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Sony Xperia Miro Review
Compact & slimline designSony is busy launching Android phones left, right and centre in 2012, and we're busy liking them. The Miro is another one to like, and in fact it's one of the best entry-level smartphones we've reviewed.The Miro is almost exactly the same size as the mid-range Xperia U, but it's a couple of millimetres thinner, making it very easy to handle. It's a smart-looking handset available in a range of colours, and with a new-style LED light located just above the XPERIA logo below the screen. The light flashes discreetly to notify you of messages, facebook updates and other events and can be customised to your preferences. You can even change the colour of the light. The Miro is large enough for a 3.5 inch screen, which is the same size as rivals like the HTC Desire C and Samsung Galaxy Ace. The screen is a standard LCD display with a decent 320x480 resolution and benefiting from an anti-reflection coating. Ice Cream SandwichThe Miro runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) which isn't quite the latest release, but isn't far off. An upgrade to 4.1 (Jelly Bean) is on the cards for later in 2012.Like other Xperia phones, the Miro has been customised with Sony's Timescape app which integrates your communications into a single place, including facebook, twitter, email and texts. Facebook is closely integrated into the user interface, so you can easily share photos and music with friends. The photo album app lets you share photos on facebook and see likes and comments directly from the app. Similarly the music player lets you share your music tastes and see what others like. The calendar app automatically displays birthdays and other events from facebook. Photos & videoThe Miro has a high quality 5 megapixel camera with autofocus and a pulsed LED flash for extra brightness in low lighting. It can record video at VGA resolution and 30 frames per second.A second VGA front-facing camera can be used for self-portraits or for video chatting. The 3.5 inch screen isn't the biggest for watching videos or viewing photos, but it does the job. MusicSony phones have always enjoyed a great reputation for music and the Miro is no exception. The music player app is fully featured and sound quality is good, with a manual equaliser available for fine tuning plus Sony's xLOUD feature, which does what its name suggests and pumps up the volume on your speakers!TrackID can recognise a music track and identify the song and artist for you. Sony's subscription service, Music Unlimited, gives you access to a large library of music which can be listened to offline. Good connectivityThe Miro is a 3G phone with fast HSPA data capability. It also has Wi-Fi for even faster data access in a Wi-Fi zone, and it can function as a Wi-Fi hotspot itself, enabling other Wi-Fi devices to connect to the internet.It also supports Bluetooth and USB connectivity. DLNA lets you stream images or video to a compatible TV. You can also use it to stream music wirelessly to a hifi. A 3.5mm audio jack lets you plug in a standard-fit headset. The only thing missing is NFC, which doesn't yet feature on any phones at this price point. Processing powerRemember that the Miro is an entry-level smartphone and you won't be disappointed by the less-than-sparkling 800MHz processor. It's enough to power a phone of this type, although it doesn't give the ultrafast responsiveness of an Xperia T for example.Memory is generous, with 4GB of built-in storage, although only 2GB is available to the user. For additional storage you can add a 32GB microSD memory card and there's an additional 50GB of cloud storage available if you want it. Strong battery lifeAll smartphones drain battery power at an alarming rate, but Sony understand this and have equipped the Miro with a big 1500mAh battery. It's the kind of battery that typically powers much higher-end smartphones, and that means that it's more than adequate for the Miro. You ought to be able to go for a couple of days between charges even if you're a moderate to heavy user.Conclusion - an impressive low-cost smartphoneFor an entry-level smartphone, the Xperia Miro does all we could ask of it and more. It's a better phone that the similarly-priced Tipo. The 3.5 inch screen is as big as most rivals, and offers a crisp display while keeping the phone compact, slim and lightweight. The 5 megapixel camera is excellent, and while it lacks HD video recording, it does offer a secondary VGA camera for video chat. The Ice Cream Sandwich operating system works well, and we like Sony's tweaks to the user interface, especially the close facebook integration. The onboard memory is generous, and the cloud storage is a welcome bonus. Connectivity is excellent, and the battery life is a particular strength of the phone. If there's one thing that feels a bit mediocre, it's the rather lacklustre 800MHz processor, and for that reason you may prefer the Sony Xperia U or the HTC Desire X.
Features of the Sony Xperia Miro include:
Sony Xperia Miro User ReviewsLove your mobile? Hate it? Please share your experiences to help other people choose the phone that's best for them. Please do not review this phone if you have not used it. This is a review site, not a forum, so please don't just ask questions. Please do not use swear words or offensive language, and please, no advertising! Average rating from 5 reviews: Reviewed by edjc from uk on 13th May 2013 Reviewed by Chris Rose from Norfolk on 22nd Feb
2013 Reviewed by Kim Noble from Goole, East Ridings of Yorkshire
on 26th Jan 2013 Reply by Chris Rose from England on
22nd Feb 2013 Reviewed by Ronald from Shetland, Scotland on
15th Dec 2012 Reviewed by Ricky from England on 27th Nov 2012 LinksSony Xperia Miro dealsSony Xperia Miro Black Pink deals Sony Xperia Miro White Silver deals |
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