Sony Xperia Z Review

With a cutting-edge camera, a super-slim design and the ability to withstand life's knocks and bumps (and Android Jelly Bean to boot) the Xperia Z is a phone that's got us fired up about Sony Mobile again.

Earlier handsets such as the Sony Xperia S and Sony Xperia T were extremely promising from a brand striking out on its own - but it's with the Xperia Z that Sony is really banking on making a cataclysmic dent in the makeup of the smartphone market.

If you don't believe us, just look at its marketing hype - Valentine's Day saw ads on several, consecutive pages of major newspapers in the UK and you can't pass a billboard without seeing it in glorious Technicolor, accompanied by a strong statement that Sony has "reinvented the phone."

And the early signs it will do so are promising: a quad-core 1.5GHz Snaprdragon Krait processor, 13MP camera, 16GB storage (expandable, woohoo!), 2GB RAM, water and dust-resistant, 1080p HD screen with Bravia Engine, LTE, to name a few. You couldn't make this stuff up - this is the company that had a part in the Satio, after all.

As soon as we took our review unit out of the box, we were mesmerised. This feels and looks like a premium, high quality product. Sony is one of the few manufacturers that can take what is, effectively, a plain black square and make it into something beautiful. Manufactured from piano black, high gloss glass both front and black, it could have come from the same stable as theGoogle Nexus 4.

Though maybe we are overestimating it, viewing the Sony Xperia Z through geek-tinted goggles - because while we were blown away, others came out with the line that Sony will be hoping doesn't cross too many punters' lips: "looks like every other smartphone out there though, doesn't it?"

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One thing the Sony Xperia Z certainly does have in common with every other smartphone out there is the fact that it is a pure magnet for fingerprints. You'll struggle to keep it clean all day long without either surgical gloves or a can of Mr Sheen in your bag.

As is fast becoming the norm, you can expect to pick the Sony Xperia Z up in white too. On top of that, O2 in the UK is exclusively offering a purple variant.

If you're coming from something like a Samsung Galaxy S3, it'll feel similar, if a little larger, in terms of size: the Sony Xperia Z rocks in at 139 x 71 x 7.9mm/5.47 x 2.79 x 0.31 inches, so there's little room for anything else in your hands.

Coming from something smaller like, say, an iPhone 5, you'll certainly notice the difference. But it's amazing how quickly you'll adapt.

At 146g/5.15oz, it's by no means the lightest handset out there - but the Sony Xperia Z exudes a heftiness that belies a quality device. It's on a par with Apple's offering when it comes to the thickness.

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The ports are spread out with the headphone jack up top, the SIM slot and volume rocker on the right - either side of a silver standby button - while both the microSD and charging ports are on the left, alongside contacts for accessories. A watertight port covers each.

The front of the Sony Xperia Z is minimalist - showing off only a Sony logo and front-facing camera. The rear is a little busier, with various tech info printed on it, plus the Sony Xperia logo, an NFC badge, camera light and the all-important lens. That back is stuck fast - as is becoming the custom, you'll have no luck if you want to remove the battery.

Turn it on, and you're not disappointed. Coming from the blackness, the 5-inch screen springs into life. Whether or not you'll like it is down to personal choice.

Some who've used the Sony Xperia Z describe the screen as a disappointment because Sony has gone for TFT - albeit with 1080 x 1920 pixels, giving a pixel density of 441ppi, which would explain why it looks a bit washed out. If you've come from a Super AMOLED screen you'll definitely feel the difference.

We're still fans - this is a razor sharp display from one of the world's premier screen manufacturers, although it doesn't have the wow factor of the HTC One's Super LCD 3 screen.

The only thing that lets it down is viewing angles - if you look at the Sony Xperia Z's screen, dead on, it's sharp enough. If you look at it from the side, it has a strange ability to look incredibly washed out. It's no huge problem - but it does mean the impressiveness of the screen is diminished compared to the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 or the HTC One.

