Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Sony Xperia ZL: Who Should Be the Lord of the Phablets?

According to the tech pundits, 2013 is going to be the official year for the rise of the phablets in the smartphone arena. Every bit, it will completely turn out to be true, atleast when one will take a look at all the major handsets launched during CES 2013 event. Since, all the major manufacturers, who participated in the stunning event, announced a wide range of their next generation phablets including Sony, Huawei and more. Hence, it will not be over exaggerating to say that the Las Vegas show floor was flooded with a lot of phablets touting 1080p HD displays.

However, one of them which gathered a lot of attention apart from the rest of the crowd was Sony's highly anticipated 5 inch device - Xperia ZL boasting a full HD display with 1080p resolution launched along with Xperia Z.

The main difference explained by Sony, between the duo handsets is that Xperia Z has IP55 and IP57 certifications for water and dust resistance, while Xperia ZL is not having them. Also, Xperia ZL is slightly heavier than Xperia Z and has some cosmetic changes.

With the launch of Xperia ZL, tech experts have started predicting that the heavyweight handset will come out to be a hard hitting rival against the best seller of 2012 - Galaxy Note 2, when released in the market.

Speaking of Galaxy Note 2, the handset has a larger display of 5.5 inches and comes with impressive features and specifications as Sony Xperia ZL, however, it lacks the 1080p resolution.

Talking about the India availability of Xperia ZL, reports have claimed that it will get launched globally in Q1 2013, while Galaxy Note 2 is already available in the market at Rs 36,700.

With the competition getting fiercer day by day offering consumers a wide array of options and confusions at the same time, Gizbot has come up with a detailed spec comparison between Xperia ZL and Galaxy Note 2 to analyze which is a better handset for you to buy. Have a look at it below.

Dimensions & Weight: Xperia ZL measures 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm in dimension and weighs in at 151 grams. In comparison, Galaxy Note 2 packs a dimension of of 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm and weighs around 180 grams.

Display: When it comes to display, Xperia ZL sports a 5 inch full HD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, whereas, Galaxy Note 2 boasts a spacious 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution.

Further, Galaxy Note 2 has an improved S-Pen support, which is equipped with a rubber tip for enhanced touch response.

Processor: In this segment, Xperia ZL comes with a quad core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 2 is equipped with a Samsung Exynos 4412 Quad chipset.

Operating System: When it comes to OS, both the devices are based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. Hence, they come with new features including Project Butter, expandable and contractible notifications, resizable app widgets, live wallpaper preview, high resolution contact photos, improved Android Beam and many more.

Camera: On the camera optics front, Xperia ZL comes with 13MP rear camera and a 2.2MP front camera for video calling. The rear camera is equipped with Exmor RS and HDR technology, which adds capabilities like digital cameras. In comparison, Galaxy Note 2 has an 8MP rear camera and a 1.9MP front camera.

Storage: When it comes to storage, Xperia ZL has 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM and a micro SD card slot for 32GB expandable storage. On the other hand, Galaxy Note 2 comes in three versions - 16GB, 32GB and 64GB internal storage, 2GB RAM and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory.

Connectivity: When it comes to data connectivity, Xperia ZL and Note 2 have features including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC and micro USB 2.0.

Battery: Xperia ZL is loaded with a 2,370 mAh battery with battery stamina mode feature, whereas, Galaxy Note 2 is loaded with a larger 3,100 mAh Li-ion battery of undisclosed battery life.

Price: While there is no word on the price of Xperia ZL, Galaxy Note 2 is priced at Rs 39,990 in India.

Verdict

Both Xperia ZL and Galaxy Note 2 are high-end smartphones with advanced specifications and features. Moreover, based on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, both the handsets offer similar user experience and skin.

When it comes to software features, Xperia ZL is claimed to be preloaded with several software features including One-touch functions, Bravia Engine 2 display, Walkman, Album, Media, Battery Stamina mode and omnibalance design.

At the same time, Galaxy Note 2 based on the design of Galaxy S3 has exclusive S software features including S Voice, Direct Call, Smart Stay, S Beam, Pop-Up Play and many more.

If the concern is on a full HD 1080p display, better camera performance and multimedia features, Xperia ZL could be a better option.

\On the other hand, if the concern is on a phablet with stylus support, increased internal storage options and a solid battery backup, Galaxy Note 2 should be the right choice.