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Sony Xperia Z review: Zero hour

17 February 2013 | Read the review | Post your comment
Sony Xperia Z review: Zero hour - read the full textWith solid backup in the midrange, returning to the fiercest battle in the mobile market is Sony’s top priority. The Xperia Z, which leads the charge, got us properly impressed in a recent hands-on and if it walks unscathed from a complete review, we’ll know the Japanese have hit the form of their life...

 

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> In reply to BasisR @ 2013-03-09 17:19 from t1$A - click to readXZ lost different battles now, GS4 won many battles ryt now, 2nd is htc One, maybe Oppo5 will be better tham XZ haha

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  • 2013-03-30 08:06
  • wHrS

> In reply to Mark @ 2013-03-22 22:30 from JypU - click to readI agree the xperia Z screen is poor. If you have a look at pics against the SGS4 and One the screen is washed out and almost white when looking at it from an angle. Apart from that its a great phone.

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  • 2013-03-29 09:11
  • vuBW

> In reply to bucho2004 @ 2013-03-17 13:09 from B{9S - click to readIf you remove that plastic preinstalled "anti shatter" screen protector then Z will not survive if it is dropped, because that preinstalled plastic screen protector is not supposed to be removed! This screen protector is the reason for the very bad image quality of the screen and it is not only the viewing angles that are bad! "Gorilla glass" and "Dragontrail" glass is still "only" glass and is made for scratch resistance and not made to survive accidental drops! The camera is definetly not better than tha Note II camera!
The metal power button ruin the design, and the too small volume rocker is totally missplaced and very hard to reach far too low on the side of the phone! It is extremly annoying to have to remove the flap/cover everytime a headphone needs to be plugged in, and I doubt that the flap will survive being open in the pants pocket!
My S3 did not "die"... when I used it in the rain, so there is no need for the phone to be waterproof, but that waterproofing is the reason why the Z speakers and microphones are so bad!

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  • 2013-03-23 12:08
  • J5NV

The camera is a big disappointment here, especially when compared to the SGS 4 camera. I really can't understand how it is possible that Sony makes camera modules for Samsung and can't tweak their own software to be at least on par with Samsung when it comes to photo quality.

Other thing: the screnn - the worst from all the 2013 flagships.

With every flagship device Sony has to screw something up.

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  • 2013-03-22 22:30
  • JypU

yes its a nice phone. looks awesome feels great in the hand. the screen is really crisp. the design looks great. overall sony have worked very well on this. but i feel they missed the important stuff. like a feeble loud speaker. its just weak even on loudest in a noisy area you cant hear the phone. so i will stick with my note 2. yes the camera is slick and crisp. but didnt see much improvement over the note 2.

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  • 2013-03-22 21:00
  • mqMt

3rd day, using this Xperia Z, continuously using this phone for web browsing and youtube for more than an hour, phone will get hotter. battery life not as good as expected. lasted less than 10 hours using Data usage only.
Nevertheless it still a looker, initially I was contemplating to choose Htc butterfly or Xperia Z, but the Xperia Z win the battle in terms of looks, hand held feel and interfaces :-)

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  • 2013-03-21 10:28
  • tZkH

Sony, you need to improve on your screens. If any person picks up a GS3/GS4, HTC ONE, Iphone 5 etc and compare, you can immediately see the difference in screen quality (contrast and reviewing angles particularly). The fact that every other manufacturer is using IPS or AMOLED, but you are still using normal TFT LCD? Why? Another tip, your default UI theme and wall paper makes the screens lowish contrast ratio even more pronounced.

I know a phone is more important than the screen, but an a visual comparison in the shop, it's a no brainer, and something that a normal techno-dumb consumer is likely to think.

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  • 2013-03-18 18:01
  • nEJd

> In reply to Ali @ 2013-03-12 11:31 from YP9v - click to readYeah I have the xperia z. And the scratches that you saw aren't on the screen. but on a factory fitted screen protector\antishatter film. You have a normail screen protector supplied in box to put on top front and back.
AND BY THE BY, NO! When you remove anti shatter film IT IS STILL WATER AND DUST PROOF. Xperia z uses gorrila glass on the back and dragontrail glass on the front. PREMIUM PHONE. With a premium feel. And contrary to some odd reviews and commentary trolls. The screen is best ive seen on a phone. With a camera that surpasses my note 2,

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  • 2013-03-17 13:09
  • B{9S

sure SONY will show their quality and life in this....booked one...black....simply this is the best phone in the market......now!!

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  • 2013-03-17 10:58
  • uvyE

Has anyone tried to play Youtubes videos or photos from browser?
What is the quality of viewing compare to HTC ONE or SGS4 for the similar Youtubes videos ?

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  • 2013-03-17 01:01
  • ib9W

Super phone

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  • 2013-03-16 12:52
  • rJ73

I cant open zedge and several other application in xperia z,,
Pls give me a solution

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  • 2013-03-14 16:25
  • U{GT

I cant open zedge and several other application in xperia z,,
Pls give me a solution

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  • 2013-03-14 16:24
  • U{GT

> In reply to jeff @ 2013-03-12 10:20 from YP9v - click to readIf a few weeks old demo model that's locked up in a glass box had scratches I can't imagine how real-world usage would damage this beauty! Any comments on this from owners?

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  • 2013-03-12 11:31
  • YP9v

Just been to the Sony centre at Chapel Street (Melbourne, Australia) as the phone is not released here yet... They had ONE unit in a plexi glass display under lock n' key and the back of this demo unit had two major issues. 1) a TONE of finger grease- as mentioned in the article (really an unbearable about of finger-print) 2) perhaps much more importantly: TWO HUGE scratches on that beautifully glass back-she'll. Definitely a deal breaker for me, especially the latter issue...

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  • 2013-03-12 10:20
  • YP9v

Guys, is there an auto rotate toggle from the quick settings widget, I can't seem to find it? Is there a way to add that function to the proprietary quick setting toggles in widget?

Thanks

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  • 2013-03-11 20:45
  • KiZs

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2013-03-09 07:30 from t75Z - click to readCrappy? It's very good and much better than any amoled. Try to spend an hour with the Z and 4 sure u will love it

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  • 2013-03-10 12:20
  • x1cc

This is a giant monster. And everybody knows it, including apple and Samsung.

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  • 2013-03-09 17:19
  • t1$A

The Xperia Zs released in Japan definitely has a gorgeous,vibrant screen comparable to current generation phones. Sadly, the international version has a crappy TFT screen.

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  • 2013-03-09 07:30
  • t75Z

> In reply to Anonymous @ 2013-02-21 13:41 from m7KR - click to readThanks for the link. M too planning to buy a Z myself and the video was awesome!!! :)

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  • 2013-03-09 00:46
  • fCFh
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