Sony Xperia

T2 Ultra Dual

Review in pictures

An XL-sized phablet that’s easy to handle

• The Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual is mid-range phabletwith an extra-large display.

• It features Sony’s trademark Omni-Balance design but ditches the glass for glossy plastic.

• Misses out on dust- and water-resistance, unlike some Sony smartphones.

• Dual SIM Active technology keeps both networks active at all times.

Six inches of pixels and buttery smooth

• The T2 Ultra Dual sports a huge 6-inch display, making it one of the larger phablets available.

• 720p resolution results in a pixel density of 245ppi.• The display is smooth and responsive, with glove mode that works

like a charm.• Viewing angles and brightness are top-notch, but sunlight legibility

is poor.

Interactive dinosaurs anyone?

• There’s a 13MP camera with an Exmor RS sensor, and 1.1MP front shooter.

• Plenty of camera features, including a full-fledged auto mode, manual control, filters and effects.

• Several camera apps come pre-loaded, like Portrait retouch to touch up faces and change your eye make-up in real time with different effects.

• AR effect adds fun, interactive animations to your photos. Don’t worry, Mr T-Rex doesn’t bite.

Stark difference in daylight and low-light images

• The presence of a dedicated camera key is a welcome addition.

• Results are a mixed bag for the primary camera, with those in bright sunlight appearing crisp, but anything taken in low light appearing noisy.

• The front camera is only usable for video calls, selfies are too grainy to be profile pictures.

A custom skin we could get used to

• The T2 Ultra runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, with a KitKatupdate in the works.

• Sony’s custom UI doesn’t take away from the Android experience, and adds useful features like Face Unlock.

• Small Apps lets you open small windows of selected apps and run them on top of full-screen apps.

Extra features for one-handed operation

• There are some additions to improve one-handed usage. Double tapping the Home button brings the notification tray to the bottom of the screen.

• You can also shrink the keyboard and dock it on the right or left of the display.

• The dial pad is centred to make it easier to use with either hand.

Smooth operator, handles graphics with ease

• Taking care of performance is a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, paired with 1GB of RAM and an Adreno 305 GPU.

• Graphic heavy games didn’t display any lag or stutter, with the screen relaying the graphics with ease.

• Day to day performance is commendable, with no freezes and quick app-load times.

You can leave that charger at home

• Fuelling the 6-inch screen is an equally heavy duty 3,000mAh battery.

• The T2 Ultra Dual has one of the longest lasting batteries we’ve tested on a smartphone, easily lasting over a day and a half with heavy usage.

• And should you need it, there are several power saving modes to prolong battery life further.

At a glance

• 6-inch, 1,280 x 720 pixels (245 ppi)

• 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor

• Adreno 305 GPU• 1GB RAM• 8GB in-built storage with

microSD slot• 13MP primary camera with

flash, 1.1MP front camera• Android 4.3 • 3,000mAh battery• Dual-SIM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,

GPS and NFC

-• Average camera• Shiny plastic

construction that tends to scratch and smudge easily

• Call quality is average

Pros and cons

+• Large, bright display

with excellent colour reproduction

• No lags or freezes in performance

• Battery that lasts really long

• Slim and lightweight despite its size

Price: Rs 25,990

Pricing and verdict

“Phablets are all the rage now, but six inches may not be everyone’s cup of tea. That said, the T2 Ultra Dual isn’t cumbersome to use, thanks to its lightweight and slim

construction. Performance and battery life are commendable, and with attractive pricing, this is a good

bet if you’re looking for a big screen smartphone”