Sony - Xperia 10 Plus with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Black

Overall, a very practical phone with lots of value in the mid-range category. It is a new design that most will be a little surprised by at first appearance but upon use will find it to be very practical and effective. As a Sony fanboy I both love this phone and find it a little lacking. Read on! Unboxing: The boxing is surprisingly minimal, most Sony phones in the past have felt high end with packaging and included options. This one is very bare bones. The Box is low quality materials and inside you will find the phone, a charger (more on that later), USB-c cable, and simple documentation. Nothing else. Design: The phone was rather shocking to hold upon first impression. This phone measures 6.5” diagonally with a 21:9 display. It is larger than most phones but is surprisingly easy to use even with one hand. The build quality is above average but with a few quarks. The body feels like it is a higher end poly-carbonate with some metal accents. It feels highly durable and after a few days of use is completely scuff and scratch free. The body does not gather fingerprints very easily. There is no wireless charging included but does support NFC near the top of the phone. The screen is Gorilla glass 5 and all the buttons are perfectly placed. Since the phone is very tall, the volume is on the lower half, finger print reader is on the middle of the right side in perfect thumb position and the power is just above that. I would have liked to see the power button combined with the fingerprint reader, but this is minor. What I was annoyed by wit the design is twofold. First, the buttons are almost flush with the body making using the volume rocker a little difficult since there is little haptic feedback. This button should stick out a little further to make it easier to use. Second, there is no waterproofing. You can see this when you pull out the SIM tray, in there you will be able to place a single SIM (on the I3223 model sold by best buy) and a micro SD card slot supporting 512 GB. In the tray there are zero rubber gaskets so you would not want to drop this in a toilet. It feels solid enough that there would be little issue with rain and splashes but do not submerge this thing (I am not going to test it). Wireless: Wireless is pretty good. I was thinking that in stepping down to a mid-range phone I might be sacrificing wireless performance, but I have had zero issues. My home Wi-Fi is FIOS and supports 200 Mbps up and down, I get at best 169 Mbps down and 126 Mbps up. Using T-Mobile in the Seattle area I get about 79 mbps down and 10 Mbps up. The snapdragon 636 processor is cat x12 supporting up to 600 Mbps which isn’t too bad but not as amazing as the latest flagship phones. There is no 600 MHz support but does support 700 MHz. I have had no Bluetooth issues as the phone supports Bluetooth 5.0 along with all the important codecs for audio (aac, aptx, aptx-HD, LDAC). NFC works well with google pay and for file transfers, no complaints here! Display: The display is average in overall quality. Black levels are pretty good for LCD (no AMOLED here) but colors just seem a little dull to me. You can change the level of saturation in the settings with three levels of but it just never seems to wow me. As the screen resolution is 21:9, the resolution should be 1080x2520. This is strange at first but once you try out multitasking with two apps such as twitter and a YouTube video, or turn it sideways to watch a movie, you will become a believer! Movies are shown in exactly the aspect ratio they were meant to be seen in. If your video is 4:3 or 16:9 you will side bars on the side but 21:9 is what most major movies are shot in. Multi-tasking is extremely efficient with a screen of this size and you will love being able to truly have two apps running side by side (in portrait or landscape) in what feels like two full sized phones. The screen feels durable with Gorilla glass 5 and should do will with time, I would still recommend a screen protector for scratches though (no issue after three days though) Camera: I want to get more out of the camera, but it is very hit or miss. I will upload a few sample photos in this review, one good one bad for examination and so you can see it’s limits. On the plus side, there are two lenses, one 12 MP main camera (27mm) and one 8 MP (53mm) 2 zoom camera. The main camera is not too bad but lacks HDR ability so check your lighting. Detail is good. Sony tends to not use a lot of noise reduction so you will see a lot of noise in