Sony Xperia Z sizes. Review of the Sony Xperia Z smartphone: a subservient standard. Wireless and GSM modules

Detailed testing of the new flagship Sony Mobile

Perhaps it’s worth starting with the fact that Sony, having once again updated its main and most popular line of mobile devices called Xperia Z, this time brought everything “to a common denominator”, giving all devices included in the updated series, without exception, a serial number 3. Thus, even the miniature version of the flagship smartphone Sony Z3 Compact immediately “jumped” one digit in its index, so as not to differ from its comrades in the line. There is no longer and will never be a model called Xperia Z2 Compact; users immediately received a third “mini” version, and now all three main products in the top family have the same index Z3 in their name.

Sony's new line of mobile devices was presented at the very beginning of autumn during the IFA 2014 world exhibition and includes three top-end devices: the flagship smartphone Sony Xperia Z3, its miniature version Xperia Z3 Compact, and a new eight-inch tablet called Sony Z3 Tablet. This applies to the main devices of the line. In addition to them, the new series of Sony mobile products includes the budget smartphone Xperia E3, a watch, and a new bracelet with an electronic ink screen... But everything has its time. Today we present to your attention a detailed test review of the most important device in the top family - the Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone, which very quickly replaced the Xperia Z2 introduced literally in the spring. The Japanese firmly adhere to the once chosen course of updating the flagship line every six months, rightly believing that during this time enough reasons have accumulated to update the model range.

Unlike the Xperia Z2, which progressed relative to its predecessors precisely in terms of technical improvements, the Xperia Z3 added virtually no changes in this regard. But on the other hand, quite significant work was done on the appearance of the product itself and the user graphical interface, that is, most of the changes this time lie precisely in the plane of design and decoration. However, this does not mean that the next update should be treated with disdain. On the contrary, the Sony Xperia Z3 has eliminated all those shortcomings and roughness that irritated the powerful, but in many ways rough Xperia Z2. However, in terms of technical characteristics, some changes have occurred. Let's talk about everything in order.

Video review

First, we suggest watching our video review of the Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone:

Key Features of Sony Xperia Z3 (Model D6603)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC), 2.5 GHz, 4 cores
• GPU Adreno 330
• Operating system Android 4.4 KitKat
• Touch IPS display, 5.2″, 1920×1080
• Random access memory (RAM) 3 GB, internal memory 16 GB
• MicroSD card slot up to 128 GB (SDXC)
• Protection against dust and moisture according to IP 65/68 standard
• Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communications 3G UMTS HSPA+ 850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz
• LTE Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17, 20 (2600/800 FDD are used in the Russian Federation)
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• Support DLNA, MHL 3.0, OTG, Media Go, MTP, Miracast
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), Wi-Fi hotspot
• GPS/Glonass
• Exmor RS 20.7 MP camera, autofocus, LED flash, 4K video
• Front camera 2.2 MP
• Non-removable battery 3100 mAh
• Dimensions 146×72×7.3 mm
• Weight 152 g

Scope of delivery

The Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone is packaged in a fairly simple-looking, flat and square box made of thin unvarnished cardboard, which has already become classic for the latest products in the Sony mobile line, with a cardboard tray and three different-sized compartments inside, separated by thin partitions.

The Sony Xperia Z3 package is very laconic: a compact charger and a Micro-USB connecting cable. Sony has decided to no longer include headphones in the package with its flagship products; they will be offered separately at a fairly reasonable price, as an additional accessory.

Appearance and ease of use

If most of the main changes in the Sony Xperia Z2 affected the technical part, then in the third incarnation the previous content was dressed in a much fresher shell. Since the very first Xperia Z, the appearance of the body of all flagship smartphones in the line has remained virtually unchanged over generations, remaining the same type. The basis of the design, to which the developers even gave their own name OmniBalance, was a frame with flat edges. Moreover, recently it has taken on the appearance of such a rough, heavy all-metal structure with cut off sharp edges that the Xperia Z2, for example, was really uncomfortable to hold in the hand. The main complaints that immediately poured in from users regarding the Xperia Z2 presented in the spring concerned precisely the roughness and heaviness of the body of the new product. This time, the developers took into account all the negative nuances and changed the feeling of using a smartphone beyond recognition.

Moreover, they didn’t have to do almost anything: they just removed the flat chamfers from the surface of the side frames, which made the rough edges that dug into the palm disappear. The metal frame has become completely streamlined; flat and sharp edges have been replaced by rounded sides, making the device really pleasant to hold in your hand.

The polymer gasket between metal and glass, which disappeared in recent models, has not returned here, but the metal edges of the edge no longer dig into the skin as before. Now in the hands of the user there is a pleasant-to-touch, smooth and streamlined “block”, which has also lost weight. The weight of the Sony Xperia Z3 was brought to a comfortable level, which had the most favorable effect on the overall perception of the device - now there is simply nothing to complain about.

As for the general structure of the case, the smartphone is still a monolithic, non-separable candy bar, consisting of two glass plates and a metal frame that runs along the entire side perimeter of the case. The metal surface is matte and slightly rough, which is why the smartphone is perfectly held in the fingers and does not slip out of the palm.

At the same time, even greater changes have been made to the design of the frame than are immediately noticeable to the eye. The fact is that the corners of the frame this time were made of polycarbonate material, which absorbs shock when the device falls. Now they play the role of shock absorbers, which, in theory, should have a beneficial effect on the “survival” of the product after falls from a height. This plastic is indistinguishable from the metal of the frame itself, so that overall the body retains a uniform appearance.

Another change affected the thickness of the case: the smartphone has become a little thinner, and it looks very cool. True, the decrease in thickness led to a decrease in the volume of the built-in battery, but the changes in this regard are not very significant.

Otherwise, everything remains in place: the front and rear glass no longer have the factory protective film; the characteristics of the glass are similar to the popular Corning Gorilla Glass, but proud Sony does not like to talk about its suppliers. The screen is now made using IPS technology, next to it on the front side there are two stereo speakers facing the user. A special connector with an open pair of contacts for installing a smartphone in a docking station has not been forgotten. The connector is universal: most modern Sony devices, including tablets, can be installed in the same docking station, purchased separately.

The covers on the side frame are still made of metal and equipped with rubberized gaskets. As a result, the smartphone, like its predecessors, is provided with maximum protection against the ingress of water and dust according to the IP 65/68 standard. There are two covers; they hide slots for a memory card and SIM card, as well as a Micro-USB connector. By the way, changes have occurred here too: now top-end Sony mobile devices use Nano-SIM format cards, obviously with an eye to a painless possible transition for some users from the Apple iPhone. The rest will have to go back to the communication store and change their SIM card to a card of the new standard.

The front and rear glass panels now do not have those factory protective films that were so controversial. Maybe this is for the better, since the films naturally wore out faster and became covered with a lot of scratches than glass, and removing them was quite problematic, and besides, the glass then lost its grease-repellent coating.

The sound output grilles are located at the top and bottom of the screen; the role of the grilles is played by two symmetrical slits in the glass. A completely logical solution is to turn the speakers towards the user, and not away from him, and there are two speakers themselves. By the way, the sound of the new flagship has become much louder than that of its predecessors, even despite the gaskets that protect it from water. Another change: previously, it was through the top slot of the speaker that the status indicator light made its way, now its role is played by a more traditional, separately located LED point. In the settings menu there is an item where you can disable some of the indicator’s functions, leaving it to notify only about the charging status.