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One of the selling points of the Sony Xperia Z is that it is also water resistant. There's something slightly unnerving about taking a £529 phone and dropping it in the sink - but that's exactly what we did. And it worked absolutely fine.

Clearly, you'll need to make sure the ports are covered using those watertight protectors, that much goes without saying.

And here's some more good news: the price of the Sony Xperia Z is dropping quite quickly, already making it cheaper than the likes of the HTC One and could soon sneak under the £30 contract mark for a half-decent whack of minutes.

While it's actually the same price as the comparable SIM-free 16GB iPhone 5, the cost is now closing in on the iPhone 4S on PAYG, so we can't help but feel the Xperia Z is finding its natural pricing level.

iPhone 5 vs Xperia Z Comparison

The iPhone 5 and Sony Xperia Z are two of the most popular phones of the year. Picking between them is pretty tricky.

Do you want more games, or more screen inches? We’re compared the two phones to find out which will be right for you. 

iPhone 5 vs Xperia Z - Design

iPhone 5 – Aluminium rear, toughened glass front,
Xperia Z – Glass-covered front and rear, IP57

If anything, the Sony Xperia Z has more in common with a previous iPhone, the iPhone 4S, than the iPhone 5 design-wise. It uses two glass layers on the back and front, which give the phone a glossy look without resorting to using glossy plastic.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
However, in-hand the feel isn’t dramatically different from a plastic phone.

The iPhone 5 is, though. Its rear is aluminium, apart from the glass inlays on the top and bottom of the phone’s rear.  Get the phone between your fingers and the phone’s build quality is immediately obvious.

They’re also phones of very different sizes. The Xperia Z is significantly larger. The Sony phone is just over 7cm wide while the iPhone 5 is under 6cm, making it much less of a handful.

What they do have in common is slimness. These are exceptionally skinny phones. The iPhone 5 is 7.6mm thick, the Xperia Z 7.9mm . Phones don’t get much thinner than this.They’re also fairly similar in the way they approach their body shape. They’re severe, boxy phones rather than curvy ones – part of the reason why they’re able to be so slim.

One of the most notable features of the Xperia Z, though, is its water resistance. The phone uses rubber-sealed flaps that cover all of its ports to make the phone able to be submerged in water without dying,

It’s rated to IP57, which means it’s guaranteed to be able to withstand jets of water and is dust-proof. However, in real life it can happily be dunked.

We’ve heard tales of iPhones that have survived being dropped in water – but it generally involves a few days drying out in an airing cupboard.
 

iPhone 5 vs Xperia Z - Screen

iPhone 5 – 4-inch IPS 1,126 x 640
Xperia Z – 5-inch 1080p LCD screen

The Sony Xperia Z’s screen specs are far better than the iPhone 5’s. Its display is much larger – five inches instead of four, and both screen resolution and pixel density are much higher.

Specs-wise, the Xperia Z is well ahead. However, in person the iPhone 5 provides better image quality.  The Xperia Z’s contrast is surprisingly poor and angled viewing is not great. It’s not as good a screen as its specs suggest.

It’s partly deliberate too – the Sony Xperia Z's image engine reduces contrast in order to improve battery life.

Contrast, colour and black levels are all excellent in the iPhone, which has a high-grade IPS screen. Of course, there are still benefits to a large screen like the Xperia Z’s.

For playing games and watching movies, the large screen of the Xperia Z is a godsend.

It also comes with a plastic screen protector fitted. Again, this does the image quality no favours, but does make some practical sense. You end up with no annoying air bubbles and it’ll keep the actual glass of the screen scratch-free, although the screen protector itself scratches quite easily.

iPhone 5 vs Xperia Z - Power

iPhone 5 – dual-core Apple A6 CPU, 1GB RAM
Xperia Z – quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, 2GB RAM

As they run completely different systems, comparing the Xperia Z to the iPhone 5 is to compare apples to oranges, but the Xperia Z undoubtedly has more powerful innards.

