The Sony Xperia Tipo on Orange

The baby of the Xperia range certainly isn't lacking in style or substance. While you might expect Sony to have cut back on features with this entry-level phone, the OrangeSony Xperia Tipo bucks the trend of handsets in this price-range by sporting the current Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS, making access to the latest apps and widgets a breeze.

While designed to fit into the smallest of pockets, you won’t feel obliged to hide this phone away courtesy of some rather sophisticated minimalist design. The curved front fascia and high quality matte rubber removable back casing all contribute to a premium feel. You’ll also be impressed with the Tipo’s fully customisable rich user interface which comes feature-laced with all the usual entertainment wizardry you’d expect from Sony, like xLoud technology and access to the Sony Entertainment Network.

With good storage capacity (expandable to 32GB with a microSD card), great connectivity options, an 800MHz processer under the hood and impressive battery life, you could be forgiven for thinking the Tipo doesn’t know its place as a budget phone. And unless you have aspirations to be the next David Bailey, you’re going to be perfectly content with the 3.2MP camera on board, which proves to be a perfectly adequate little beast for using Instagram or snapping the odd spontaneous shot.

If you’re looking for an introduction to the world of smartphones or just need a handset that covers all the bases and basics well, the OrangeXperia Tipo represents great value and is what you would call a strong contender in its class. A fantastic little all-rounder.