Below the screen, as is customary with Sony, there are no hardware touch buttons; control is carried out using virtual buttons on the screen. So here below you can only find the lower speaker grille, and even then there is not much space left for it. In general, the frames around the screen are very thin on all sides, so that the body of the smartphone, with such a large display area, remains in quite manageable dimensions - both for the average human hand and for a pocket of any size.

The back wall of the case is exactly the same as the front: it is made of glass, there is no protective film on it, there are no gaskets between the glass and the metal of the side faces, and the only functional elements present here are the camera window and the flash eye. The flash here consists of a single LED, while most competing flagships have had dual flashes for a long time, and now they also come in multi-colored ones. It’s good that they didn’t forget to provide the smartphone with pre-installed software that allows you to use this module in flashlight mode.

The power and lock button is located on the right side, next to the volume key. Traditionally for the latest Sony smartphones, it looks like a metal round piece, but in the third series models it is somewhat different in appearance. All the keys are large, easy to feel blindly, and have a distinct spring-loaded action, so there are no complaints about the controls of the Sony Xperia Z3.

At the bottom of the right side there is a dedicated hardware camera control key, thanks to which the smartphone can be used for shooting even underwater, although the screen at this time becomes insensitive to touch. The ability to shoot underwater on Sony mobile devices is a proprietary feature that the company constantly plays out in advertising and on posters.

The headphone audio jack (3.5 mm) is located on top here, and it is not covered by any plugs. However, it is also protected from water getting inside the case. There is nothing on the bottom end - a universal Micro-USB connector, which, by the way, supports connecting external devices in OTG mode, is hidden under a cover on the left side. For daily charging, you will have to flip this cover every time - or use a separately purchased docking station. Sony is in no hurry to build support for wireless charging into its mobile devices.

There is another hole in the lower left corner of the case - this is a traditional strap mount, which is present on all Sony smartphones, and it is a pity that other manufacturers neglect this useful element.

The color scheme of the new flagship's cases has undergone significant changes. Quite unexpectedly, the smartphone was presented not only in traditional black and white, and also, quite expectedly, gold, but also in a completely new one - mint green, which the developers simply call green. In fact, this color has a soft pastel, like a slightly faded greenish tone; The color is discreet and very pleasing to the eye. But the golden color is more reminiscent of highly polished copper, which is why it got its name Copper (copper-red).

Screen

The Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix. The screen dimensions are 64x114 mm, diagonal - 5.2 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. Such a parameter as pixel density is equal to 423 ppi. From the developers themselves, this type of display received the brand name Triluminos.

The outside of the screen is covered with protective glass without a factory protective film - this proprietary distinctive feature has completely disappeared from the screens of Sony mobile devices. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 3 mm - the frames are very narrow.

The display brightness can be adjusted manually, or you can use automatic adjustment. Multi-touch technology here allows you to process up to 10 simultaneous touches. The display can be operated with gloves or wet fingers. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is locked using a proximity sensor.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z3, as it is not difficult to determine, is on the right; then they can be distinguished by size):

Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still darker (its brightness in the photo is 98 versus 103 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia Z3 screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass-air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, perhaps better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.

With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 680 cd/m², and the minimum was 4.7 cd/m². The maximum value is simply huge and is a record for this type of technology, and, given the good anti-glare properties, in bright daylight and even in direct sun the image on the screen should be clearly visible. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the logo on the front panel). In automatic mode, when external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the brightness adjustment position. If it is at maximum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 130 cd/m² (too much), in an artificially lit office (about 400 lux) it sets it to 350 cd/m² (very much), in a very bright environment (corresponding to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 580 cd/m² (enough). If the brightness slider is at half the scale (it is very non-linear - after 50% the brightness goes up sharply as the setting value increases), then the screen brightness for the three conditions indicated above is as follows: 68, 240 and 580 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to minimum - 7.4, 120, 580 cd/m². As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flickering.

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large viewing deviations from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia Z3, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (over a white field in the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K . White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:

The colors on the Sony Xperia Z3's screen are oversaturated, skin tones are heavily red-shifted, and the color balance is very different from the standard. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia Z3 the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to the strong brightening of blacks and a greater decrease in brightness. And a white field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z3 the drop in brightness is greater (brightness according to photographs is 216 versus 230 for the Nexus 7). However, the color tone did not change much. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a violet or red-violet hue. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from another angle:

When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is average, since there are areas with slightly increased brightness along the edge:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is normal - about 690:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 23 ms (14 ms on + 9 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 33 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function turned out to be 2.31, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power law:

The smartphone has a dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness depending on the nature of the displayed image. The general tendency is that in dark images the brightness decreases, but the algorithm is somewhat complex, and as a result, periodically the brightness jumps noticeably, which is annoying, and decreasing the brightness in dark images reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows under external illumination. That is, there is zero benefit from this function, only harm. As a result, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a consistently average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. Of course, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB:

Let's look at the spectra:

They are very atypical. As they write on the Sony website, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and green and red phosphors (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix filters, allows for a wide color gamut. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and these are the vast majority) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photo above. Note that when compared with the Sony Xperia Z2, it is clear that the manufacturer tried to improve the situation with oversaturated colors, and to bring the coverage back to normal, it increased the cross-mixing of components, but something stopped it at the phase of reducing the saturation of the green color. Thanks for trying, but we need to go further, reduce it to sRGB.

The balance of shades on the gray scale is far from ideal, since the color temperature is higher than the standard 6500 K. True, the deviation from the spectrum of an absolutely black body (ΔE) over most of the gray scale is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. But at the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is large, which negatively affects the visual perception of color balance. (Dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors. That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we slightly reduced ΔE on white and brought the white point a little closer to 6500 K (but also greatly reduced the brightness).

We were prevented from bringing at least the white point back to normal by the limited range of adjustments and high discreteness, which is actually higher than the adjustment step. However, this correction did not reduce the oversaturation of colors.

If someone still finds the image on the screen of this smartphone not bright enough, you can turn on the proprietary mode X-Reality for mobile. The result is shown below:

Saturation and contour sharpness are software enhanced, and there are fewer discernible gradations in the area of ​​saturated colors. But the picture, yes, has become brighter. For color extremists, there is a “maximum brightness” mode, in which the mockery of the image (and common sense) exceeds all reasonable limits. Here's what we got:

Of course, such a picture will find fans. We are all very different.

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is simply wider than ever, and the anti-glare properties are all right, which allows you to comfortably use the smartphone both on a sunny day on the beach and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works absolutely adequately. The advantages also include a very effective oleophobic coating, no flicker and no air gap in the layers of the screen. The disadvantages are a strong highlighting of black color when the gaze deviates from perpendicular to the surface of the screen and aggressive dynamic brightness adjustment. Color rendering is not the best, colors are oversaturated (skin tones are especially affected), color balance differs from the standard. The presence of appropriate adjustments allows you to slightly correct the balance, but not completely and at the expense of reducing brightness. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the quality of the screen can be considered high.

