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Sony Xperia U Sim Free Smartphone - Black

by Sony Phones
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)


Price: £149.95 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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  • 1Ghz dual core processor
  • 3.5' Reality display
  • 5mp camera
  • HD Video capture 720p
  • customisable LED lighting and end caps
See more product details
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Product details

  • Item Weight: 91 g
  • Boxed-product Weight: 454 g
  • Delivery Destinations: Visit the Delivery Destinations Help page to see where this item can be delivered.
    Find out more about our Delivery Rates and Returns Policy
  • Item model number: 1262-0728
  • ASIN: B007N1JTEM
  • Date first available at Amazon.co.uk: 19 Mar 2012
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (76 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 541 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
  • Click here for information about recycling electrical and electronic products

Product Description

Product Description

Sony Ericsson Xperia U smartphone
3.5” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine

Click here for a larger image

Discover the Xperia U

Play, watch and listen on Xperia U with razor sharp 3.5” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, crystal clear 3D surround sound and 1 GHz dual core processor for super-fast performance. Shoot and share faster on the 5 MP camera – from sleep to snap in just over a second – or record in HD. Personalise your phone with exchangeable caps, colour matching themes and the illuminating transparent element. And enjoy millions of songs from Music Unlimited and movies from Video Unlimited.

THE entertainer. Play, watch and browse more

Experience fantasy. In great quality on-screen.

Watch every moment from every movie or video in razor sharp clarity.

See every smile from last year’s party in a true detail. With its excellent 3.5” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and 1 GHz dual core processor for super-fast performance, the Xperia U is perfect for playing games, watching your favourite Hollywood blockbusters from Video Unlimited or browsing the web, super fast, on a razor sharp screen and with more vivid colours.

  • 3.5” Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine
  • Dual core 1 GHz processor
  • Video Unlimited

Fast camera. Snap it all

Experience moments. Just snap away.

Capture sunsets, waves and spectacular dives. Fire off the shots.

Capture the moment of surprise and that tricky skateboard move with Xperia U’s snappy 5 MP camera.From sleep to snap in just over a second and 1 second from shot to shot. Or shoot in crystal clear HD and share everything with your friends on Facebook or by email and text.

  • 5 MP camera
  • Fast Capture
  • 720p HD video recording
Sony Ericsson Xperia U smartphone camera feature
5 megapixel, auto focus

Click here for a larger image

Profound sound. Give your ears a treat

Experience beats. In 3D surround sound.

Blast out the music through the speaker with xLoud loudness enhancement.

Sit back and enjoy all your tunes up loud on Xperia U’s speakers with xLoud. Or plug in for more music in 3D surround sound on your headphones. If you still want more music, choose from millions of tracks, with thousands added every week and create your own playlists and channels with Music Unlimited.

  • xLoud
  • 3D surround sound
  • Music Unlimited

More Personal. Light up your life

Experience change. Make it personal.

Let the true you shine through.

Make life more personal. Choose a theme that matches the exchangeable cap, and watch the illuminating transparent element light up in the same colour. Or see how the transparent element complements what’s on your screen with a matching colour. Whether it’s album art when you browse through your music or your own photos in your gallery.

  • Exchangeable caps
  • Illuminating transparent element

Experience power. The Android way.

Download and run your apps and content super fast.

Browse the internet. Stream the latest video clips. Download the coolest apps. Run them super fast with the power of the 1GHz Dual core Processor. Find your way with Google maps. Send your love by Gmail. Your Xperia U Android smartphone has Google Mobile services built in.

Sony Xperia U smartphone
Scratch-resistant mineral glass

Click here for a larger image

Smart Extras for Android

The announcement of Xperia U is supported by the new Smart Extras accessories to enhance the experience on Android and to your smartphone.

Smart Wireless Headset pro – the Bluetooth headset that does it all

This Bluetooth stereo headset for Android smartphones offers multifunctional features in addition to superior sound. On the display of Smart Wireless Headset pro users can read text messages, see incoming calls, access calendar notifications and much more. When detached from the phone it functions as a standalone MP3 player and radio.

SmartWatch – access apps and smartphone features with a micro display for Android

SmartWatch is a micro display accessory for communicating with an Android smartphone via Bluetooth. Consumers can, for example, discretely access text messages, social media updates and manage calls or music. The display is mounted on a strap and can be worn as a watch. Applications allowing users to personalize their SmartWatch experience will be available on Android market.

Product Description

Play, watch and listen on Xperia U with razor sharp 3.5" Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine, crystal clear 3D surround sound and 1 GHz dual core processor for super-fast performance. Shoot and share faster on the 5 MP camera - from sleep to snap in just over a second - or record in HD. Personalise your phone with exchangeable caps, colour matching themes and the illuminating transparent element. And enjoy millions of songs from Music Unlimited and movies from Video Unlimited.


Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
126 of 126 people found the following review helpful
Colour Name:Black
I owned a Galaxy S which was amazing for two years. It could not cope well with multi tasking or more demanding apps. I got fed up it with it and was looking for a change. I preferred a mobile phone that could perform well but at a decent price. I did quite a bit of research because I am a bit funny about technology which I am not going to rant about.

1) Cost
The two options I were weighting up was the Xperia U (£125 approx as an upgrade from Phones4u on PAYG at the time this was written) or the Star N8000 (£125 approx sold on Amazon).

2) Performance:
The spec seemed better with the Star as it has 1GB of RAM. The Sony has 512K. I assumed Star would outperform. According to various U tube Antutu benchmarking videos however I noted the following scores (the higher the score the better):

Samsung Galaxy S: Score 3007
Star N8000: Score 3200
Sony Xperia U: Score 5333

You can imagine if I got the Star I might have been a bit cross.

3) Looks:
- The Sony is small, like a mobile phone should be and not look like a tablet. It fits in the hand well and the pocket.
- It has square corners not round corners. I dont understand why a lot of phones have the round corners, probably health and safety or something. Its my personal preference by the way. Maybe I am sick of rounded corners now. Square cars is still a NO for now.
- The light strip is a cool touch. The phone feels like it comes to life when you use it and is customisable.
- It says SONY above the touch screen. I feel proud to be the owner of this device. I remember the days when you see 'Sony' it meant expensive but quality.

4) Software
- Running gingerbread 2.3. Apparently will be upgraded to Ice cream sandwich 4.0 in September. Im happy with the software as it is.
- Due to the small screen it maybe difficult for some people to type on this device. The spell check built in is pretty efficient. If you make a mistake, the software will rectify it when you type the next word.
- Not as clever as the Galaxy S software. For example, on the Galaxy S you can swipe the text message to call someone. That was useful. Swiping from top of the screen to activate bluetooth, wifi etc was also very useful.

5) Storage capacity
- limited. 2gb dedicated to apps. 4gb for all others. This is fine for me. Other people may wish to carry more things.
- No expansion. Good. From previous experience, expansions slow the phone down.

6) Battery life:
OK. Lasted two days tops whilst playing games now and again. The battery can be changed. I intend to buy a replacement battery with higher capacity and use the one provided as a backup.

7) Recent Issues with the phone:
This phone worked like a dream on wifi for 15 mins. Then it started connecting to the router with 'limited connection' ie no internet. Apparently this is a common problem with these phones. I was determined to resolve this because I truely believe this phone is fantastic for the price, performs like a dream and looks great.

I updated the Belkin router with the latest firmware release. It did the trick for me. If you come across this problem I hope the suggestion will resolve the problem.

UPDATE: EARLY DEC 2012
8) A software update has been made available in Nov 2012 in the UK. It gives the Xperia U an update to Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS).
It seems faster and has a more intelligent and user friendly interface. The internet connects faster and the range of the wireless has been increased. The highlight of this update is the option to 'swipe' words as seen on the Samsung phones and an improvement to the voice recognition which makes it easier to ask questions or Google something.

Please be aware Sony stated on their website that once the update has been made you will not be able to revert back to an older version of Android. So before you update please check the 3rd party apps you are most reliant on are compatible with the new version of ICS.

Im aware that those who enjoy Rage of Bahamut for example, it currently has problems loading animations.

Thanks for reading.
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46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Colour Name:Black
I'll get it over with first: the well-discussed (if you've followed the forums and read other reviews) lack of a memory card slot is a bit naff, but with a small screen you're not likely to loading it up with oodles of videos. Bear in mind there is 6GB user memory altogether (2GB for apps, 4GB for media), not 4GB as many say. Know your needs, and take your pick. Rather annoyingly, the phone's memory does not appear as a standard mass-storage device when you plug it in with USB, instead it uses MTP for which support without installing bloated extra software is somewhat patchy. However I have successfully coaxed it to work with Windows XP and Ubuntu Linux.

The design is surprisingly decent, build quality average to good, and the screen is luscious - do fit a screen protector (at least one should be supplied) immediately to keep it that way. Some may not be so keen on the widescreen 16:9 ratio compared with the iPhone's 3:2, which does mean that although both are nominally 3.5" screens, the iPhone's is more spacious for portrait mode messaging. Android 2.3.7 works well enough so far, and Sony admit the specs (especially 512MB RAM) are a bit borderline for the promised ICS upgrade, so not sure whether I will bother with that. Battery life isn't too shabby, thanks to the efficient NovaThor processor - with light use, 2 to 3 days between charge seems about order of the day, but obviously not everyone's definition of "light" is the same. The camera is fair, with the 4mm f/2.6 lens well recessed to keep it protected, and a physical shutter button (also activates the camera from sleep) though it is quite stiff.

