Is it wise to buy Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo V?

Hi friends,

I had been planning to buy a good android smartphone to replace my N70 (Yes. The same old Nokia N70 :-D

) for over 3 months and searching for the optimum phone with the following features:

1. HD Video recording and LED flash for still photos
2. Good screen size (at least 3.7 inch)
3. Solid build (Note that this is because of my dearness to N70 and the fact that I drop my phone occasionally)
4. Front cam (for video calls)
5. Good music player
6. HDMI port
7. Budget < 20k

I had made up mind to get the HTC IS and was actually waiting for it to reduce to around 20k.

But today, looking at the features of Sony Ericsson Neo V at a price of 17.5k, I feel it is the best one to buy.

What do you guys feel?

Thanks in advance for your advice.
Regards,
Daniel

Neo V looks good spec wise at that price....But SE sucks in terms of service...

Recently I checked out the SE India site for its service centers in my area & I found a particular shop ,which has shut shop about 3 years ago

This tells me a lot about this company incidentally I still use a SE phone

I would be very leery about opting for a SE phone now also I have heard horror stories about their quality of service in Mumbai, people have actually sold their phones as junk rather than go to the service centers even though their phones were in warranty & opted for new phones

I haven't seen much failure rates in SE phones. Having said that after sales service is very important.

About the phone, even I liked it a lot and was about to buy it but am a bit worried about the bulk.

N

Android = HTC OR SAMSUNG

look no beyond...they suck in service (OS Updates)

I belong to Chennai. Does anyone know about Sony service in Chennai?

Regarding the OS update, I can mod the phone after some time (say 6 months).

noob said:
Android = HTC OR SAMSUNG

look no beyond...they suck in service (OS Updates)

damnthenet said:
I belong to Chennai. Does anyone know about Sony service in Chennai?

Regarding the OS update, I can mod the phone after some time (say 6 months).

Sony is releasing their updates much faster than others now. 2.3.4 is already out for SE devices and custom ROM developer scene is also active for the flagship SE phones

They have learnt from the X10's mistakes. Don't spam them for their previous births sins :))

Just heard that Samsung is introducing the Galaxy W in India for around 17k. I hope it comes soon.

Sarath said:
I haven't seen much failure rates in SE phones. Having said that after sales service is very important.

About the phone, even I liked it a lot and was about to buy it but am a bit worried about the bulk.

Agree with you I still use my K750i

you should also look for Samsung Galaxy s and Se Xperia Ray @ same range..and I believe Even Moto Defy+ is also around ur budget

I think Xperia ray is better? Not a phone freak though, the phone just looks so sexy.

socrates said:
Just heard that Samsung is introducing the Galaxy W in India for around 17k. I hope it comes soon.

Both Galaxy W and Neo V look the same in terms of spces. However, Galaxy W has an ace up the sleeve with its 4 GB internal memory. Neo V only has 320 MB of internal memory, but has HDMI port (Galaxy W doesn't seem to have HDMI!). But yes. It's definitely worth waiting and watching till it launches in India. By that time, maybe, I will have good reviews of Neo too!!

Thanks Socrates for your suggestion.

clmlbx said:
you should also look for Samsung Galaxy s and Se Xperia Ray @ same range..and I believe Even Moto Defy+ is also around ur budget

Samsung Galaxy S lacks flash, HDMI, etc which I think is a must for a 19k phone.
Motorola Defy + cannot be compared with Neo V as it lacks HD video, front cam, HDMI, etc...

tkin said:
I think Xperia ray is better? Not a phone freak though, the phone just looks so sexy.

Xperia ray is good but its screen size is only 3.3 inch. I have been spoiled by seeing the specs of the latest phones that sport 4, 4.3, 4.65 inches :-D

. I would like a screen 3.7 - 4 inches.

Wait for a few more months... i have a hunch that Galaxy R pricing will reduce to around 22K within this year..

Galaxy W will be releasing too this year... but for now,
Neo V is a very good option for you.

Planning to wait till next week..

Once Diwali is over, I believe the prices of other mobiles in this category (if not Neo because it's already best price) may come down. They I will be able to decide.

R

Neo v is a excellent choice
Also, its online price is around 18000

However, till Diwali adexmart.com is selling Neo V at 15490.. At this price i would say that do not wait and go for it... with specs of neo at this price its a killer deal

it certainly is a great deal... Another phone coming to the top VFM segment...

