- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- LG Nexus 4
- Apple iPhone 5
- Nokia Lumia 820
- Sony Xperia SL
- Sony Xperia T
Rated 67% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)Tew/CNET). Outdoors in plenty of sunlight, the phone captured images with brighter colors though details still had a flat character.
Rated 63% by by c|net (Jun, 2012)In addition, I'm not a big fan of the Xperia Ion's display, which is dark and has a bluish cast, resulting in inconsistent colors.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Sony Xperia S compared to the Sony Xperia Ion
GHz1.5
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich 3.5G
by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)The Adreno 220 isn't exactly the most powerful GPU around, but Sony have managed to get the best out of it - 37.5fps in NenaMark 2 is a playable framerate, despite the high resolution (the 720p Xperia S screen has 140% more pixels than the WVGA screen of the Galaxy S II, for example).
1.5 GHz
Android 2.3 Gingerbread 4G
Rated 68% by by The Verge (Jun, 2012)Sony launches an LTE phone with a 720p screen in the US, but is it really ready for the big leagues?
screen size
4.3"
4.6"
Xperia S by chicho2002 (Oct, 2012)The design is so cool, display is a good size 4,3", the best is the camera 12mp and multimedia, your memory is big, is faster for all.
Xperia Ion by Chau-B.-NguyenAt 4.6in screen size, I thought the phone is going to be too wide but it fits great in my hands and I have normal hands size.
screen resolution
Xperia S by rawr (Oct, 2012)It is fairly accurate in colors (not overly saturated), has good viewing angles, and looks very sharp (highest PPI in phones).
Xperia Ion by The Verge (Jun, 2012)Primarily, it appears to crank up the contrast and sharpness — it might seem like a gimmick, but at least its a gimmick that makes media look slightly better to the average user.
memory
| 0 GB | 1 GB | 1 GB |
processor
Xperia S by Lui-Lai--Alan (Jun, 2012)But in normal daily usage and gaming you won't feel the differences between dual-core and quad-core.
Xperia Ion by B.Miner (Jul, 2012)Fortunately, the Xperia Ion has a dual-core processor that is still more than needed for a phone.
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 12.1 MP | 20 MP |
Xperia S by The Verge (Mar, 2012)Its 4.3-inch display has a 1280 x 720 resolution, the camera features a 12-megapixel Exmor R sensor, and beating inside is a dual-core Snapdragon heart clocked at 1.5GHz.
Xperia Ion by c|net (Jun, 2012)One of the Sony Xperia Ion's standout features is its high-resolution 12-megapixel camera.
Performance Real world tests of Sony Xperia S vs Sony Xperia Ion
cpu speed
Xperia S by Martin--apartoflifeComparing my SE Arc with this phone proves that speed has increased significantly thanks to the dual core processor.
Xperia Ion by c|net (Jun, 2012)Besides bringing faster performance, the more efficient Snapdragon S4 CPU is an energy miser.
talk time
450 min
451 min
Xperia S by GSM Arena (Sep, 2012)Behind it sits a 1910 mAh battery, which is rated at up to 290h of stand-by on 2G networks (310h on 3G) or 6h and 40 mins of talk time (7h 10 min on 3G).
