Sony Xperia Z Smartphone - Design Review

The Xperia Z represents the first steps in Sony’s plan to focus on mobile, gaming and imaging devices. Whilst it addresses all of those areas, in addition, it marks a brand new direction in Sony smartphones by introducing a new design language which uses polished surfaces, sharp angles and premium materials.

It’s also the company’s first 1080p resolution smartphone and also the first boasting a five inch screen. New technological advances also comprise the firm’s new Bravia Mobile Engine 2, a 13 megapixel camera (featuring the HDR video capable Exmor RS sensor) as well as a Snapdragon 1.5GHz quad core S4 Pro processor.

On top of this, the handset has a dust and water resistant casing to protect all of those high end electronics.

Over a sequence of three articles, we take a detailed look at this significant new smartphone.

Design

The Xperia Z feels solid with very few plastic components and those which are present are of premium quality. It’s certainly a good looking phone, easily Sony’s finest-looking smartphone ever, although compromises have been made to get these slim good looks.

The dearth of a removable battery panel limits the capability to carry a spare battery and makes it harder to replace failing batteries, but is does allow the parts to be squeezed together in order to achieve the impressively thin 7.9mm (0.31 inch) thick chassis which weighs just 145g (or 5.16 ounces).

The glass coated rear casing brings the Sony up to the quality levels achieved by Apple iPhone 5 and the new HTC One, although to give the handset a distinctive element Sony has extended these glass panels round the sides.

The back panel and front display are made of shatter resistant glass (although not Corning Gorilla Glass), while the glass panels are connected by a glass-fibre polyamide chassis with slightly rounded corners together.

Overall the Sony comes across as a high end smartphone, only bettered in regard to quality and feel by the fabulous HTC One. In our view the Xperia is a nicer device compared to the iPhone 5 and a good deal better than Samsung’s top smartphone, the Galaxy S4 which only has too much average feeling plastic to appeal to people looking for a quality feel to their new mobile.

Though it’s a good looking device, the lager casing dictated by that huge 5-inch display and associated bezel mean it is not so comfortable to hold if you don’t happen to get massive hands and reaching the phone’s top border is a small stretch during one-handed use. The sharp 90-degree corners also hinder usability a little.

It’s worth noting that Sony plan to introduce a slightly smaller version, dubbed the Xperia ZR, for those who feel the full sized Z is a little too large.

Other design features worth mentioning are the (unfortunately) miniature speaker which does not really offer anything other than acceptable sound quality, with the HTC One and its own front facing stereo speakers still well ahead of the smartphone pack when it comes to sonic performance.

The back mounted 13MP camera lens is slightly recessed, which it a fine touch that will help to keep it from getting scratched whilst the front facing 2MP camera is situated just over the screen. Apart from the mike there is nothing below the screen as the Xperia Z employs on screen buttons rather than any physical keys.

The handset will be obtainable in black or white, with a purple edition shortly to join the line up.

5-inch 1080p HD screen

While several manufactures have declared handsets with 5 - inch, 1080p screens, the Xperia Z is one of the first to be made accessible. Due for the upgrade to a 1080p resolution screen, the Xperia Z offers a higher screen density than its predecessor the Xperia T (at 443 pixels per inch).

This really is despite the increase in screen size from 4.6 to 5-inches. The screen actually is notable, and almost equals anything we have seen to date with regard to sharpness and richness.

We say nearly rivals, since the HTC One’s Super LCD 3 smartphone screen offers better viewing angles and outdoor performance whilst being a little sharper thanks to its somewhat smaller 4.7 inch display.

Sony claims the new OptiContrast screen should reduce reflection and make it better to read in bright sunlight. Despite this lighting conditions made it hard to read the display sometimes when other smartphones would have probably fared a great deal better.

When using higher brightness settings which are sometimes required due to the above issues comparison also looked to be a little inferior to rivals smartphones like the Galaxy S4, with blacks becoming slightly grey.

Sony Xperia Z outline

The Sony research and development team have clearly been working hard on this particular new model. The technical specification represents a tremendous development on earlier models and brings it on a level identical to the three smartphone rivals - the HTC One, iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy S4.

The high quality materials used in its construction also enables it to match the initial two of its own competitors and simply beat the Galaxy S4. Look out for our other reviews on the Xperia Z.

The unique characteristic of water resistance and quad core processing power, exclusive materials mark out the Sony Xperia Z on 3 as one of the leading handsets on the cell phone market now. In addition, you get a massive 5 - inch HD screen and impressive memory expansion options which place the unit squarely up against the 5S and HTC One.

If you’re buying new contract deal or possibly to purchase a handset outright, we hope that our review of the Xperia Z will assist you in making an educated decision.

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