Sony has started 2013 in a big way by announcing its latest flagship devices – Xperia Z and Xperia ZL. This marks Sony Mobile’s entry not only in the quad-core bandwagon but also having a Full HD display. Interestingly it has been a year since Sony had introduced its Xperia S which broke new ground with its high density 4.3″ 720p HD display and dual-core processor.
The Xperia Z and Xperia ZL have identical top notching hardware which include a 5″ Full HD display, Quad-core Qualcomm S4 processor running at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and a 13MP camera. What sets both of them apart is the Xperia Z comes with water resistant capabilities while the Xperia ZL has a smaller footprint. The dimensions and weight as follows:
Sony Xperia Z – 139mm x 71mm x 7.9mm, 146 grams
Sony Xperia ZL – 131.6mm x 69.3mm x 9.8mm, 151 grams
Read on for the full details of the two Xperias.
Xperia Z
Let’s focus on the Xperia Z which seems to be getting the main attention. Sony continues impress with its unique design on the Xperia Z which now employs what they call OmniBalance with the use of reflective glass design and subtle rounded corners. Both front and back uses tempered glass with anti-shatter film for extra protection.
To cater for all weather protection, the Xperia Z also comes with Sony’s familiar IP55/IP57 water and dust resistance capabilities. According to Sony, that’s good to withstand being submerged under water for 30 minutes. In terms of dimensions, the Xperia Z is only 7.9mm thick and weighs 146 grams which is rather impressive for a device this size.
The main highlight is its 5″ display that pushes a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080. This gives a rather high pixel density of 443 ppi (pixels per inch) and puts it on par with other Full HD smart phone rivals. As usual, Sony has thrown a couple of visual enhancements including an updated Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and a new OptiContract panel which reduces air gap and reflection on the screen.
In the imaging department, Sony has bumped up their camera pixel count to 13MP and it still retains its signature Fast Capture. In addition, they have enhanced this further with their Exmor RS which not only captures HDR photos but also HDR videos as well. The front facing 2MP camera too has Exmor R sensor as well which improves self shots in low light conditions. For high speed action scenes, the Xperia Z can shoot burst mode of 10 frames per second with unlimited number of continous shots. However photo resolution is limited to 9MP. Just like its newer rivals, the Xperia Z also lets you take photos while shooting videos.
NFC functionality has also been improved as well with One Touch Sharing of photos & music among NFC device and One Touch Mirroring which can be activated by tapping onto Sony Bravia TV’s remote control. Powering the device is a 2,330mAh battery which unfortunately is non-removable. In terms of storage, the Xperia Z has 16GB on board which is expandable with micro SD. OS wise, it runs on a recent Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean update to roll out shortly after commercial availability. The Xperia Z comes in 3 colours – Black, White & Purple.
Full details of the Xperia Z over at their product page.
Xperia ZL
Next is the Xperia ZL which is the non-identical twin brother of the Xperia Z. Unlike the Xperia Z, the ZL lacks the water and dust resistance but instead it comes with a much smaller dimensions which is 5% shorter and 2.1% less in width. With the width of just 69.3mm, the Xperia ZL offers a big 5″ Full HD screen in a more compact form factor which is even smaller than other smart phones of smaller screen size. As comparison, the 4.8″ Galaxy S III has a width of 70.6mm while the 4.7″ One X+ at 69.6mm.
Other differences include a different position of the front facing camera which is placed on the bottom right instead of the usual top, a unique notification light stripe at the bottom and a non-glass back design. The rest of the specs remains unchanged with Quad-Core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and 13MP camera but it comes with a slightly bigger battery of 2,370mAh. The Xperia ZL comes in 2 colours – Black & White.
Full details of the Xperia ZL over at their product page.
LTE Support
In terms of LTE connectivity, you would be pleased to know that the Xperia Z supports LTE Band 1, 3, 5, 7, 8 & 20 where Band 7 is 2600MHz which is the frequency that our networks operate in. However for the Xperia ZL, it supports a different set of LTE Band 1, 2, 4, 5 & 17 which is more catered to US based networks such as AT&T.
Availability of the device is slated for Q1 2013 and based on the LTE compatibility, we are likely to get the Xperia Z.
Sony Xperia Z Gallery
Sony Xperia ZL Gallery
