Gadgetory

it's a glass and metal obelisk with front-facing speakers a vibrant display and one of the sharpest cameras you can find in the Android world and it's capable not just of going for a swim but of looking good doing it Sony's premium smartphone for the first half of 2014 is here and now finally so is our review I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow and this is the Sony Xperia z2 let's get to it if you've seen our z2 vs galaxy s5 and HTC One m8 comparisons you already know where to snag your own Xperia z2 GSM nation one of the first US retailers to stock the device we thank them for the loaner and encourage you to pay them a visit at the link in the description below if you're struck by a sudden case of Sony fever eight point two millimeters 163 grams 5.2 inch display and a Snapdragon 801 processor that's not the most outlandish spec list of the year in fact it's par for the course in 2014 but toss in a twenty point seven megapixel camera 3200 milliamp hour battery three gigs of RAM and pour it all into a water and dust resistant glass casing and you've got a formula for something special that's clear from the first time you pick up the Xperia z2 it's a little big for our average sized hands and a little too easy to scratch the clumsy will want to invest in a case but it's glass sandwich construction makes it one of the more distinctive Android offerings of the year we wish Sony would tone it down a little on the accoutrement this phone could look even better with cleaner side rails but on the plus side details like this port enabled cool accessories like this stand-up dock an easier way to charge the device than fiddling with the port covers on the sides other hidden gems include the status light built into the earpiece active noise cancellation technology behind the headphone jack and Sony's dedicated camera shutter button which we always say this but we'll say it again should be standard on all smartphones waking up the device is as simple as a double tap on the face and you're treated to a 1080p panel with wider viewing angles than you could have found on Sony devices even as recently as last year we still have a ways to go in terms of outdoor visibility deeper blacks and cleaner whites but the company has seriously stepped up its game and display technology the software running beneath that glass is Android 4.4.2 with a ton of customizations Sony's UI is heavier than ever here and while that doesn't measurably affect the speed or smoothness of the OS it's a little burdensome in terms of flow Sony's really pushing its value adds here for example what's new is basically just a sony media store and it has no business sharing the up swipe gesture with Google now which is a service that's actually useful in a similar vein the small apps options are always there when hopping into the multitasking ribbon but even on a 5.2 inch screen window to apps like this aren't terribly useful we can still find no reason to use the special experience of Facebook or Twitter over the native apps and the notification shades settings toggles were probably designed to be as simple as possible but in everyday use they're cumbersome and Sony's design aesthetic is inconsistent some apps are finished beautifully while others seem half-baked on the plus side those beautifully finished apps like the album really are fun to use because of the good looks and downloadable titles like Sony's lifelog are both novel and gorgeous even everyday pedestrian corners like the dialer have some fun surprises answering the phone just by putting it to an ear for example or they admittedly more gimmicky rejecting a call by shaking the phone in all the software story here isn't much different than on most Android smartphones with heavy-handed third-party you eyes some of the value ads do contribute to the phone's usefulness but others aren't worth the clutter they impose on the experience and whether you like the look of the skin is as subjective as ever it's not as easy to equivocate when we come to the camera sony impressed us with the optics on the z1 compact a few months back and we're even more taken with the shooter on the z2 again the hardware camera key brings a utility that just can't be duplicated from quickly launching the viewfinder to the half press to focus functionality the software allows you to download additional plugins like windows phones lenses and while the mode select page is getting a little bloated as it is it's still easy to use we're big fans of Sony's superior Auto mode which does a nice job of dealing with a wide range of shooting conditions we could stand to see a little more color and contrast in some photos but switching to manual allows for that and shooting in 15 or 20 megapixel resolutions means zooming in on faraway subjects is no problem that's especially true given Sony's excellent software stabilization which you notice as soon as you fire up the camera and which almost makes up for the lack of OIS low-light performance as we showed in our Z 2 vs. m8 comparison is outstanding even an automatic mode underwater photography is even more fun the clarity with which the camera is able to render some of these shots is just stunning and then there's video 4k recording is available but we shot in 1080p for the majority of our time with the device we're happy with most of the video footage we captured with a z2 but we wish focus was a little less temperamental you need to keep a close eye on the picture to make sure focus is properly set before recording and that it doesn't drift during the take sometimes it's very obvious because one of the flight paths just go to so it's just on the other side of that closest in sum we adore this camera we'd like to see a little more contrast overall and we wish the full range of features was available in resolutions higher than 8 megapixels but from the sensors available high resolution to the software's ease of use to the underwater versatility we think the z2 offers the best overall camera experience you can find on an Android smartphone today we've tested the Xperia z2 on ATT's 3G and 4G networks for about 6 days in the Greater Boston area and we're happy to report that data speeds and reception are up to snuff where the z2 stumbles is in voice quality at least on our side callers say we sound natural on the z2 even in the presence of lots of background noise but our end is less enjoyable the earpiece produces a thin tinny voice reproduction that combined with the device's sharp upper edge makes talking uncomfortable for the most part speaker phone calls are also very quiet despite their front firing position and despite some of these best efforts at software enhancement thankfully in a quiet room the z2 can still offer acceptable playback quality for media but plug in some earphones specifically the Sony buds that came in the box with our unit and it's a whole new ballgame this isn't acting folks this was the first time I tried out Sony's active noise-cancelling on the subway and it blew my mind once you've tried active noise suppression on these earbuds with this software you won't want to go anywhere else combined with the outstanding media apps and Sony's wide range of audio boosting customizations well let's just say there's a reason the Walkman brand isn't dead yet Sony knows what it's doing here you should be able to jam out for quite a while too the company quotes up to 120 hours of music listening on the embedded 3200 milliamp hour battery we were able to squeeze two days of light to moderate use out of the device eking out almost 4.5 hours of screen on time during that period you'll be able to go longer if you use Sony's stamina and other power saving options though and longer still if you avoid running the CPU hard on high demand games or videos the z2 keeps up with its competition fine on performance but it also heats up faster and hotter than any other 801 powered phone we've tested so keep a charger handy if you're using the z2 as a media hub if you buy the Xperia z2 in the United States it's not yet available from any major wireless carrier so you're looking at a hefty price tag so is it worth it absolutely it may only be a small step forward in design over the z1 and it's software is definitely in need of some trimming but for a phone with these specs to be crammed into a water-resistant casing this attractive with a camera and personal media suite this capable well as the saying goes you get what you pay for and if you ask us the Xperia z2 is worth every penny for our full score benchmark results in much more see our written review available no later than May 16th at pocketnow.com visit gsm nation.com at the link in the description below if you want a z2 of your own and be sure to check out our z2 comparisons and features linked here until next time this has been michael fisher with PocketNow thanks for watching and we'll see you next time