With aggressive competition in mid range phablet (Phone Tablet Hybrid) category, every manufacturer is keen on pushing out the best possible combination of features and build quality. Samsung came out with Galaxy Grand 2, HTC with Desire 816 and now it’s Sony’s turn. Sony took wraps off Xperia T2 Ultra Dual in India with a price tag of 24,990/-. It comes with a Dual Sim card support (as opposed to Single SIM International variant). Read on to find out the Sony Xperia T2 Ultra review in detail, specifications, hands on videos and gaming performance of the device. Also, our expert analysis to find out how it stacks up against the competition.

Specifications

• Dual Sim – Dual Standby ( GSM + GSM ) Micro Sim Card
• 1.4 GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM89828 Processor
• Adreno 305 Graphics
• 6″ TFT 1280x720p Triluminos Display with 16.7 Million pixels and Bravia Engine 2
• 13 MP Primary Camera with 16x Zoom, Pulsed LED and 1080p Video Recording ( Exmor RS for Mobile Image Sensor )
• 1.1 MP Secondary Camera
• 8 GB Internal Memory with MicroSD Card slot ( Expansion upto 32 GB )
• 1 GB RAM
• 3000 mAh Battery
• Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Ambient Light Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Magnetometer, eCompass, NFC

Hardware

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra comes with a flat front and back design much like every other Xperia smartphone but with a scratch prone glossy finish on this one. The 6″ display increases the size of the device and it certainly requires two handed operation to use the T2. ( This is to be expected from every smartphone crossing the 5″ display mark ). The Xperia T2 is surprisingly a very thin device ( 7.7 mm ) which adds to the overall appeal. The front of the device consists of 1.1 MP Camera and Ambient light/Proximity sensors on the top with a speakerphone grill, microphone grill is present just beneath the display. The rear of the device sports the 13 Megapixel primary camera with LED Flash and a secondary microphone and an NFC logo. Speaker grill is present on rear of the device. The right side of the device is very loaded and consists of power key, volume rocker,dual sim card slot, dedicated camera key and the 3.5mm jack. The left side houses the MicroSD Card slot.

The display comes with a 720p resolution and 6″ size. The pixel density comes out to 245 be ppi and the display is vibrant and offers good viewing angles. The display is a very crucial part of touchscreen smartphones and Sony has delivered a good experience ( not the best ) even with the low resolution.

Here’s a detailed video from our testing lab : featuring Unboxing, Camera performance, Features, Gaming & Benchmarks:

Software, Benchmark and Gaming

Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Dual comes with Android 4.3 JellyBean out of the box with no news on KitKat update. This seems rather odd from Sony’s side as every other smartphone releasing in this part of the year comes with KitKat out of the box. Timescape UI comes installed on top of the Android 4.3 and is very clean and colorful. The UI is lag free and offers a nice experience. The gaming performance of the device is very good and here’s a hands on video featuring Real Racing 3, Dead Trigger 2, FL Commando and Subway Surfers. Bechmark tests NenaMark and AnTuTu are also run.

The Xperia T2 Ultra comes with a 3000 mAh lithium ion battery and offers a good battery backup. Without using STAMINA mode ( Sony’s battery saving mode ) we were able to take down the battery from 100% to 40% in a full day of heavy usage consisting of 3 Email accounts on PUSH frequency, 20-25 minutes gaming, 15-20 camera shots, an hour of calls, an hour of texting and an hour of internet browsing. The most striking part of the battery performance is the standby consumption. It generates minimal power when on standby and hence it will last a couple of days if used wisely.

Conclusion: Sony Xperia T2 Ultra Review

Summing up, the Xperia T2 Ultra gives us a good combination of hardware and software, but the price doesn’t feel right. The scratch prone glossy finish of the device doesn’t justify the price tag of 24,990 Rupees. Also, it doesn’t offer anything unique from features perspective. HTC Desire 816 shines here with excellent build quality ( High quality polycarbonate ) and front facing boomsound speakers ( which are particularly useful for media consumption ). Also, the Desire 816 retails for around 24000 rupees, So you should definitely consider it as an option.

Here’s our take on why you Should and Shouldn’t buy the Xperia T2 Ultra Dual :

 

What do you think of the device? Let us know and post it in the comments!