Sony Xperia L1
Specifications
Secondary Camera: 5 MPix f/2.2, videos @1080p
Pricecompare
Average of 13 scores (from 23 reviews)
Reviews for the Sony Xperia L1
Solid and good-looking. If you do not consider "solid" as an insult, but instead connect the word with reliability and trustworthiness, then the Sony Xperia L1 might be something for you. It offers solid performance, in the best sense of the word, in many areas. No more and no less.
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
If design and screen size are you main preoccupations, then the L1 is definitely the budget phone you need. Its resemblance to Sony’s higher range smartphones and the large screen it offers make it one of the best looking phones of its price-range. The benchmark results and general slowness when multitasking hold it back, and if you plan on using it for intense gaming or video streaming, you might be better off with something else. If not, the L1 is an attractive budget phone and should be more than enough to satisfy your basic needs.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/15/2019
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Laptop Media Archive.org version
Xperia L1 features the typical Sony design but unlike the higher-end models here the construction is fully plastic. A nice impression makes the presence of a USB Type-C but, on the other hand, here you won’t find a fingerprint sensor. Xperia L1 is aimed at people looking for larger working space as its screen is 5.5-inch. However, it is one of the main energy consumers and therefore, the available 2620mAh battery is not one of the most durable ones.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/04/2017
Source: Tech Advisor Archive.org version
If design and screen size are you main preoccupations, then the L1 is definitely the budget phone you need. Its resemblance to Sony’s higher range smartphones and the large screen it offers make it one of the best looking phones of its price-range.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/30/2017
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Trusted Reviews Archive.org version
The Sony Xperia L1 isn’t a bad phone by any means, but there’s simply no good reason why you’d choose it over one of its illustrious rivals.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 07/11/2017
Rating: Total score: 60% performance: 50% display: 70% mobility: 80% workmanship: 60%
Source: Stuff TV Archive.org version
On the surface, the Xperia L1 is a respectable budget phone. It’s packing a big screen, decent camera and fairly restrained version of Android, all wrapped up in an attractive shell. Stick it in a line-up of other, more expensive Xperia phones and you’d struggle to tell it was the one that’s easiest on the wallet.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/29/2017
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: GSM Arena Archive.org version
The Sony Xperia L1 is keen on getting a piece of the entry-level market, and you can tell by just looking at the phone and the spec sheet. For less than €200 you get an upmarket design and feel, a big screen, decent camera, fast network data and the latest Xperia launcher on Android Nougat. The L there may stand for many things but loser isn't one of them.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 06/23/2017
Source: Recombu Archive.org version
The Xperia L1 is your typical budget blower, offering some slick Sony styling for the £150 asking price. In some areas it lags behind rivals such as the Moto G5, especially when it comes to performance, while the camera tech isn’t quite as strong either. However, the capable screen, expandable storage and user-friendly interface combine for a satisfying everyday experience.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 06/19/2017
Rating: Total score: 70%
Foreign Reviews
Source: Inside Handy DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/03/2017
Rating: Total score: 66%
Source: Tech Stage DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/23/2017
Source: Curved DE→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/21/2017
Source: El Androide Libre ES→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 07/18/2017
Rating: Total score: 60%
Source: AndroidWorld.it IT→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 06/16/2017
Rating: Total score: 68% price: 60% features: 70% display: 70% mobility: 70% workmanship: 80%
Source: Tutto App Android IT→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Elegant design; decent cameras; good connectivity.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 07/17/2017
Source: Tabletowo PL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/20/2017
Rating: Total score: 67% performance: 55% display: 70% mobility: 75% workmanship: 65%
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/04/2017
Rating: Total score: 68%
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Elegant design; large screen; decent cameras. Negative: Short battery life.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/06/2017
Source: Zing VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Low price; nice cameras; good display; decent performance; long battery life. Negative: Plastic case; mediocre design; no fingerprint sensor.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/12/2017
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Beautiful design; good price; decent display. Negative: Plastic case; short battery life.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 07/21/2017
