Category: Sony

Xperia 5 iii – Hands on

This is Sony’s 3rd iteration of the Xperia 5, bringing with it some minor but subtle changes from the previous incarnation. Just for clarity, I have been using the previous Sony Xperia 5 ii as my personal phone since it was released back in November 2020, so I’m …

MWC – Sony step back too

Mobile World Congress, the usually-massive mobile trade show in Barcelona, is getting quieter by the day as various exhibitors either ditch press briefings, reduce their attendance or cancel completely. This is all due to the continuing coronavirus outbreak, with more than 40,000 cases of the virus globally. LG, …

#MWC18 Sony release their new Xperia XZ2 range

Sony kicked things off for MWC2018 proper this morning with the release of the new Xperia line up. Welcome then, the Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact. The two devices have new design elements thanks to move of the fingerprint reader. This is now on the back, much …

Smartphones made of glass, lol

Wikipedia lists glass as ‘a non-crystalline amorphous solid that is often transparent and has widespread practical, technological, and decorative usage in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optoelectronics’. Here’s a further list of some things that are made of glass: Light bulbs Drinking vessels Spectacles Greenhouses Ashtrays Smartphones …

Xperia XZ – Review. Is this Sony’s best smartphone so far?

Sony has had an interesting year so far. It’s seen the launch of several handsets, including two flagships – the Xperia X and Xperia XZ. The latter of these phones is the subject of this review. If you wish to find out a bit more about the former …

Xperia XZ unboxing

We have managed to do it – we finally have an unboxing before a phone is due for release. This took us a fair few hours of persuasion and persistence from me upon the bigwigs at Sony to allow us to have this device, the Sony Xperia XZ. …

Recovering Sony?

It’s no secret that despite making some nice devices, Sony has been struggling in the mobile phone space. This has led to severe problems within the rest of the company. This saw a new tack being taken by Sony with the launch of the Xperia X series. Ostensibly, …

Xperia X – Review, what is difference between Z and X?

Just a few weeks ago I rather hesitantly went to meet with Sony, and there I was given the replacement to my trusty and long-suffering Xperia Z5 in the form of the Xperia X. Now to say I wasn’t thrilled with this exchange was an understatement as I …

Xperia X – Unboxing and first impressions

There is a new Sony hitting the shelves today, it is the much awaited Xperia X that was announced at MWC 16. This is slightly scaled down version of what went before in the form of the Xperia Z5 range. It shares a lot of features of its …

MWC – Sony Xperia X Series

Sony has just finished their announcement for MWC 16 and along with some interesting looking non-phone devices, they released the new Xperia X Series. This series will come in two different versions; the Xperia X and the Xperia XA, there is also a Xperia X Performance but unfortunately …

MWC – Sony press event Live Blog

Today MWC 2016 starts proper and what better way to kick it off than by seeing what Sony have brought to the party. We are on their stand now and looking to see what new toys they have to play with. Rumours are pointing to a new MediaTec …

Xperia Z5 & Xperia Z5 Compact Comparison – Review

The time has come to put Sony’s finest under a microscope and to see what you are getting when you plonk down £610* on the counter. We know that the camera is meant to be the best thing since they made the camera obscura back in the early …

Sony set to buy Toshiba’s camera sensor business

Mobile image sensors embedded in smartphones are revolutionising journalism and photography. Ever taken a selfie or a picture of your pizza? Or maybe a high quality image of the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal for bragging purposes? Yep, we’ve all been there. There’s no doubt image sensor …

Xperia Z5 – Unboxing

That time of year has come. It’s the time that all geeks look forward to every year. It is, of course, upgrade time. Those of you who are frequent readers will no doubt be aware that I am currently using the Xperia Z3 as my daily driver. Although I …

Z3 or Z3c owner? Want to test Marshmallow?

I like the Sony Z range. They look like well-designed and distinctive pieces of kit, but I was a little hesitant. I never knew what their upgrade strategy would be from handset to handset, so when I heard about this Concept for Android initiative, where Sony allows you …

Sony don’t want you swimming with your Z5!

