Birches NEWS No. 57. About compote

New Sony Xperia M4 Aqua (8 GB) for 4,499 rubles in 2019. Where from?

Like most people versed in smartphones, I periodically receive requests for social services from people I know and people who interact with in the framework of close personal contact in the paradigm of the concept of 'friendship'. The requests are very simple – help you choose a smartphone, find a service center for repairs, or flash the device with a new fashionable firmware. It happened this time too, the task was very clear – to find a good waterproof smartphone no more than 5,000 rubles. The animal is running to the catcher, so I was not at all surprised when a Moscow online store offered Sony Xperia M4 Aqua (8 GB) for 4,499 rubles. The call to the capital confirmed all the data stated on the site, it was new and it was for this amount, and information about delivery to St. Petersburg for a modest 300 rubles from some intermediate warehouse became a pleasant bonus. The amount of 4,799 rubles is more than suitable for the conditions of the task, and the 2015 M4 Aqua is in no way inferior to modern smartphones costing up to ~ 7,000 rubles. There is also an advantage in the form of waterproofing, implemented in the most advanced way – using an open USB connector (the cap will not fall off, because it is not). “What makes you think that he’s new,” a competent commentator will traditionally ask, in fact, the arguments in favor of this statement will serve as the main theme. And then together we will think about where it came from, put forward a couple of theses and see what modern smartphones M4 Aqua beats in this price segment.

Content

1. Checking for 'news'
2. Like competitors up to 5,000 rubles
3. Where did it come from?
4. Conclusions and advice

Checking for 'news'

Appearance check

Albeit slightly wrinkled, we are quite satisfied with the original packaging with a complete set of delivery. You can find out what such a kit looks like from the reviews. In our case, there were no questions, after removing the protective films and looking under the oblique rays of illumination, no scratches or cracks were found.

Do not forget Max Lubin's advice – point a bright flashlight into the USB connector, it should be pristine, without a single scratch.

We include

The smartphone must be turned on as 'first time' or as 'after a factory reset', i.e. the welcome window should go to basic settings for language, time, mail input, etc.

IMEI check

Whether this is a real Sony, or a very well-disguised 'Chinese', we will check using the global identifier (IMEI). Until recently, Sony had its own authentication service, but old links no longer work, and new ones could not be found. Therefore, we will use a third-party service. To do this, enter # 06 # in the 'Phone' application, after which the desired IMEI is displayed on the screen. Attention, for smartphones with two SIM-cards specify IMEI1. We enter the specified number into the window of the verification site and see its decryption (https://sndeep.info/ru). The check has been passed, at least the motherboard of the smartphone is 100% original, and the phone has not been declared wanted.

Note – manufacturers of fake smartphones have not yet learned how to bypass this check, since there are no two phones with the same IMEI, and the data is stored on a remote server inaccessible to pirates.

Version checking Android and logic

All Sony smartphones of the Xperia family go through several stages of version update Android during their official life on sale. Our test smartphone Sony Xperia M4 Aqua was released with Android 5.0 on board, and its update ended with version 6.0. Therefore, if version 5.0 is installed in our smartphone, then we are dealing with a device from the first deliveries. The fact is that in Sony it is even theoretically impossible to roll back to the previous version of the OS and not inherit the boot sector in the lock / unlock counter, but more on that below. And now the question is – how many of your acquaintances of smartphone owners refused to update the operating system Android? Didn't install the update, and then rolled back, and initially refused to update? It's hard to imagine such people, because we expect from updates to improve camera performance, faster work, etc. In our particular situation, the installed OS Android 5.0 fully corresponds to the statement 'smartphone from the first shipments', any other figure would cause concern.

However, there is a small chance that someone in the store decided to upgrade the OS to a more 'selling' one, but this is not our case.

Bootloader check

All Sony come with a locked bootloader. Firstly, it prevents brave enthusiasts from breaking the phone, but not understanding the essence of the matter. Secondly, it leaves a mark. Where to look for traces of possible human intervention? We go to the engineering menu and look. To do this, type##7378423##in the 'Phone' application, in the menu that opens, go to the 'Service info' section, go to 'Configuration' and look at the 'Rooting status' value. There are three provisions:

1. Bootloader unlock: No (bootloader is locked forever)
2. Bootloader unlock: Yes (bootloader unlocked)
3. Bootloader unlock allowed: Yes (bootloader is locked, but can be unlocked)

– The first point clearly says that we have an operator model that was sold together with the contract. If it is sold in a store, then the block has been removed from the SIM card and you can put a SIM card of any operator, it will work. But you will have to forget about experiments with firmware forever, but this is not bad, tk. Something else did not come across a custom firmware for Sony better than the stock one. Restrictions on operators can be found in the SIM lock section, if there is not a '0' next to each item, then the phone should be returned to the courier immediately.

