Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual review: A powerful smartphone beyond the price war

Chinese mobile manufacturing companies came to India and beat every company. This is unimaginable and a reality in itself. We have mentioned it so many times that it has become tiresome now. But this is the truth, and these companies are also deciding the market strategy. From the smallest companies to multinational brands of India are launching their products on the roadmap of these companies.

Some companies have suffered a lot by joining this race, but Sony has been adamant about the specifications and price of its products. So don’t expect any flagship product from this Japanese company in the price segment which is half the current price. For this reason, at first glance, Sony’s Xperia M4 Aqua Dual smartphone seems to be completely lagging behind its cheaper handsets. Therefore, we have tried to know how Sony can stay in this race and we have reached a very surprising conclusion.

Look and design
The Xperia M4 Aqua Dual is a plastic and glass phone with a flat back and curved sides. The white and coral pink versions look good but the black version, which we got for review, looked a bit heavy. The silver brand logo all over the body, a ring around the rear camera lens and the power button on the side look a bit odd. If the screen is off, it looks like a shiny black slab.

The phone is slightly curved and has a matte finish design, but due to the flat back, it is not very comfortable to hold. The handset is completely sealed, so all ports and slots can be accessed externally. The microSD card slot is on the top left, while the nano SIM slot is on the top right, both of which are behind rubber-lined flaps.

This is because one of the biggest features of the Xperia M4 Aqua is that it is waterproof. The IP65 and IP68 ratings mean that the handset can be immersed in up to 1.5 meters of fresh water for 30 minutes without any damage. Apart from this, it is also dust resistant. Interestingly, Sony has done wonders by not covering the 3.5mm audio port on the top and the micro-USB port on the top left with a flap. The lack of a flap on the micro-USB port is even better as removing and re-inserting the flap to charge can be very annoying.

The power button is very small and is placed in the center on the right side, which is an awkward position. Below it are the volume buttons. And at the bottom is the camera shortcut button. The camera button feels good to touch and is well positioned for camera use. Sony is the only company now that makes buttons like this and we like it.

Specifications and software
The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 615 SoC, which is common in most smartphones these days and is priced much less than this phone, but it’s not enough. With four 1.5GHz cores and four 1GHz cores, the SoC can handle demanding tasks and save battery when needed. The phone packs 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be expanded up to 32GB via a microSD card.

The 5-inch screen has a resolution of 720x1280P. It is less sharp than the full HD screens available in other phones in this price range, but in practical terms there is no harm. Everything is still sharp and this screen is quite good in terms of color reproduction and viewing angles.

The handset features Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, FM radio, and NFC. The 2300MHz band used in India’s 4G networks can be accessed using SIM cards in either slot. Interestingly, the handset lacks support for USB-OTG storage. The battery capacity is 2,400mAh, which is pretty good for a device as slim as this.

The phone runs on Android 5.0 operating system with Sony using its own UI which we liked. There are a number of themes available, although most of them are designed as Sony branded movie or music tie-ins. The company has done this in the past when it has overloaded its software with advertising for its media products. You’ll find a Sony Liv icon on the homescreen, along with Sony’s Music, Album, Movies and PlayStation apps. Another new app is a big What’s New widget which is aimed at advertising. While some of the preloaded apps like Line, Movie Creator, File Commander, Sketch, MobiSystems OfficeSuite, AVG Protection and TrackID are useful, apps like Xperia Lounge and News from SociaLife are a bit spammy. Very few of these can be uninstalled.

TV SideView is a useful app. It works as a local TV guide for you and gives you the option to use compatible Sony TVs if they are on the same network. You can browse shares for media via DLNA network, and enjoy the content shown on Sony’s app on compatible TVs, Bluetooth and speakers as well.

Sony’s camera app allows you to integrate third-party features, so you can download apps for time-lapse mode or any other filter, in addition to the default Superior Auto, Manual, AR Effect, Creative Effect and Sweep Panorama modes. Apart from this, you can also run many popular apps like Vine, CamScanner Phone PDF and Evernote.

Performance
The Sony Xperia M4 Aqua Dual was a lot of fun to use and there are no complaints about its speed or response. Apart from the awkward placement of buttons, there was no problem holding and using the handset in one hand. Call quality was excellent and LTE also worked fine. One problem we noticed was that the upper part of the rear side of the phone started getting warm after just a few minutes of normal use.

Benchmark scores were also good, but not the best in this price segment. We scored 33,097 in the AnTuTu test and 16,108 in the Quadrant test. The GFXbench test showed a decent score of 22fps, while 3DMark Ice Storm Extreme scored 4,345 points. Video playback was also good and we had no issues playing even heavy 1080p clips. Sound was quite clear and well balanced, but was quite soft even at maximum volume levels.

Battery life in particular was excellent, lasting 9 hours and 58 minutes on a video loop test. Sony claims that you can use the handset for two days on a full charge. It is possible, but you don’t have to stress yourself with games and web browsing. Between all this, it will easily last you a day even with heavy use, so you don’t have to worry about carrying a power bank and charger.

The camera emerged as the biggest feature of the phone. Even in complex exposures, the images captured with the camera were detailed. We were pleased to see that compression and noise artefacts were under control. Even in low light, the camera captured images with details that are not common. Finally, we had to test Sony’s claims of the Xperia M4 Aqua being waterproof, so we left the phone in a basin filled with tap water for 10 minutes. The phone worked even after being in the water, and there was no problem in using it even after taking it out and wiping it with a towel. The touchscreen does not work underwater, but you can use the camera as there are physical buttons. Waterproofing is a great feature in this price range, and you will not have to worry about getting wet in the rain or accidentally spilling any liquid on the handset.

Our verdict
On specifications alone, this phone doesn’t compete with the Oneplus One and similar handsets, but Sony has packed in a lot of new features in the Xperia M4 Aqua Dual and made it usable, which makes the price justifiable. It’s also true that you’re not getting the fastest processor and the best screen, but as a polished product, this handset is far ahead. You get a good camera, excellent battery life and waterproof features.

If the price was a little less, the phone’s market would not have suffered. By the way, the phone is already available at a price slightly lower than its launch price. So keep an eye on the offers. Sony has proven that it can introduce a solid smartphone in the market without being a part of a price war.