The Sony Ericsson Xperia Active represents a bygone era of rugged, compact smartphones, while the Realme 7 Pro embodies modern mid-range excellence. This comparison pits a classic against a contemporary contender, exploring their strengths and weaknesses to help you decide which best suits your needs.
🏆 Quick Verdict
The Realme 7 Pro utterly dominates this comparison. While the Xperia Active boasts a nostalgic charm and durability, the Realme 7 Pro’s superior display, performance, camera, and charging capabilities make it the clear winner for virtually all users in 2024. It's a generational leap.
| Network |
|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - International |
| 4G bands | - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41 - International |
| EDGE | No | - |
| GPRS | Yes | - |
| Speed | HSPA 7.2/5.76 Mbps | HSPA, LTE |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA | GSM / HSPA / LTE |
| | HSDPA 1900 / 2100 / 800 | 1, 3, 5, 8, 38, 40, 41 - Asia |
| Launch |
|---|
| Announced | 2011, June. Released 2011, October | 2020, September 03. Released 2020, September 14 |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
| Body |
|---|
| Build | - | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3+), plastic frame, plastic back |
| Dimensions | 92 x 55 x 16.5 mm (3.62 x 2.17 x 0.65 in) | 160.9 x 74.3 x 8.7 mm (6.33 x 2.93 x 0.34 in) |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 110.8 g (3.88 oz) | 182 g (6.42 oz) |
| | IP67 dust/water resistant (up to 1m for 30 min)
Flashlight | Water-repellent coating |
| Display |
|---|
| Protection | Scratch-resistant glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ |
| Resolution | 320 x 480 pixels, 3:2 ratio (~192 ppi density) | 1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~411 ppi density) |
| Size | 3.0 inches, 26.8 cm2 (~53.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.4 inches, 98.9 cm2 (~82.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | LED-backlit LCD, | Super AMOLED |
| | Touch sensitive controls | Always-on display |
| Platform |
|---|
| CPU | 1.0 GHz Scorpion | Octa-core (2x2.3 GHz Kryo 465 Gold & 6x1.8 GHz Kryo 465 Silver) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2 | Qualcomm SM7125 Snapdragon 720G (8 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 205 | Adreno 618 |
| OS | Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) | Android 10, upgradable to Android 12, Realme UI 3.0 |
| Memory |
|---|
| Call records | Yes | - |
| Card slot | microSDHC (dedicated slot), 2 GB included | microSDXC (dedicated slot) |
| Internal | 1GB (320MB user available), 512MB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM |
| Phonebook | Yes, up to 500 entries | - |
| | - | UFS 2.1 |
| Main Camera |
|---|
| Features | LED flash | LED flash, HDR, panorama |
| Quad | - | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF
8 MP, f/2.3, 119˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm
2 MP (macro)
Auxiliary lens |
| Single | 5 MP, AF | - |
| Video | 720p | 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Selfie camera |
|---|
| Features | - | HDR, panorama |
| Single | - | 32 MP, f/2.5, 24mm (wide), 1/2.8", 0.8µm |
| Video | - | 1080p@30/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| | No | - |
| Sound |
|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | Yes |
| 35mm jack | Yes | Yes |
| Alert types | Vibration; Polyphonic, MP3, WAV ringtones | - |
| Loudspeaker | Yes | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| | - | 24-bit/192kHz audio |
| Comms |
|---|
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP, EDR | 5.1, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | - | Yes (market/region dependent) |
| Positioning | GPS, A-GPS | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, NavIC |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio, RDS | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | USB Type-C 2.0, OTG |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features |
|---|
| Browser | HTML, Adobe Flash | - |
| Games | Yes | - |
| Java | No | - |
| Messaging | SMS | - |
| Sensors | Accelerometer, proximity, compass | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| | ANT+
MP4/H.264 player
MP3/eAAC+/WAV player
TrackID music recognition
Document viewer
Voice memo
Predictive text input | - |
| Battery |
|---|
| Charging | - | 65W wired, 50% in 12 min, 100% in 34 min |
| Music play | Up to 25 h | - |
| Stand-by | Up to 351 h (2G) / Up to 335 h (3G) | - |
| Talk time | Up to 4 h 53 min (2G) / Up to 5 h 31 min (3G) | - |
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1200 mAh battery | 4500 mAh |
| Misc |
|---|
| Colors | Orange/Black, White/Black | Mirror Blue, Mirror Silver |
| Models | - | RMX2170 |
| Price | About 170 EUR | About 190 EUR |
| SAR | 1.12 W/kg (head) 1.07 W/kg (body) | 0.73 W/kg (head) 0.52 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing |
|---|
| 128GB 8GB RAM | - | Rp 3,498,000 |
| Tests |
|---|
| Audio quality |
Noise -89.5dB / Crosstalk -91.4dB | - |
| Battery life | - |
Endurance rating 113h
|
| Camera |
Photo / Video |
Photo / Video |
| Display | - |
Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker |
Voice 70dB / Noise 64dB / Ring 68dB
|
-24.8 LUFS (Very good)
|
| Performance | - |
AnTuTu: 278414(v8)
GeekBench: 1811 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 14fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Sony Ericsson Xperia active
- Rugged design
- Compact size
- Nostalgic appeal
- Outdated performance
- Low-resolution display
- Poor camera quality
- Slow charging
- Limited app support
Realme 7 Pro
- Excellent display
- Fast performance
- Great camera
- Fast charging
- Large storage and RAM
- Modern features
- May be slightly larger than some prefer
- Plastic build (though well-designed)
Display Comparison
The Realme 7 Pro’s 6.43-inch Super AMOLED display with 585 nits brightness and an infinite contrast ratio blows the Xperia Active’s likely smaller, lower-resolution LCD screen out of the water. Color accuracy, viewing angles, and overall visual experience are vastly superior on the Realme.
Camera Comparison
While both offer 'Photo / Video' capabilities, the Realme 7 Pro’s camera system is far more advanced. It likely features multiple lenses (main, ultrawide, macro, depth) and superior image processing, resulting in significantly better photo and video quality compared to the Xperia Active’s likely single, basic camera.
Performance
The Realme 7 Pro’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G chipset and Octa-core CPU offer significantly more processing power than the Xperia Active’s aging Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon S2 with a 1.0 GHz Scorpion CPU. Expect smoother multitasking, faster app loading, and better gaming performance on the Realme.
Battery Life
The Realme 7 Pro’s endurance rating of 113h is exceptional, and its 65W fast charging is a game-changer. The Xperia Active’s battery life was likely considerably shorter, and charging speeds were much slower, reflecting the technology of its time.
Buying Guide
Who should buy the Sony Ericsson Xperia Active? Primarily collectors or those seeking a truly rugged, ultra-compact phone for basic tasks. Who should buy the Realme 7 Pro? Anyone looking for a feature-rich, affordable smartphone with a great camera, fast charging, and a vibrant display.
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Is the Xperia Active still usable in 2024?
Yes, but its outdated hardware and software limitations make it unsuitable for demanding tasks. It's best suited for basic calls, texts, and perhaps as a collector's item.
❓ What is the biggest difference between these two phones?
The biggest difference is the technological gap. The Realme 7 Pro represents modern smartphone technology, while the Xperia Active is a relic of the past. Performance, display quality, and camera capabilities are vastly different.
