Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual review

NEW DELHI: Sony's new Xperia M4 Aqua Dual, priced at Rs 24,990, seems like a fish out of water compared to smartphones by Chinese brands that offer better hardware at much lower prices. But in a way, it's supposed to be that, considering it is the only affordable water-resistant smartphone available in the market today.

Now, if you are looking for a water-resistant smartphone, then your options are very, very limited. So we review Xperia M4 Aqua Dual to tell you if the Sony smartphone is worth a buy at a rather high price tag of Rs 24,990.

Design

Xperia M4 Aqua follows the same OmniBalance design language that Sony has used for the past two years, which translates pretty well considering the company has not used premium materials in its construction. The back panel made is of shatterproof plastic with glossy finish; the back panel tends to get smudged and scratched easily.



Along the sides is a polycarbonate frame with metallic finish, and you are likely to assume it is actually metal, not plastic. Like Sony smartphones of the last two years, the right side sports the Power, Volume and Camera hardware buttons. Above the Power key is the housing for the two sim cards, covered by a flap to protect the internals from water damage. Same is the case for the microSD card slot, which is located on the left side.

However, the microUSB port sports a nano-coating that maintains the water resistance despite no flap; this is a good thing because struggling with a flap every time you need to charge the phone can get tiresome after a while.

The fit and finish is pretty good and you will be pleasantly surprised with the overall build quality of the handset. The body is pretty thin (7.3mm) and light (136 grams), so slipping it in and out of the pocket will not seem like a chore. In fact, you would be forgiven to confuse Xperia M4 Aqua with a higher-priced Sony smartphone.

However, not everything is fine and dandy. While using the smartphone with one hand, we always muffled the sound, since the speaker is located at the bottom.

Water-resistance

Xperia M4 Aqua Dual comes with IP68 rating, which means it is dust-resistant and can stay working even after a 1.5-metre, 30-min dip in the pool. In our tests, the smartphone gave no problem after being submerged in water for 15 minutes. You cannot operate the touchscreen when the smartphone is under water, but if you wish to take a photo you can use the hardware Camera key to take the snap.

Display

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual has a 5-inch screen of HD (720x1280p) resolution, which is rather disappointing since most smartphones above Rs 20,000 now offer Full HD (1080x1920p) displays. The display quality is good, but like most Sony smartphones the colours are ever so slightly oversaturated. Nevertheless, the smartphone's display panel is pleasant to look at, with no noticeable pixelation.



The brightness levels of Sony Xperia M4 Aqua's screen are sufficient, even though the colours pale more than we expected them to under direct sunlight. Nevertheless, the contrast as well as viewing angles of the smartphone are more than sufficient, and the overall viewing experience is good.

Hardware

Sony has used the mid-end 64-bit Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor (four 1.5GHz Cortex A53 cores + four 1GHz Cortex A53 cores) in Xperia M4 Aqua Dual. This is the same processor powering Xiaomi's Mi4i and Xolo's Black smartphones, which are over Rs 10,000 cheaper than the Sony model.



Backing the chipset is 2 gigs of RAM, which seems a little less considering we can now get phones with 3GB (Huawei Honor 6 and Honor 6 Plus) and even 4GB RAM (Asus Zenfone 2) at the Rs 25,000 price point.

The India version of Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual has 16GB of internal storage, which is sufficient for downloading a large number of apps; additionally, you can slip in a microSD card to store data. The camera on the back has 13MP resolution, while the front-facing snapper has a 5MP sensor. Battery capacity of Xperia M4 Aqua is rated at 2,400mAh.

Software

Sony is among the few major players who do not customize the software on their smartphones. So you get an Xperia skin on top of the Android 5.0 (Lollipop) flavouring that gives a colourful look to the OS without adding too many features from its side.

Among the OS-level features you will notice include floating apps that you can place anywhere on the screen even when you are running an app, as well as the provision to customize the widgets in the notifications menu. Material design influences are everywhere to see in Sony's custom software skin.

As is its wont, Sony has preloaded a number of proprietary services in Xperia M4 Aqua Dual, such as Music, PlayStation, Liv, Xperia Lounge, Album, Movies. Apart from this, you will find a number of preloaded apps on the smartphone, like Facebook, MovieCreator, Line, TrackID, and AVG, among others. You can uninstall some of these apps, but not all.

Performance

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is not the best performer considering that it is in the company of OnePlus One, Huawei Honor 6 Plus, Asus Zenfone 2 and the likes. Nevertheless, it is sufficiently fast and does not lag while running most apps. Heavy games like Real Racing 3, however, take their toll as we noticed some frame drops and slight sluggishness, which happens with many smartphones. Playing casual games like Temple Run is a breeze on Xperia M4 Aqua.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 615 chip is said to suffer from some overheating issues, which we did notice on Xperia M4 Aqua Dual. However, a software update in the middle of the review period fixed them, and since then we have had no problem concerning the phone's temperature levels, something that still plagues the company's top-end Xperia Z3+ smartphone.