Sound

For the first time, the sound of Sony's flagship smartphone was truly pleasing. During the behind-the-scenes first acquaintance with the prototypes of the Sony Xperia Z3 at the IFA exhibition in Berlin, the device did not impress with its sound. However, the production sample that was later sent to our editor pleasantly surprised us with the power of its sound and the depth of sound, especially considering that the speakers here are also covered with membranes that protect against water. The new Xperia Z3 began to sound much louder and better than its predecessors, the sound remains clear at the maximum volume level, the low frequencies are not in abundance, but quite enough, the maximum volume is high. Looking ahead, it is worth noting that the mini version of the Xperia Z3 Compact is not so rosy with this; the devices clearly have speakers of different quality.

To play music, the device traditionally uses a proprietary Walkman player. The standard audio player is rich in settings and additional software sound improvements, such as a built-in equalizer with a lot of preset values ​​(you can set your own), Clear Phase, xLoud technologies or virtual surround sound. Control of most settings is available if the complex ClearAudio+ function is turned off, otherwise all settings are left to the machine.

FM radio is included as standard with the smartphone. Traditionally, it only works with connected headphones as an antenna; it does not have the ability to record programs. There was no voice recorder in the standard configuration of the flagship, just like the Xperia Z3 Compact, by the way.

Camera

Sony Xperia Z3 is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 20.7 and 2.2 megapixels. The hardware here is exactly the same as in the Sony Xperia Z2, only software effects are added. The main 20.7-megapixel camera is equipped with a G Lens series lens with a focal length of 27 mm and an aperture of F2.0. The camera uses a 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS for mobile sensor and a Bionz for mobile processor.

By default, the cameras of all Sony devices operate in the so-called super auto mode (iauto) with a wide aspect ratio, but you can switch the shooting to manual settings. It is noteworthy that when you use the hardware button on the side of the device to quickly turn on the camera, it is always activated only in automatic shooting mode, even if manual mode was previously enabled. If you launch the camera application by touching the icon on the display, then everything goes as usual, and the camera leaves the previous settings intact, that is, it starts in manual mode, if one was set earlier. Note that there is a big difference between automatic and manual modes, because the maximum resolution of pictures can only be set in manual adjustment mode. When shooting in automatic mode, which is set by default, photos are obtained with a size of 3840 × 2160 (8 megapixels), and in manual mode the maximum possible resolution is exactly the same 20.7 megapixels (5248 × 3936).

In addition to automatic and manual, the Sony Xperia Z3 camera software has several interesting additional shooting modes. The Info-eye mode, for example, provides contextual information to an object in the frame using augmented reality technology. In Timeshift burst mode, the camera takes up to 61 shots two seconds before pressing the shutter button, from which you can then choose the best one. The Social live function allows you to upload footage directly to Facebook and view comments on it on your smartphone screen. AR effect makes it possible to combine pictures with animation using proprietary augmented reality technology SmartAR. In addition, the range of additional applications that increase the choice of different shooting modes can be expanded through downloadable applications, the number of which is constantly growing. To do this, simply turn on the camera, press the shooting mode icon and select “+Apps” to view additional options.

The camera can shoot video in 1080p and UHD (4K) resolution, but the main thing is that it also has the ability to shoot in the most interesting of modes - 1080p at 60 frames/second. An example of such a video is presented below.

• Video No. 1 (84 MB, 1920×1080, 60 fps)

	Good (but not excellent) sharpness on the left side of the frame, which cannot be said about the right side and edges.
	In mid-shots, sharpness drops noticeably. The camera adjusts the exposure too sensitively.
	There are problems with exposure, as well as noise in the shadows and object boundaries.
	The color of the sky is quite “even”, although for this reason the wires simply “drowned” in it.
	In this case, the exposure was chosen well and the shadows were worked out. But there are still problems with the noise reduction and the right side of the frame.
	Again, an unpleasant choice of exposure and a large area of ​​blur on the right.
	The foliage in the background is beautifully done in some places, and terrible in others. The number plate of the nearest car is visible.
	Some sharpening is noticeable on the wires, which still does not save them from drowning in the blue.

Trying to keep up with inexorable progress, manufacturers do not always present ready-made devices. It has happened more than once that the very first models turned out to be “damp” in some way. Unfortunately, sometimes famous manufacturers also sin with this.

The smartphone came to us even before its official presentation in Russia, and therefore I remember the case of the Sony Z1 Compact, the camera of which we did not quite deservedly hack. The problem was that due to the “dampness” of the sample, good pictures were obtained after one time, or even three. Most likely, the problem was in the camera firmware, which did not adequately process the signal from the image sensor, which is why there was a characteristic blur in the pictures. A similar effect occurs when the camera rotates around the optical axis at relatively long shutter speeds, with sharpness noticeably deteriorating from the center to the edges of the frame. As a result, it was probably possible to shoot with the camera only from a tripod. But in later copies of the smartphone the camera has become noticeably better.

A similar effect is present here: part of the image is blurred, as with a long exposure. Perhaps the reason is that the camera takes several pictures at too large an interval. In any case, we hope that everything will be fixed soon enough, and Sony, as we have already noticed, brings its products to a decent state.

	Lighting ≈3200 lux. The camera does a good job.
	Lighting ≈1400 lux. The situation remains virtually unchanged.
	Lighting ≈130 lux. The grain from the noise reduction becomes a little larger.
	Lighting ≈130 lux, flash. The outbreak does little to improve the situation.
	Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. Камера справляется немного хуже, чем в прошлый раз. Вспышка очень слабая.

As for this camera “here and now”, it is somewhat inconsistent with a flagship of this level. The software processing is not the worst, but it is clear that it was done in haste: there are barely noticeable traces of sharpening and “laddering” on straight lines, the exposure metering is overly sensitive, and the noise reduction works erratically and (not always and in places) roughly. The noise reduction doesn't handle shadows very well for a flagship, but it's acceptable. What’s worse is that it spoils mid- and long-range plans, although the sharpness of the optics and the resolution of the sensor are quite capable of working out such details, as confirmed by the graph, which in this case somewhat rehabilitates the camera and gives it the right to life. Ultimately, all the problems (I would like to believe) rest on the program, which the manufacturer did not have time to bring to perfection. Another reason to believe this is the feeling that the camera contains a module very similar to the Z2 camera. At the same time, the Superior Auto mode produces pictures of a different size than in the case of the Z2. Therefore, if the assumption is correct, then the module is definitely good, and the program is completely redesigned and, apparently, (yet) unfinished. But Sony is unlikely to abandon its flagship to the mercy of fate, and this problem should be corrected in production samples. Well, in any case, the physical parameters of the camera are very decent, and after improvements it promises to be interesting. And even now, with some skill, it is suitable for various subjects.

Telephone and communications

The smartphone works as standard in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, and also has support for fourth generation networks (LTE) used in Russia. In practice, with a SIM card from the domestic operator MTS, the smartphone confidently recognizes and works with 4G networks. The network capabilities of the smartphone are extensive and correspond to a truly top level: there is support for the 5 GHz Wi-Fi band, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, and as a standard you can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. The mode for connecting external devices (USB Host, USB OTG) is supported, so you can connect flash drives and mice with keyboards to the Micro-USB port. The navigation module works with both GPS and the domestic Glonass system.

