The Sony Xperia P that Amóvil was able to review thanks to the loan by Orange, is a powerful and fast mid-range smartphone that runs with Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system. The phone, that is part of Sony's NXT series, is lightweight (120 grams) and housed in a single piece case made from aluminum.

The device features an elegant yet simple design with dimensions of 122x 59,5x 10,5mm, which includes a LED backlit 4-inch Super IPS LCD 2 multitouch capacitive screen powered with White Magic and Sony Mobile Bravia Engine technology for a crispier content display.

Most of the basic features found in other commercial smartphones are available in this device including A-GPS, NFC, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities. The handset comes with a rear 8 megapixels camera and a 1,3 megapixels front-facing VGA camera that allows video calls.

Accessibility review

Although the phone’s user guide provides no information about hearing aid compatibility, we were able to attest it is compatible with some hearing aids both in the microphone and t-coil modes. The Xperia P also allows users to insert a loopset or to connect to the phone through Bluetooth technology. In addition, hearing impaired users who prefer communicating in sign language will be able to make video calls thanks to the VGA front facing camera previously mentioned.

While the Ice Cream Sandwich OS comes with TalkBack built-in, the open platform screen reader for Android, the Xperia P is not accessible to blind users. The gesture features for touch exploration do not work very well, and the method for activating and deactivating the screen reader is not reliable. It neither works well in some applications as it fails to talk the user through the entire available content.

Partially blind users may also have a limited experience with this device. While the font size and style can be customized to meet the user’s need, this feature only works in some interfaces and menus. It also lacks of zooming and color inversion features, so color blind people may not be able to use this device with comfort. Notwithstanding, a feature worth mentioning that can be useful to these users is the device’s compatibility with HDMI, which enables them to connect the phone to a bigger screen such as a television set or a computer display.

The Xperia P includes some features that make it somewhat suitable for users with dexterity limitations. Besides being lightweight, easy to grip and including a voice recognition feature, its compatibility with SmartTags may improve these users experience with this device. SmartTags are chips that store customized setting and commands that a person can send to the phone upon touching a smart tag with the back of the device. This not only saves time but also simplifies commands and navigating the smartphone for people with dexterity issues.

In addition, the Xperia P includes standard slots for easy plugging and unplugging, and a mechanism to insert and eject the micro SIM card that is simpler than the ones found in most smartphones. It consist of detaching the cover from the slot located at the upper left side of the device then inserting the SIM card with a soft push.

Furthermore, the icons displayed on the device’s screen are standardized, thus suitable for users with certain limited comprehension skills or learning disabilities. The phone also allows customizing the home screen as well as the phone book and adding a widget that provides a quick access to frequent contacts.

For more information about the Sony Xperia P, please see the full accessibility report available at Amovil.

Have you used this device? We would like to hear about your experience!