The call quality of the Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is pretty standard, with no sudden call drops. The smartphone also does a decent job in clinging to 3G networks even in basements.

As a multimedia device, the Sony smartphone is good, but as mentioned above, we muffled the audio many a time due to the placement of the speaker. The sound quality is pretty good, with rich tones without much distortion even at high volumes. The display is of decent quality, so you can watch videos without much issue on the handset.

The 2,400mAh battery of Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is pretty good, consistently delivering battery life of just over a day. Though you would be advised to start hunting for a charger as the day nears its end, Xperia M4 Aqua can eke out a few extra hours with the built-in battery saving feature.

Camera

Sony Xperia M4 Aqua's camera is certainly not the best you can find in this price range. The 13MP rear shooter's delivers images with decent colours, but leaves them suffering from overexposure. Moreover, we noticed inconsistency in the colours and contrast levels delivered by the smartphone's rear camera. The front camera, sadly, takes photos with too much noise and videos turn out a little too dark as the front camera's sensor fails to capture enough light.



As we mentioned above, the hardware camera key on the right edge can be used to capture images under water.

Verdict

In this market, it is hard for any smartphone to compete against the products offered by Chinese brands, and same is the case with Xperia M4 Aqua Dual. The Sony smartphone is a decent device to buy, but with the democratization of the market, it faces an uphill battle.

But as the only mid-range water-resistant smartphone in the market today, it is well positioned to score a few sales. Buy this smartphone if you want a smartphone with a decent screen, good battery life and attractive design, though the inconsistent camera can be a deal-breaker.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2015) review

Amazon has upgraded its Kindle Paperwhite front-lit reader with a higher resolution 300ppi display, new typography and layout features and double the RAM, keeping the price the same as its predecessor. We take a detailed look at the new e-reader in our review to find out if it's worth a buy...

Look and feel
The Kindle Paperwhite (2015) does not look very different from its predecessor. The device is more or less a light weight rectangular slab with a 6-inch display. The display is placed between the black bezel. The screen is slightly sunken like a photo frame but this doesn't really affect usage.

You'll find a micro-USB port, an LED indicator (for charging) and a physical Power button at the bottom edge. There are no other ports or buttons on the device. The back of the Kindle Paperwhite sports a soft-touch matte finish. It feels good to hold and the surface offers a good grip. At just 205 grams(the 3G version is 217grams), it's easy to hold the device for a longer period of time.



Display
The Kindle Paperwhite(2015) sports a 6-inch 300ppi (the 2013 Paperwhite had a 212ppi display) display with Carta e-paper technology. The display is free of glare, making it easy to read outdoors under sun light. The Paperwhite's display offers 16-level grey scale and offers great contrast. The high pixel density makes text look crisp and sharp, and close to a real paper book. It's even better than the previous-generation Paperwhite.

Unlike tablets, the Kindle Paperwhite's display is front-lit. Amazon claims that the new Paperwhite features an improved front light. We felt that the lighting was uniform across the display.

Amazon also claims the touch grid on the Paperwhite is 19% tighter. We found the touch panel to be very responsive though the implementation of touch in the user interface remains quite limited compared to tablets.

Overall, the Kindle Paperwhite's display is impressive and the display resolution is now at par with the top-end Kindle Voyage.

Software and UI
The Kindle Paperwhite third-generation more or less runs the same software found on its predecessor with a few new additions. Among the new improvements, the major one is the addition of Bookerly, a font designed from the ground up for reading on digital screens.The new Kindle Paperwhite also offers an all-new typesetting engine and includes hyphenation and improved spacing, better character spacing, and better layout control even with larger font sizes. The new typography and layout improvements help reduce eyestrain are available on over half a million books as per Amazon. It claims the new typesetting engine that lays out words 'just as the author intended.'



The home screen features three most recently read books though you can also re-arrange them by recency, title, author and collections(enabled if you have a collection of titles). The book covers also feature a bar that shows how far you've read. You can also see books that you've purchased and have not downloaded by tapping on the 'Cloud' option. It's very easy to download books that you've purchased. You just need to tap on the book cover icon and it will synchronise!

The other part of the home screen features four suggested book titles from Amazon that you can buy. Recommendations are an integral part of Amazon's ecosystem.

The top menu bar features the Home button, a back button, a toggle for the front-light intensity, a search button, a button to invoke Goodreads (an online network of book lovers), a shortcut key to the Kindle store and a drop-down menu that offers shortcuts to Kindle FreeTime, Vocabulary Builder, web browser (experimental) and Settings. The menu also allows you to create a new collection and switch to a list view of your library.

Opening a book is pretty simple. You just need to tap on the cover and it'll open the page you were reading, the last time.

You just need to lightly tap or swipe on the right edge of the screen to turn to the next page, tap on left to turn back a page and tap the top edge for the secondary and main menu. The secondary menu lets you change the fonts, font size, line spacing and margins; Go to a particular page, chapter or annotation, use the X-Ray feature, bookmark or share an annotation on social networks.

The bottom left corner features the page number and time left in the book and chapter while the right corner displays the percentage read. This makes it easy to track your reading progress and improve the reading speed.