Xperia Ion by Knife (Jan, 2013)Battery life is as low as widely reported, my experience is about 9 hours with walkman, camera, texting apps and browser used quite heavily.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the Xperia Ion
| Significantly newer operating system | Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich | vs | Android 2.3 Gingerbread |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newer Android OS; Get all the latest features and security updates with a more recent version | |||
| Store significantly more stuff | 32 GB | vs | 16 GB |
| 2x more storage capacity; free yourself from memory cards | |||
| More highly reviewed by consumers | 76.56% | vs | 69.59% |
| More than 10% more highly reviewed by consumers | |||
| Smaller | 64 x 128 x 11 mm | vs | 68 x 133 x 11 mm |
| More than 10% smaller | |||
| Sharper screen | 341 ppi | vs | 322 ppi |
| Around 10% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
Advantages compared to the Xperia S
| Has expandable storage | microSD, microSDHC | vs | None |
|---|---|---|---|
| Use storage cards to increase your phone's capacity for apps and data | |||
| Is 4G | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Supports the fastest, most reliable networks | |||
| Bigger screen | 4.6" | vs | 4.3" |
| Around 10% bigger screen | |||
| More battery capacity | 1,900 mA·h | vs | 1,750 mA·h |
| Around 10% more battery capacity | |||
| Marginally newer | Jun, 2012 | vs | Feb, 2012 |
| Release date 4 months later | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Sony Xperia S | Sony Xperia Ion | ||
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 | Rated by 242 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by Luis-Castillo-M (Mar, 2013) Rated 100% by by Lui-Lai--Alan (Jun, 2012) | Rated by 46 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by Dragan-Jovanovic--SuperSlav (Oct, 2012) Rated 100% by by Michael-J.-Medeiros--MJM (Nov, 2012) | |
network technology
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)It doesn't have LTE like the Xperia ion, but it does offer quad-band 2G and quad-band 3G.
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)It doesn't have LTE like the Xperia ion, but it does have quad-band 2G and 3G.
Sony Xperia Ion | Rated 63% by by c|net (Jun, 2012)The affordable $99.99 Xperia Ion is more than just Sony's first U.S. smartphone to bear the Sony name after its Ericsson divorce, it's also the company's first foray into 4G LTE.
camera
Sony Xperia S | Rated 67% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)Just like the Sony Xperia Ion, the Xperia S packs a 12-megapixel camera with LED flash.
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)With a 12MP camera, image quality is obviously a priority with the Xperia S and Sony have created a very capable shooter.
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)Some even offer good image quality, but if you want 12MP resolution, then the Xperia S and the Xperia ion are your only choice.
carrier
Sony Xperia S | Rated 80% by by Booluvgoo (Apr, 2012)It felt as thick as samsung wave and heavy as the Iphone 4S, a lot lighter than Nokia Arte!! An AT&T version with removable SDcard and LTE (Xperia Ion) is on the way if you are more of a tech spec person.
Sony Xperia S | Rated 67% by by c|net (Jul, 2012)Unfortunately, as on its sibling on AT&T, the Xperia Ion, these symbols are not actual buttons.
Sony Xperia Ion | by GSM Arena (Jul, 2012)We already mentioned to you that AT&T is asking $99.99 for the Sony Xperia ion.
video
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)With a top-notch camera and excellent screen, standard microHDMI port, very good audio quality and plenty of storage, the Xperia S will readily meet your multimedia needs.
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)To its credit, the Xperia S did play a 1080p videos and the 4.3" Reality display offers excellent image quality (the BRAVIA engine comes into play here too), plus you can watch 720p videos at 100.
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)The Sony Xperia S captures 1080p video at 30 fps and does a very good job of it.
screen
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)The Xperia S brightness is average at best but it's still brighter than the LG Optimus LTE, which is the other 4.3" 720p LCD screen we've tested.
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)Note that we couldn't get accurate measurements for the Xperia S screen at 50% brightness and they are not included in the table (Sony's software doesn't let you override the ambient light sensor with brightness settings other than 100).
Sony Xperia S | by GSM Arena (Mar, 2012)The screen on the Sony Xperia S promises great things and it delivers - it's mesmerizingly sharp, with punchy colors and very good contrast.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Most CPU cores |
 | 2 | Apple iPhone 5 Most built-in storage |
 | 3 | Nokia Lumia 820 Screen uses OLED technology |
 | 4 | Sony Xperia SL Rated the best by consumers |
 | 5 | Sony Xperia T 2-way tie: High resolution front camera |
 | 6 | Sony Xperia V Is waterproof |
 | 7 | Samsung GALAXY Grand Has a removable battery |
 | 8 | Sony Xperia P OK standby time |
