Sony Xperia Z review: - Times of India

Ravi Sharma, TOI Tech Mar 6, 2013, 01.35PM IST (Does Sony Xperia Z have what…) NEW DELHI: Remember the time when Sony used to enjoy a sizeable share of the mobile phone market with its Walkman series. However, it was not long before Apple and Samsung captured the market with iPhone and Galaxy series respectively. Over the course of the past 3-4 years, the Japanese giant has tried hard to catch up with the leaders, but has faltered time and again. But this year - exactly a year dissolving its JV with Ericsson - Sony has been quick on the ball, bringing its flagship smartphone Xperia Z (touting a full HD screen measuring 5-inch) ahead of Samsung, the big fish of the Android sea. But does Xperia Z have what it takes to beat the current competitors as well as the upcoming rivals, specially Galaxy S IV? Read our review to find out... Hardware: Sony Xperia Z comes with a 5-inch TFT screen that supports 1920x1080p resolution and 441ppi pixel density. It runs on a quad-core 1.5GHz Krait processor with 2GB RAM and features 16GB internal storage, with 32GB microSD card support. This phone sports a 13MP snapper with LED flash on the rear and a 2.2MP camera in the front. You can look forward to 2G, 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi for internet access in this phone, while files can be transferred via NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0. Design: The first thing you will notice about this phone is how compact and sophisticated it looks, despite a 5-inch screen. Sony has used on-screen keys in Xperia Z and the bezel above and below the screen is minimal, so you get a phablet that fits in the palm without any issues. The device follows the design theme that the manufacturer has used since last year and has a glass back. We reviewed a white coloured unit that did not attract too many fingerprints, though they may be more prominent in the purple and black coloured devices. The sturdiness of Sony Xperia Z sets it apart from the growing crop of smartphones with full HD displays. It can survive without any damage when dipped in 1meter deep water for up to 30 minutes and is resistant to dust. The glass used in the phone is resistant to scratches and will not break despite tremendous pressure, the company claims. When we tested the validity of these claims, we were not disappointed and the phone came out with flying colours. It is assisted in water resistance by all the flaps that cover each port of the body. This means that the microUSB port and microSD slot on the right as well as the sim-card tray on the left are covered and do not let water and dust in. Same goes for the earphone jack on top of the device. What we did not like about the build of the device was that instead of a sim-card tray, Xperia Z has a very poor quality plastic sleeve, as compared to the metal tray used in HTC Butterfly, a rival. Another problem was that when struggling to open its flap, the plastic covering on the flap came off without much force, which hints at imperfect craftsmanship on Sony's part. But overall, looks of the phone are striking indeed. Software: Sony Xperia Z comes with Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and an Android 4.2 update is being readied right now. The stock OS is skinned with its proprietary UI that adds a few features that will be appreciated by buyers, but never slow down the phone despite heavy customisation. One feature you get on this phone is 'small apps', which are basically apps that appear on top of the screen and can be moved around and resized. Samsung and LG offer these under the names Mini Apps and QSlide Apps, respectively. On Xperia Z, Sony offers only four small apps - Calculator, Notes, Voice Recorder and Timer, and if you want more, you can simply head to Google Play store. Other features on software side you can look forward to are deep Facebook integration, Face Unlock, handwriting recognition, Walkman Music Player, Movie Editor and Stamina Mode (battery saver). The phone is Playstation Certified and has access to a host of PS games optimised for mobile screen. Performance: Xperia Z's quad-core processor is clocked at 1.5GHz and packs quite a powerful punch. We tried it out on Antutu, which is a compound test that tests devices on parameters like CPU performance, display, 2D and 3D graphics and microSD card reading/writing speeds. We are happy to report that our review unit got an average score of 19104, matching those of HTC Butterfly and LG Optimus G (two of the most powerful smartphones in the market right now). So there should be no doubts about this phone's computing prowess. Google's Project Butter and the powerful processor together ensure that there is never any lag. The battery lasts over half a day easily with Stamina Mode turned on. Last year, a quad-core processor was the main feature that set flagship smartphones apart from their predecessors and this year, the distinguishing aspect is a full HD display. via Technology - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGgO38JGPad7xIIFA2XcvusvuJD1w&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/personal-tech/gadgets-special/Sony-Xperia-Z-review/articleshow/18828919.cms

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