Sony Xperia J review

Can the Sony Ericsson inspired J jump in and make a splash?

Sony Xperia J review
Mid- to low-end device brings curvy Ice Cream Sandwich at a low price

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When it comes to surfing the web on the Sony Xperia J you're given the choice of two internet browsers out of the box.

There's the stock Android browser and the now more commonly used Chrome browser, both of which offer up a pretty similar web experience.

Sony Xperia J review

You can rock tabbed browsing, sync Google bookmarks, save pages for offline reading and request desktop sites on both, with the early difference between the two appearing to be the colour – the Android browser sports a dark skin, while Chrome offers a lighter style.

Mobile sites loaded in good time over both Wi-Fi and 3G, with the Xperia J rendering the pages in around three seconds.

Sony Xperia J review

The same can't be said for full websites, with the added complexities of the desktop version of TechRadar taking at least 30 seconds to finish loading – although we were able to pan around after about 20 seconds.

This is some seriously disappointing performance and leaves the Xperia J languishing behind the HTC Desire C and Orange San Diego in terms of browser speed.

Sony Xperia J review

As you may expect panning and zooming pages is equally as painful, with the Xperia J juddering as you move through magnification levels, and a less than smooth scroll action.

At least the 4-inch display shows you a decent chunk of website at a time, and the auto text-reflow feature makes reading articles much easier.

Sony Xperia J review

The Xperia J's resolution may not be mind blowing, but words and images appear sharp and crisp on the 480x854 display, which actually makes for a manageable reading experience once you get past those load times.

One advantage Chrome offers is its incognito function, allowing all your online activities to go unrecorded, perfect if you want to, erm, shop for a present.

John McCann
Global Managing Editor

John joined TechRadar over a decade ago as Staff Writer for Phones, and over the years has built up a vast knowledge of the tech industry. He's interviewed CEOs from some of the world's biggest tech firms, visited their HQs and has appeared on live TV and radio, including Sky News, BBC News, BBC World News, Al Jazeera, LBC and BBC Radio 4. Originally specializing in phones, tablets and wearables, John is now TechRadar's resident automotive expert, reviewing the latest and greatest EVs and PHEVs on the market. John also looks after the day-to-day running of the site.