It has a quad-core Snapdragon S4 chip running at 1.5GHz while the iPhone 5 has a dual-core 1.3GHz Apple A6 chip. The cross-platform Geekbench benchmark is one of the best ways to compare the raw power of these phones.

The iPhone 5 wins 1600 points in the benchmark, where the Xperia Z scores 2100. The Xperia Z has the beefier CPU.

Of course, this isn’t reflected a great deal in their day-to-day performance. Both phones are very nippy, and if 3D gaming is what you’re after, the iPhone 5 is a much better bet. iOS has a better games selection than Android, making the iPhone a superior gaming machine despite the larger screen of the Sony phone.

iPhone 5 vs Xperia Z - Camera

iPhone 5 – 8-megapixel camera with LED flash
Xperia Z – 13-megapixel sensor with LED flash

Both the Sony Xperia Z and iPhone 5 have cracking cameras for a phone. In good lighting, they can produce some great photos.However, once again the Xperia Z is the more problematic phone. It has a higher-spec camera than the iPhone 5, with 13 megapixels at its disposal instead of eight, but technically it’s the inferior camera. Dynamic range, exposure judgement and colour accuracy are better in the iPhone, although shoot on a sunny day and the Xperia Z will be able to resolve a little more fine detail.

The iPhone 5 is also slightly quicker at focusing.

Where the Xperia Z wins back some cred is with its app, which offers many more features than the camera app of iOS 6. The iPhone 5 camera app is extremely pared-back, only offering HDR and panorama in terms of extra features.

With an Xperia Z you get all sorts of filters and effects, although the iPhone 5 will get these sorts of things once iOS 7 lands in September or by using third party apps.

iPhone 5 vs Xperia Z - Software

iPhone 5 – iOS
Xperia Z –Android

iOS or Android – it’s a commonly-asked question when buying a phone. Comparing them isn’t easy, as they’re totally different. iOS is simple, Android is flexible.  One of the key benefits of Android is that if you don’t like a part of a phone, you can generally swap it out for a third-party alternative – even for things like SMS messaging interfaces. You can't do such things with an iPhone.

Widgets also let you customise what your phone looks and feels like – they add things like calendars and clocks to your home screen. Again, you don’t get these with an iPhone.

What iOS is still the best at, though, is apps and games. Android is pretty good – Google Play is home to over a million apps, apparently – but the depth and breadth on the App Store is far superior.

Verdict

The Sony Xperia Z is a phone that boasts some significant spec advancements over the iPhone 5, which was released earlier. It has more power on tap, a much higher-resolution screen and a higher-resolution camera.  Its waterproofing is very neat too. However, it is also a more problematic phone. The camera isn’t quite up there with the very best and the screen is a little disappointing in person. It offers far better fiddleability, though, and we’d much rather watch a movie on that big 5-inch screen.

The iPhone 5S will be with us very soon, packing a better processor and camera. In the meantime read our round-up of best phones.
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/iphone-5-vs-xperia-z#WWrHIZZrEtdKeRBk.99

Sony SmartWatch 2

In many ways, Sony's SmartWatch 2 (SW2) is like taking the Pebble smartwatch, removing its open-source SDK, and giving it a color touchscreen. Like the Pebble, it lacks smartphone-like features like a camera, microphone, and speaker, which means it will never have any of the Galaxy Gear's more eye-catching features. Sony opted instead for the most basic of smartwatch hardware feature sets.

The biggest perk that the SW2 offers is compatibility. While the Galaxy Gear only plays nicely with one phone at launch (with support for several more Samsung Galaxy phones coming soon), the Sony watch is compatible with most recent Android handsets. As long as it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (released in late 2011) or higher, then the SW2 will work with it. The iPhone, however, is a no-go; Pebble is still the only significant option there.

