Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect

[ ](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/sony-xperia-tl-review-android/)

As [Sony's](http://www.engadget.com/tag/Sony/) second stab at the US mobile market, [the Xperia TL](http://www.engadget.com/tag/Xperia+TL/) arrives with a major corporate synergistic push: a _007_ movie franchise tie-in. But an awkward distinction as [the official Bond phone](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/01/sony-xperia-tl-att-4g-lte-james-bond/) and a smattering of pre-loaded "Skyfall" multimedia content alone won't drive consumer adoption; the specs and pricing will. Following in the footsteps of the company's first stateside flagship, the [Ion](http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/24/sony-xperia-ion-review/), this [AT&T 4G LTE exclusive](http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/25/sony-xperia-tl-att-november-2nd-release-date-99/) is priced aggressively at $99 on two-year contract, packing a 4.6-inch HD Reality display (1,280 x 720) powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 clocked at 1.5GHz, 16GB of storage (expandable up to 32GB via microSD), 1GB RAM, NFC, dual-band WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, as well as an integrated 1,850mAh battery.

With Ice Cream Sandwich running the show and a planned upgrade to Jelly Bean in the works, it has all the makings of a current-gen high-end offering. So will the Xperia TL help Sony build much-needed buzz for its [mobile division](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/01/sony-cuts-q2-2012-losses-by-a-third-to-198-million/) here in the states? Can a sub-$100 price tag effectively lure consumers away from the bigger, faster and flashier Android phones AT&T has to offer? Or is this mainly one for Sony loyalists? Find out after the break as we put the TL through its paces.

**Gallery: [Sony Xperia TL review](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tl-review/)**

[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tl-review/#5398340)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tl-review/#5398339)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tl-review/#5398338)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tl-review/#5398337)[](http://www.engadget.com/photos/sony-xperia-tl-review/#5398315)

[Continue reading _Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect_](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/sony-xperia-tl-review-android/)

Filed under: [Cellphones](http://www.engadget.com/category/cellphones/), [Mobile](http://www.engadget.com/category/mobile/), [Sony](http://www.engadget.com/category/sony/), [AT&T](http://www.engadget.com/category/atandt/)

[Sony Xperia TL review: the company's second US flagship is much improved, but still imperfect](http://www.engadget.com/2012/11/02/sony-xperia-tl-review-android/) originally appeared on [Engadget](http://www.engadget.com) on Fri, 02 Nov 2012 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our [terms for use of feeds](http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/).

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