your photos, this is somewhat unprocessed looking, but some people might prefer this. The 2x zoom camera is lacking in my opinion. It has issues with focusing in all but the best of lighting and should not be used often if you ask me. Both lenses lack OIS which is a huge issue for me as this could have taken the cameras far. Bokeh is pretty good using both lenses to determine depth. The bokeh photos are using the telephoto lens so you will need to stand a little farther back to get a good one. Edge detection seems pretty good to me so far. The selfie camera is average. It is far superior to past Sony selfie cameras stepping up to a 8MP one this time. Again, there is no OIS and only one lens so bokeh can have a few edge issues from time to time. It is very poor in the dark but looks pretty good in the day. Detail isn’t too bad, but focus can sometimes be an issue. DO NOT take a photo with a bright light in the background in any of the cameras as you will have massive issues lighting. Video is average and uses electronic image stabilization. It works well in 1080 but is not as effective in 4k. 4k is very interesting on this phone as it supports 21:9 aspect ratio. If you plan on filming in this cinema ratio this could be of good use. The same HDR limitations apply to video as well. Audio: If you like high resolution audio this is a great phone for you! There is a headphone jack!!! Very rare these days. The phone supports 24-bit/192 kHz audio and also has LDAC for wireless streaming. With micro SD card support, this phone might be a great option for anyone with a library of HD audio FLAC files (also supports other lossless formats). On the downside of audio, there is only one speaker on the bottom. It is not the worst one I have heard but it isn’t the best either. It sounds kind of tiny but does have decent volume. There is little bass so if you are watching a movie, toss on some headphones. I am surprised they didn’t do stereo speakers or up the quality on the one speaker since video is a huge draw of this phone, a good speaker matched with 21:9 display would be amazing. Everyday use: I am overall happy with everyday use. First, battery life is not bad with a 3000 mAh battery, these is a good amount of optimization with the software that it will get you through the day just fine. I found games will drain the battery quick though. Performance is pretty good using the Snapdragon 636 processor. It is no beast and provides a stutter every so often but in normal usage, it is snappy. 4GB of ram helps a lot too. The device uses Android 9 Pie so it feels pretty efficient on this device as it is mostly stock interface. There is little bloatware other than the Xperia Lounge app and AVG pre-installed. You can delete these though. Gaming performance is pretty good. I mostly play C&C Rivals and Galaxy of Heroes and I have experienced no issues here. It might not be able to handle high end games like Asphalt 9 at max settings though. The device fits into male jean pockets easily but I would be concerned if your outfit has female sized pockets since it will easily stick out of said pocket. The form factor got a lot of questions on the street since most people have never seen a device of this form factor. One huge concern I had that can be mitigated is the included charger. Since there is no wireless charging, you will rely heavily on your included charger. The problem is that it is 5V / 1500mA. This comes out to 7.5 Watts of charging. This phone supports quick charge 3.0 and PD 2.0 (I believe) so why they included a non-quick charge charger is beyond me other than cost savings. Throw this charger away and use an old quick charge capable charger. It takes forever to charge with this charger! I tried it with a LG charger I had lying around with 16.3 and 9 watts options and it charges at normal quick charge speeds. I also tried it with my 45-watt PD laptop charger and again got much better results than the included charger. Benchmarks: Memory / storage performance is pretty good. Past Sony phones have had limits on how fast the data speed is on external memory (was capped at around 35 MB per second I believe). No limitations on this phone. I tried benchmarks on Androbench receiving 81.77 MB/s read and 34.67 MB/s write on a 200 GB UHS-1 card. The internal storage of 64 GB eMMC obtains 287 MB/s and 192 MB/s write. Not too shabby! Geekbench showed single core scores of 1348 and multi-core scores of 4818 Antutu scored 117279 Summary: Good overall phone, great for video, high-res audio and multitasking. Do not use if you rely on a phone camera and speed.

