The 10,000 - 23,000 range has always been SONY's stronghold and the XPERIA-M seems to be Competition killer.
If you think that Micromax and XOLO give better configs for the price, SONY is here to prove you wrong:
Here is a step-by-step analysis of the Xperia M:
(The review is comparison based with contenders :
Xolo Play , Canvas A116, Galaxy Core, Ascend P1 )
NOTE:
I am not mentioning anything about Micromax A116 or GALAXY CORE because these 2 phones are completely over-shadowed by phones I am mentioning here.
Indian brands : XOLO play >>>>>>>Micromax A116
Foreign brands: Xperia M >>>>>>> Galaxy Core
LOOKS / HANDLING :
Xperia M is most certainly beautiful, and the best looking entry level device in my opinion.The 4-inch screen means it is extremely comfortable to use and is very light.
Xolo Play comes last in looks as having larger screen,Heavier and thicker body causing difficult handling.
Ascend P1 is very light and thin, and is at par (or a little better) than Xperia-M in looks, but it's material doesn't really feel premium.
DISPLAY:
Xperia M has high enough PPI (245) and display looks crisp with natural vivid colors.
Viewing angles are a bit off, but nothing that you would particularly notice.
XOLO T1000: has a MUCH BETTER DISPLAY than Xperia M in all aspects.
IPS LCD 720-p is a real winner.
Ascend P1 is a mixed bag...While having nearly the same 245 PPI , a pentile matrix causes it to be (a little) less crisp, but AMOLED makes colors very vibrant,(often too much, causing it to look unreal)
PERFORMANCE:
Xperia M has the best performance for an entry level device ever given by a foreign brand. It is snappy, runs all games flawlessly and movies run really well.
XOLO Play and the P1 give similar performances, each giving superb performance for price results.
1GB Ram ensures Muti-tasking is smooth.
Here are the bench marks
Phone......General speed..............................Gaming........Net Speed
...............Quadrant.....Antutu......Linpack.........Egypt HD......Vellamo
Xperia--M...4200.....10,000...........216..................13................1800
Acend.P1..4200...... 7500............151...................18................1500
Xolo.Play...4200......12500...........N/A...................15................1800
As you see most scores are very close, and there is no clear winner.
(these scores CRUSH scores of Galaxy core and HD 116)
USER INTERFACE /SOFTWARE:
XPERIA M and ASCEND P1 crush the XOLO PLAY in this department.
SONY wins overall with jelly-bean(android 4.1.2), smooth UI with superb features like Mini-apps while keeping true to Vanilla JB.
ASCEND P1 has an awesome UI that is VERY DIFFERENT and also allows switching to stock if u dislike it...P1 is however launched with Android 4.0, but updates to jellbean are available.
XOLO PLAY has a very (surprisingly) sluggish UI and this is what ruins probably a great package....UI can however be changed with Launcher apps and ROOTING.
Note: Ascend P1 has a pathetic keyboard, be sure to replace it with another app (SWIFTKEY).
MUSIC:
Xperia M and the Ascend P1 are LOUD, and I mean really loud.
Great music speakers and In ear audio quality make them both great mobiles for audiophiles.
Xolo has average volume, in ear quality is average too.
CAMERA:
Here is how it is
Ascend P1 >>> Xperia M= Xolo Play
Ascend P1 takes magnificent photos and Great videos while Xolo and Xperia M are simple average in this department.
Xperia M is definitely not a Camera-phile's phones.
Customer service and reliability:
Xperia M takes the cake here. The Foreign Brand offer good service and Phones have a much better expected Life time
Huawei and XOLO have below-average support in India.
Note: Huawei is actually a very BIG COMPANY (A brand with value), that actually sold more phones than SONY,LG and HTC in 2012. However, most of it's sales occur only in china.
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CONCLUSION / WRAP-UP:
If Known brands' mobiles are your only option, Xperia M kills all small fries of HTC,LG and Samsung. It Delivers excellently everywhere except the Camera.(only average here) while giving EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE.
A GREAT ALL ROUNDER
THUS, IN BRANDED PHONES >>> XPERIA M IS THE BEST
The ASCEND P1 Hold really well as it stands out as a great choice for people looking for a great package with a GREAT CAMERA or a NEW EXPERIENCE. Display is however not as good as the other 2.
XOLO PLAY remains the Spec-Thristy people's ultimate choice. Flaunting a LARGE beautiful screen, a great chipset for 3,000 it is a BUDGET GAMER'S DREAM. It's camera and UI are however Under-whelming.
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