I have ordered Neo V in Adexmart at an unbelievable price of 15490!

Thought of waiting till Diwali...
But couldn't resist both the phone and the price at Adexmart!

Do Review the Phone ASAP

R

Superb choice buddy.. enjoy with your new gadget

damnthenet said:
I have ordered Neo V in Adexmart at an unbelievable price of 15490!

Thought of waiting till Diwali...
But couldn't resist both the phone and the price at Adexmart!

Congrats! Do review it :mrgreen:

damnthenet said:
I have ordered Neo V in Adexmart at an unbelievable price of 15490!

Thought of waiting till Diwali...
But couldn't resist both the phone and the price at Adexmart!

Congrats! Waiting for a review.

Thank you guys.

Sure. Will review it once I get the phone.

Even I ordered Xperia Neo V from adexmart.com for my brother :))

When I checked the website it said out of stock..So I called them up and asked them when the stock wud be back. They said check in 1-2hrs and within 30 mins the site was updated with Neo V back on sale @15690/-
It says last few items remaining..so people hurry and get this awesome deal asap!!! :grin:

Waiting for delivery now...4-7 working days. COD

G

xperia x10 is good ...not sure about neo

cons
-The video playback formats is limited by internal player compared to samsung (which even play divx)
-The rooting is quite difficult process
-UI bugs
-Low sound o/p but can be solve using Xloud.

pros
-sony has bravia engine so better display than samsung.
-touch n keypad is better in terms of response than samsung

G

Some Qs --

1) will it support ICS in the future ?
2) how good is SE with providing OS updates compared to samasung/htc etc ?
3) does it support cyanogenomod ?

great_manish said:
Some Qs --

1) will it support ICS in the future ?
2) how good is SE with providing OS updates compared to samasung/htc etc ?
3) does it support cyanogenomod ?

A quick look at xda would answer all your queries.

SE is provinding updates very swiftly now a days. I think the fastest now. They have learn from the horrible x10.

G

Just checked out the phone. The body is too glossy for my liking

and prone to fingerprints... im keeping my Wave II for now ...

Got the phone after anxiously waiting for around 3 days after ordering!

Should say it was quick delivery (considering that they had mentioned 4-7 days). A person from Adexmart itself came and handed the mobile to my address (probably because I am in Chennai where Adexmart too is.). No courier service and no extra packaging!

Haven't used the mobile well enough to go for a review now. Will do a detailed review once I familiarize with my mobile. At the first look, I feel I have made a wise decision to buy this mobile

L

Dude ... Congratulations for new phone ....

I am a crazy SE fan & Neo V is on my radar.. But only problem is that I have heard about 2 main issues with this phone..

1. Phone restarts / O.S Crashes.

2. Images are stored in compressed form (few kbs even after you take image with 3-4 Mega pixel or something).

I understand that these can be unit specific issues bt still wanted to know it from somebody who is actually using it...
so let me know have you faced any kinds of issues ....
I am basically waiting for my salary :-D

...

********
It's not how you loose ..... It's how you get up and get going ...

R

Got mine on 28 oct .. and at a price f 15490 this is a killer phone.. every part of it that i have used .. have been excellent

Do post your reviews guys.

congrats damnthenet...do post the comments after using it thoroughly...

I think Samsung Galaxy is eating all alphabets....Galaxy S,Galaxy W,Galaxy R & also Galaxy Y

Add N too, aka Galaxy Nexus with ICS.

Got my bro's SE Xperia neo V today!!!

AWESOME PIECE!!! No regrets watsoever...display is beautiful and UI is snappy(just initial impressions)

Guys leave your feedback on the website too in the online shopping feedback thread. Down in siggy.

Congrats for the new neo

V

How convinient is it to extensively read PDF files on the Neo V?

Is a 3.7" display screen good to read?

The reason I ask is because my brother got this Diwali gift in office. However, since he already uses the Galaxy SII, he said he'll send it to me for using.

Now, I use an entry-level Samsung QWERTY and its okay. I don't quite fancy a cell right now. However, I do want a tablet, basically to read PDF files.

I was thinking of selling this handset & using it to buy an iBall Slide tablet instead. But since it is a gift, even if a hand me down from my brother, the thought of selling it, makes me uncomfortable.

So please tell me, if I should rip open the packaging of the Neo when it arrives & start using it to read PDF files or shall I sell it and buy an iBall Slide?

