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Sony Xperia M2 or Xperia T3: which is best for me?

Sony’s new Xperia M2 and Xperia T3 smartphones are two affordable mid-range mobiles that look identical on the outside but pack very different features and specs. Here’s our full comparison review, so you know what the difference is and which is the best phone for you.

Line Sony’s Xperia M2 and Xperia T3 up side-by-side and you’ll notice a fair few similarities. As in, they look absolutely bloody identical, except for a slight size difference.

Sony Xperia M2 vs Sony Xperia T3 which is best for me and what's the difference in specs, camera and screen?

But design aside, the Xperia M2 and T3 are actually completely different machines. The Xperia M2 is a slightly cheaper, more compact machine that’s well suited to everyday tasks such as email and web browsing, while the Xperia T3 is more of an entertainment device.

Sony Xperia M2 vs Sony Xperia T3: Media monster

The first major difference between these Sony is the visuals.

Phone Screen size Screen type Screen resolution Screen density (PPI)
Xperia M2 4.8-inches TFT 540×960 229ppi
Xperia T3 5.3-inches IPS LCD 720×1280 277ppi

As you can see, the Xperia T3 sports a bigger display, with a sharper 720p resolution, making it better equipped for watching movies on the go. It isn’t just a bit crisper, however. The Xperia T3’s IPS screen also packs in Sony’s Triluminos technology, which produces more attractive and realistic colours than the Xperia M2’s basic TFT display.

Sony Xperia M2 vs T3 compared which is best review

That said, the Xperia M2’s panel is perfectly fine for browsing the web or playing around with apps. It’s just a shame that Sony couldn’t make it as sharp as the screens on cheaper rivals, such as the Motorola Moto G.

Media fans will be pleased to hear that both phones boast a microSD memory card slot, so you can carry around a massive collection of music and movies.

Sony Xperia M2 vs Sony Xperia T3: Performance of a lifetime

Another difference, albeit a less significant one, comes with performance. The Sony Xperia M2 rocks a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, while the Xperia T3 boasts a slightly faster 1.4GHz chip, although it’s still a quad-core Snapdragon 400.

In reality, we noticed little difference in the running of these two Sony smartphones. The Xperia M2 and Xperia T3 can both run the latest games, thanks to Qualcomm’s dependable budget tech, and we could even run apps side-by-side using Sony’s ‘Small Apps’ feature.

Sony Xperia M2 vs T3 compared which is best review

In fact, the only time we noticed any kind of performance drop-out was on the more powerful Xperia T3, where a couple of our apps kept crashing at specific points. Hopefully just a glitch with our review model, as reinstalling the apps didn’t seem to help at all.

Both phones will give you five hours of video streaming per charge, and you should get roughly 24 hours of use if you aren’t constantly messing around online or endlessly checking emails.

Sony Xperia M2 vs Sony Xperia T3: Fully featured

For the everyday essentials, both phones more than do their job. You get 4G support for fast web surfing, NFC and all the usual shenanigans. The Sony Xperia M2 is slightly behind the times with Android 4.3 Jelly Bean rather than full Android 4.4 KitKat, but it’s not exactly a deal breaker. And both phones rock the same Sony Xperia overlay, so the desktops look identical.

As for cameras, you get the same 8-megapixel Exmor RS rear-mounted snappers on both of these Xperia phones. They come packing the exact same features, including 1080p video recording and Sony’s excellent Superior Auto mode, plus LED flash and autofocus.

However, the front-facing cameras are different. The Xperia T3 wins out with a 1.1-megapixel snapper that can shoot 720p video, while the Xperia M2’s front-facer is a bog-standard VGA effort. Still, unless you demand top quality from your selfies, we wouldn’t worry about it.

Sony Xperia M2 vs Sony Xperia T3 verdict

If you only want a new phone for the usual, run-of-the-mill tasks such as emails, apps and social media, but you also want a dependable snapper, the Sony Xperia M2 will satisfy your needs. It can even play the latest games, and the screen is okay for video too.

However, if you want rich HD visuals, the Xperia T3 is the one to check out thanks to that 720p Triluminos display. The T3 is perhaps a tad overpriced considering you can get the Sony Xperia Z Ultra for just a little extra. But media fans should be happy, and you get the same excellent mid-range camera and other expected features.

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