There were no spontaneous reboots/shutdowns observed during testing, as well as system slowdowns or freezes. When you bring the smartphone to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The LED indicator at the top of the front panel provides notification of charging status and incoming events.

There is no dedicated top row with numbers on the standard keyboard by default; you need to switch the layout each time, or connect the number row yourself through the settings menu. The layout itself and the location of the keys are standard: to switch the language layout, just click on the button with the corresponding icon. The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. There is a convenient option to move the keyboard closer to one of the sides of the screen to make it easier to reach with the fingers of the hand holding the smartphone. Naturally, continuous writing (by sliding your finger from letter to letter) Swype is also supported.

OS and software

The operating system is the latest version of the Google Android 4.4.4 KitKat software platform, on top of which is traditionally installed its own proprietary graphical user interface. The internal structure of the shell, all menus, settings items and pop-up contextual submenus - everything remains exactly the same. However, the external shell has undergone significant changes. Previously, Sony's graphical interface elements were drawn quite finely. Now, unexpectedly, all the elements on the screen, and most importantly, the application icons themselves, began to look much larger and clearer. The fonts have increased; such sudden transformations have only benefited the smartphone. There are also less obvious, but in some ways more useful, improvements. Finally, for example, a function to reboot the device has appeared in the menu, because before this only Sony smartphones lacked such an option. If it was necessary to reboot the device, it was necessary to first turn off and then turn on the smartphone, which was annoying.

The most important innovation that has occurred in software terms with the new Sony mobile devices is the emergence of close integration with the Sony PlayStation 4 game console. If the house already has one, then the Xperia Z3 smartphone, or the Xperia Z3 Tablet, can serve as a “portable screen” , that is, everything that happens begins to be displayed not on the TV screen, but on the screen of a mobile device. This is, for example, convenient when you need to free up the TV if one of the family members suddenly wants to watch some other program on TV. For such use, Sony will produce a special mount that can connect a smartphone or tablet to the joystick of a game console. This service is called Remote Play.

Performance

Like the previous flagship, the Sony Xperia Z3 hardware platform is based on a single-chip quad-core system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 with four Krait 400 cores. However, the Sony Xperia Z2 had a maximum processor core frequency of only 2.3 GHz, while the Sony Xperia Z3 it is increased to 2.5 GHz. This is explained by the fact that it uses a slightly more advanced version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AC).

The processor here is supported in graphics processing by the same Adreno 330 video accelerator. About 11 GB of 16 GB of own memory are initially available in the device for the user’s needs. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 3 GB, and this makes the Sony Xperia Z3 stand out among its direct competitors - all the others received only 2 GB of RAM. MicroSD memory cards in this model are supported up to 128 GB, you can also connect external flash drives, keyboards and mice to the Micro-USB port using a special adapter in OTG mode.

To get an idea of ​​the performance of the platform of the smartphone under test, we will conduct a standard set of tests.

For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.

Testing in MobileXPRT, as well as in the latest versions of AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:

Based on benchmark testing results, the device proved to be one of the most powerful and productive modern mobile devices on the market. It is worth noting that all the figures practically coincided with the results of the previous model Sony Xperia Z2, which recently underwent exactly the same tests. As for the results in the AnTuTu test, they have increased significantly, but it is not yet entirely clear how the results of the two versions of the popular benchmark correlate with each other, because now the fourth version has been replaced by the fifth, and all new devices are now tested in it. It is unknown whether the developers have brought everything to a common denominator, so for now we will have to mark on the plates which versions of the benchmark this or that model was tested with. However, the difference is probably not so great; all the top smartphones, the operation of which is based on the Snapdragon 801, are, in any case, the most powerful mobile devices on the market today, the hardware capacity of which will be sufficient for a long time to complete any assigned tasks.

When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Results of testing the graphics subsystem in the Epic Citadel gaming test, as well as Basemark X and Bonsai Benchmark:

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

Playing video

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

According to testing results, the Sony Xperia Z3 smartphone was not equipped with all the decoders necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the Internet. But the first smartphone in the series, the Xperia Z model, played all these same files without any problems without the need to resort to third-party solutions. Here, to successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, even in it you will first have to change the settings, switching from hardware decoding to software or to a new mode called Hardware+(not supported by all smartphones), only then will sound appear. All results are summarized in a table.

¹ MX Video Player only played sound after switching to software decoding or a new mode Hardware+; The standard player does not have this setting

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used the LG IPS237L monitor, which supports direct MHL connection using a passive adapter cable from micro-USB to HDMI. In this case, output via MHL was carried out at a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels at a frequency of 30 frames/s. Regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens only in landscape orientation with the connector on the smartphone facing down. In this case, the image on the monitor fits exactly within the boundaries of the display area (if you remember to increase the setting Image Size up to 100%) and repeats the image on the smartphone screen one to one.

Sound is output via MHL (in this case, the sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. In this case, sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body, but is turned off. In our case, the smartphone with the MHL adapter connected was charging, judging by the charge indicator.

Next, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how the video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied: 1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels and frame rates of 24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps. In the tests, we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware+” mode. The results of this (block entitled “Smartphone Screen”) and the next test are summarized in the table:

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the frame output criterion, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since the frames (or groups of frames) can output with a more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. The displayed brightness range is equal to the standard range of 16-235, that is, all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights. When playing video files with a resolution of 1080p (1920 by 1080 pixels), the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly across the width of the screen, in the original Full HD resolution.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video, the monitor displays an exact copy of the smartphone screen, that is, the output is in true Full HD resolution in the case of 1080p files.

The brightness range displayed on the monitor is equal to the standard range of 16-235 - all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights. The results of the monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “MHL (monitor output)” block. The output quality is good. We do not show the results for files with 50 and 60 fps, since this does not make sense due to the output mode of 30 fps. For games where higher frame rates are desired, you can use available external adapters that provide 60 fps output at 720p, or you can try to find monitors/adapters that support MHL output at 1080p at 60 fps.

The conclusion is typical: an MHL connection can be used for gaming, watching movies, surfing the web and other activities that benefit from a larger screen size.

Battery life

The lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia Z3 turned out to be quite a bit smaller in volume than that of the Xperia Z2, but still has a capacity of 3100 mAh that is quite decent for a modern flagship. Sony's new flagship did not set a record in terms of battery life, but it showed itself to be no worse, and maybe even a little better, than its predecessor. Perhaps the new type of battery has an effect, or the optimization of energy consumption has become better, but in any case, a slight decrease in the battery capacity of the new product did not negatively affect the battery life of the device in test modes.

Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted more than 20 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and when continuously watching videos from YouTube in high quality (HQ) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device lasted 10 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for almost 5 hours. The device charges quite quickly; a full charge takes less than 3 hours.

Bottom line

Once again, Sony Mobile has released an excellent top-end device of the highest quality and performance class. The Japanese flagship boasts an expensive, catchy and stylish design and, of course, premium materials. Among its strengths are also the presence of a high degree of protection from water and dust, the highest hardware performance and technical equipment to date, as well as a powerful battery and good sound quality. The screen and camera cannot certainly be called excellent, but they generally correspond to the high level of the smartphone. However, at this point I would like to state with a little sadness that we did not see any breakthroughs in the next update. The smartphone's hardware remains virtually the same; the changes are, albeit noticeable, but still mostly cosmetic. However, we did not see any special breakthroughs from other manufacturers in the new season either; the market froze in anticipation of new technical discoveries, and we are looking forward to them too.

