs well in different apps like Skype and Snapchat.
The cameras struggle in the low light settings and the images come out grainy and without much detail. The already-sluggish auto-focus takes even more time to focus on the subject. On the contrary, when the lighting is good, you can expect excellent images with great detail and contrast.
Performance
The Sony Xperia L1 is powered by a MediaTek MT6737T CPU – a low-end processor chip. It is backed by 2GB of RAM, and it’s pretty normal nowadays for Android phones to make them run smoothly enough for a seamless experience.
When you use the Xperia L1, it gives you a decent experience overall. However, you can notice small pauses as you drag down to use the universal search feature or swipe left to use Google Now. The camera loads up in a few seconds too. However, the L1 gives you competent performance when gaming.
Battery Life
The handset features a 2620mAh battery. Despite the fact that the battery is not big enough for a smartphone with a 5.5” screen, its stamina is surprising. It will get you through a day of normal use rather easily.
Sony Xperia L1 is not a high-end device by any means. Therefore, you should set realistic expectations if you plan to buy it. Nevertheless, it’s a good pick among the budget phones, especially if you prefer having the Sony styling on your side. Bulk Mobiles UK brings you the best deals on a variety of popular handsets. Check out now if there is one available on your Sony Xperia L1.