Thank you

Hi,
<<<<<<<The story behind the purchase>>>>>>(Read ‘Here's my take on the SE Neo V, having used it for around 1 week’ if you require only the review and nothing else!)

This phone released in India at a time when it was almost 6 months since I started to look for the best mobile that suits my needs. I had narrowed upon the HTC IS and was waiting for it to come under 20K (my budget).

I had not cared to even look at SE mobiles during my 6 months of research as I had a opinion that they were not reliable (in terms of build quality, etc.). One fine day I came across the Neo (not Neo V) in Indiaplaza website and was amazed at the features... Android 2.3, HD Video, LED flash (for still photos) and HDMI for around 18K! These were precisely my requirements! I didn't buy it then because the Neo model never launched in India and I realized that the website (Indiaplaza) was selling by buying outside India and that means we are not covered by Sony India warranty!

After a week Neo V had been announced 'quietly' in India. Having noted the features of Neo, I was quite curious to know the features of Neo V. And whola! They had the same features + more recent android version with only a slightly downgraded camera (5MP instead of the 8MP in Neo). Incidentally, when I had gone to a nearby mall, SE was showcasing their new phones and I had the opportunity to try out the mobile. Just in a few minutes of trying it, I had made up my mind to get this phone!!!

Flipkart was selling the mobile for 17.5K and I was just going through the last minute reviews just to make sure I made a good decision. By that time, AdexMart.com started selling it for a mere 15.5K! I couldn't resist... And ordered by COD on a Saturday and got the mobile on the subsequent Thursday.

<<<<<<Here's my take on the SE Neo V, having used it for around 1 week:>>>>>>
Build/Looks: Good. Not Excellent. It's a real beauty by looks (I have a blue-black gradient mobile). However, I feel the back cover could have used a different material to avoid the slightly plasticy feel. And they could have come up with better ways for covering the HDMI and the USB port rather than using cheap flaps that will fall off anytime! However, the good news is that, they are not essential. The mobile looks ok without them too.

Screen Clarity: One of the best! Coming with a very high resolution of 854 x 480 Pixels and a 264 PPI pixel density, I don't have to say that they are excellent. They are ONE OF THE BEST OUT THERE!

UI/Apps: Excellent. Android + Timescape have jelled well to give an excellent UI. The 1GHZ processor ensures that there is no delay or snag anywhere during navigation. Though I found some apps terminating unexpectedly, I feel it's an one off issue and is certainly not a problem. There are also a lot of Apps that come by default and invariably most of them require Internet connection! There are no games provided by default but I downloaded a couple from Android market and their performance was good. The inbuilt browser seems to render the WebPages pretty well and apps like Facebook almost change the manner we work with Facebook. Since the S/W is completely customizable, I am not going to go in depth here. But even if you decide not to make many changes to what's given by default, you won't be disappointed!

Camera: Good. Captured videos (HD) look great! Even in low lights, the video comes out pretty well. However, the still camera seems to be a little inferior (still they are good!), may be because of the lack of Exmor sensor with the images looking good in the phone and not that great when viewed in a large screen. I didn't test the 3D photos in a 3D TV, so can't comment on that. But the LED flash is a big plus.

Sound Quality: Average. Here's where I was a little disappointed (May be I was expecting a lot!). The phone doesn't come with an in ear, it comes with a normal earphone only. Apart from that, the sound quality is good, but I feel there is no 'wow!' factor because the maximum loudness when listened through (a good quality like Senheiser) earphone is a little lower than what one would expect. Not sure if it's a software or hardware setting but I am hoping that it's a software setting (and the loudness will improve with updates).
Another consoling thing is that the audio when played from a high quality music source (MP3s coded 192 or more kbps) sound really good and the lower bit rates (128kbps) sounds pretty average.

Connectivity: There are quite a lot of options that the phone provides in terms of connectivity. The charger and the data cable are from the same USB port. There is an HDMI connectivity option (though I haven't used it yet) and wireless connectivity options such as Bluetooth and wifi. In connectivity too, I would rate Neo V to be 'Excellent'. There's a 2 GB micro SD card provided which won't be of much use but still I am living with it as the 16 GB card that I had ordered from the TheITBazzar.com website has not come yet!