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good price; nice display; decent cameras; high performance. Negative: Mediocre design; plastic case.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 06/28/2017
Source: Mobility.bg BU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Metal case; decent hardware; nice display; good price; elegant design.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/20/2017
Source: Smartphone.bg BU→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Elegant design; good connectivity; fast charging; large screen; nice display. Negative: Plastic case; no fingerprint sensor; short battery life.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/21/2017
Source: Tek.no NO→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 06/12/2017
Rating: Total score: 75%
Source: Mobil.se SV→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 06/02/2017
Rating: Total score: 66%
Comment
Model:
Sony Xperia L1 is a mid-range smartphone that Sony just released to please the majority. It’s a big-screen replacement for the Xperia E, one that borrows more than a bit of design inspiration from Sony’s more expensive models. The smartphone has a 3.5mm headphone port on the top, microSD card slot built in next to the SIM card tray, and USB-C charging on the bottom. There is only a single speaker, but if a user turns on the xLOUD setting, it becomes really loud. The chassis is made of polycarbonate shell which is much grippier than glass or polished metal. It won’t turn into a mess of smudges and fingerprints as soon as user pick it up. The Sony Xperia L1 features a 5.5-inch screen. It makes do with a 720p panel, which equates to a lowly 267ppi display density. That’s enough to see individual pixels without breaking out the magnifying glass, but only if a user gets their nose right up to the screen. Brightness is very impressive for a budget phone, boosting up to very high levels in Auto mode when you step outdoors. A user shouldn’t struggle to see what’s on screen, even on very sunny days. Colour accuracy is pretty decent too. The screen delivers realistic images with the vibrancy expected, without becoming overblown.
Sony puts a lot of stock in its phone cameras, so it is expected that the Xperia L1’s 13MP snapper to be pretty decent. Feed it enough light and be rewarded with colorful, yet realistic photos with a respectable amount of detail. Zoom in and quickly spot the noise and lack of resolution, but most of the shots should still be fine for sharing online. The f/2.2 lens isn’t especially wide. With no optical image stabilization, low light shooting can be a bit of a challenge. User will need a steady hand and patience to get great results using the manual mode. Sony always had a light touch when it comes to customizing Android, and the Xperia L1 is no different. It’s running Nougat out of the box, with Sony’s familiar icons replacing Google’s own and the Swiftkey keyboard installed by default. A user can always add a theme if they want a different look. A user gets a good old fashioned app drawer, plus a handy recent apps list when the user swipes down on the home screen. The app drawer is pretty full, as Sony does like to add its own versions of Google’s apps. If there’s one part of the Xperia L1 that really gives the game away, it’s the MediaTek MT6737T CPU. It might be low-powered, but that also means the CPU isn’t a massive power drain. Despite the comparatively tiny 2620mAh battery, the Xperia L1 can manage a respectable eight hours of web browsing, social media scrolling, and photo snapping.
Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam
ARM Mali-T720 MP2: Integrated graphics card in ARM based SoCs. Can be configured with up to 8 cores (T720 MP8) and 650 MHz core clock (at 28nm). Supports OpenGL ES 3.1, OpenCL 1.1, DirectX 11 FL9_3, and Renderscript.
These graphics cards are not suited for Windows 3D games. Office and Internet surfing however is possible.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
MT6737T: ARM-based quad-core SoC (4x Cortex-A53) clocked at up to 1.5 GHz.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
5.50":
It is a very small display format for smartphones. You should by no means be mis-sighted and you will generally see very little on the screen and only have a small resolution available. In return, the device should be very small and handy.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.Sony: Sony Corporation is one of the largest Japanese electronics companies. The company was founded in 1946 under a different name and initially produced rice stoves. The company launched the first transistor radio. In 1958, the company was renamed Sony. Sony is a combination of the Latin word sonus (sound) and the English word sonny (little boy). Today, its core business is consumer electronics. The company is engaged in the development, design, manufacture and sale of electronic equipment, instruments, devices, game consoles and software. Sony operates in the following segments: Gaming and Network Services, Music, Images, Home Entertainment and Sound, Imaging Products and Solutions, Mobile Communications, Semiconductors, Financial Services and Others.
67.6%: This rating is poor. More than three quarters of the models are rated better. That is rather not a purchase recommendation. Even if verbal ratings in this area do not sound that bad ("sufficient" or "satisfactory"), they are usually euphemisms that disguise a classification as a below-average laptop.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.