Review of the smartphone Sony Xperia L4: the embodiment of economy and non-standard forms

The best recipe for popularity in 2020 is far from a mix of honest work and a good reputation. Black PR, high-profile conflict or unfairly inflated prices - this is a sure way to thunder all over the world. Especially if everything at once! Once the best of the best, the Japanese brand Sony tirelessly follows the trends, therefore, having prepared the release of the new Sony Xperia L4 smartphone, it hastened to put together all the possible disadvantages and immediately show it to the whimsical public.

How exactly the company sells the developments of 2018 and pulls out the remnants of its former glory from the bottom - we will find out right now!

A few words about the brand

The brand has been going really bad lately. The glare of the early 2000s spotlights, where everything bearing the Sony logo was branded as "guarantee of quality", quickly faded.Asian products have not disappeared, but with the emergence of tech giants Oppo, Xiaomi and Honor, which sell smartphones in batches, it has become difficult to stay afloat. An example of this is Lenovo, which quickly lit up and also faded under pressure from competitors.

For Sony, which specializes in televisions and game consoles (and back in 2009, push-button phones), the transition to the production of touch devices was quite painful. Now on the official website, like the only pride, Sony Xperia 1 and Sony Xperia 5 flaunt. The models were received with brilliance by society, but can you say the same about the L4 version? Here, the opinions of experts and directly users who will use the gadget, and not just review it, differ.

Appearance

The first thing that catches your eye is the non-standard aspect ratio (21:9) with dimensions of 159 x 71 x 8.7 mm. Comically long and narrow at the same time (take two and you're already promoting Twix). And then in the best traditions of the Japanese brand: clear square corners, extremely small thickness and a huge “chin”.

Well, not all the same about the bad! The developers can be safely praised for the high-quality disguise of a frank budget (8-10 thousand) under a confident mid-price segment (15-20 thousand). The back panel, though made of plastic, but matte. It leaves fewer traces and dirt, while each crack, like a knife to the heart, will not go unnoticed by others. Just in this case, we advise you to purchase a case and protective glass.

The case is not cluttered and has a slight gradient from the darkest to the lightest shades. The fingerprint cutout has moved from the back to the side.It seems that only Sony with the L4, and Samsung with the A01, could return to such antiquity, but the long-forgotten sensor on the side is gaining popularity again even among leading brands. Meanwhile, the truly groundbreaking Face ID feature is a dream come true. And in the upper left corner there is a slender row of three cameras and a flash. In the center is the Sony logo.

The front part of the smartphone is glazed, but has no additional protection. This was to be expected from a government employee. A bad example is contagious, but it’s good that the Japanese brand didn’t follow it, doing something with the shape of the front camera. A small, barely noticeable cutout in the center is an ageless classic.

The unusual oblong shape of the Sony Xperia L4 has caused a lot of controversy on the Internet. Is it convenient to hold such a colossus with one hand? Of course, the weight of the gadget is standard – 178 grams. Also, the narrow shape will finally allow right-handers to "Like" without grabbing the phone!

Equipment

And something even through the years remains unchanged:

• USB cord;
• Clip for card slot;
• Charger;
• Warranty card and certificates.

Presented model Sony Experia L4 in two colors: black and blue.

Characteristics

Screen

As it has already become clear - the screen is more than enough. In this model, the display cut off a diagonal of 6.2 inches, or ~ 79.5% of the total area of ​​the smartphone. Decent value. What you need when watching movies and videos.

The resolution is 720 x 1680 pixels, at a ratio of ~295 ppi. The values ​​are, frankly, average. Brightness is lost in order in sunny weather. In tandem with a budget IPS matrix, where it doesn’t smell like rich black, when deviated, the image will naturally fade and turn into a negative. With the light hand of a rather weak, according to users, processor, the screen is able to maintain maximum HD + quality (that is, 720p) and even then, with bugs. Only unpretentious users who need the gadget for work rather than entertainment will really appreciate the smartphone. We will have time to make sure of this, rest assured!

The display is fragile, and the LCD screen needs to be handled with care anyway, the hour is not even, it will leak onto the asphalt. But experts praised the saturation of colors and decent brightness.