The price of smartphones these days has seemed to outpace innovation.  My Samsung Galaxy Note 8 cost over $1,000 and nearly two years later (before I had paid it off) I began receiving texts & emails offering me the latest version of the phone.  The frustration is that Samsung wants me to drop another $1,000 for a phone that is nearly identical to the one I already had.  There just aren’t enough new features to justify continuing to spend so much money on the newest flagship smartphones.  And so, I have begun to explore more affordable smartphone options. The Sony Xperia 10 Plus is truly an impressive smartphone that is unlocked and actually affordable (costing less than half of Apple, or Samsung’s flagship phones).  While the form factor blends in with nearly all smartphones these days, it boasts a noticeably larger screen that is actually useful (and does not have any annoying camera notch).  The resolution is 1080p which is more than suitable for its size (and probably saves money when compared to 4K screens that are not truly useful in a handheld size).  The screen is actually larger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (by 0.10”) allowing convenient multi-tasking most of the time.  Though the tall screen and the multi-tasking are the most bragged about feature, not all apps can be split and the feature is not always intuitive on the fly.  But, watching HD video with a 21:9 ratio is surprisingly immersive. The phone is incredibly easy to set up (from either Android or iOS) and is both quick and responsive.  My favorite feature is the fingerprint sensor which is located perfectly within reach on the right edge of the phone.  It is in a natural location and it works lighting quick to unlock the phone.  The power & volume buttons are located on the right side and are almost overly streamlined with the edge of the phone – making them difficult to find by feeling alone.  Having all of the physical buttons on the right side might also be a slight annoyance to those who are left handed.  And while it can be difficult to reach across the large screen, but luckily there is a shortcut menu that pops out from the side of the screen giving easy access to settings and commonly used apps. Overall, I am truly impressed with this phone.  It is an incredible balance of impressive features and low price.  As it comes with the most recent version of Android (9 pie), it truly does not feel as though you are sacrificing much to get the lower price.  Sony has done an excellent job producing an affordable phone that is feature rich and that can last for years.  It is well worth the price. PROS: + Phone is sold unlocked + Fingerprint sensor is easy to reach and works instantly + Has a 3.5 mm headphone jack (but also has Bluetooth option) + The back of the phone is NOT glass (reduces weight and is less that may break) + Ultra Widescreen:  21:9 aspect ratio + Record HD video in 21:9 + Shortcut menu pops out from either side of the screen making commonly used apps easy to reach + Record audio in stereo + FM Radio + Pedometer built in + 64 gigs of memory built in + Has the ability to have memory added with a MicroSD card + 12 MP rear camera with 8 MP front selfie camera + Light weight for size: 6.35 ounces + NFC options built in + USB C data/charging connection + Great price for an unlocked smartphone CONS: - Tall size can take some time to get used to and can definitely feel oversized when in your pocket - While screen is 1080p it seems to display a warmer image (less color accurate) than higher end phones - Using split screen (or entering this mode) does not work with all apps and is not very intuitive. - You have to double tap to open the shortcut menu (instead of swiping out from the edge which would be more intuitive) - Does not have many case or accessory options available online - Does NOT have wireless charging - Two speakers appear to only play in mono - Bokeh photo effect (portrait with slightly blurred background) is not particularly easy to use

I've been using this phone exclusively for the past 48 hours and I've concluded that Sony is on to something special with these Tall / Ultra wide screen phones. Initially, the first words that came out of my mind were... WHOA, This phone is TALL. But it's not much taller than most phones now a days. Its candy bar form factor actually make it comfortable to hold and use with one hand. The side fingerprint sensor is located where my thumb naturally rests when pulling it out of my pocket and the power button sits just above that. Pressing your thumb against the sensor will unlock and power on the screen. Things I liked most about the phone are that the OS looks and feels exactly like stock android.It is clean and light, the snapdragon 636 and 4gb of RAM power it nicely and it feels snappy. There is a "Side Sense" mode that allows you to double tap on the side edge of the screen with your thumb to make one handed use even easier. It opens up a menu that has a list of apps and actions for you to use and select with your thumb. Navigating that menu is easy and helpful. The screen looks like an IPS panel and has very nice colors and viewing angles, its 21:9 Ultra Wide ratio makes it great for multi tasking If you're into having two apps open at the same time. I found it to be amazing for watching videos and playing games. It is quite immersive even tho you are holding it in your hands.Movies and Games that take advantage of