The supplied handsfree headset is about as cheap as Sony could muster, but the socket is a standard 3.5mm jack, and compatible with normal music headphones and CTIA handsfree devices (not the same as Sony Ericsson used to use alas). The (in)famous LED strip is surprisingly unobtrusive, even though it cannot be turned off altogether (though it's not illuminated constantly either; I haven't yet quite followed the logic, but it's fine), but the optional pink end cap is pretty horrid in my opinion. Dressed all in black straight from the box, the phone is smart and businesslike.
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129 of 134 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Initial Impressions - Very, Very Good So Far 27 Jun 2012
Colour Name:Black
Being a mid 50-Something Silver Surfer; (picture Paul Whitehouse - Aviva health food Internet Cafe tv ad - 'any chance of a bacon sandwich around here'?), increasingly struggling with a small (2.4") screen handset but with a contract soon to expire I began looking for a new phone with a larger screen to read more easily and to do a little surfing. Luckily a recent eye test and the arrival of new spectacles coincided with the new mobile so I should be suitably 'optimised' for the next 18/24 months! That's my only minor reservation so far - should I have gone for an even larger screen but with poorer battery life/practicality and at (far) greater expense? Well I guess I will catch-up within the next 18 months whatever the case rather like going to a 42" telly from my current 37"!

I mainly use my phone for texts, calls, an 'always to hand' camera, radio and now with a larger screen some light video capture/Internet usage. However being my first Smartphone I have found it above all to be extremely useful for checking and managing various on-line accounts with some excellent apps that I have installed as well as listening to catch-up radio programmes via its surprisingly good built-in 'speaker' or via my AKG in-ear headphones.

I do not use social media or download games. Whilst I may watch some catch-up tv I believe films/drama/sport/concerts and the like deserve the infinitely superior viewing experience of a decent widescreen tv with a good home cinema sound system. The fact that I work from home most of the time quite obviously influences my usage patterns too. In other words as far as Smartphones are concerned I am a light to moderate user whom does not live life super-glued to a handset!

I chanced upon this Sony Xperia U by pure good fortune. I was 90% committed to opting for another brand when I was shown this alternative handset. Directly comparing them the superior screen quality of the Sony was immediately apparent. The alternative phones screen looked perfectly fine until viewed alongside the Sony against which it then became distinctly average; not as bright, sharp or crystal clear as the stunning Xperia's. I most strongly recommend anyone to directly compare phones this way before purchasing regardless of whatever all the revues or tests say. The combination of this, and its value, performance, features, quality, style, spec., et'al represented to me sooooo much phone for your hard earned £'s.

Now for a few facts and observations: The call quality is markedly superior to my old Nokia which was reasonably good anyway. The screen is 3.5" in a 'wider' 16:9 ratio i.e. like a widescreen tv and unlike the 'squarer' 3:2 ratio of most other 3.5" screens. This somewhat obviously works particularly well when for example viewing a programme on iplayer. Viewing a web page/typing a text in landscape mode is also perfectly okay however, because of the relative 'narrowness' of the 16:9 ratio typing a text in portrait mode is very difficult indeed.

As said the clarity of the screen is the best I've ever seen, it would take something rather special to beat it. I also wanted my phone to remain relatively compact and 'pocket-able' i.e. truly 'mobile' with the bonus trade-off of 'better' battery life that a 'smaller' screen affords. So to reiterate; I always use the keyboard in landscape mode. The keys are larger but still a tad fiddly. Little problem for myself as I have average hands with slender-ish fingers. Someone with larger hands/fingers still might struggle even in this landscape mode?

A partial solution would be to obtain as I have done, essentially to use with a drawing/painting app, a stylus. A company on Amazon; mediadevil does a Magicwand as they describe it. It's a quality 'low friction capacitive stylus' that works a treat.

Whilst the screen is a significant 1.1" step-up from my previous Nokia C3-01 Touch & Type the actual characters are not necessarily any larger; even slightly the opposite perhaps? I shall be searching for alternative/bolder fonts or perhaps start using upper case and/or downloading a well known award winning keyboard app. The fact that the screen is so crisp and clear does however offset this 'shortcoming' to a significant degree; it really helps. Once again another solid reason why you should view the phone/a Webpage/the keyboard/font at first hand before you commit. Even in this circa sub-£200 sector it still represents a lot of money for many including myself.

