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-132503
  • mXP
  • 12 Apr 2013

AnonD-115449, 25 Feb 2013wasn't battery expected to be tested on the week end? i thi... moregosh, so many people have answered that question - why don't you read the comments instead of asking the same question over and over again?

    • D
    • AnonD-132503
    • mXP
    • 12 Apr 2013

    PHV, 04 Mar 2013When will the battery release? anyone has idea to share? ... moreall smartphones need need to be recharged once every 24 hours. the heating and angle issue is just the same as other mobiles too.

      • D
      • AnonD-132503
      • mXP
      • 12 Apr 2013

      AnonD-10382, 18 Mar 2013Sony, you need to improve on your screens. If any person pi... morereally? baffled by some of the neg. comments. it looks a lot better than Samsung, takes great pics, the music sound is clear and browsing is fun - guess some are never happy.

        • m
        • mahi mishra
        • Hkq
        • 08 Apr 2013

        it's beter than samsung galaxy note.......

          • g
          • gumby
          • dSI
          • 05 Apr 2013

          I own an xperia z phone and have been having,trouble with sd cards. Contacted Sony and was told the z is only compatible with up to 32gb cards and only tested with class 2 and 4 cards.not happy

            • D
            • AnonD-52738
            • TSQ
            • 04 Apr 2013

            I just buy Xperia Z two days ago, really tired waiting on HTC One.

            The screen angle is not that great, I admit .. but actually it not really affected as we use phone look straight.

            As for washed out issue? Sorry they is no washed out issue at all. I am S III user, so I know the screen is no washed out, what it bad point is narrow viewing angle issue.

              • d
              • disappointed user
              • PRW
              • 02 Apr 2013

              The screen goes dimmer after long use be careful. And the battery goes hot after some use. Very poor low light camera

                • z
                • zaid
                • uZa
                • 31 Mar 2013

                are the the three capacitive buttons included in 5 inch screen.

                  • D
                  • AnonD-29706
                  • ttc
                  • 30 Mar 2013

                  This phone has one of the WORST displays I've ever seen on a flagship. That, and the fact that despite a Snapdragon S4 Pro beating inside, there's still some noticeable stutter, particularly when moving through the launcher. The LG Optimus G, on the other hand, at 720p resolution, has a much better display. Plus, the phone is absolutely snappy, too!

                  I've always been a fan of Sony Ericsson. I've owned several handsets over the years. I still own the Arc S as my primary phone, and I recently went to the store looking to upgrade to the XPERIA Z. What I saw was utter disappointment. It's a handsome phone, no doubt, but being a flagship, and considering the price it's selling at, I would've expected nothing less than a stellar display. They could've taken a page out of LG's book, but no; they decided to stick with the traditional, old LCD with that usually non-functioning software tweak called Bravia. It's selling cheaper, and is "just" 720p, but the IPS+ LCD on the LG Optimus G seems leagues ahead of Sony's 1080p Bravia. Sony have definitely lost the plot, ever since the departure of Ericsson. I really loved their phones, but it looks like I'm going to, now, have to opt for another brand.

                    • v
                    • vivi
                    • Ley
                    • 30 Mar 2013

                    xperia Z doesnt have usb on the go
                    we should put in trash beucase its rabish
                    but i like desing

                      • u
                      • uu
                      • wHr
                      • 30 Mar 2013

                      BasisR, 09 Mar 2013This is a giant monster. And everybody knows it, including ... moreXZ lost different battles now, GS4 won many battles ryt now, 2nd is htc One, maybe Oppo5 will be better tham XZ haha

                        • D
                        • AnonD-77443
                        • vuB
                        • 29 Mar 2013

                        Mark, 22 Mar 2013The camera is a big disappointment here, especially when co... moreI 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.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-252
                          • J5N
                          • 23 Mar 2013

                          AnonD-125652, 17 Mar 2013Yeah I have the xperia z. And the scratches that you saw ar... moreIf 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!

                            • M
                            • Mark
                            • Jyp
                            • 22 Mar 2013

                            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.

                              • A
                              • Android Man
                              • mqM
                              • 22 Mar 2013

                              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.

                                • S
                                • SONYMALAYSIA
                                • tZk
                                • 21 Mar 2013

                                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 :-)

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-10382
                                  • nEJ
                                  • 18 Mar 2013

                                  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.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-125652
                                    • B{9
                                    • 17 Mar 2013

                                    Ali, 12 Mar 2013If a few weeks old demo model that's locked up in a glass b... moreYeah 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,

                                      • a
                                      • adnan indian
                                      • uvy
                                      • 17 Mar 2013

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

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-59657
                                        • ib9
                                        • 17 Mar 2013

                                        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 ?