By: iPadfanzz staff on March 6, 2013
Sony’s Xperia Z is out in Indian markets and is up for grabs for Rs 38,990. It’s a phone which the company claims to water and dust resistance and sports a scratch-resistant glass body.
The device has a 5-inch full HD display screen that supports 1920x1080p resolution and packs in 441ppi pixel density. Remember, the iPhone 5's pixel density is 326ppi. If rumours are to be believed, then it should give tough competition to Galaxy S4’s display. This 1080p screen has the kind of clarity you’d normally expect from your television.
There’s a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a 13.1-megapixel camera, 4G cellular connectivity and 16GB of built-in storage, which can be augmented using microSD cards. The handset competes against the likes of HTC Butterfly, Nokia Lumia 920 and BlackBerry Z10, along with upcoming smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S IV and LG Optimus G Pro.
Connectivity options include 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and microUSB 2.0. Sony Xperia Z comes with Battery Stamina Mode, which improves the standby time by four times or more by automatically shutting down battery-draining apps whenever the screen is off and starts them again once the screen is back on. NFC allows the device to communicate with other Sony products, such as the latest range of Bravia televisions. Of course, you’ll have to invest in an expensive television to take advantage of it.
The smartphone has 7.9mm of thickness, and weighs just 146g, a bit heavier than iPhone 5, which is 112g in weight. Around the edges of the phone you’ll discover additional strips of glossy plastic, which further enhance the aesthetic.
You’ll notice that there most of ports and openings are covered by flaps which facilitates the Xperia Z’s ability to withstand dust and water ingress. The company claims that the smartphone can survive a dip in water of a depth of up to 1 metre for thirty minutes. This means that if you drop the handset down the loo, it won’t get any harm.
The 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon CPU means that you get an ultra-fast smartphone that is blisteringly fast, and features such as HDMI-out and NFC support makes it at the cutting-edge of mobile technology. The lack of Android 4.2 is somewhat disappointing. In GLBenchmark 2.5.1’s Egypt HD on-screen test, the Xperia Z clocks a score of 3,399 at 30 frames per second, and Vellamo -- which tests web performance -- rates the phone at 2,185, beating both the Galaxy S3 (1,580) and the HTC One X (1,625).
The phone comes with Android 4.1 on board, although Sony is adamant that a 4.2 update will be pushed out soon after launch. Additionally, Sony’s own skin sits on top of Google’s OS, and offers a series of embellishments.
No doubt, the Xperia-Z is a powerful blower and its launch timing is especially important since the Samsung Galaxy S4 is on the horizon. It is a bold move by the company and if would be interesting to see if the company is able to make handsome sales.