the full screen make for a great experience. There is an option in the settings to toggle on a "vivid" mode for brighter and more vibrant colors. It comes with a standard headphone jack (thank you Sony) and USB-C port for charging and data transfer. The sim card tray is easily accessible and does not require a tool to open. The same cover allows access to the micro sd card slot. The phone does not say if it is fast charging when you charge it with a fast charging power supply, but I was able to charge it from about 40% to Full in just a little over an hour. It has excellent battery life and it made it through a full day with moderate use. My biggest complaint about this phone is the camera. Which now a days is a deal breaker for many people. This camera needs a lot of light to perform well. In my tests, the camera struggles in low light and most photos and videos that I took looked pretty bad for this day and age. I expected better from this phone since Sony is the leader in image sensor technology. Outdoors on a sunny day, the camera performs well. I wouldn't recommend this phone to a person who expects great photos and videos from their mobile phone and rely on their phone as their only camera. With "flagship phones" pressing past the $1,000 price mark, this phone is a very good option for someone who loves big screen phones and doesn't want a to spend a fortune. Pros - Ultra Wide aspect ratio is awesome for watching videos , browsing the web and playing games. -Headphone Jack -USB C -Stock Android Experience -Unlocked and Compatible with many carriers -Excellent Battery Life Cons: - Bad Camera -Volume Buttons are very flush and hard to press sometimes -Not compatible with CDMA

I got the chance to review the Sony Xperia 10 Plus and was pretty much what I thought. Out of the box you get: 1. Phone itself 2. Charger brick 3. USB-C cable The Sony Xperia 10 Plus, is it's sleek design, the case features a mixture of both aluminum frame and plastic backing. The screen itself is not Sony's flagship but still very clean and crisp images. Since this is the plus version it has the longer 6.5" screen. Which is the first thing you'll notice is that it's long and narrow. More screen room for you to do more but this also works against it, the extra length seems like an awesome idea like most phones are going but until more videos or content is made for the 21:9 ratio it just unused space BUT you can always change the setting for full screen mode. If you go with this feature you loose a little off the top and bottom of the video content. Videos that have the cinematic bars on the top and bottom work well with this phone. Sony uses the Qualcomm® Snapdragon 636 processor which is actually pretty decent for the price tag. I was able to run most applications and get decent performance out of it. The battery is the industry standard 3000mah which keeps up with power demand pretty well. Without much programs running in the background you can go the day without charging. Security is handled by the fingerprint scanner on the side of the phone which is smartly placed, no weird spots for you to verify your identity. While we're in this area, the phone's power button are also placed here and the volume buttons, which were a bit difficult to press for some weird reason. The Xperia 10 Plus also has a 3.5mm earphone jack so no need to purchase any adapters The cameras are rated at 12mp for the rear camera and the front camera features an 8mp sensor. They both are very clear and sharp. Sony's user interface for the camera takes a little getting used to. They have some features for you to easily do certain shots like when you want to be artist and do a Bokeh shot and like most phones today Sony also has a Slow-Motion shot at 120fps. Sony's skin on android also takes some getting used to if you're coming from other brand phones but it's not difficult to use just different. Overall, I would say this is a good entry level phone, where you don't want to spend $1,000. The screen is very nice and vibrant and the camera sensors are not the best but still very good for the price tag of this phone. I'd recommend it for anyone looking for a entry level phone.

I’ve been a big fan of Sony products especially of their mobile division that used to go by Sony Ericsson back in the day. What differentiated Sony phones back then was on how stylish they were and their added media capabilities whether it was the 3.5mm jack or FM radio with MP3 support before the iPhone made it a norm. So how does the Xperia 10 Plus stand out from the strongly competitive mid-range market most of it has to do with the tall display. For my usage, I set it up exactly the same as my Note 9 except for some apps due to storage limits. I replaced the home launcher with Nova launcher and restored it with a backup from my Note 9. My apps placement and widgets are exactly as they were on my Note 9. I did this because I wanted to use the Xperia as I would using my Note 9. Let me tell you not once during my usage did I wanted to run back to my Note 9 even with some small performance hiccups. I’m not saying this will replace your flagship phone but it will feel like one for those looking for a device that won’t break the bank. Media consumption on mobile devices has been increasing and Sony knows how important a display can make or break a device. The resolution is an FHD+ 1080 x 2520 pixels 422 PPI density that is stunning for a mid-range