Sony Xperia smartphones, all models of which have their own characteristics, appeared after the termination of the agreement with Ericsson.

Sony Mobile (formerly known as Sony Ericsson Mobile) is a division of electronics giant Sony Corporation.

Xperia is a unique model range of the company, which was initially released running Windows Mobile OS.

Then technical management decided to switch to .

At the moment, this line occupies a strong niche in today's market.

Some of the company's smartphones may benefit from being waterproof and moisture-resistant.

Sony Xperia smartphones - all models

All Xperia models

The Japanese giant is one of the world's largest manufacturers of mobile devices; every year they completely update their line.

Their sleek, sophisticated design and serious technical characteristics attract new fans year after year.

Over the past few years, this manufacturer has often experimented with its new products, delighting its followers with both premium flagships and very budget models.

Everyone could find a sample for every taste and budget.

In the last 2 years alone, the company has launched 12 models on the market. Not to mention the lighter versions.

At the beginning of 2016, at MWC 2016, the company announced that it was completely relaunching the line of gadgets beloved by many.

According to the company, Xperia (which stands for experience) smartphones should provide users with a unique experience of interaction between gadgets and their owners.

It is these updated devices that our review will be devoted to.

First, let's divide them by year. Separately, it is worth noting that we will not separate them by colors and modifications with different memory capacities.

Xperia 2016 models

• Xperia XZ
• Xperia X Compact
• Xperia X
• Xperia XA Ultra
• Xperia XA
• Xperia E5

Xperia models of 2017 (the list is current as of the end of April)

• Xperia XZ Premium
• Xperia XZs
• Xperia XA1 Ultra
• Xperia XA1
• Xperia L1

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Those expecting a revolution in XZ Premium design will be disappointed.

Over the years, designs have become more refined, and loyal fans have realized the high value of corporate recognition. This is not just a recognizable trademark, it is a brand.

The company has certainly focused on the details for the new XZ Premium.

The main innovation is support for 960fps video playback.

This frame rate is still out of reach for many manufacturers.

Not many people at MWC could boast of this advantage.

To manage such a high video frame rate, which clearly outshines the performance of other devices and even last year's own flagship 4K action camera, it was necessary to install the FDR-X3000.

This is the patented know-how of the digital imaging department.

Cameras such as the RX1000 IV are famous for its use. It's all about its memory and array of sensors that allow it to capture images faster.

XZ Premium is equipped with the most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC.

At first glance, the XZ "Premium" looks similar to last year's Xperia XZ. To give it a more expensive look, engineers used .

Moving on to the specifications, the XZ Premium features a 5.5-inch Triluminos HDR display with 4K (2160x3840) resolution.

The gadget is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (Gigabit LTE speed is achieved through the use of an X16 LTE modem).

Also installed in the device is an Adreno 540 GPU video chip and 4 GB. 64 GB of internal memory, which is expandable via microSD cards (up to 256 GB).

The front of the device has a 13-megapixel camera with a 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS sensor. The phone OS is Android 7.0 Nougat, the battery capacity is 3230mAh.

In fact, we can talk about this excellent flagship for a very long time.

On the Internet there are photographs of copies that showed more than 150 thousand points in the Antutu test. This is a very impressive result.

Without a doubt, this flagship will excite the minds of users of modern gadgets for a long time.

Surely it will be compared with devices with similar characteristics. But we can say with confidence that at the time of writing this review it is the best.

Specifications

• Display size: 5.5
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
• Rear video camera: 19 MP with Motion Eye technology
• Front video camera: 13 MP
• Memory capacity: 64 GB

Sony Xperia XZs

Smaller version of XZ. Both devices use the same design with a flat top and bottom, and rounded sides.

On the right side of the device is the power button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

The XZs is equipped with a 5.2-inch screen (1080x1920 pixels) with Triluminos technology and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 510 GPU and 4 GB of RAM.

Internal memory is 32 GB and 64 GB, expandable thanks to a slot (up to 256 GB).

Specifications

• Display size: 4.3
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM8230
• Rear video camera: 23 MP with Motion Eye technology
• Front video camera: 8 MP
• Memory capacity: 8

Sony Xperia Z1

It looks like with the release of this smartphone, the Japanese giant may have finally learned its lesson. This time they were the first to release a smartphone with a 5″ diagonal and 1080p support.

The specification makes it clear that the Z model is half a millimeter larger than, say, the Samsung Galaxy S III. This was a technical necessity; the smartphone has a fairly powerful battery.

The Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait chipset is fully capable of handling all these pixels.

Summing up this smartphone, I would like to say once again that Sony is a broadly oriented company.

By releasing their product line, they try to fully cover the market.

These are practically the perfect premium mobile devices for now, offering everything you'd expect from a flagship phone.

If you haven’t owned a smartphone from this Japanese giant before, you should think about purchasing one.

Conclusions

Moving on to the 2016 line of smartphones, it became clear that it is easier to divide them into subgroups.

In our review, we will not dwell on them in as much detail as on the representatives of 2017. We will simply provide comparative tables with the most significant characteristics.

• X, X Compact
• XA Ultra and XA

It's much easier to compare X and X Compact using a table.

In addition to the obvious difference in size, the characteristics listed below allow you to see a more complete picture.

Also, many users may be interested in a more complete comparison of the smartphone line.

Considering that over the past year as many as 12 devices of this line entered the market, I would like to compare only the most remarkable ones in terms of characteristics.

Comparing the E5 and Z1, we came to the conclusion that they are similar in many ways.

The E5 wins only in terms of battery capacity; in terms of other characteristics, the Z1 turned out to be more powerful, and we’ll talk about it later.

Indeed, in fact, if we consider the entire model range, it is easy to get confused in the variety of processors and other hardware.

There are a lot of new good smartphones coming out in 2017, but many say they are only waiting for one phone, and that is the Sony Xperia Z7. In this article we will tell you what to expect from the seventh generation Sony Xperia Z. We will reveal to you all the secrets of this amazing bundle of technology.

There are a lot of rumors about this model, just like there were rumors before that the Z6 would be the last model. Sony Xperia has always surprised us with its high technology and I am sure that this model will also surprise us with something. Previous models had amazing features that changed the world of smartphones. Will the Sony Xperia Z7 be the same model? We will tell you this in this article. And also what technical characteristics, concepts, functions, price and much more it will have.

What do we know about Sony Xperia Z7?

The developers of Sony Xperia Z7 have planned to change and add a lot to their new model. They want to make several versions of this model that will differ in functionality, characteristics and, of course, price. In order to satisfy every consumer.

As far as we know, there will be three variants of the Sony Xperia Z7, one will be smaller, a mini variant, as well as a standard Z7 and a Z7 Premium. The Z7 mini will cost slightly less than the other two options. It will be equipped with two excellent cameras, a top-class processor, HD expansion, and the latest operating system.

