Sony Xperia M2 review: Dial M for midrange

Sony Xperia M2 retail package

The roomy retail box of the Sony Xperia M2 covers just the basics in the shape of an A/C adapter, a microUSB cable and a headset.

Sony Xperia M2 retail box

Sony Xperia M2 360-degree view

With a bigger screen to show for it, the Sony Xperia M2 is obviously taller than the original Xperia M. It stands at 139.7 x 71.1 x 8.6mm and weighs a solid 148g. This is very close in fact to the dual-SIM five-incher, the Xperia C.

Design, build quality and handling

It's not just the size actually, the two handsets have quite a lot in common. Sony has keept the OmniBalance design for a second generation in a row now and it still does the job quite well. What the Xperia M2 lacks compared to the Xperia C is a removable battery cover, and therefore a user-accessible battery.

What looks like glass on both sides, is actually a pretty close resemblance but the Sony was obviously mindful of the budget. A closer inspection reveals the rear is actually made of extra glossy black polycarbonate. It's so reflective it can almost replace a mirror. The downside of this finish is it would get covered in smudges if you even so much as look at it.

Sony Xperia M2

The Sony Xperia M2 comes with a 4.8" display, which HTC might try to sell to you as a mini next year. It isn't the most compact smartphone around, but not impossible to operate single-handedly. The Xperia M2's matte sides provide at least some sort of proper grip, which is more than welcome considering the super slippery rear finish.

Handling the Xperia M2

Display

The Sony Xperia M2 has a 4.8" LCD display of qHD resolution (540 x 960px) for a decent, even if hardly spectacular, 229ppi sharpness. It is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass 3, though the absence of oleophobic coating makes fingerprints a problem. The surface is not as easy to clean as we would like.

Sony Xperia M2's display

Color rendering looks okay, but the white balance is on the cold side meaning there is a subtle bluish tint. On this smartphone the side viewing angles are OK, with little loss of contrast and color shift when you are not looking at the screen head on.

Sony Xperia M2 RGB display matrix

The overall image quality is quite decent, the display is very bright and the contrast is great.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
Sony Xperia M2	0.33	325	989	0.64	643	1000
Sony Xperia M	0.17	150	865	0.57	569	983
Nokia Lumia 625	0.18	200	1111	0.33	395	1205
HTC One mini 2	0.19	220	1141	0.42	501	1196
LG G2 mini	0.12	91	752	0.52	398	748
HTC One mini	0.15	177	1197	0.50	685	1361
Samsung Galaxy S4 mini	0	166	∞	0	396	∞
Motorola Moto G	0.35	315	906	0.57	550	967
Oppo R819	0.56	607	1078	0.62	754	1210

The front display glass is quite reflective too, making the screen hard to read in direct sunlight.

Sunlight contrast ratio

• Nokia 808 PureView
  4.698
• Apple iPhone 5
  3.997
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3
  3.997
• Samsung Galaxy S5
  3.549
• Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
  3.419
• Nokia Lumia 925
  3.402
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
  3.352
• Samsung Omnia W
  3.301
• Samsung Galaxy S
  3.155
• Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
  3.127
• Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
  3.118
• Nokia N9
  3.069
• Samsung Galaxy Note
  2.970
• Sony Xperia Z1
  2.950
• HTC One S
  2.901
• BlackBerry Q10
  2.856
• Samsung Galaxy S II
  2.832
• Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
  2.801
• BlackBerry Z30
  2.790
• Huawei Ascend P1
  2.655
• Sony Xperia ZR
  2.672
• Nokia Lumia 900
  2.562
• HTC One Max
  2.537
• Nokia Lumia 720
  2.512
• HTC One
  2.504
• Sony Xperia Z
  2.462
• Samsung Galaxy S III mini
  2.422
• HTC One (M8)
  2.371
• Motorola RAZR i
  2.366
• Samsung Galaxy Note II
  2.307
• Oppo Find 7a
  2.279
• Apple iPhone 4S
  2.269
• HTC Desire 600 dual sim
  2.262
• LG Nexus 5
  2.228
• HTC One X
  2.158
• Nokia N8
  2.144
• Oppo Find 5
  2.088
• Nokia Lumia 630
  2.056
• BlackBerry Z10
  2.051
• Apple iPhone 4
  2.016
• HTC One mini
  2.003
• LG G2
  1.976
• Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
  1.955
• Sony Xperia Z2
  1.944
• HTC One mini 2
  1.940
• Samsung Galaxy Camera
  1.938
• LG G Pro 2
  1.922
• HTC Butterfly
  1.873
• Huawei Ascend P6
  1.865
• Sony Xperia V
  1.792
• Sony Xperia U
  1.758
• Meizu MX3
  1.754
• Sony Xperia T2 Ultra
  1.740
• LG Optimus 4X HD
  1.691
• HTC One V
  1.685
• BlackBerry Q5
  1.682
• LG Optimus Vu
  1.680
• LG Optimus GJ
  1.666
• HTC Desire V
  1.646
• Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
  1.622
• Sony Xperia Z Ultra
  1.578
• Samsung Galaxy Core
  1.563
• LG Optimus G Pro
  1.552
• LG Optimus 3D
  1.542
• Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
  1.542
• Nokia Asha 302
  1.537
• Sony Xperia M
  1.473
• Nokia Lumia 610
  1.432
• Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
  1.393
• Sony Xperia M2
  1.393
• Gigabyte GSmart G1355
  1.361
• Samsung Galaxy Grand
  1.321
• HTC Desire C
  1.300
• Nokia Asha 501
  1.270
• LG Optimus L7
  1.269
• LG Optimus L9
  1.227
• Meizu MX
  1.221
• Sony Xperia E dual
  1.203
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket
  1.180
• Sony Xperia tipo
  1.166
• Samsung Galaxy mini 2
  1.114