device. It’s a bright color display that can hold his own against some of the top mid-range displays. The display almost takes up the entire phone except for the large chin on the top. Bezels below the chin are thin. Sony does provide 3 color gamut options from off (no image enhancement), Standard Mode (enhances images for photos and videos) to Super Vivid Mode that dials up the saturation and gives you those punchy colors you typically find on AMOLED displays. Since my previous phone was the Note 9 right away I went for Super Vivid Mode. It won’t beat the Note 9 display with those inky blacks. Even though it’s an LCD the blacks are still pretty good without that gray shade you typically find on LCD displays. The aspect ratio is 21:9 which most films are recorded. There are pros and cons to this Aspect ratio. Pros: You can comfortably use 2 apps at once without that cramped feeling. No black bars on most movies. Since the width is short you can somewhat use it 1 handed. Sony does offer a convenient way to shrink the display by double tapping the home bar. The extra screen space displays a lot more information especially on websites and Social Media apps. Cons: About 60% of the time you will be needing two hands to use the phone. Shrinking the display does help but I doubt it you will want to be doing that constantly trying to reach those top corners to close an app or access the menu. Media that is not recorded in the 21:9 ratio will have significant black bars or crop out a lot more to fill in the entire screen. Some apps outside of YouTube or Netflix don’t have a zoom in option which leaves you with black bars. Hopefully, Sony can release an update and give it a system-wide zoom in option like Samsung did when the S8 first came out. Just like media, some apps will show black borders and for now, I wasn’t able to find an option to full screen the app as I do on my other phone. For media consumption, you will want to plug in some headphones or use Bluetooth headphones. Even though there are 2 grill speakers located on the bottom is still a single speaker. Most devices that have a single bottom firing speaker aren’t that great but they sound much better compared to Xperia 10. The Xperia 10 Plus speakers sound tinny and could benefit from some more loudness. At max volumes, they start to crackle. Battery Life Battery life has been amazing even though the battery capacity is 3000mAh which is on the small side for a large device. I honestly expected the battery to be terrible since even on smaller devices with that capacity my experience has not been good.. Either way, unless you’re pushing this device hard like gaming or live streaming you should be happy with the results. My average screen on time was over 5 hrs with some days coming at 6.5 hrs. Typical day usage for me is in between light to heavy usage and consist of Social Media browsing from FaceBook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and Discord. I also have 3 email accounts sync to my Gmail app. With some music streaming from Spotify or Sirius XM app along with some Bluetooth headphones pair for most of the day. I would also video stream about 3-5 hrs from Netflix or YouTube. For gaming, my daughter likes to play Roblox on my phone which sometimes goes over an hour. Even on heavy days usage I still end up with over 5 hrs of on screen time. If you ever find yourself without access to a charger Sony has your back with 2 Stamina modes to help extend that battery life. Charging speeds are on par as my Note 9. Performance and Software Performance out the box it's good for the most part. For the first 2 days, I use the phone with the stock launcher but eventually switched over to Nova launcher which I prefer due to the customizations options it provides. It’s not the fastest device when it comes to opening apps I still noticed a 1-2 second delay on some of the core apps like Gmail or Android messaging app for texting. There’s room for improvement and something that can be fixed via an update. For an almost stock Android build those hiccups should only be present when opening big games likes PUBG or Fortnite. The phone is powered by a Snapdragon 636 pair with 4gb of Ram. Even though it’s not as powerful as the 855 it still has plenty of power for a smooth experience that for now seems to be more of a software optimization issue. Overall it’s just minor issues that are not a deal breaker since for the most part it’s been a positive experience that can only get better. I believe most of the bad feedback was due to the software the phone shipped with before the latest update which is 53.0.A.4.79 as of this review. Sony did a good job of releasing a quick update to address those performance issues. I have not had any major issues like system lockups or apps crashing. Overall it’s almost a complete android stock with some slight adjustments for specific Sony features. Some of those features are the display shrinking and the side sense feature. The side sense is a bar on the side of the screen that predicts your most used apps similar to the edge feature on Galaxy Phones for quick access to those apps. For navigation buttons, you have access to Android Pie Gestures or the 3 button setup home, back, and overview. There is a slight learning curve to the Gesture set up. Tap to go the home screen, Long Press to summon Google Assistant, Swipe up to enter the overview screen, Long swipe up pulls up your app