Battery: Average. Lot of people complain that the battery is pretty poor, but I would say it is average. The phone by default has very high brightness set (may be to showcase its beauty!) which can be reduced if required for better battery efficiency. It's not fair to ask for all things that the phone provides without using the battery power!

And now to sum it up, I would say that whatever cons I have mentioned are very insignificant. Maybe some of the features are far superior that the whole expectation rises and hence some other features might seem inferior! Therefore, if you want all the features packed in one beautiful body and that too at a price of around (15.5K to 17K), I would say, go and get the Neo V right now!!! It’s absolutely worth every penny!

Regards,
Daniel Moses

Bro your review is nice one...post this in Review section with 5-6 actual pics and you are done

Nice review.

Nice bro. I strongly suggest you copy the contents to another thread (create a new one) it'll be helpful for many.

really you have written a very good review...keep it up

@damnthenet

Great review. Perhaps you can expand upon it by posting sample pics & HD videos of beautiful girls in your neighborhood, college & tuition. It will improve our understanding & help us know better.

Can you also tell us if it handles PDF files out of the box or will it need an app to be installed. Is is convinient and easy to read those PDF files [perhaps, in landscape mode, if not portrait]

Please get back with these inputs [especially the HD pics & videos we require]. Eagerly awaiting

Thanks

@sujoyp,Skud,Sarath,aroraanant,koltanga, thanks a lot for your appreciations.

I have posted the review as a separate thread as per your request:
*www.thinkdigit.com/forum/mobile-monsters/148348-review-sony-xperia-neo-v.html

Have added a few things too

@koltanga, Yes it does open PDF files out of the box. There is an office suite and Adobe reader preinstalled for that purpose. The later offers you a full screen view option too.
But if you ask me seriously, it cannot replace a e-book reader atleast for 2 reasons:
1. Due to it's 16:9 screen ratio, the width is quite small though the height is large in potrait mode. In landscape mode, you will feel that the height is quite small.
2. The batter as I pointed out is pretty ordinary when you keep the backlight for a long time. Since reading for a long time will require a the backlight to be on, this would mean that need to connect the phone to a charger when you read (definitely, not ideal!).

However, I would suggest you to have a look at the mobile in a shop (try it out). Personal preference weighs more than what you hear!

Most sony phones are 16:9, I wasn't aware of it in the beginining but it is much more comfortable that way.

Next step: add it to your siggy.

Looks at mine, Some may thing i'm spamming on this forum

but it might be helpful for some

A

Describe the battery life in detail please !

That was a good review @damnthenet

Can you please let me know if you are facing any issues with this mobile. I've read quite a few restart issues with the Neo V.

@Uziar: Thanks. Regarding the issues, I haven't faced any of the Wifi issues or restarting issues.

The only problem that I see is that the caller is not able to hear anything if the signal strength is low (say 3/4) though I am able to hear the caller very clearly. This happens in my office everyday(we have moved to an isolated place

recently). Not sure if this is a problem with the phone or with the mobile network. A friend of mine is able to talk with the same network from my seat using his Samsung Duos, so this is really a concern!

However, I haven't faced that issue when signal strength is good which has kept me from taking the phone to the service center. Will have to try out another network and decide.

@a2mn2002: Regarding the battery, I am charging it everyday. Can't help as I am addicted to several apps that will drain away battery! The fact is that you can get good battery life if you disable all the background apps and reduce the brightness, etc... But if they weren't required, why would I be getting an Android phone at the first place?

Lightyear_Aks said:
I have heard about 2 main issues with this phone..

1. Phone restarts / O.S Crashes.

Never had such problem. This may be due to low RAM which can be managed by a memory management app.

Lightyear_Aks said:
2. Images are stored in compressed form (few kbs even after you take image with 3-4 Mega pixel or something).

Images are of good quality. An average 5 mp snaps takes around 750kb. It is downsized if you view it on the Gallery app. But it never compromise on quality. Snaps are best viewed on the phone's screen.

Tanmay Satpathy said:
Never had such problem. This may be due to low RAM which can be managed by a memory management app.

Images are of good quality. An average 5 mp snaps takes around 750kb. It is downsized if you view it on the Gallery app. But it never compromise on quality. Snaps are best viewed on the phone's screen.

That's the greatness of almost all phone cameras, they look best on the phone's screen. Outside that, they just suck.

P

After a waiting for around 1 year for a VFM droid i got this baby finally .

