Sony Xperia T vs TX
If you have been following our posts on IFA 2012 closely, you would know that there was some ambiguity in understanding the need of manufacturing certain smartphones. It is understandable that manufacturers want to produce top of the line products. It is also understandable that manufacturers need to have a middle product line, as well. Manufacturers shouldn’t forget the budget phone line because that is one of the most selling items. However, we have a problem in understanding why a company would reveal two smartphones with exactly the same specs at the same time. At a glance, it’s more of a foolish thing to do than prudent. However, if you inquire closely and see past the narrow surface, you can understand the need for these two handsets.
Let us talk about these two handsets with exactly the same hardware specs which were revealed at IFA 2012 in Berlin. Sony Xperia T and Sony Xperia TX even sound like the same handset, but wait; what is actually different then? Well, Xperia T and Xperia TX have very subtle differences that are very hard to spot. There was an ongoing conversation on the internet about the background of this controversy. Incidentally, Sony Xperia T is the smartphone James Bond would wield in the next movie ‘Skyfall’. This makes it uniquely placed in the market associated with a celebrity like Aston Martin DB9 did back in the days. Hence Sony has made Xperia T more masculine looking as well as more rugged and high tech exterior. After all, you would expect Agent 007 to have the best handset, right? As opposed, Sony Xperia TX is the counterpart that is more feminine and less rigid. That is not to say it lacks the looks, but it has a similar appearance to that of Galaxy S3. The rear has a subtle concave that makes it a pleasure to hold Xperia TX. Because of this, some may prefer Sony Xperia TX over Sony Xperia T.
Sony Xperia T Review
Sony Xperia T is the new flagship product of Sony after been dissociated with former Sony Ericsson. It isn’t the first smartphone Sony has produced, but after the Sony Xperia flagship was introduced, Sony Xperia T is by far the best smartphone introduced by Sony. It is powered by 1.5GHz Krait Dual Core processor on top of Qualcomm 8260A Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 225 GPU and 1GB of RAM. It runs on Android OS v4.0.4 ICS, and Sony will probably provide the upgrade to Jelly Bean soon.
Xperia T comes in Black, White, and Silver in color and has a slightly different form factor compared to Xperia Ion. It is slightly wedged and has a curvy shape at the bottom while Sony has replaced the shiny metal cover with a plastic cover that looks almost the same and provides a better grip. It slips right in to your palm with the dimensions of 129.4 x 67.3mm and a thickness of 9.4mm. The TFT capacitive touchscreen measures 4.55 inches featuring a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at a pixel density of 323ppi. This type of pixel density would qualify the display panel of Xperia T for unofficial retina display title. Since Sony has been generous enough to include the Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine in Xperia T, enjoying 720p HD videos would be an absolute pleasure. The dual core processor would ensure the seamless multitasking ability as usual.
Sony has not included the 4G LTE connectivity to their new flagship which may be a turnoff for some of the people out there. Fortunately, it has HSDPA connectivity that can score up to 42.2Mbps and optimistically speaking, Sony might even think of releasing a LTE version of the same handset. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n ensures the continuous connectivity for this device and Xperia T can also host Wi-Fi hotspots to share your internet connection with your friends. Xperia T comes with 16GB of internal storage with the option to expand using microSD card. If you analyze the smartphone market, the trend is to stuff it with a 8MP camera, but Sony has contradicted the trend and made the camera in Xperia T 13MP. It can capture 1080p HD videos at 30 frames per seconds and has continuous autofocus, video light and video stabilizer. The 1.3MP camera on the front would be instrumental in making video calls. Xperia isn’t known for its battery life, but Sony promises 7 hours talk time with 1850mAh battery, which is decent for a battery of that capacity.
Sony Xperia TX Review
Sony Xperia TX has a slender concaved back plate that fits right on to our palm. The front doesn’t have any bezels like Xperia T does and looks quite stylish. Adopting the usual Sony style, it comes with three capacitive touch buttons at the bottom of the screen followed by the Xperia trademark. It comes in Black, White and Pink which may make it more appealing to women given Xperia T isn’t offered in pink. However, what is inside is exactly the same setup that we can see in Xperia T.
Sony Xperia TX is powered by 1.5GHz Krait Dual Core processor on top of Qualcomm MSM8260A Snapdragon chipset with Adreno 225 GPU and 1GB of RAM. Android OS v4.0.4 ICS has assumed the duties as the operating system while we expect Sony to release an upgrade to Jelly Bean soon. Sony Xperia TX is equipped with 4.55 inches TFT capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at a pixel density of 323ppi. The high pixel density qualifies Xperia TX to have an unofficial retina display as called by Apple Inc. The display panel is shatter proof and scratch resistant while supporting multi touch up to ten fingers. The Sony Timescape UI does a wonderful job in visual effects as well as keeping the social media channels person-centric. Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine makes the display a pleasure to watch movies and videos with vivid and natural colors.
Deviating from the usual smartphone optics, Sony has included 13MP camera in Xperia TX. This is of course not unusual compared Sony for they have been including 12MP cameras in their Xperia line from the start. However, the majority of high end smartphones from other vendors come with a 8MP camera. With the increased pixels, Sony has introduced image and video stabilization as well as a 3D Sweep Panorama feature. The camera can capture 1080p HD videos @ 30 frames per second and the 1.3MP camera in the front can be used for video conferencing. Sony Xperia TX comes with HSDPA connectivity that can have speeds up to 42Mbps while Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n ensures continuous connectivity. It can also host hotspots to share your internet and broadcast rich media content using DLNA. The handset includes NFC and Sony has indicated that they are going to introduce some new features using NFC, like touch to play where you can place the smartphone in a NFC enabled device and it will automatically start to play the song played in the phone. You will have plenty of storage space with the 16GB internal memory, and if you need more, you can always expand using a microSD card. Sony promises that Xperia TX can last up to 7 hours in a single charge which is moderate.
A Brief Comparison Between Sony Xperia T and TX
• Sony Xperia T and Xperia TX have the same 1.5GHz Krait Dual Core processor on top of Qualcomm MSM8260A chipset with Adreno 225 GPU and 1GB of RAM.
• Sony Xperia T and TX run on Android OS v4.0.4 ICS.
• Sony Xperia T and TX have the same 4.55 inches TFT capacitive touchscreen featuring a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels at a high pixel density of 323ppi.
• Sony Xperia T is slightly smaller yet thicket and heftier (129.4 x 67.3mm / 9.4mm / 139g) than Xperia TX (131 x 68.6mm / 8.6mm / 127g).
• Sony Xperia T is more rugged and masculine looking while Xperia TX is thinner and has a slender concaved back plate.
• Sony Xperia T and TX have the same 1850mAh battery.
Conclusion
Concluding this comparison is going to be a very hard job. Then again, it’s as simple as it gets because the decision would be purely based on your preference. The hardware specs are exactly the same down to the letter, so it is not an understatement to declare that both will have the same performance matrix. However, Sony Xperia T will be used by James Bond, which may make it a sensation among the youth and hence you might want to consider buying it. Then again, Sony Xperia TX has a slender concaved back plate which is an absolute pleasure to hold compared to its rugged masculine counterpart. So go ahead and take both in your hands, weigh your options and make your decision. I daresay you’ll be choosing the same smartphone, with a different outlook. Would choosing between two ever gets simpler than that?