drawer, flick right to switch to the last app used, swipe right to browse opened apps, and back button to return to the previous screen. For bloatware, there’s not much that comes with the phone besides some Sony-specific apps that you have the option not to install during the set-up process. As for security features, you don’t get a fancy face ID scanner or ultrasound fingerprint scanner under the screen. What you do get is a good old fast reliable fingerprint scanner located on the right side in between the power button and volume button. It’s a good size even with a case I have not had any issues with recognizing my prints. I would like to see some extra features like being able to bring down the notification area with a swipe as other phones do with their fingerprint scanner. Build quality is excellent even though the back is made out of plastic. It’s a matte black that looks more like the iPhone 7 back finish. Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging. Overall I like the look of the phone. It’s like a holding a Hershey’s chocolate bar that is slightly taller than a Note 9. It has that Sony candy bar style that's been a trademark of their devices for the last couple of years. Cameras On the back, you have a 12 MP + 8 MP dual camera and 2x optical zoom with an 8mp front face camera. The couple of pictures I took came out looking pretty good. You can also take a wide picture with the 21.9 aspect ratio and record too. You can also record with 4K resolution with both Aspect Ratios 16:9 or 21:9 along with FHD at 60fps. The front facing camera pictures came out looking good too. For video recording, the max resolution is FHD along with the option to record in 21:9. For nighttime photos, they came out ok with some noise on them. Sony also a mode called AR that allows you to take pictures or record video, with moving on-screen objects from different scenes like a dinosaur island or space. My kids had a blast going through all the different scenes available on the AR mode. Most of them are free with some costing around $2.99. Overall is a good camera with the weakness being nighttime pictures. Call Quality and Data/Wifi Signal Call quality has been good no issues with dropped calls on the T Mobile network. The phone does a good job of holding on to an LTE signal. Areas of poor coverage were normally my signal drops to 1 bar with the Xperia 10 drops down to 2-3 bars instead just enough to be able to still browse the internet. WiFi signal is good with speeds reaching around 200mb. My final thoughts on the Xperia 10 Plus has been mainly a good experience. It’s slim to hold but too tall to operate with a single hand. The only cons were some minor performance issues with core apps and the below average speaker. My favorite feature of the phone is the display especially when consuming media that is recorded in 21:9. If you’re like me and consume most of your media on your phone this should be a top pick. Battery life has been impressive and that’s only with a 3000mAh just imagine how much better it would have been if Sony would have included a bigger battery. The Xperia 10 Plus it’s an excellent daily driver device that is also stylish.

I have had tried to use this phone for about a week and I have mixed feelings. I keep trying to convince myself it's a great phone but not a day goes by that I don't find something awkward to complain about. FIrst, I did upgrade the software and I had no issues after...the software and interface was not glitchy and it did no crash on me. The software interface was a little different to me but I am not going to grade it negatively based on menu format, app design and general flow of the apps/settings. The only reason is because they all functioned well and it was hard not to be biased as i am a Samsung galaxy user for the past 10yrs and any complaint seemed like I was trying to break old habits. My genuine complaints came from the design of the phone. The size did not matter to me because even as long as it was, the s9 plus is very comparable so I did not notice much of a difference. The placement of the volume rocker was a bit awkward as you would loosen your grip in attempting to adjust the volume. The volume rocker seemed to be rather shallow and thus you had to press hard in order to activate it and this would loosen your overall grip. The power button was too close to the fingerprint reader, many times as I was fishing for the fingerprint reader I would inadvertently shut down the phone. The sim card tray seems to be rather cheaply built as well. It seems to be at appearance a rubber plug that pulls out and flops out of the way allowing access tot he sim/sd card but it is not the case. As you pull out the cheap little flap, instinct almost has you twisting it but it is an actual tray so doing so would damage it. I wish it were sturdier and ejected out with force as does most trays with the use of a sim tool. I don't want to end on a bad note because it is not a bad phone it just has some design flaws. The screen is a major plus, it is beautiful! the display does give viewing any videos a different feel...almost cinematic. The colors and vibrant display is quite the sight and as a media device it looks great. The app navigation and sidebar, shortcut to apps is very convenient. The camera was also very easy to use with some cool features but overall I think the design of the phone needs to catch up to the software and display.