Setting up the SmartWatch 2 is a breeze. It has an NFC chip living inside, so if you have an NFC-compatible phone, all you have to do is tap the back of the watch against the back of the phone. This will prompt you to download the required Sony Smart Connect and Smartwatch 2 companion apps. Tap the watch against the phone, tap a few confirmation buttons on your screen, and you're all set.

Phones without NFC capabilities don't have to work too much harder, but their owners will need to search for the Play Store apps manually.

Hardware

The SmartWatch 2 isn't ridiculously thick or bulky. It has a depth of 9 mm. It feels fairly comfortable on the wrist, but, at least with the default band, we preferred the feel of both the Galaxy Gear and Pebble. The silicone strap version we tested (it's also sold with a stainless steel band) weighs 123 g (the watch face weighs 48 g), and we thought the strap looked and felt very cheap.

Even if you agree with us that the default silicone band feels subpar, there are options. That's because another feature the SW2 has in common with Pebble is that you can customize its band. If you want to go with something bolder like leather, bright colors, or, hell, 18k gold, then you can swap its default band for any standard 24 mm watch strap. Sony also sells the watch in a variation with a metallic band, but we didn't test that version.

The watch's face features a button on the side, which, from a distance, resembles a classic watch's winder. When you touch it, though, it feels more like extremely cheap plastic. Pressing this button turns on the backlight and wakes/sleeps the device. Three capacitive menu keys (back, home, menu) also sit below the screen, which do exactly what you'd expect them to do while navigating the SW2's barebones UI.

The SmartWatch 2's screen isn't the sharpest, and your eyes will definitely notice its pixels. The screen has 220 x 176 resolution spread out over 1.6 inches, which comes out to 176 pixels per inch. The screen is a transreflective LCD, so when lighting is adequate, its display merely uses contrast from the reflected light, rather than its own backlight. When the lights go down, though, you can still easily view the screen by pressing that side button to ignite the backlight.

Notifications ... and not much else

The SW2 falls into what we'd call the notification terminal class of smartwatches. After setting it up, the watch will give you a subtle vibration when a new notification comes in (at least from a select group of apps). You can scroll through complete text messages, and see the first few lines of emails. Unfortunately, though, in the Gmail app, only a couple of sentences typically make it onto the watch before getting cut off. After reading a notification, you can go back to the corresponding app's icon to re-read them.

The SW2 has a much narrower focus than something like the Galaxy Gear has. But then again, the SmartWatch 2 is, at least right now, a bit more versatile at delivering those notifications. That's because the SW2's notifications don't just work with calls, text messages, calendar events, and emails from the stock email app, but it also adds apps like Gmail, Twitter, and Facebook to the list. You'll just need to install separate (free) plugin apps from the Play Store and grant them the necessary permissions.

SMS messaging notifications work much better than the Gmail integration. Not only do you get to read each full message, but you can also scan your entire messaging inbox at any time. Of the three big watches we've reviewed – the Pebble, Galaxy Gear, and the SW2 – the SmartWatch 2 is the only one that lets you browse your entire SMS inbox. It's a nice touch, and one we hope those watches add soon via software updates.

If you walk around wearing a Bluetooth headset, then the SW2 can also allow you to answer or reject the call from the watch, picking it up right on the headset. But we wouldn't consider this a selling feature, especially when compared to the Galaxy Gear's native call-handling abilities.

The SmartWatch 2 also syncs with the Runtastic Android app to serve as a basic fitness tracker, though it's worth noting that your phone is still the device that's tracking your workout, including the expected battery drain. The SW2 just shows you the data in that convenient, glanceable spot on your wrist.

The SW2 also lets you access your phone's music controls (that seems to be a standard on the current batch of smartwatches), and there's a plugin that lets you browse your phone's image gallery too. Unfortunately, though, the watch's crappy resolution makes this a less than spectacular experience.