The Z7 and Z7 Premium will likely share the same features and specifications, even including cameras. All previous models from Sony surprised with their cameras, they were always at the highest level and competitors cannot even imagine where they get such technology from. In the seventh generation, we expect a camera with a wide-angle lens, optical stabilization and autofocus. This is something completely new.

Also, the Sony Xperia Z7 will have 3D features that will allow you to watch 3D movies and play 3D games. This technology will be installed on a smartphone for the first time, but I want to say that all other smartphones from well-known manufacturers that should be released in 2017 will also have this function.

The phone has not yet been put into production, but the company has already revealed everything and now we will tell you all the most interesting things that you can see and find in the Sony Xperia Z7 in a few months.

Technical characteristics of Sony Xperia Z7:

• Battery: 3900 mAh
• Cameras: rear 28 megapixels, front 10 megapixels
• Camera Features: Optical Stabilization, 3D Movies, 3D Images, Auto Laser Focus, Face Detection and HDR
• Colors: black, blue, gold, green, red, white
• Features: Corning Gorilla Glass 5, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, retina scanner, wireless charging and mini projector
• Memory: built-in 64 GB or 128 GB, supports micro SD up to 256 GB
• Operating system: Android 8.0
• Price: US$700
• Processor: octa-core 3.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or 840 processor.
• RAM: RAM 6 GB
• Release date: April 2018
• Screen: 4.6”, 5.3” and 6.0” displays with 4K resolution 4096 x 2160

The Sony Xperia Z7 is something completely new and will feature sophisticated security, wireless charging technology and much more.

The Z7 Mini will have the same specifications as the other versions, but it will not have a retina scanner, but instead the familiar fingerprint scanner. This was done in order to reduce the price, and also because the retinal scanner has not gained such strong popularity, and perhaps this model will sell better not only because of the low price.

Also, the new model will come with wireless charging technology, I want to note that this technology is used on all smartphones in 2018. Technology is developing, and that's good. What are the advantages of such charging? Firstly, you will not have problems with the cord, and secondly, the charging time is 50% less.

Sony Xperia Z7 body:

Consumers of previous Sony Xperia models were not very satisfied with the appearance, or rather the body of their smartphone. It was bulky, weak and not attractive. The Z version has a glass body, but it should be more reliable and durable.

The developers said they will fix these problems. Is this true? We'll see you later. Sony Xperia Z7 will come without bezels, it will be convenient for both right-handers and left-handers.

Also, this model will be the largest among the smartphones that will be released in 2018, as it will have a 6.0-inch screen.

Price for Sony Xperia Z7:

Sony wants to win back its former consumers who left due to price increases. Therefore, the price of the Sony Xperia Z7 is much lower than it could be, given its characteristics. As far as we know, the price for the Z7 will be in the range of $600 - $700. The Z7 Mini model will be at least $50 cheaper.

The biggest competitor for the Sony Xperia Z7 will be, which will be released this same year. Xiaomi has almost the same specifications, but it is much cheaper, which will allow it to enter the global market and grab a lot of consumers. This is only to our advantage, since we can get a good phone much cheaper than if there was no competition.

A little more information:

Sony says that their new model will not be sold in all markets and will be limited in series. Is this true? We don't know. Perhaps this statement was made to create excitement and a large number of pre-orders.

The Sony Xperia Z7 should be announced in the summer of 2017, with pre-orders available around that time. If you want to get this new model directly from the factory, then we advise you to pre-order, as then the prices will be lower and you will know for sure that you received the original and not a fake.

Basically, I told you everything I wanted. If you are planning to buy a new smartphone in 2017, then in our news you can find all the potential competitors of the Sony Xperia Z7, you can compare prices, characteristics and decide what you should buy.

If you think that the information in the article is outdated, write “update” in the comments and we will rewrite, add and correct the incorrect information.

The announcement of the Sony Xperia Z smartphone at CES 2013 definitely became one of the most notable events in Las Vegas. And within the framework of MWC 2013, it is this device that will attract the attention of numerous representatives of the press and mobile market analysts. Especially in conjunction with the Tablet Z tablet of the same name. And finally, the phone ended up in our test laboratory. Device size -139 x 71 mm. Thickness - 7.9 mm. Weight - 146 grams.

Review of the Sony Xperia Z smartphone: why does the flagship need armor

The screen diagonal is five inches, while the model is positioned not as a tablet phone, but as a working version of a smartphone. Thanks to the rather narrow frames, in principle, the dimensions are quite comfortable for one-handed operations. Screen resolution is 1920x1080, this is Full HD. It turns out that the pixel density is higher than that of Apple's Retina: 443 pixels per inch versus 326. Using the development of the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, the engineers achieved a rich image with excellent color rendition, taking into account the features of the technology used (TN). Due to the absence of an air gap, like previous models, the picture seems even more alive and close. However, the display cannot be compared with the same AMOLED screens in terms of contrast and black depth. The new technology has no competitors yet. But we have heard more than once that the AMOLED picture does not suit everyone, as it seems pretentious and “poisonous”. Therefore, it is better to look at the screen in person before purchasing.

Sony Xperia Z comes in three color options

Monolith – this is exactly the definition I would like to give to the appearance of the new product. By the way, if you don’t know, this is exactly what the top-end TV from Sony was called.

A special feature of the design of the case is that the glass edges are located not only at the front and back, but also at the ends. And the plugs for the interface connectors fit so tightly that they are almost invisible. They are made of the same material as the ends themselves. There is a small protrusion on the edge of each of them so that there is at least some opportunity to catch on and open the plug.

On the left side there is a plug with a slot for a MicroSD card. The official specifications state support for cards up to 32 GB. The device did not accept 64 GB cards formatted in other devices. Nearby is a microUSB connector for charging and data transfer. Below you can see two gold-plated contacts. They are designed to charge the device in the docking station that comes in the delivery. This docking station does not provide any other functionality other than charging. The cradle itself has a microUSB connector for external charging.

Rear camera Sony Xperia Z has a resolution of 13 megapixels

At the top end of the device there is a single plug with a meaningful icon in the form of a stereo headset. Below it is a standard 3.5 mm stereo jack. The flip-out plug on the support leg somewhat disrupts the overall aesthetics when using the headphones, but we cannot say that this is so critical. In addition, you can always use Bluetooth stereo headsets, which at this stage of development produce very decent sound.

On the right side, under a flap, there is a slot for a microSIM card. Moreover, in the connector itself there is a small tray into which you insert a SIM card. So it's impossible to make a mistake.

Next is the on/off button. From a design point of view, it may seem somewhat foreign at first, especially in models where it contrasts more strongly in color (purple and black). But later on, you get very used to it. After all, it is the one that is distinguished by the clearest movement and, at the moment, has the most correct location of all the smartphones we tested with a similar button on the side.

Below it is a volume rocker. Below, on the edge, there is a speaker covered with a white enamel mesh. When using a speakerphone, you can cover it with part of your palm, and the sound will change dramatically, not for the better.

Button on the side Sony Xperia Z is a very noticeable option

On the front front edge there is the screen itself, above it a speaker, a camera for video calls, proximity and light sensors, and a silver Sony inscription. It is strange that the frame is not made in the color of the entire body. In this case, the black color scheme seems more cohesive from a design point of view. Although, it is up to the buyers to decide. There is also a neat indicator light on the front panel. Depending on the situation, it lights up in different colors - green when messages are received and when charging is complete, red when the phone urgently needs recharging or when the device is already charging. At the very bottom, covered with a mesh, there is a hole for the microphone.

