A Sony Experia Z3 Compact Smartphone Is Pictured At The IFA Consumer Technology Fair In Berlin
A Sony Experia Z3 Compact smartphone is pictured at the IFA consumer technology fair in Berlin, September 5, 2014. Reuters/Fabrizio Bensch

AVG AntiVirus PRO for Xperia is now available for different Xperia smartphones and tablets within six months free. But is it better than the already free apps provided by Cheetah Mobile?

AVG AntiVirus PRO Now On Sony Xperia Devices

AVG Technologies made a deal with Sony Mobile for three years, according to XperiaBlog, to provide an exclusive mobile security among Sony Xperia smartphone and tablet owners around the world. Sony Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact are the first to feature the AVG AntiVirus PRO for Xperia app which also downloadable via Google Play Store for other Xperia models.

Based on the official app page at the Google Play Store, AVG AntiVirus PRO for Xperia seems downloadable to different Android devices but more optimal on Xperia devices. The antivirus application from AVG Technologies protects Xperia devices against viruses, malware, spyware, phishing attempts and online exploitation at real-time with other features such as:

- Scan apps, settings, files and calls in real-time for malicious viruses, malware and spyware

- Enable finding and locating lost or stolen phone via Google Maps

- Remote locking of the device and wipe its content in case it was stolen

- Filter and blocking of unwanted calls

- Kill tasks and processes that slow down the device

- Battery, storage and data package trackers

AVG AntiVirus PRO for Xperia lasts for free within 180 days and provides premium features such App Lock to protect apps with a password, App Backup to create backup of apps on the SD card, Camera Trap to get a discreet email with a photo of anyone entering three wrong passwords on unlocking the device and Device Lock to secure lock the device whenever the SIM card is replaced. If the user decided not to pursue the premium version of the antivirus app, a choice will be available to downgrade it to the free version.

AVG AntiVirus Versus CM Security

Cheetah Mobile released the CM Security as an independent app to Clean Master focused on providing protection against malware and viruses. AV-Test published a comparative chart in July 2014 on several antivirus apps and programs, including AVG AntiVirus Free and CM Security.

Category

AVG AntiVirus Free

CM Security

Battery Efficiency

No impact on battery life

No impact on battery life

Memory Usage

Does not slow down the device

Does not slow down the device

Traffic Usage

Does not generate too much traffic

Does not generate too much traffic

False Warnings via Play Store

2 out of 1473 samples

0 out of 1473 samples

False Warnings via Third-Party

2 out of 744 samples

0 out of 744 samples

Overall Rating

99.92 per cent

100 per cent

Usability Score

4 out of 6

6 out of 6

Cheetah Mobile offers both Clean Master and CM Security for free via Google Play Store applicable to any Android device. Both apps are also linked to one another with Clean Master maintaining memory and cleaning junk files while CM Security focuses on defending the device from infection.