Powerhouse gadget manufacturer Sony recently unveiled its latest flagship smartphone dubbed the Sony Xperia Z at the 2013 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Also called the Yuga, the device has had its own share of pre-show leaks, especially when official press shots of the handset started to make rounds around the web weeks before. However, it was only a day before the show’s opening when people were finally able to confirm its appearance on the show floor.
The premium phone packs a 5-inch, 1080p full HD display in a shell that measures only 139 by 71 by 7.9 millimeters and weighs roughly 146 grams. Its LED display offers a 1920 by 1080 resolution at 441 pixels-per-inch and 16 million colors. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box and draws power from a quad core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8064+MDM9215M processor coupled with an Adreno 320 GPU chip and backed by a 2330mAh battery that reportedly offers up to 11 hours of talk time and 550 hours of standby time.
All these interesting specifications are packed within a – wait for it – water and dust resistant body. In most demo videos, the handset sees itself getting dropped into a bowl of water. Sony says the device can withstand being submerged in up to one meter of water for around 30 minutes. Watch Slashgear’s epic walkthrough video below:
Camera and video
Given the mind-blowing physical specs of the Xperia Z, it would only be apt for Sony to pack it with outstanding camera and video capabilities. It sure doesn’t disappoint in this department given its 13.1 megapixel fast-capture rear camera equipped with varied shooting functions and a front-facing camera which can take 2.2 megapixel photos at 1080p. As mentioned before, it’s a full HD phone, so it allows you to record immersive videos at 1080p. Also present in the device is Sony’s Exmor RS back-illuminated CMOS sensor which allows you to take exceptional photos even by candlelight with low noise and Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, which plays a huge part in giving users a better viewing experience on the unit. Additionally, it employs Sony’s OptiContrast technology that diminishes reflectivity and glare by a mile.
Other camera and video features include:
- Auto focus
- Burst mode
- 16x digital zoom
- HDR for photos and videos
- Face detection
- Flash or pulsed LED and photo light
- Geotagging
- Image stabilization
- Sweep panorama
Entertainment
If it comes from Sony, it must be good at playing media files. It doesn’t come as a surprise that this one sports 3D Surround Sound, music recognition capabilities, Clear Audio+, access to the PlayNow service, TrackID music recognition, a preinstalled Walkman application, xLoud Experience technology, a 3D gaming feature, and many more. Given the right combination of accessories, peripherals, and content, the Xperia Z might as well be your one-stop station for listening to music, watching movies, and playing games.
Connectivity and communication
Nothing really jaw-dropping about connectivity on the Xperia Z; but it pretty much covers all the basics recent smartphones usually sport. There’s 4G LTE support, NFC, aGPS, Bluetooth 4.0, GLONASS, HDMI out (via MHL support), and Wi-Fi functionalities on board. Suffice to say, it fares well in keeping yourself connected to your personal or business contacts via VoIP phone calls, voicemail, and email aside from the usual data connectivity offered by your wireless carrier.
Battery Life
To improve battery life, Sony added a battery life management feature to the Xperia 5 called Battery STAMINA Mode. This feature allows the phone to save energy when it’s in standby. It also turns off functions or apps that you don’t need when the screen is off while keeping the notifications you want.
Availability
The Xperia Z is expected to hit the shelves within the next couple of months. Some areas will also be getting the Xperia ZL, the smaller version of the premium beast, this time codenamed “Odin.” The phone will come with the same underlying specs of the Xperia Z, but will be ditching the waterproofing and the glassy back panel to make it cheaper and more accessible to those who are still finding their way in making the transition to power-packed phablet-sized phones.
About the author: Henry Conrad is a 29-year-old game developer from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Aside from gaming and being a tech junky, he also dabbles in creative writing, which allows him to create great storylines and backgrounds for his characters. Follow me on Twitter and join me in Google +