The Sony Xperia Tipo is the latest addition to the Xperia smartphone
range, and it's undoubtedly the baby of the family. It comes in at
around £100 (around $160), with an 800MHz single-core processor, 512MB
of RAM, 2.5GB of internal storage, a 3.2MP camera and a 3.2-inch 320 x
480 display.
It runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which in terms of its specifications is definitely the standout feature.
The Sony Xperia Tipo (also known as the ST21i) is priced at around the same level as the Huawei Ascend G300, Samsung Galaxy Y and LG Optimus L3. In other words, it's an entry-level Android smartphone. But
while its specs are mostly the same as its competitors - or even
slightly weaker in some cases - it is one of very few handsets at around
this price point that currently runs Android 4.0. The
first thing that hits you with the Sony Xperia Tipo is just how chunky
it is, at 13mm (0.5 inches) thick. Conversely, its height of 103mm (4
inches) and width of 57mm (2.2 inches) are both on the small side, as
you'd expect from a low-end phone. The
build quality isn't bad, though at 99.4g (0.22lbs) it's pretty
lightweight. Rather than sporting a plastic back like most of its
rivals, the Sony Xperia Tipo comes with a "premium rubber" coating on
the battery cover. This is designed to wipe clean with a wet cloth,
keeping your phone looking new and unmarked. Though
we didn't want to push our luck too much, these claims seemed true in
our tests, with minor stains wiping straight off. The coating also makes
it easy to get a solid grip on the handset. Shiny plastic covers have a
tendency to feel precariously slippery in the hand, but this has no
such problems. The
cover is quite easy to remove, which is just as well because the
battery, SIM card and microSD card slot all lie behind it. There's a
small groove at the bottom of the phone that you can use to pull it
straight off, and replacing it is just as easy. The
microSD card slot and SIM card can only be accessed by removing the
battery itself. It's an unfortunate placement, particularly in the case
of the microSD card slot, since that 2.5GB of internal storage will
quickly get eaten up. Heavy
users of media and apps may find the need for more than one microSD
card to store all of their stuff. So it would be nice if they were
switchable on the fly. Still, it can take cards of up to 32GB, which
will likely be more than enough for most users. The
top-left corner of the Sony Xperia Tipo houses the power key, which can
also be tapped to lock or wake the phone. Along from that on the
top-right you'll find a 3.5mm headphone jack. On
the right edge of the handset near the top there's a volume rocker,
which can also be used to zoom the camera. There's also a strap hole
near the bottom. On
the left-hand side all you'll find is a micro USB slot, which is used
primarily for charging the phone and connecting it to a computer. It's
not an ideal position, since it gets in the way and makes it
unnecessarily awkward to operate the phone while it's charging. A better
position would have been the top or bottom edge. It also doesn't help
that the charging cable provided with the phone is very short. The
camera lens is on the back of the phone, as you'd expect, as is a
speaker. Finally, the front of the phone has the ear speaker at the top
and three soft touch keys at the bottom. These are specifically the back
key on the left, the home key in the centre and the menu key on the
right.
The Xperia Tipo sits alongside other Android smartphones in the growing Xperia range, including the Sony Xperia Go, Sony Xperia T, Sony Xperia J and Sony Xperia V.
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