I thought another phone of mine had an odd form factor, but this Sony Xperia 10 Plus with it’s 21:9 ratio hits the new odd shape for me. However, that is not necessarily bad, just different. It is slim and tall, which gives any media that you have to scroll through a bit more space on the screen. However, it is narrow, so it creates more line breaks in dynamic text, filling up that space. In landscape mode it is perfect for cinema movies, but large bars or cropped top and bottom for any other format. The good thing about it being narrow, it it is real easy to hold onto with smaller hands compared to other Plus model phones. Being so tall it is hard to manage the full screen with one hand, but with a double tap of the menu button, it will put the whole screen in the selected corner for you so that it can be easily managed with one hand. I personally have not had a phone in this price range in some time, so it is hard for me to find an equal comparison, but it is in no means a fair compare to a Samsung Galaxy or iPhone that is two to threes times it’s price. For instance, the camera isn’t bad, as I have seen worse on cheaper phones, but it is not top end either. It does have two cameras on the back for a 2x photo zoom. However, the camera sticks out a fair bit on the back, so I would highly recommend getting a case for it, preferably one that can help with added protection as theres no IP rating either. A slightly different feature compared to some other phones I have had is the fingerprint scanner on the side. It is in an easy position for the thumb of the right hand and the index finger of the left hand, with just a natural grip. However, the power button above it and the volume below it do seem a bit awkward to use at times. The volume button in particular is so shallow that it is hard to differentiate up and down. As for volume, the audio from the speaker sounds very metallic and hallow. Although the bottom of the phone is symmetric and gives the appearance it has stereo speakers, only one is a speaker. For everyday use, it has lasted me throughout the day without concern. As with any device though, watching videos will burn it up fairly quickly. However, with it just sitting around it has been over a week without charge and seems to have barely moved. And this is with it still getting regular notifications from various applications. The version I have is unlocked and was a simple as taking my AT&T sim out of my old phone and putting it into this one. The sim tray is easier to take out than some other phones and the micro sd slot is under the tray cover. Default applications on the phone are fairly minimalistic based around Sony applications. There is also a built in FM tuner that requires wired headphones for the antenna. Something you don’t even see on high end phones. Overall, it’s a decent phone that has some high end capabilities that cuts a few corners to keep it within the price range. It is different in some aspects, but nothing that would make me dislike it. I would give it a 4.5 rating if I could, but I just can’t consider it a 5.

So far, I love my 10 plus a lot! It's fast, smooth, glitch free, and beautiful. The processor and pixels are actually upgraded compared to my Xa2 Ultra (last year's midranger). The polycarbonate back feels great and not slippery. I did put a simple clear case on it just to be safe while still showing the beauty of my silver 10 plus. I don't wanna get it damaged for sure, but I guarantee it won't break during drops. The front glass is Gorilla Glass 5, a step up from my Ultra. I've watched 21:9 movies and it's a very immersive experience. Netflix has 70% 21:9 content and major heavy games like Fortnite and Asphalt 9 are formatted in this ratio too. I haven't tested out gaming yet, but I've seen videos the plus can handle big games although most have black bars on the side yet the display is still large. More media will soon adapt, but in the meantime, you will see black bars also on most YouTube videos although there are some 21:9 videos to view. You can zoom in to fill the screen, but obviously the viewing window is slightly cropped. Not a deal breaker for me. Also, the narrower display feels very good in my hand, weighs less than my fat and heavy Xa2 Ultra, and I don't have to reach far across with my thumb like I did in my wide ultra. This is more manageable. And with a double tap of the home button, it will automatically shrink your display for better one handed use if needed. Also, the taller screen is great for multi-tasking since it allows two apps to be shown equally in good size. I compared the camera to my xa2 ultra and I must say it is better. Both take great pictures in good lighting, but in low light, it's not as grainy as my Ultra. Although it has a smaller battery than my Ultra, Sony has great battery optimization with Stamina Mode and Battery Care along with Android Pie which all will help with battery life. I'm getting great battery life and I've been on it heavily, especially when watching, browsing, fine tuning my homepage and settings. There's a new feature that let's you restrict battery usage for each app that runs in the background. I've restricted all of my apps to get the best battery life. So far, I've been on it for 5 hours straight and I still got 70% left! I don't normally stay on my phone that long in one sitting, but hey, I'm excited to use my new and first 21:9 smartphone. I've had Apple, LG, Samsung, Motorola, ZTE, Sony Ericsson, Xperia, and I must say that my experience so far has been great enough for me to write my first review on a smartphone. Great job Sony, I'm happy and pleased!!!