Battery life is said to be 2-3 days which at this early stage sounds just about right for light to moderate usage. By today's Smartphone driven dire battery performance world this is as good as one can expect? Obviously each individuals needs/usage greatly influence any phones battery life. Heavy Internet/games & video usage etc equals heavier battery consumption. Wherever you fall in the usage stakes I very much doubt you will ever find yourself thinking; 'crickey its not going to last out the day'! Whilst on the subject of batteries the Xperia U's is reassuringly removable unlike some phones where it forms an albeit mildly worrying integral part of the handset. Another advantage of this is if you are a heavier user a spare battery can be purchased and carried as a back-up; a practise widely employed with digital cameras.

Family/friends loved the nifty light band with changing tones, the first thing they all noticed! Personally I'am not bothered either way; all I will say is yes its an admittedly attractive and unobtrusive aside. Moving on to more important things; the HD video capture and 5mp camera with 16x zoom plus basic VGA front facing camera will be quite useful, particularly the video as my excellent but older compact camera is not HD.

Two notable anomalies have arisen as potential negatives. Firstly the Android system is the older 2.3 which I hasten to add is actually very quick working very well indeed. (The handset being 'dual core' with a 1Ghz processor, both good points I believe). An update to Android 4 will be available later this year. Being honest 2.3 works so well I'am reluctant to 'update' until I have researched more. Why fix something that works and ain't broke?

The other unusual aspect is that there is no micro-SD card slot so check there is enough built-in memory for your personal needs before you commit. Refer to the reviews (DTEG's and others) that fully explain and provide a 'bigger' picture. Personally it's not a problem as it's highly unlikely I will get anywhere near it's full capacity: semi-retired so little if any business usage, no games downloads, music all on a superb Sony MP4 with outstanding battery life, also own a Kobo Touch e-reader with truly mega battery life (!), will only download a modest number of apps, usually use my laptop for emailing....

Back to a few more basics. The handset is relatively light whilst retaining a solid feel; 110gms only 10gms more than my old Nokia. It sits comfortably in the hand the rubber effect and slightly curvatured reverse/sides providing a safe, secure and reassuring grip. The front aspect is classic angular Sony finished in piano black, not entirely dissimilar to my 'Walkman' both a little 'different' but in a classical, stylish and restrained way. A quality screen protector was included in the box and fitted from day one.

One final Top Tip: I was told at first, i.e. out of the box, to use whatever battery life there was in the handset until it completely died and only then give it it's first recommended 8 hour charge. Apparently this is important for future battery life/performance. I guess many will know this but I mention it for the sake of others like myself whom did not.

Hopefully after a few months usage I will update this review for as the title states these are only my 'Initial Impressions' after all.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Does not sell out its quality with its awesome looks!
First off it looks awesome and can be personalized in its looks/colors in so many ways. Having said that it has a ghz and 8gb. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Moderate1
1.0 out of 5 stars faulty phone
I am not at all happy with this purchase. The phone freezes all the time, the battery doesn't last very long. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Kathy Cowley
4.0 out of 5 stars 2nd time lucky
Bought for my wife, the first phone had a faulty SIM reader. Replaced with AMAZON service and promptly received the new item. Read more
Published 9 days ago by RH
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Phone arrived promptly. Brand new. Never had a sony phone before but I am pleasantly impressed. Touch screen is very easy to use.
Published 22 days ago by MR TREV YORK
3.0 out of 5 stars Beware the Wifi Problem
I really like this phone, the size, and it's features. For me initially the only thing that let it down was the lack of memory expansion, and only 4GB onboard. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Daniel Newland
1.0 out of 5 stars Dysfunctional Android phone
The phone receives pushed mail from your personal account ie Yahoo or Hotmail but does not actually sync. Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Taylor
1.0 out of 5 stars Awful
The sony experia u is an awful phone no memory capacity at all texting is near enough impossible e.g I press K and lots of other random letters come up makes it absolute hell I... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Andrew
5.0 out of 5 stars brilliant phone
I have had this phone for a few months and I love it. It is cheap but worth every penny - great battery, easy to use, sturdy and a large memory. I recommend this phone!
Published 1 month ago by Bob
5.0 out of 5 stars Really happy with this phone
My 3rd smartphone use so far. 1st was an LG optimus - nice design but poor performance. 2nd was a hand me down i-phone - ok but not a fan of their format. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mr. D. Thompson
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice looking phone
As this is my first smart phone I cant compare it to all those Galaxys and iPhones. What I can say is that its a good-looking, easy-to-use phone. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Benjamin
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