The purchasing process itself was quite dramatic . I don't own a credit card and seldom use my debit card for anything above 5k purchase .
I was confused between galaxy sl , neo v and galaxy s plus .
So one day I took 20k cash to shop for cell . I went in to shops and had a look at both neo V and Galaxy S siblings . Fell for the one hand operation of neo V.
But it was out of Stock almost every where or only white colour was available which i disliked . So purchase plan cancelled for the moment .

Then within a week reports of over heating , restarts , poor se service started to come up and my mind shifted towards Galaxy SL .

Went to purchase next week that but the area where i live (indirapuram Ghaziabad) its all Spice . chroma , Reliance Digital .

chroma and Reliance were retailing Galaxy SL for 18.5 K! where as Spice Dibbas (yes these are dibbas for all practical purposes , a makeshift shelter in middle of alley in malls) in Malls were selling that for 18 K . Again Plan Cancelled .

Again took out money next week this time got a sweet deal of 17k for Grey version of Neo V . Got it finally .

Short Review : Camera is good with AF (would have purchased Nokia 701 had it AF)
Does Get heated when playing HD Games . (My 5800 also got heated while browsing) so i think thats normal .

Music and Videos : Decent i would say , but my 5800 did sound better .
Only supports Mp4 video . so need to install another player.

A drawback is internal memory (320 MB) . One can manage with normal apps , but all HD games (10 - 30 MB) install on Phone memory only . So have to be very cautious with what you install and not .

J

What about BATTERY LIFE guys ? I heard that it is not upto the mark..U need to charge daily even if not using excessive 3G or wi-fi or games ?? Please reply..thanks..

Can anyone tell the current street price of this phone?

K

bought neo v from ebay for 15.4k..also got to choose a christmas gift either a jabra bluetooth headset or micromax phone..

Then will street price from a store be much lesser than 15.4k ? [ Jabra Headset quite costly

]

Kolkata ?

K

mitraark said:
Then will street price from a store be much lesser than 15.4k ? [ Jabra Headset quite costly ]

Kolkata ?

dnt know the prices in stores..one of my friend bought xperia neo v for around 18k from a shop..

that was the cheapest i found online..

SE Neo v is available on 15150 @ Ebay. Is it safe to buy from that site the seller is ITPLAZA2011 Mumbai.

vetdrchandan said:
SE Neo v is available on 15150 @ Ebay. Is it safe to buy from that site the seller is ITPLAZA2011 Mumbai.

dealer warranty or manufacturer warranty? If its dealer warranty, dont buy it. If its manufacturer warranty, Go ahead!

PS: next time post the link of the ebay seller here.

dreatica said:
dealer warranty or manufacturer warranty? If its dealer warranty, dont buy it. If its manufacturer warranty, Go ahead!

PS: next time post the link of the ebay seller here.

ok i will

today Neo V is available @ 14800INR on ebay. Should I buy???
SONY ERICSSON XPERIA NEO V | FREE SCREENGUARD | SIX MONTHS SELLER WARRANTY | eBay

vetdrchandan said:
ok i will

today Neo V is available @ 14800INR on ebay. Should I buy???
SONY ERICSSON XPERIA NEO V | FREE SCREENGUARD | SIX MONTHS SELLER WARRANTY | eBay

No from my side as it carries only seller warranty no manufacturer warranty

But sm1 told me that if feedback of a dealer is very good than you should go for the item. In another case the feedback of dealer is 99.7% and he is providing 1year dealer warranty

Brand New Original & Sealed Sony Ericsson XPERIA NEO V - Blue Color | eBay

M

I have just bought a sony xerpia mobile phone from online store, now my friends suggesting me to buy skin cover for it’s protection as this is very expensive mobile so looking for skin cover which fit in my sony xerpia mobile. I

vetdrchandan said:
But sm1 told me that if feedback of a dealer is very good than you should go for the item. In another case the feedback of dealer is 99.7% and he is providing 1year dealer warranty

Brand New Original & Sealed Sony Ericsson XPERIA NEO V - Blue Color | eBay

Yes one should surely look out for the rating of the seller on ebay before buying something.
But here the case is different, we are talking about warranty and seller has already listed that it doesn't carry manufacturer warranty so if any problem comes in your phone you need to send the phone(courier it) to the seller and then he will repair or do whatever is necessary, the company will not be responsible for anything.
So if you are comfortable with that then go for it.