Sony Xperia Z review: Zero hour

17 February 2013
With 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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  • D
  • AnonD-99048
  • 04$
  • 18 Feb 2013

the camera quality is not disappointing but the quality is better than xperia s which shoots better pictures than s3

    • A
    • Angryman
    • Rxc
    • 18 Feb 2013

    Did I skip over it or does this review not mention battery life at all?
    I'm completely sold on this phone except for battery life, some reviews say it's well above average, others say it's average and one says it's bellow average.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • tR6
      • 18 Feb 2013

      Please add the awful loudspeaker volume into the list of disadvantages and conclusion. I've tested a set, and it's pretty much useless outdoors. The low volume can definitely cause users to miss calls and messages.

        • D
        • AnonD-106548
        • QXP
        • 18 Feb 2013

        I bet when Samsung S4 releases, Xperia limelight will be in nowhere.... Its functions and specs are just too basic and no wow factors. How often will people actually dip their phones into water or dusts? Even if it is water resistance, I will rather not do it because who knows actions you did will actually void the warranty after all?

          • d
          • dr.melle
          • n76
          • 18 Feb 2013

          i don't see the dissapointment... still overall its a great phone. i have yet to see htc or samsung do better. let alone aplle lol. nokia is diong great but sadly i don't dig the windows mobile thing myself...

            • P
            • PW
            • u{Q
            • 18 Feb 2013

            Is battery duration test missing?

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • Kx3
              • 18 Feb 2013

              AnonD-86903, 17 Feb 2013of course it is waaaay better than S3.better than S3?
              have you read the review?

              I'll take S3 anytime over this phone, since it has better display (AMOLED), better camera, removable battery, native video call, etc.

                • D
                • AnonD-59299
                • LkV
                • 18 Feb 2013

                Disappointing camera... Again !

                Sony fail... Again !

                Sony Boys admit, cell phones and smartphones Sony queries are weak in image and video !

                  • k
                  • kc
                  • 4YN
                  • 18 Feb 2013

                  Love how you guys sit behind your computer screen making judgement off from this review, why don't you guys go one and try the one first hand before jumping on conclusion.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • t7X
                    • 18 Feb 2013

                    I hope they start fixing their software department it really is annoyong to have a good hardware but software cant optimized it hope they really have a update. Cameta and screens really affected this flagship ifthey can improved this sony will be a better player than others

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • sG%
                      • 18 Feb 2013

                      disappointing i was really looking forward to buying this phone, the only selling point for me right now is the design and that its dust/waterproof. The camera really was just a hype and no better than other 8mp flagship phones.

                      Looking forward to seeing the galaxy s IV and the moto X.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-103731
                        • vbK
                        • 17 Feb 2013

                        Low light images please and compare them with Lumia 920
                        or do some camera based comparison properly

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • nGx
                          • 17 Feb 2013

                          GSMArena, you really should add the poor loudspeaker performance to your "Main Disadvantages" list.

                          As for Adobe Flash, you probably can get it to work by doing what I do on my Nexus 7: download it from the Adobe Flash Archives on Adobe's site and then use Firefox.

                            • D
                            • AnonD-78383
                            • q{c
                            • 17 Feb 2013

                            AnonD-77434, 17 Feb 2013Why Gsmarena we didn't see any HDR stil samples in your tes... moreWhat are you talking about they uploaded 2 videos. First the original, then HDR.

                              • D
                              • Dirk Diggler
                              • P@c
                              • 17 Feb 2013

                              Awesome phone. Can't wait to own this. One thing I want to point out is the picture of the Xperia Z Box in page 2. It's smaller that what I have seen online and it also says "DEMO ONLY" "Not for Sale". I hope they release the bigger box version to most if not all countries targeted. It contains a charging dock which is icing on the cake for me.

                              http://www.xperiablog.net/2013/01/29/xperia-z-unboxing-pictures/

                                • D
                                • AnonD-77434
                                • fk6
                                • 17 Feb 2013

                                Why Gsmarena we didn't see any HDR stil samples in your test...and both Video you posted are HDR samples???

                                Great review either :)

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-85611
                                  • L4D
                                  • 17 Feb 2013

                                  Anonymous, 17 Feb 2013sony bravia engine is the best display evarHave you read the review? They are saying that the display got poor viewing angles, poor contrast and weak colors, and the sunlight visibility is not that special either, so how it's the best screen ever? Sony is arguably the weakest player when we are talking about smartphone screens. The only good thing is its resolution which is now becoming the norm for the high-end so there's nothing special really.
                                  To be honest, most high-end droids are basically the same, I really doubt that most users can get any real advantage over slight faster chipsets so what really makes phones better than others on the high-end is things like camera and screen, and we already know that the screen and the camera of this phone are nothing special, so no, thanks, I'll pass this one.

                                    • ?
                                    • Anonymous
                                    • v0X
                                    • 17 Feb 2013

                                    sony bravia engine is the best display evar

                                      • M
                                      • Marcus
                                      • Jyp
                                      • 17 Feb 2013

                                      1. So it looks like this Exmor RS sensor is BS and it gives no real advantage. Marketing BS as usual.

                                      2. Display - a crap as usual with Sony flagships. Sony only makes good displays for their competitors like HTC. But not for their own devices.

                                      3. At Tuesday HTC will introduce the phone that will blow this poor "Z" out of the water, from the display through camera quality.

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • bEK
                                        • 17 Feb 2013

                                        AnonD-86903, 17 Feb 2013of course it is waaaay better than S3.I was talking about the camera and screen. :-)

                                        In any case I'd be buying this device when it comes to my country. Unless of course the galaxy s4 packs some exceptional feature set.

                                        BTW, I'm not concerned about the processor/memory but the actual functionality.