Water resistance, battery life

The SmartWatch 2 has an IP57 water and dust resistance rating, meaning it can sit in one meter (3.3 ft.) of water for 30 minutes without going kaput. And indeed, we tested the smartwatch by dunking it in a glass of water, and saw no ill effects afterwards. In the realm of smartphones, Sony has taken water resistance more seriously than any other manufacturer, so we weren't surprised to see the company's smartwatch live up to that billing.

Sony advertises three to four days of battery life with typical use. Based on our testing, we'd say that's a solid estimate. It's nice not to have to charge every night, but you'll probably want to plug in its included microUSB cable once every two or three nights, just to be safe.

Wrap-up

There isn't anything particularly new or cutting-edge about the Sony SmartWatch 2. It's notifications, it's wrist-based fitness tracking data, and it's music controls. And you can take it underwater and extend its battery life for days while doing those things.

The overall package sounds solid enough on paper, but we weren't particularly smitten with the experience of using Sony's new watch. If you own an Android phone and are looking for an easy and convenient way to get notifications, then the SW2 is one of several solid options. Just know that you aren't getting much more than that. You also might want to be prepared to invest in a smarter-looking band than the included rubber one, and prepare your eyes for a very pixelated-looking display.

The Sony SmartWatch 2 is already available in Europe for £149 (or £169 for the metallic wristband version). Sony hasn't yet announced any US release date or pricing info.

Like the idea of a smartwatch, but not completely sold on the SW2? Then you can hop on over to our reviews of the Pebble and Samsung Galaxy Gear.

Sony Xperia L review

Design

It's a good-looking handset, with Sony's dynamic curve design that gives it a distinctive arcing shape. It's not especially slim at 10mm but that curve makes it seem thinner than it is. Top and bottom have an unusual looking slant to them too, which shows off the metallic strip that runs all the way around the handset. At the bottom there's also a rather attractive LED effect that pulses when you receive alerts.

On paper, the 4.3-inch touchscreen sounds like a step too far down towards budget level, with a resolution of 854x480 pixels -- well below the Xperia Z's full HD 1,920x1,080. At 228ppi it has roughly half the pixel density of the Xperia Z, and even behind some midprice rivals like the Google Nexus 4(320ppi). But while it's perhaps lacking a bit in detail, it still manages to deliver rich and vibrant colours with good contrast that show off movies to good effect.

Android, software and processor

It's running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean which is a perfectly fine operating system, but one that's now starting to look a bit old, especially with version 4.3 already starting to appear. Still, the age isn't immediately obvious since Sony has updated its user interface and you can now arrange the icons on the various screens in different ways -- alphabetical, most used or your own custom arrangement.

The dual-core processor is backed by 1GB RAM which is pretty much the least we'd expect on a phone of this price these days. It does a decent if unspectacular job of keeping all its various processing balls in the air, though it did start to lag just a little with a handful of apps running at the same time. In our AnTuTu benchmark test it managed 10,918 -- not bad, but noticeably behind Samsung's recent S4 dual-core devices like the S4 Mini and S4 Zoom.

Photography
The 8-megapixel camera includes an LED flash, autofocus and Sony's Exmor RS sensor for better capability in low light. It starts up very quickly and you can get it going even quicker with the Quick Launch mode, which takes a snap or starts the video running as soon as you switch on. Other features to play with include HDR, panorama mode, image stabilisation and calibrated smile detection (you can set it to detect different levels of smile). Picture quality is pretty good overall, with nice sharp edges and accurate colour balance.

There's 8GB of memory on board, though you can bump that up by a further 32GB via microSD card -- not for apps though, just pics, vids and music. The battery held up reasonably well too, giving us around a day and a half of steady use.

Conclusion

The Sony Xperia L is far from the cutting edge of smartphone development, but it's a good looking, solidly built low to midrange device with a decent screen and a pretty good camera. The processor is a little lacking, and it's a shame it's not running the latest version of Android but it's a solidly capable handset for the money.