The new Paperwhite also includes Dictionaries (Oxford English and New Oxford American Dictionary) and a Vocabulary Builder. The latter saves the words that you look up while reading and offers them as flashcards. Students and language enthusiasts would find this feature quite useful.

When you select a word by tapping and holding it, the Kindle brings up the Dictionary offering its definition. The same pop-up also offers tabs for X-Ray, Translation and Wikipedia. X-Ray is a reference tool that brings up the biography of a character, compiled by Amazon, while the Wikipedia tab brings up the Wikipedia page. Of course, you'll need an active internet connection for the Wikipedia feature. The UI for this feature has been slightly tweaked and is now based on a dropdown menu. It looks much more streamlined.



One can also highlight, add a note, share, translate and report an error through the menu. Those options pop to the front if you highlight more than one word.

The new Paperwhite also includes FreeTime, that allows parents to create profiles for their children and encourage reading with the help of gamification. FreeTime lets parents create personalized profiles for kids and give them access to titles from their collection of books. Children can be rewarded with achievement badges keeping track of their personal reading accomplishments. The utility creates a progress report that keeps parents updated on total time spent reading, number of words looked up, badges earned and books read.

It also offers access to the Goodreads social network where book lovers share their reviews and recommendations. It even offers integration with Facebook and Twitter for sharing quotes and annotations.

The Kindle Paperwhite offers an experimental WebKit based browser that lets you browse the web over WiFi. There's a reason why it's called 'experimental' - you'll not be able to open graphics-heavy, complex web pages.

It's worth pointing out that the 3G-enabled version of the Paperwhite comes with a crippled 3G connection though it comes with unlimited access without the user incurring extra monthly charges. Over 3G networks, it only allows access to the Kindle store. You won't be able to browse the web or access Goodreads without connecting to WiFi.

Battery life & storage
Amazon claims that a single charge lasts up to six weeks if used half an hour a day without connecting to the internet and light set to 10, but even with moderate to high usage, it'll last for more than a week or even two.

Paperwhite comes with 4GB internal storage. It's estimated that you can store thousands of books at a given time. We feel that is more than sufficient for most users. Also, with access to the cloud, you can remove or add titles easily from Amazon's servers.



Is it worth a buy?
At Rs 10,999 for the Wi-Fi only version and Rs 13,999 for the 3G+Wi-Fi variant, the Paperwhite continues to be the best e-book reader you can buy. The sharper display offers a richer reading experience compared to its predecessor and the added RAM reduces page turn time and e-ink ghosting cycles. The Kindle Voyage, which costs Rs 16,499 offers the additional benefit of adaptive lighting, page press sensors and is brighter and whiter, but you're also paying a lot more.

The previous-generation Kindle Paperwhite is also available at Rs 8,999 (Wi-Fi only) on the Indian store and will satisfy most e-book lovers. However, we'd recommend going for the latest version if you're buying your first front-lit e-book reader.

Apple Pay launches in Britain

The service is one of Apple's biggest bets, a way of binding customers more tightly to its phones and new smart watches, as well as taking a small slice of every retail transaction.

LONDON: Apple introduced mobile payments in Britain, hoping to make a splash with consumers familiar with using cards for tap-and-go purchases, as resistance from hold-out banks and stores appeared to evaporate.

Starting Tuesday, Apple Pay is set to be available in 250,000 sites, from Tube stations to coffee shops, supermarkets and travel services, making it more widely available than when it was first introduced in the United States nine months ago.

Users first load their credit and debit card details into an app on their Apple phones or watches. To pay, customers hold the device near a contactless terminal with the user's fingerprints confirming their identity.

The service is one of Apple's biggest bets, a way of binding customers more tightly to its phones and new smart watches, as well as taking a small slice of every retail transaction.

Apple Pay will eventually be supported by all major British banks. The last hold-out, Barclays, confirmed on Tuesday its debit card users and Barclaycard credit card customers will be able to use Apple Pay in the future.

However, there also were some first-day teething problems. Another major bank, HSBC Holdings said it was having technical problems that will lead to a two-week delay before its clients in the United Kingdom can sign up to the service.

Morning subway commuters in the capital were greeted by advertisements from several major banks encouraging the fraction of their customers with the latest-model Apple phones, tablets and smartwatches to link their payment cards to Apple Pay.

Tube-operator Transport for London and big retailers Boots, the British pharmacy business of Walgreens Boots Alliance; Costa Coffee, a part of Whitbread; supermarkets Marks and Spencer and Waitrose all lined up to support Apple Pay.

Part of Apple Pay's appeal to banks and merchants is its higher level of security than most other electronic payment methods to date, and its ease of use, once customers wade through the bureaucratic process of connecting their accounts.

But unlike the consumer electronics business, where Apple regularly releases new computers or phones in dozens of countries at once, there is no such thing as a unified payments market, slowing expansion to further markets.

So far, Apple has been reported to be working to introduce its mobile payments service in China, South Korea and Canada.