Sony Xperia go review: Get out, get wet

31 July 2012
The Sony Xperia go is not a phone to keep on a short leash. Not your kind of phone either if you'd say no to a dip in the pool because you are expecting an important call. The Sony Xperia go lets you join the fun. The midrange package that Sony just brought...

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  • h
  • hulke
  • Sif
  • 01 Aug 2012

Have had this phone for a week now. And I tried to drop it in the pool. The phone works perfect after a dip in the water.

Regarding the finish in the back panel I find it comfortable and secure when the phone is wet.
And I don't miss a better screen resolution.

Compared with the Defy+ that I also have had, I find this (the xperia) handset better for one-hand use. The Defy had the button very close to the bottom edge and therefor difficult to use with one hand. The xperia go feels much more comfortable.

Main complaint is poor network connectivity. A few times I've lost the signal while the phone was in my pocket. For some reason the phone was not able find network again. Only way to fix this was a power-reset.

An other thing is that the vibrator doesn't work. I don't know if this is a general thing or just my phone. I can't even activate the vibrator from the service menu.

Other vice i'm satisfied with this phone, and will keep it despite the to issues mentioned above (hoping a software update can fix it. -Maybe I'm a bit naive).

    • H
    • HEY GSMArena ???
    • 3RM
    • 01 Aug 2012

    You said "
    Synthetic benchmarks

    The Sony Xperia go is powered by a dual-core NovaThor U8500 processor clocked at 1 GHz and 512 MB of RAM. You shouldn't expect miracles out of the two Cortex-A9 cores as even 1080p is beyond their reach. "

    And here http://www.stericsson.com/products/u8500-novathor.jsp
    Sony says
    " The U8500 offers SMP (Symmetric Multi-Processing) dual core technology in a high-performance, low-power and cost-optimized solution.The U8500 platform features full High-Definition 1080p camcorder capabilities and support for cameras up to 20Mpixel. "

    So what exactly do you mean it can't handle 1080p ?

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • nIs
      • 01 Aug 2012

      1305 mAh non-removable battery?

        • M
        • ML
        • MkI
        • 01 Aug 2012

        The main advantage of Sony Xperia Active over competitors like Motorola Defy is ANT+. I don't understand why Sony resigns from supporting protocol widely used in sports devices.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • gLK
          • 01 Aug 2012

          why oh why oh why oh why would i want to playback 1080p videos on such a low rez screen, why is it a disadvantage??? THE SCREEN IS LOWER REZ THAN THAT......................WAKE UP

            • g
            • girlteki
            • w0Q
            • 01 Aug 2012

            Love you Yellow Xperia GO, i'll see you in a few weeks ♥♥♥

              • D
              • AnonD-669
              • t7r
              • 01 Aug 2012

              Sony's been using NovaThor chipset on most of their phones. Wasn't it the weakest processor even on dual-core?

                • s
                • sidneylopsides
                • M3s
                • 01 Aug 2012

                Only £199 in the UK, seems a good price for this!

                  • D
                  • AnonD-57460
                  • uu3
                  • 01 Aug 2012

                  Main reason to buy this mobile is for water & dust proof only. remaining all r old. No ICS..

                    • h
                    • hary
                    • s8I
                    • 01 Aug 2012

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                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • IV{
                      • 01 Aug 2012

                      If only this phone have fwvga res....why sony why!!??

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • utK
                        • 01 Aug 2012

                        Be careful with the phone guys, Don't do some wild tests like some guys do, My Friend's Xperia Go screen has got broken

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • v0q
                          • 01 Aug 2012

                          this is a rugged phone...where is the ruggedness test..

                            • W
                            • Water resistence
                            • 0i3
                            • 31 Jul 2012

                            I actually look forward gsmarena done a validation on the water and dust resistance ability within this review instead just mention it... At the end, this is the selling point for this phone. How well it hold up against abuse is essential.

                              • p
                              • pux
                              • m{7
                              • 31 Jul 2012

                              The yellow version is both better looking and thatkit has an arm case too. Its the "sports edition".
                              should have reviewed that instead.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • nIs
                                • 31 Jul 2012

                                XViD/DivX does not matter GSMArena -- these are out of date CODECs, replaced by h.264.

                                Also your comment on the 1080p has nothing to do with the Cortex A9, as this sort of thing is usually done by a dedicated hardware video decoder of the SoC (usually optimised for h.264), not by the ARM core.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • nIs
                                  • 31 Jul 2012

                                  I can't understand why Sony leave features like a decent resolution screen and front cam. Otherwise this would be a perfect phone to get my sister who always breaks phones, drops them down toilets etc.!

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-55045
                                    • N9x
                                    • 31 Jul 2012

                                    Sony came with a well-thought, well-built product, but I wish it was a tad higher specced. It just feels feature-phonish. If unlocked price is affordable enough though, it's a great option as an outdoor phone (secondary?) for those surfers or extreme sports lovers.