There are no hardware keys, not even touch ones. And this is our first complaint. As a result, the working area of ​​the screen is reduced due to the service keys: “Home”, “Back” (which, by the way, is located on the left) and “Options”. Therefore, we can only use the full five-inch screen when viewing photos or videos.

Competitors Sony Xperia Z

website

There is an eyelet on the corner of the device for a loop to allow you to wear the device on your wrist.

On the back wall there is a window for the photomodule sensor, a flash (backlight for video shooting), and an external microphone.

Opposite the button is a silver XPERIA inscription and some service information below, the appearance of which somewhat disrupts the overall harmony. The smartphone is built on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, each core operates at a frequency of 1.5 GHz. This system operates asynchronously, launching and running as many cores as the program or operating system needs. The amount of RAM is two gigabytes, which has already become the de facto norm for devices that claim leadership. And although application authors still write their programs with an eye on the amount of RAM of one gigabyte, nevertheless, the appetites of devices and the desire to increase application performance will soon be embodied in the use of additional cores and the amount of memory provided. The device comes with 16 GB of pre-installed flash memory. At the moment, this is quite modest, given the appetites of modern applications and high-quality Full HD video that can be viewed on the device. As we have already said, this volume can be expanded with separately purchased media (up to 32 GB).

Display Sony Xperia Z features Full HD resolution

The device is equipped with two cameras. The rear module boasts a flagship (at the moment) thirteen megapixels. But happiness is not in numbers. The main thing is the result. And he's quite good. We are already a little tired of high expectations. In this case, the pictures come out very decent. Noise, of course, is dealt with at the hardware level, so the shading of autosharping and blurring does not hurt the eye too much. Sometimes the camera really wants to emphasize a certain color and then the white balance shifts somewhat towards blue (usually) or red. Again, the consequences are not so dramatic as to be recorded as a minus module. The camera is built on the new advanced Exmor RS sensor. There is a flash / backlight module when shooting video. Autofocus can be adjusted by touching the desired area on the screen. Also, there are many interesting functions, such as: panoramic images, searching for faces in the frame, smile detector. There are many mode settings, but as a rule, smartphone owners do not use them much, judging by the photographs posted online.

Test shots of Sony Xperia Z

Obviously, the front camera is mainly intended for making video calls. And here it seems that 2 megapixels is even too much - with such a resolution you can not only examine the results of your morning shaving, but also evaluate hair styling, down to each curl, however, this becomes relevant if you are communicating with a lady.

It is also obvious that the front camera is based on a different sensor. It works harder with backlight, and is easier to fool with white balance. But again, don't expect any miracles.

Sony Xperia Z is protected from moisture and dust

An important feature of this product is its water resistance and dust resistance. Support according to IPX5/7 and IP5X standards is declared. It would seem, why does a device that is clearly in the premium segment need such brutal skills? However, statistics claim that the number of smartphones that have ended their days as a result of a meeting with a large cup of coffee or even after swimming in a pond, sink, or toilet is very, very large. And the need to end a conversation in the pouring rain is declared by the manufacturer as a matter of course. Also, in the commercial, instead of using a neat flannel, for some reason the owner of the smartphone pours water from a thermos on it. Maybe so as not to be scratched by a rag and small grains of sand that get under it? On the other hand, it is claimed that glass easily resists external damage, thanks to special technologies, the name of which, however, is not mentioned.

The smartphone comes in three colors: the usual black, white and truly revolutionary, bold and bright violet-purple. An important functionality that the conference organizers especially emphasized to the audience was the widespread use of NFC (Near Field Connection) technology. So, when you touch the remote control of an “advanced” Sony TV, by pressing one button, you can “mirror” what is happening on the smartphone screen on the TV. When you bring the announced speakers and headphones to certain models, you will be able to immediately stream music from your phone. And also, use Smart Tags, which, when you bring a device to them, instantly change the settings scenario of your phone, be it night mode, sports mode, or another one customized just for you.

It should be noted that the delivery package is rich by today's standards. Due to the fact that the Micro USB connector is hidden behind a neat plug, opening it every time is unlikely to be pleasant and interesting. Therefore, to charge the device, a docking station is included in the package. It is intended for charging only. The docking station is made in the same color as the body of the smartphone itself. The kit also comes with a very expensive wired headset that provides excellent sound. Its cost is over 2,000 rubles. Also included in the package is a high-power charger that reduces charging time and a microUSB cable that can be connected either to an adapter or to a computer for data transfer.

Sony Xperia Z has every chance of becoming the third force in the “great confrontation” "

At the moment, we have before us an obvious flagship among smartphones: a five-inch screen with Full HD resolution, a powerful quad-core processor, two gigabytes of RAM, elegant and yet reliable design, interesting color options, protection from moisture and dust, expandable memory and a rich set supplies. We should not forget that the letter “Z” in Sony products has always denoted the premium quality of the devices, both in terms of compliance with the technical content and external design (compliance with the Sony Style concept).

The new Sony flagship, which looked so attractive in the pictures, has finally reached us. Oddly enough, the Xperia Z has turned out to be one of the most controversial devices I've encountered over the past few months. It's cool and after the very first unboxing it leaves the most pleasant impressions. Still, this is not a plastic remnant, this is a well-assembled smartphone, the body of which is dominated by glass and high-quality soft-touch plastic. However, after the first launch, you begin to notice what you don’t want to see in such a good gadget.

Design and ergonomics, buttons

But I’ll start with the good – with design and ergonomics. The smartphone is large, this is obvious, and from the outside it also does not seem miniature. But it’s quite comfortable to use. Maybe it's because I'm used to the Galaxy Note back in the day. The weight of the smartphone is 146 grams, it is neither light nor heavy, given its large size. Probably, many will not agree with me, but I can use the Xperia Z with one hand, it’s even convenient to take out the curtain. But here it comes down to the size of your palm, and as it turned out, mine is large.

The assembly is pleasing - the body is completely monolithic, even with active use, for which the Xperia Z is intended, there should be no backlash or squeaks. The feeling from the materials in the assembly is also pleasant, the smartphone is cold in the hand due to the abundance of glass, but it does not try to slip out, since all the edges are made of soft-touch plastic, thanks to which the smartphone clings well to the palm.

In the Xperia Z, the arrangement of elements is no less bizarre than in all other Sony smartphones: there’s a ton of everything and it’s all located in the most exotic places. For example, the volume key is located below the waterline, the lock key is almost in the center to the right. But, if on the Xperia T, which Bond used, this placement bothered me, then in the “Z” it does not look ridiculous, again, this is due to the size of the device. By the way, speaking about the lock button, it is very pronounced against the background of the overall design and many people did not like this particular element. I can’t say anything bad about this decision, it seems to me that it refreshes the design, otherwise it would seem like a faceless black block.

