The Sony Xperia Z2 is the latest flagship super-phone from Sony, replacing the Xperia Z1 released last year. The new phone keeps the same aluminium-edged design, sexy glass front and back, Full HD display, quad-core processor and impressive 20.7-megapixel camera. Like its predecessor, it's completely waterproof.
You might wonder, then, exactly what is new on the Z2?
Well, it has a slightly larger 5.2-inch display, a slimmer bezel around the edge, a marginally faster 2.3GHz Qualcomm processor, the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat software and a camera capable of capturing 4K video. Although those are only marginal upgrades, the Z1 was already a smashing piece of kit, and it might be slightly too soon for a full overhaul, given that it was only released in September last year.
It's available to preorder in the UK and wider Europe now for an eye-watering price of £600 (€700). The company is yet to confirm if it will ever get a US release, but I wouldn't get your hopes up -- the Z1 never got a proper release in the States, and the Z1S was announced at CES earlier this year as a US variant of the older phone. It's listed as "coming soon" on Sony's Asia site (with no pricing given), but there's no sign of it yet for Australia.
Design
The Xperia Z2 is physically very similar to its predecessor, but that's by no means a criticism. It has the same glass front and back and aluminium band running around the edge. It looks stunning and feels extremely luxurious to hold. It certainly feels more premium than the lightweight, plastic-bodied.
The HTC One M8, with its all-metal body, feels similarly luxurious. It's entirely down to personal preference whether you like the smart glass and metal of the Z2 or the industrial milled metal of the M8. I personally can't pick a favourite -- I think they both look superb -- but the M8's curved back makes it more comfortable to hold in one hand.
The Z2's glass panels do make it rather more susceptible to scratches from keys in your pocket, so if you want to keep it looking pristine -- which I imagine you will, given how much you've paid for it -- you should pop it in a case. Like its siblings, the Z2 is completely waterproof, but the waterproof rating has been slightly increased. It's IP55 and IP58 rated which basically means you can completely submerse it in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.
Not only does that mean it won't break the first time you accidentally drop it in the toilet, it also lets you get snap-happy with the camera underwater -- that's great news for snorkelers. The screen won't register your taps when wet, but there's a dedicated camera shutter button on the edge to help with those snorkelling shots.
The screen size has been increased from 5 inches to 5.2 inches. Thanks to a slimmer bezel however, the phone's body hasn't increased too much, but it's still a big phone. If you're more used to the 4-inch iPhone 5S, it probably won't be to your taste, but the 4.3-inch Xperia Z1 Compact has a cracking lineup of specs and is much more pocketable, so may be a suitable compromise between size and performance.
Around the edges you'll find a microSD card slot and a micro-USB port hidden under a waterproof flap, a flap-free 3.5mm headphone jack and the same sticking-out power button you'll see on all of Sony's recent phones. There's also a little hole in the edging allowing you to pop in a lanyard to make it slightly more secure to hold up when you're taking pictures. Sony doesn't actually provide a lanyard in the box, so you'll have to try and find one on an old camera you're not using.
The speakers now sit on the front of the phone at the top and bottom. Like the HTC One and One M8's BoomSound speakers, they're designed to direct the sound towards you, rather than away. They're much smaller than the One's though, so don't provide as big a sound, but their position means it doesn't get muffled when you lay it flat on a surface.
Display
The 5.2-inch display packs the same 1,920x1,080-pixel resolution as the previous Z1. As the Z2 is marginally bigger, the screen has a slightly lower pixel density -- 423 pixels per inch against the Z1's 440 -- as the same number of pixels are being stretched over a larger area. In reality though, it's not a difference you're ever likely to notice.
New Price $ 734.39
YEAR
2014
GENERAL
Network GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - D6502, D6503, D6543, HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 - D6502, D6503, D6543, LTE 700/800/850/900/1700/1800/1900/2100/2600 - D6503, LTE 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600 - D6543
SCREEN
Type IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.2 inches (~424 ppi pixel density)
DIMENSION
Size / Weight 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm / 163 g
AUDIO
Features Vibration; MP3 ringtones
Audio Jack 3.5mm
Speakerphone Yes
MEMORY
Internal 16 GB, 3 GB RAM
External microSD (up to 64GB)
DATA
3G HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.8 Mbps
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
USB/Port microUSB v2.0 (MHL 3), USB On-the-go, USB Host, NFC
CAMERA
Primary 20.7 MP, 5248 х 3936 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 1/2.3'' sensor size,
geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, image stabilization, HDR,
panorama
Secondary 2.2 MP, 1080p@30fps
Video Record Yes, 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 720p@120fps, video stabilization, HDR
BATTERY
Talk Time Up to 15 h (2G) / Up to 19 h (3G)
Tipe Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery
Standby Up to 690 h (2G) / Up to 740 h (3G)
FEATURES
OS Android OS, v4.4.2 (KitKat)
CPU Qualcomm MSM8974AB Snapdragon 801, Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400, Adreno 330
Bbrowser HTML5
GPS Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Messaging SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email
Additional Features Java MIDP
emulator, ANT+ support, SNS integration, TV-out (via MHL 3 A/V link),
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, Document viewer, Photo
viewer/editor, Voice memo/dial, Predictive text input
OTHER FEATURES
Video Player Xvid/MP4/H.263/H.264 player
MP3 Player MP3/eAAC+/WAV/Flac player
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