Finally, a waterproof phone I can afford

Damage

R4 200

* This is Lauren’s personal Sony Xperia M2 Aqua smartphone that she purchased with her own cash – not a review unit *

What you need to know

Latest version of Kit Kat (with Lollipop on its way)
Waterproof phone and dust resistant
4.8 inches, 540 x 960 pixel display
8MP back camera, 1.1MP front camera
2GHz quad-core Snapdragon
8GB internal storage, 1GB RAM
38 hours talk time, on average
LTE enabled
Available in black or copper

What we think you need to know

The M2 Aqua is a solid mid-range smartphone that offers the best features of its high-end range without the need to give those guys at Wonga a call. But at less than R5000, you can expect a few compromises.

sony2

The general look and feel of the phone is virtually indistinguishable from the Sony Xperia Z. But the lack of covers and accessories for this phone definitely sets this handset apart. The screen is a compromise on Sony’s flagship but with little cost to the user experience – unless you’re using an HD app it’s barely noticeable. However the touchscreen can be unresponsive for finer movements such as dragging slider buttons.

At only 8MP the camera is not on par with what we’re used to, but the software attempts to bridge this gap. Can you say #filter? It also comes with a voucher to download a free movie of your choice. Now I have JGL at my fingertips whenever I lose faith in humanity.

As with all current Sony’s, the bloatware adds nifty additional features to Android Kit Kat. The mini-apps feature has filtered down to Sony’s mid-range models, meaning that you can easily access your calculator and notepad without the need to exit an app. Speaking of, the kill all button is a simple but welcome addition to Sony’s version of Android, allowing me to exit numerous apps at the touch of a button.

By far the biggest draw for this phone is its waterproof capability despite being a mid-range phone. I tested this feature during an afternoon thunderstorm in Jo’burg, which to those of you who don’t know, is a euphemism for “typhoon”. The phone held out well – the screen remained responsive and easy to use with no discernable difference to the performance. The only drawback is that with great waterproofing comes great clumsy waterproof flaps covering the SD slot, charging point and AUX-in point. A small price to pay when I weigh up the amount of times my phone has landed up in a toilet.