At first glance, there is nothing else on the case, because everything else is hidden from view (as well as from moisture and dust) under plugs. Namely: a SIM card slot on the right side, above the lock key; a headset jack on the top and a MicroSD memory card slot and a Micro USB connector on the left. The use of covers is logical; the Xperia Z is positioned as a waterproof device. But before I met in person, I only looked at waterproofness, because I really need it! But somehow I didn’t think about the convenience of working with stubs, but in vain. The situation is exactly the same as in the case of the Xperia S, to charge which you had to grow your nails every time in order to pick the plugs again. In addition, neither the headphones nor the charger can be inserted quickly. Of course, you can buy an additional dock (with some models it seems to come included), but in our case the smartphone does not have it. And the last question about the plugs - they can lose their sealing characteristics if they are opened many times a day. For example, if you like to listen to music, you will have to pull the plug back and forth constantly. Yes, and you will have to charge your smartphone quite often, but more on that later.

I liked the location of the external speaker - at the bottom of the right side. In my opinion, any placement of the speaker is better than on the rear side. And here, if I hold the smartphone in the most comfortable position for me when watching a video, when the control keys are on the right, the speaker looks up and the sound is clearly audible. It's probably better only in the HTC One, where two speakers look straight into your face. But the sound from it is quite average, in particular, the maximum volume did not seem great to me. But there is no talk of any locking at maximum volume.

Above the display there is an earpiece, a front camera, sensors and an alert LED. Below it is a conversational microphone. The control keys are on-screen and, again, using the example of watching videos on a smartphone, I first realized that the keys should be either mechanical (remember, mourn, iPhone) or on-screen. In order to avoid touching the buttons and going back when touching/holding the smartphone.

That's all, there is nothing else on the body, except for what we will talk about separately.

Display

After water resistance, the next wow factor is the display. But, only on paper. During the presentation, it was the most pixelated display: 5″, FullHD, 440 ppi, IPS, Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine 2, fantastic and this doesn’t happen! I don’t want to say that the display is outdated even before its release in terms of its digital and numerical characteristics, it is very clear. But the quality of the matrix is ​​noticeably lower than that of competitors. The first time I turned it on, I realized there was no black on this screen. Of course, this is not AMOLED, but modern IPS, like the HTC One or LG Optimus G/G pro, are capable of showing deep blacks. But that's not all. In a modern flagship, talking about insufficient viewing angles is somehow embarrassing. But it has to be, even small deviations of the screen distort the colors. The colors are not impressive, they are too calm, I would even say a little faded. In general, the situation with the Xperia S is repeated; at the beginning of last year it had a very clear display, but, as it turned out, there was a problem with the colors. Once again I am convinced that cramming in the highest possible resolution is not a panacea. To date, I have not yet seen a higher quality display than the LG Optimus G, despite the fact that it only has a poor HD resolution.

But the pixel density is excellent, it’s simply impossible to see an individual one. I was also pleased with the responsiveness of the screen. But these advantages do not cover even small viewing angles of the screen; this is unacceptable.

Cameras

Sony Xperia Z has two cameras. Front – 2 MP, writes video in 1080p. There are no questions about it, this is the highest possible resolution among mobile devices today, and too good a quality is not required from it. The main camera is 13 MP and also records video in 1080p. It would be strange if Sony did not talk about a large number of innovations and improvements in their camera. There’s HDR shooting front and back, Exmor RS in the main camera and Exmor R in the front camera (it’s not clear what the differences between RS and R are, both are based on matrix back-illumination technology) and, I’m sure, a bunch of other marketing noise. Everything would be fine, but for me, as a smartphone photography enthusiast, the main thing is the quality of the output, and not the quality of paper brochures. And in the Xperia Z the camera was also disappointing, although less so than the display.

The first photo I tried to take was of my MacBook's keyboard. Maybe it's the subject matter, but focusing close up just doesn't work. What any modern smartphone focuses on in a jiffy, the Xperia Z refuses to see. And if you find the point on which the camera focuses, then after pressing the shutter button, the smartphone will still photograph everything blurry, and the focus will suddenly be lost. At first no one believed me, but then the whole office laughed at how obvious autofocus works. But this is only when shooting closely placed objects.

I was very confused by the software, for example, the camera minimizes every time and throws you at the lock screen if you switch the shooting mode. This is if the camera is launched not from the menu, but from the lock screen. The same goes for settings; when you launch the camera from the lock screen, there is such an item, but after clicking it you will again find yourself on the lock screen. This is unacceptable, because sometimes you need to take a photo quickly and reliably, but here you still don’t know what the smartphone will do. It used to be better when the Xperia S, for example, took a photo from a locked state in less than a second. Now the fastest way to take a photo is to press the lock key and drag the camera slider to the left. Basically the same as on the iPhone, but it was better before.

The next question for the camera is the shooting modes themselves. By default, the iauto mode is set to automatic, but I don’t like it because it constantly overexposes the picture. That's why I use the second mode - normal. But, if you launch the camera from the lock screen (I only launch it this way, because the best frames appear randomly and there is no time to look for the camera icon in the menu or on the desktop), the mode is set to iauto. Of course, you can supposedly switch it, but then the application will throw you to the lock screen. In short, it's a complete mess. I'm glad that all this is software and the manufacturer can fix these bugs.

The quality of the images is inferior to that of the Lumia 920, iPhone 5 and is on the same level as the Oprimus G. But I wouldn’t bother; in principle, the photo quality is sufficient even for a top-end device; I would shoot and not think twice about it, especially when further editing the images in Snapseed or Photoshop mobile. And the most important advantage of a camera, or rather a smartphone, is the ability to shoot video or photos in the rain or even under water, this is worth a lot!

Technical characteristics

The processor is a quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 (Snapdragon S4 Pro) with a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz. Graphics accelerator – Adreno 320, RAM – 2 GB, user memory – 16 GB, but just over 11 GB is available for installing applications, photos, music and other user content. Thanks to Sony for the memory card slot. The smartphone, as expected, occupies a leading position in the benchmarks, only the yet unannounced SGS4 clearly stands out from the current flagships. But I was not pleased with the autonomy. With a battery capacity of 2330 mAh, the smartphone’s lifespan is noticeably shorter than what we’ve encountered recently. Nowadays there is a good trend when even high-performance smartphones last at least one day with a more or less active load, the Xperia Z is discharged before our eyes, I haven’t seen this for a long time. It’s better not to think about a day of active work with a smartphone.

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The smartphone has Google Android 4.1.2 JB installed, on top of which Sony pre-installed its proprietary shell. The interface is similar to the one we saw in earlier models, I can’t say that I’m delighted with it, but, to be honest, I’m not delighted with any shell other than bare Android. But users are not interested in this, many of the buyers will never know what naked Android looks like, so let’s go through the interface. It feels a little slower than iOS or the Optimus UI in the Optimus G (I have yet to see a faster interface among Android devices), but overall the animation is fast.

As I said above, there are two sliders on the lock screen - to launch the camera and to open the audio player widget. It seems to me that it would be better not to have a player here, but to quickly switch to silent mode. To unlock, you need to slide your finger up or down, thereby moving the blinds. Original. Unlike last year's devices, desktops are not assembled with a pinch; this gesture displays a menu in which you can add/remove tables, add to certain widgets, wallpapers and themes. Not as pretty as before, but much more useful. I really liked the ability to launch one of the useful applications, such as a calculator or voice recorder, from the menu of recent running applications. Such applications appear as a widget on top of the current window.