Not very many devices get me excited these days. Everything of late just seems so similar. The market is full of overpowered phones that do far more than is usually expected of a mobile device. Still, once in a while, something comes down the pipe and gets me worked up. Sony devices in particular get me in that state. The first phone I bought with my own money was a Sony, mostly because I really liked how it looked (it was a T610, if you should know.) When I heard of the Xperia Z though, I think I may have visibly salivated. Even as far as Sony phones go, the Xperia Z is a real looker.
The newest flagship device from the Japanese giant is gorgeous. It is a slim 5.47 x 2.80 x .31 inches, and sits nicely in the hand, tipping the scales at a weighty, but not heavy 146 grams.
The construction of the device is solid, and typical of how Sony makes their phones. No matter how you hold, bend or press on it, there isn’t a single creak to be heard. The front and back of the device are glass, adding to the already robust feel of the Xpeira Z. This is a phone you’re going to take out of your pocket a lot, just because it is so nice to hold.
The edges are a little more angular than other phones in the market at the moment, but that’s a good thing. It’s nice how it feels so different from other phones we’ve handled recently. The ports and plugs are all sealed, allowing the device to stand up to a quick dunking or trip to the shower, but still manages to have buttons that click solidly.
The power key and volume rocker, both located on the right edge of the phone, are large and easily accessible, even with one hand, There really aren’t any other keys to deal with on the phone, apart from the “Back,” “Home,” and multitasking softkeys on the front of the Z.
One of the best things about the Xperia Z is the huge 5-inch screen. It’s a lovely 1080 x 1920 deal, giving it a resolution of about 441 ppi. This, coupled with Sony’s Bravia Engine 2 make for a really beautiful viewing experience.
The Xperia Z has a 13.1 MP main camera, a 2.2 MP up front and runs a quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait processor coupled with 2 GB of RAM. lipping through home screens, the gallery and other programs is nothing to the device, and we’re pretty confident it can handle anything you can throw at it. It runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but Sony has made plans to offer an update to 4.2 in the future.
We’ll be updating you folks on the Xperia Z over the next few days as we use it, but if you want a full review, we’ll have it for you in the June issue of Gadgets Magazine, coming in a few weeks.