Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet First Look: Super Thin, Fast and Productive

Sony has always been an underdog in the tablet market. With last year's Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, the company struggled to get the word out that it might just have the best 8-inch Android slate on the market.

Unfazed, it's back to try again with its major tablet release in the form of the Xperia Z4 Tablet. The 10-inch Android tablet is a fantastic piece of tech, but can it compete against the likes of the Apple iPad Air 2, Samsung Galaxy Tab S and the Google Nexus 9?

We go hands-on with the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet, the thinnest, lightest 10-inch LTE tablet at the Mobile World Congress (MWC). Here are our first impressions.

PROS

• Thin, Light and Portable
• Gorgeous 10-inch Display
• High on Productivity

CONS

• Not Impressed with UI
• Expensive

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet First Look: Form Factor, Design, Display and Operating System

The Xperia Z4 Tablet looks ultra-modern in the design department. Looking at the first look pictures of the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet, you may or may not convince with us. Seeing it in person is a different experience altogether.

The tablet is undoubtedly a piece of art, but it's also the most comfortable tablet with a gigantic 10-inch screen. Weighing just 392g, the Xperia Z4 Tablet is slightly lighter than Apple's 437g iPad Air 2, making it extremely pleasing to hold.

The device sports angular design with a soft-touch matte polycarbonate back panel. Despite having a 10-inch screen, Sony has managed to make a slim tablet, measuring a mere 6.1mm thick, which is actually commendable.

Like Sony's current devices, this beast has been given the IP65/68 waterproofing certification, meaning it is going to last 30 minutes in 1.5 meters of submersion. Unlike previous tablets, the Xperia Z4 Tablet comes with a capless USB port, so you don't need to worry about sealing it off with a plastic flap.

This time around, Sony has used a 10.1-inch IPS panel with Sony's Triluminos and X-Reality technologies for enhanced colour and contrast. Let's not forget that the resolution is 2560 x 1600 pixels at 300 pixels per inch. Needless to say, the screen on the Xperia Z4 Tablet is Sharp and stunning. The colors were bright and deep when we tested the device at MWC 2015.

The Xperia Z4 Tablet runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop. Sony's native UI on top is still a headache. Very few changes have been made to modify the software. We aren't impressed with Sony's ill-fated tablet UI.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet First Look: Processor, RAM and Connectivity

A 64-bit Snapdragon 810 processor powers the Xperia Z4 Tablet. It's the same class the LG G Flex 2, Xiaomi Mi Note and HTC One M9 in terms of processing output. The tablet is backed by a healthy 3GB of RAM and comes in 32GB storage option. It will support an expandable storage via a microSD card slot.

All-in-all, there's a lot here to be impressed by. The device felt crazy fast in our testing, which makes it one of the fastest tablets you can buy right now in the market. As usual, the Xperia Z4 Tablet offers 4G LTE connectivity and NFC.

Interestingly, Sony has also introduced a built-in keyboard dock accessory designed to turn the tablet into a laptop. Moreover, the tablet supports Sony's Remote Play feature, too.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet First Look: Camera and Video

We didn't have much time to test the camera, but these are really secondary things on tablets - and besides, we'll do a full review for you in the coming months. Just for your knowledge, there's an 8.1MP Exmor RS rear camera and a 5.1MP front-facing shooter with a wide-angle lens for selfie.

Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet First Look: Battery and Early Verdict

Sony had added a huge 6,000 battery, which should last up to 17 hours of video playback. Currently, the iPad Air 2 can last over 10 hours. Even the Google Nexus 9 lasted over 9 hours.

Sony aims to promote the Xperia Z4 Tablet as an ultimate multimedia device. And there's nothing wrong in saying. Its sharp screen, zippy processor, and a long battery life (as claimed by Sony) make it a killer tablet device. We wish Sony would bring the tablet to India soon. So far, European pricing have been out and we're expecting to be slightly expensive than the iPad Air 2.

With inputs from Akansha Srivastava