Gadgetory

the ik Sony Xperia Z has been put through its paces over the last week it's been compared with some of the most notable devices from 2012 now it's time to look at the Sony Xperia Z under the microscope by itself I'm Taylor Martin this is PocketNow and this is our full review of the Sony Xperia Z when you take the Xperia Z out of the box for the first time you're gonna stop and think wow that is a beautiful device but the problem is that the hardware is conflicted its ip55 and ip57 ratings for dust proofing and waterproofing suggest a durable device but it's made almost entirely of glass thanks to a combination of dragon trail on the front and Gorilla Glass on the back it's relatively scratch resistant but it's not as Hardy as plastic or metal and in one small slip could result in a nasty shattered device durability concerns aside the Xperia Z is one of the most well built devices in recent memory the matte finish plastic around the edges of the device offers just enough grip to assure a firm grip and the glossy metallic trim gives it the level of finish only a true premium device offers it feels great in the hand but the flat back and hard edges don't make for a comfortable grip and the unusual placement of the standby and volume Keys makes it a bit unwieldy in addition to the 5-inch 1080p display the Xperia Z packs a 1.5 gigahertz quad-core Snapdragon s4 pro chipset 2 gigabytes of RAM 16 gigabytes of built-in storage with a micro SD card slot expandable up to 32 gigabytes a 2330 million power battery and a 13.1 megapixel camera around back it also has a front-facing shooter at 2.2 megapixels and all of your standard connectivity NFC Bluetooth Wi-Fi b/g/n etc the display is another point of conversation as it is a very vibrant panel thanks to the Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 colors are vivid and the 1080p resolution means everything is exceptionally crisp but the display lacks proper contrast blacks look more like a dark gray than an inky black and narrow viewing angles make for an even more milky appearance watching out all colors at almost anything but a straight on view all in all if it weren't for the visually disruptive chrome power button in the middle of the Xperia Z would be a contender for the most sleek and well-designed device of the year at first sight the software on the Xperia Z is a bit underwhelming there's nothing truly intriguing or inspiring about how it looks and there's nothing that truly grabs your attention and makes you say hey I really want to see what that's all about compared to older versions of Sony's Android skins the software on the Xperia Z is surprisingly lightweight aside from a few customizations the software is very stock like from the Settings app to the way you access Google now sony was sure to keep the best parts of stock Android intact the most predominant customizations are found in the camera application which includes a long list of user configurable settings filters and a superior auto mode another unique software feature which takes full advantage of the generous display size is found by pressing at the task switcher button there you will find five mini applications or more if you take the time to download them from the Play Store these applications are free-floating caps that hover over your current application and can be moved around or closed without ever leaving the app their utility though is quite limited fortunately for those who don't like blow where most of the non-standard applications on the Xperia Z can be removed in all the Xperia Z software build was a pleasure to use it retains most of the best features of stock Android while offering users several customization features out of the box without being overbearing our sad story with the Xperia Z began when we started testing it there are actually two models in the market so before you buy it make sure your unit supports the bands in your area our Xperia Z review unit only supported UMTS bands one five and eight bands not supported by AT&T in our testing area that means we were stuck on edge for the entire review period this obviously affects both data speeds and battery life so keep that in mind your personal mileage will probably vary call quality with the earpiece speaker was just loud enough to hear in a moderately noisy environment though the audio was slightly muffled colors didn't have any trouble hearing us in a noisy coffee shop or outside in breezy weather the speakerphone performance though was disappointing even at full volume it was barely loud enough to hear the person on the other end of the line and voices came through sounding muffled and robotic user interface performance was disappointing at times as well there is a noticeable ramp up period we're lagging some stuttering is present on the home screen quickly scrolling and even switching between applications even with full support of project butter with its modified build of jellybean 4.1.2 and despite its very high scores on synthetic benchmarks the software doesn't seem to be making the best use of its power under the hood at least in basic usage that power and the bright vibrant display seem to come at the expense of stamina we managed to average around 20 hours before needing to plug in that doesn't sound bad but that figure includes only an hour or two an hour and a half of screen on time and remember that's on edge paltry at best considering the 23 70 milliamp hour battery the thirteen point one megapixel camera is one of the more notable aspects of the Xperia Z's list of high-end specs testing alongside the Nexus 4 Galaxy s3 and the iPhone 5 only lent credence to that as its shots came out more accurate and detailed than the former two devices and proved to be a near spot-on contender with the iPhone 5 autofocus locked on quickly although the focus misfired occasionally in some edges err on the side of too soft but color reproduction contrast and a bevy of features and manual adjustments more than make up for the occasional stumbles HDR video mode also manages to bring a more balanced output to videos in scenes with tricky lighting all-in-all the Xperia Z is one of the most well built smartphones in recent years its build quality and design are mostly flawless and the device feels substantial in the hand only the low contrast display non-economic button placement periodical stutters and poor stem that keep this device from being one of the best choices on the market if you're looking for a larger device with raw power and great battery life this is probably not the phone for you but if you want a smartphone that offers great video playback a solid gaming experience and very good camera performance in a pretty package the Xperia Z will be among your top choices so long as you're open to keeping a spare charger around we give the Xperia Z and 8.5 out of 10 that's all for now be sure to check pocketnow.com for the full experience e review and subscribe to the channel for comparisons and other future content thanks for watching and we'll see you next time the Xperia Z has been put through its paces over the last week it has been compared to some of the most notable though