Sony Xperia Z – Hands On Review

With the coming of Xperia Z, the Japanese giant Sony has managed to carve a niche in the high-end Android Smartphone market. In true sense, the Xperia Z, is a fearless commander in the land 'connected devices' .

GizBot spent close to a month to check whether this exceptional device deserves the title of "Best Smartphone "in India. First and foremost, we would like to congratulate Sony for making Xperia Z - a great camera device. In our opinion, there is no need to spend money on a dedicated music player or point-and-shoot camera. Many of us tend to say that Sony should come up with stock Android smartphone.

But here, we differ from what others are saying. Sony's Xperia UI is not loosely built, as the interface is more intuitive and you are eligible to use company's flagship services. The device screen, a 5-inch 1080p Full HD, is charismatic for sure. But there is a scope for improvement. You have seen Sony promoting waterproof nature of Xperia Z; it's a plus point. Nonetheless, at Rs. 38,790, Sony's latest flagship handset, is a decent attempt to show company's new age design sensibilities and an urge to be back on top. Read our in-depth review in order to taste Sony Xperia Z.

What's in the box?

Sony Xperia Z (handset)

Adapter cum USB cable

Earphones

User Manual

Design, Display and Aesthetics

Sony's biggest achievement till date is the way company design and manufacture hardware. No one comes close to this Japanese titan. If you remember Xperia S, the flagship smartphone, announced back in 2012. It wasn't bad, seriously. The handset was low on both hardware and software despite being a flagship device.

That said, Sony was reeling under pressure to deliver a stellar phone. Earlier in the year at CES 2013, the makers behind Walkman successfully announced Xperia Z. Without any doubt, we were blown away by the design. Now we have tested the handset; it's time to share our experience with Xperia Z.

Talking about the design, Sony did a good job by not aping iPhone or Nokia Lumia 920. The phone looks very simple in nature. It's not complicated at all. The engineers over at Sony must have made a good use of geometrical shapes. The phone has flat surface and rectangular in shape. The rear back is made of glass, a lot like Nexus 4.

After a prolonged use, it is prone to scratches. On the front, you will find not a single button. The three capacitive Android buttons have been blended inside the software. On the right hand side, there is a power button given which is crafted from aluminum. Alongside, the power button you will notice Micro SIM slot and Volume rocker.

On the top of the handset, a 3.5mm headphone jack is given. On the left hand side, the phone is flanked by USB 2.0 hub and Micro SD card slot. The phone is razr thin at 7.9mm in terms of thickness, and weighs 146grams. The phone is perfect, when it comes to design. It feels solid and delicate at the same time.

The Xperia Z houses a 5-inch display powered by Sony Mobile Bravia Engine 2. The screen is capable of displaying Full HD resolution (1080 x 1920) at 441ppi. Naturally, at such a high resolution, the colors look natural and vivid.

But the biggest problem with the phone is its 5-inch Full HD display. This handset has poor viewing angles .This is in fact, major problem, and Sony need to address as soon as possible . The display is gorgeous when it comes to reading on the go, especially, in the direct sunlight.

One of the highlights of Xperia Z: Water and dust-proof nature. The phone is sealed from all ends. At one glance, the phone looks ordinary, but in reality Sony made the Xperia Z rugged without diluting its aesthetics. We submerge the device under water for nearly 15 minutes (Sony says the device will work for 30 minutes) and thankfully it worked happily after.Overall, the Xperia Z impressed us due on the grounds of earthy design, build quality and gorgeous display.

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