I’ve been a Sony Xperia fan for years. Specifically, I’ve been a fan of the Xperia arc, launched in 2011 and going strong ever since (and still a great looking and slick phone, I might add). Until last week, that is, when my trusty arc decided enough was enough. Imagine my joy, then, at having the Sony Xperia E4g to road test at such a convenient moment!

First impressions of the E4g are good. The phone, while certainly not the lightest or thinnest on the market, feels great in your hand, thanks to the matt plastic back.

The on button is conveniently placed on the right-hand side where your thumb easily reaches – if you’re right-handed, of course, which I’m not. One slight niggle is that the buttons are part of the back cover, which pops off. This does make the buttons feel a teensy bit wobbly.

While the screen resolution is not the latest HD-quality, the colours are nice and bright and the screen works well in bright sunlight. Those familiar with Sony handsets will recognise the home screen immediately – the look hasn’t changed much since my arc was unboxed four years ago.

The Sony Xperia E4g comes with the usual must-have apps such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as Sony-specific apps like Xperia Lounge where you can access content exclusive to Sony users.

Picture this

The camera is 5MP on the back and 2MP on the front, and it’s a good happy snapper for everyday use. The photos are a bit soft when compared to some high-end phones, but again, that’s a compromise that’s worth making to save this kind of money.

The real winner on this phone is the battery life. Sony promises up to 48 hours of normal use. Certainly with light use the phone lasts an impressive length of time, but when surfing the net or making loads of calls, the battery will deplete faster, as you'd expect. 

What’s the difference?

The E4 and E4g are, to the eye, virtually identical. The E4 is larger, with a 5-inch screen to the E4g’s 4.7 – but the E4g has a faster processor (1.5GHz quad-core versus 1.3GHz). The E4g also runs on a slightly newer version of Android (4.4.4 instead of 4.4), which makes sense as it is a more recent release. They have the same quality camera as well. 

So what’s the big difference? The clue is in the name – the E4g is LTE-enabled, while the E4 is not. So if you want to take advantage of Vodacom’s growing super-fast LTE network, you’re better off choosing the E4g.

Verdict

With a bright screen, decent camera and processor that’s fast enough for most, this is a great choice if you’re looking to spend less than R2 000 for a smartphone.

Get the Sony Xperia E4 or E4G

The Sony Xperia E4  is available for R1 669 as well as on a range of contracts including Vodacom uChoose Flexi 55 for R99 per month.

The Sony Xperia E4g is availabe for R1 759  as well as on a range of contracts including the Vodacom uChoose Flexi 200 for R189 per month. Order online now » 

PLEASE NOTE: all details were correct at time of publication. Deals and prices are subject to change without notice.