This one was a bit of a shock to see, especially given their marketing campaign. The latest news out of camp Sony is that they are advising not to use the phone underwater. This is a phone which is billed as waterproof in the specs WWWWHHHHaaaa…. ?! The …

Xperia Z4 Tablet – Unboxing

Another year has gone by and another Sony Tablet has arrived on our desk at Coolsmartphone towers. Today I have the real pleasure of unboxing the new Xperia Z4 Tablet. We first saw this stunning device at MWC, which we covered live. It was here that we were …

Sony Xperia Z3+ – Photo Special

Today we were lucky enough to get hands on with Sony’s new flagship the Xepria Z3+. This is a really nice evolution of the Z3 and one that would make a nice upgrade from anyone who is using a Xperia Z or Xperia Z2. It is also a …

Sony reveal the Xperia C4 proSelfie phone

There’s been rumours for a while that the C3 would come to a more international market last year, but alas this did not happen in the EU. Today Sony launched the replacement for that device in the form of the Xperia C4. Again, whether this will be an …

MWC – Xperia M4 Aqua announced

We did mention it in passing, but Sony also announced a mid-range phone called the Xperia M4 Aqua. The Aqua moniker is because not only is it waterproof (IP65/8 rated, but it also doesn’t need a cap to be put on the MicroUSB charger. Before you rush off …

MWC – Xperia device’s hands on special

Along side the Xperia Z4 Tablet Sony also launched the M4 Aqua today at MWC 2015. This is a high end mid range device aimed at giving ta similar experience to the Xperia Z3 Range but at a lower prce point. Here is a quick hands on Video …

MWC – Xperia Z4 Tablet

Sony have just announced their new Xperia Z4 Tablet here at MWC 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aWBoOZFTnM We had a very brief hands-on with the device before the crowds gathered around to flood the stands. I am as you know, a long time fan of Xperia Devices and was keen to see …

MWC – Xperia M4 Aqua leaks

It seems that Sony has loosened the grip it had on its information about upcoming products at MWC 2015. Just a day after the Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra leaked on their own app, we now have another one from internal documents. The Xperia M4 Aqua is due to …

MWC – Sony reveal their new Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra UPDATE

It seems that, despite their best efforts to stop things leaking, Sony have slipped and overnight an image popped up on their Xperia Lounge app about the soon-to-be-released Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra. Silly name conventions aside, what do we know about this tablet? Well, it is going to …

Sony Smartband Talk available from O2

The latest wearable to come out of the Sony machine has now launched in O2 stores up and down the country. The price is £129.99, however if you get it with a new Android phone then it will cost you just £99.99. The Smartband Talk is the evolution …

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review. Greatness delivered

Here we are folks, the long awaited Xperia Z3 Tablet Review. First things first, why has it taken so long to get this review done? It’s simple really. The first tablet developed a dead pixel line from top to bottom and needed to be replaced. I also decided …

Encase Wallet review for Xperia Z3

A new phone means that it’s time for a new case. This time around I have moved away from the Roxfit cases that are abundant for Xperia phones and I’m instead trying a different maker – Encase. I have already tested one of their keyboard covers for small tablets and, …

Sony Xperia Z3 Review

Oooh it is thinner and ….. um … lighter. That is what most people who pick up the new Z3 will say. Beyond that there are few visible cues to the fact that they are holding a newer phone. For the phone aficionados (like us) we will pick …

My coverage of Bart’s Bash 2014

Well the event is done and now it’s time to review how the event went and how once again mobile tech helped me during the event. As those of you who read my previous article will know I was planning on covering the event for the site by …

My Xperia Z2 and its organising skills.

For the past few weeks I have been working on organising a charity sailing event. Why is this relevant to Coolsmartphone? Well there are a few reasons for that. Number one, I have been doing most of the organisational work for this event on my smartphone. Secondly, my smartphone will be …

Sony Xperia trifecta announcement on Sep 3

  Its that time again. Like Intel’s Tick Tock processes on their chips, There are now 2 cycles when it comes to phones. The April/May time, and the September/October time. Sony did not decide to use September the 3rd to announce a device. No. They went large, and …

Are Sony going big @IFA 2014?

Lots of rumours are coming out of the interweb today in preparation of Sony’s IFA event on Wednesday. As an avid Sony fan this gets me a wee bit excited to say the least, so I will get into all the nitty gritty for you now. Xperia Z3 …

Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact rumoured for IFA

The rumour mill is winding up for IFA in the first week of September and all the major names will be there including Sony. Today we saw there will be something from them that was not expected, (at least this is what I am hoping as an avid …

Xperia Z2 Tablet – Review

Firstly I would like to offer up an apology for the time I this taken for me to get this review up. I just wanted to make sure that I had enough time to test the tablet to its fullest. So without further ado, the review.. Hardware/Design Those …

Xperia Z2 Tablet unboxing

It’s here. The day I have been waiting for eagerly since the Sony press conference way back at the end of February. My very own Xperia Z2 Tablet has arrive. I can tell you one thing, it was well worth the wait. When I first picked up the …

Sony unveil ‘Digital Paper’ tablet

Sony have lifted the lid on their latest tablet, Digital Paper. A 13.3″ E-Ink tablet, this thing is aimed at the office. The display is the same flexible technology they showed off last year, but this device doesn’t flex, apparently that trick is being saved for a new …