– The second point does not suit us at all, there are no unlocked bootloaders in the new Xperia. In this case, the smartphone must be returned to the courier immediately and the purchase must be canceled.

– The third point looks like it should look in a new Sony smartphone, not bound by any contracts.

DRM Key Verification

Every Xperia smartphone has a TA section where so-called DRM keys are stored. Being inherently an additional security tool, their absence or presence speaks volumes. In the engineering menu (from the previous paragraph) go to the Security section and look at the status of the 'Marlin' and 'WMLA' data, everywhere there should be [Key OK] [Active]. If in this section at least something does not stand as 'Ok' or 'Active', then the phone is either faulty or has been subjected to some kind of violence and cannot be purchased. Our Xperia M4 Aqua has successfully passed all of the Quick Authentication and 'News' checks available to the user.

Like competitors up to 5,000 rubles

Here you can immediately write that there are no competitors. In this price segment, there are no smartphones with a set of technologies: NFC, Wi-Fi 2.4 / 5 GHz and IP65 / 68. The only question that may arise: how relevant is the Sony M4 Aqua chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 in 2019? What can you compare it with?

Geekbench and 3D Mark test results show that the CPU SDM 615 outperforms the SDM 435 by about 15% in a single-core test, while the Adreno 405 GPU (in 615) is inferior to about 5-7% of the Adreno 505 (in SDM 435).

And the newest MT6739, frankly speaking, does not leave the gap. In general, we have a very solid budget, filled with chips from the senior segment. Should I buy such a smartphone for 4,499 rubles? Definitely yes. Are there competitors for comparable money? No.

If you disagree, be sure to express yourself in the comments.

Where did it come from?

Indeed, where could a new smartphone from 2015 come from in 2019? Only one explanation comes to mind – this is a compote in a three-liter jar. People born in the USSR should remember grocery stores and cans of compotes that have been gathering dust for months on the shelf. Perhaps they, and even gooseberries, ruined a great country. Answering the question – if there is a fact of the appearance on sale of a new smartphone from old times (and I consider this fact as proven), then how could it survive and not be sold all this time? The answers are very simple – this is Sony's pricing policy plus a significant excess of supply in demand, i.e. before us are the consequences of the mistakes of the planning department. These smartphones can sit in warehouses for years, and over time, their price inevitably falls. However, it is unlikely that it falls below the purchase price, from which the cost of warranty service can be deducted. And what prevents the same 'Svyaznoy' from selling unsold Xperia M4 Aqua at a ridiculous price of 4,499 rubles instead of 15,990 rubles? Perhaps they believe that this fact in itself will cause the deprivation of annual bonuses for the leadership, I have no other explanation. After all, this is a rather serious mistake that leads to direct losses for the company. And in this case, the 'compote' goes to another basement-type store, where an attraction of unheard-of generosity then quietly passes.

If you have your own explanation, then be sure to express it.

Conclusions and advice

Someone ask why Sony and not, for example, Xiaomi? Due to the additional degrees of protection mentioned above. We don't want to be deceived, right? In general, I must say that buying in gray shops at ridiculous prices is always associated with risk. And it is necessary from the very beginning to correctly build a dialogue with the seller. And in this regard, let me give you some advice:

1. Do not buy from online stores that do not have a voice operator. After all, then you will not be able to ask questions.
2. Please note before purchasing that the website is not labeled as new, discounted, demo, after warranty repair, or with minor traces of use.
3. The store operator should be asked clear questions: – Is the device original? – Is the device new? – Is this smartphone for the global market, not an operator's one? – If you get a defective one, can you immediately give it to the courier? If you get an evasive answer to one of the questions, then it is better not to risk it.
4. There is no need to ask about the guarantee, in our case it is simply ridiculous, it cannot exist in principle, it cannot be eternal.
5. Never pay in advance!
6. If the courier barks, will try to prevent you from opening and checking the goods – do not take it. But before that, try to calm the person down, tell them that you will be happy to sign the act of opening the package, even if the payment is not made. Those. try to take his side, this is a common practice. Remember that 99% of the couriers have nothing to do with the store, work with them on a contract basis, and it may not be so easy for them to get a 'false delivery' payment from the seller in the event of a fiasco. However, this has nothing to do with the quality of the product.

Hunting for such 'compotes' is quite exciting. Most recently, a small batch of Sony Xperia Z3 Plus (SDM810) for 7,990 rubles surfaced in MSC and went away in about half a day, for 8,990 there is an Xperia X, and these are very good prices for still relevant smartphones. Friends, tell us about your experience of buying 'compotes', what difficulties did you encounter? What did you manage to buy for ridiculous money and under what circumstances?