Sony wowed us at MWC 2019 with a range of new devices, and arguably none more so than their new mid-ranger; the Sony Xperia 10.
Now, the Sony Xperia 10 is now available from Clove Technology with 64GB internal memory and 3GB RAM in Black or Navy, for only £299 including VAT. Plus, if you order from Clove then you’ll also receive a free set of Sony Xperia Wireless in-ear headphones.
Design and Display
So first thing’s first, the Sony Xperia 10 has been crafted with a noticeably tall screen that’s quite unlike anything that we’ve used before. That’s because Sony have decided to fit their new devices with a 21:9 aspect ratio that matches the standard aspect ratio used in the cinema. As we’re sure you’re all aware, Sony have long focused upon the media capabilities of their devices and the Xperia 10 is perfect for watching movies without suffering from cropping or black bars at the top or the bottom of the screen.
Indeed, Sony have claimed that almost 70% of the films currently available on Netflix are made specifically for the 21:9 aspect ratio and we’ve certainly enjoyed watching videos back. This is in no end helped by Sony’s Digital Sound Enhancement Engine which produces high resolution audio. Smart amplifier technology also gives richer, louder sound with enhanced bass which is great for playback.
Such a tall display has also been really beneficial for multitasking. The proportions of the display mean that you can open an app in portrait in 16:9 and simultaneously play a video in landscape above it at 16:9. This really is a device that makes the most of every inch, providing full edge to edge entertainment.
The display itself is a 6-inch Full HD+ IPS Panel that has been coated in Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for toughness and durability. Bezels are relatively small, except for a large forehead and buttons are located very conveniently around the sides for easy reach, with the device measuring in at 68mm x 156mm x 8.4mm.
There is also a fingerprint scanner built into the right hand edge of the phone which has been great for us but we are all right handed so it may be trickier to get used to if you’re naturally left.
Also located on the right hand side is Sony’s Side Sense bar which is definitely handy. Double tap on the side of the device and the Xperia 10 displays all of your favourite apps so that you don’t need to go through the laborious task of scrolling for them.
From here, you can also enable one-handed mode which simply shrinks the screen into the bottom right hand corner so you can easily tap with your thumb.
- 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio
- Digital Sound Enhancement Engine
- Smart amplifier technology
- 6-inch FullHD+ IPS panel
- Gorilla glass 5
- 68mm x 156mm x 8.4mm
- Fingerprint scanner
- Side Sense Bar
- One-handed mode
Camera
The Sony Xperia 10 is the first of Sony’s mid-range devices to come fitted with a dual-lens setup to the rear and the results are decent for a device at this price point.
The primary lens is a 13MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and a 76-degree field of view and captures the fine detail in subjects such as colour and contrast. The secondary lens is 5MP and has an f/2.4 aperture, the primary of purpose of which is to help achieve great background blurring for Bokeh shots.
Now the pictures that we’ve taken, whilst not quite flagship level, have still been pretty impressive and the Xperia 10 actually allows you to shoot in a number of different aspect ratios, including the 21:9. There’s also support for HDR and the rear shooter comes equipped with 5 x digital zoom.
The Xperia 10 is also capable of recording 4K resolution video at the 21:9 aspect ratio so is ready to view on that cinematic display immediately. SteadyShot image stabilisation has also been included to aid towards smooth and steady recording.
Hidden within that large forehead is an 8MP front camera that takes some fairly respectable selfies, whilst you can also have a bit of fun using the cameras to play with various AR filters.
- Dual-lens rear camera
- Main 13MP lens, f/2.0, 76-degree FOV
- Secondary 5MP lens, f/2.4
- HDR support
- 5x digital zoom
- 4K video recording
Performance
Moving onto performance, you may at first be disappointed by the 2870mAh battery, however a host of software features enhance this greatly. Smart Stamina predicts how long your juice will last and adapts energy usage to keep you going for longer. Similarly, battery care helps to keep your phone from overcharging, whilst adaptive charging works to monitor your phone whilst it’s charging to make sure that the battery isn’t overworked.
There are also better chipsets than the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (and 3GB RAM) that’s included, however I’ve used this device to watch movies and play games and I haven’t had any problems with stutter or lag.
Alongside this, the Xperia 10 runs Android 9 Pie and comes with 64GB of internal memory, however this can be expanded with a microSD card by up to 512GB.
- 2870mAh battery
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 630
- 3GB RAM
- Android 9 Pie
- microSD support up to 512GB