Filling

Let's dive into the past with the Sony Xperia L4, because the main platform of the smartphone is Android 9.0 (pie). Of course, it is still the most stable and well-developed, and state employees simply adore it.In addition, it is quite possible to upgrade to the "ten". Pluses, meanwhile, it has plenty:

• Based on the Pixel Launcher of the latest update;
• Improved widgets and full support for Google services (and Active Services for games);
• Neat notification icons in the line;
• Noticeable stabilization of processes, smooth transition to the menu.

Sony did not leave additional gifts in the form of shells or tasty designs, we are content with the factory settings, like true samurai, and do not complain.

Finally, we move on to the most undeservedly criticized part of the review. In 2020, literally every gadget, unless powered by Qualcomm, quickly falls into the rogue list. Where did the unshakable conviction come from that there is no one better than the American manufacturer? Experts are puzzled, and the Internet wars are filled with comments: “Why not Snapdragon 6 generation, Sonya?”.

The Sony Xperia L4 is equipped with a Mediatek MT6762 processor, developed using a 12-nanometer process technology. Certainly not 7 mm, but what else does the budget need? Users must have been waiting for 1080p at 30fps, so Pubg 9 on ultra? For games, this smartphone is also suitable, but not so overloaded.

Real miracles are created with the processor on budget turns. The system of dividing nuclei into clusters, familiar to many, is absent here. There are also 8 of them with a clock frequency of 2 GHz (Cortex-A53), only the multitasking of the smartphone is significantly reduced. Interruptions, application errors are possible. The PowerVR GE8320 video processor evens out the situation a little, but the case still gets very hot, resembling far from being a novelty in 2020, but a portable heating pad.

In AnTuTu, the processor scores no more than 75,000 points, which is comparable to Snapdragon 4 generation.

autonomy

Samurai in sweat, thoughts swarming in my head, 10% of the charge left ...

Haiku is comic, and the situation with the Sony Xperia L4 smartphone is truly terrible. After all, the developers undeservedly awarded it with a huge 6-inch display and a non-removable Li-Po battery with a capacity of only 3580 mAh. So much small value is a crime, not otherwise. It is strange that the branded Power Bank was not put in the box as compensation.

Without additional recharging, the overall device will hardly last even 24 hours, dying after 10 hours of using the mobile Internet or playing the game. Only really busy people should be inclined to buy this model, because the waiting time in the smartphone has reached 72 hours.

Camera

Unfortunately, even the camera could not pull the guest of our review out of the wilds of the terry budget.

The main camera is represented by 3 sensors. The first of which took 13 megapixels, with a simple f / 2.0 aperture. Noises, irregularities are visible in the photo, and the zoom is completely contraindicated for this model, because it is impossible to see anything other than pixels. The light transmission capacity is small, so romantic twilight photos without a flash will also have to be forgotten. However, with good lighting, the pictures are colorful, and there are plenty of effects in the phone.

The second sensor is 5 MP with a wide viewing angle of 17 mm. I would like to ask the developers, where is it useful with such and such a quality? The official website says that the second lens is suitable for shooting video, moreover, as 1080p 30fps, although in reality the display is unlikely to withstand this format. And the latter at 2 megapixels, according to tradition, for better exposure settings.

The front camera is 8 MP, also with f / 2.0 aperture and a wide viewing angle of 27mm.As with the main one, photos are good only in sunny weather. On cloudy days they are too dark, and at night they are too reminiscent of the famous Malevich Square.

Where to buy and at what price

Due to events in the world, the release of the smartphone has been postponed indefinitely. The Sony Xperia L4 will certainly reach the Russian and European markets with the promised price of $ 110 or 10,000 rubles (and this is with the exchange rate for today).

Advantages and disadvantages

• Big screen;
• Beautiful, unusual design;
• Stable Android 9;
• Good processor.

• Weak battery;
• Low quality camera
• Cheap materials that will need protection;
• No SIM/SD card slot.

Results

The results here are like in an advertisement for shampoos: the Sony Xperia L4 is worthy of its price, and users of such equipment are unlikely. Poor camera quality, weak gameplay, but the screen for movies is good! This model is really suitable for the elderly or avid workaholics. After all, there are large and strategically important applications in the phone with shortcuts and text.