Detailed testing of the new flagship in the line of Sony Mobile smartphones
Sony Mobile has once again updated its flagship smartphone from the top Xperia Z series. The new flagship was presented at the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S5 - during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona at the beginning of the year, but it appeared in Russia later than the Korean flagship. By this time, we managed to test not only the Samsung Galaxy S5, but also the new HTS One (M8) and the Chinese Oppo Find 7a. All these new products are united by the fact that they work on the latest version of the Qualcomm hardware platform - Snapdragon 801, and, accordingly, are currently the most powerful and advanced mobile devices on the world market.
Sony's new flagship smartphone is called Xperia Z2 and is generally an updated version of the Xperia Z1 smartphone, presented in the fall in Berlin. The Japanese firmly adhere to the once chosen course: update the flagship line every six months - rightly believing that during this time enough reasons have accumulated to update the model range.
The Sony Xperia Z2 does not have any special differences from previous models in the series - in appearance it is practically the same Z1, only improved in many ways. The smartphone has acquired a more powerful single-chip SoC, an IPS screen, a new battery, improved camera performance, two stereo speakers that have moved to the front side, and the notorious films from the protective glass of the screen have disappeared. In general, there are enough changes to explore the new product in more detail.
Key Features of Sony Xperia Z2 (Model D6503)
| Sony Xperia Z2 | Oppo Find 7a | HTC One M8 | Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
| Screen | 5.2″, IPS | 5.5″, IPS | 5″, Super LCD 3 | 5.1″, Super AMOLED |
| Permission | 1920×1080, 423 ppi | 1920×1080, 400 ppi | 1920×1080, 440 ppi | 1920×1080, 432 ppi |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.3 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.3 GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (4 Krait 400 cores) @2.5 GHz | |
| GPU | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
| RAM | 3 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 16 GB | 16 GB | 16/32 GB | 16 GB |
| Memory card support | microSD | microSD | microSD | microSD |
| operating system | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.3 | Google Android 4.4 | Google Android 4.4 |
| Battery | non-removable, 3200 mAh | removable, 2800 mAh | non-removable, 2600 mAh | removable, 2800 mAh |
| Cameras | rear (20.7 MP; 4K video), front (2.2 MP) | rear (13 MP; 4K video), front (5 MP) | rear (4 MP; video 1080p), front (5 MP) | rear (16 MP; 4K video), front (2 MP) |
| Dimensions and weight | 147×73×8.2 mm, 163 g | 153×75×9.2 mm, 170 g | 146×71×9.4 mm, 160 g | 142×73×8.1 mm, 145 g |
| average price | T-10724878 | T-10756406 | T-10761030 | T-10725078 |
| Sony Xperia Z2 offers | L-10724878-10 | |||
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB), 2.3 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 64 GB (SDXC)
- Protection against dust and moisture according to IP 55/58 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 3200 mAh
- Dimensions 146.8×73.3×8.2 mm
- Weight 163 g
Contents of delivery
The Sony Xperia Z2 kit sent to us for testing looks exactly the same as that of previous products in the series: the 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 several compartments inside.
The equipment is standard: a compact charger (output current 1.5 A), connecting cable, ordinary headphones without additional ear pads and a thick stack of paper documentation. This is the most modest set of all possible: for example, the Sony Xperia Z2 is supplied to the Asian market in a much larger box made of hard varnished cardboard, which contains a richer set of accessories, including a docking station. In the case of the Russian market, nothing like this was found in the kit, which is a pity: such a docking station would not be at all useful for domestic users.
Appearance and ease of use
Externally, the Sony Xperia Z2 has not changed much, and those changes that exist have not brought any improvements. The smartphone is still a candy bar, consisting of two glass plates and a metal frame between them, which makes up the frame of the device and forms the outer side frames of the case. The frame, as before, is made of aluminum that has been anodized. However, previously a thin plastic gasket was inserted between the frame and the glass, so the previous smartphones in the series felt more comfortable in the hand, not to mention the first Xperia Z, the frames of which were made of rubberized polycarbonate. The situation with the Sony Xperia Z2 is worse: the chamfers on the frame are somehow more roughly removed, the edges are sharper, and this makes holding the smartphone in the palm of your hand less comfortable. Now the edges of the metal frame feel noticeably rougher and sharper when touched, literally everyone notices this.
The smartphone feels like a very large and heavy monolithic block, it doesn’t have that “airiness” that is felt in Samsung’s plastic cases, and it doesn’t have that smooth streamlining of pleasant-to-touch metal that the HTC One has. In general, the body of the new Xperia Z2 is quite rough, and nothing can be done about it. Why they removed the plastic pads between the glass and metal that soften contact with the palm remains a mystery.
On the front glass panel, as well as on the back, there are now no those factory protective films about which there was so much controversy. On the one hand, films naturally wore out faster and became covered with a lot of scratches than glass. On the other hand, supporters of the presence of films argued that they could be removed at any time, giving the smartphone an updated look. True, it is difficult to say how many people have actually done this or whether these are purely theoretical considerations: after all, the glass under the film did not have an oleophobic coating, and besides, along with the film, the corporate logo disappeared from the front panel, not to mention the fact that This film was, in principle, extremely difficult to remove without damaging the glass itself and the edges of the frame around it. So, perhaps, Sony did the right thing by depriving its products of this atavism - modern protective glasses are ready to provide quite reliable display protection even without additional films.
The back cover is exactly the same as the front: it is made of glass, there are no protective films on it, there are no gaskets between the glass and metal, and the only functional elements on it are the camera window and the flash eye.
The flash here consists of one section, while the flashes of most competing flagships have long been dual, and now also multi-colored. 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.
There are no grilles for sound output from the speakers on the rear panel - they have been moved to the front side, now the role of grilles is played by two long longitudinal slits in the glass - at the top and bottom. A completely logical solution is to turn the speakers towards the user, and not away from him, and there are now two speakers themselves, so the sound of the new flagship has become much louder than its predecessors, even despite the gaskets protecting it from water. By the way, it is through the top slot that the indicator light shines through, which notifies you about the charging status and incoming events.
Traditionally for Sony, there are no hardware buttons under the screen; their role has long been played by virtual icons on the display itself: in some applications this strip of buttons can be removed, but in others it remains, occupying part of the working area of the screen.
The SIM card here is inserted into its own side slot, equipped with a plastic retractable tray into which the card is placed. There are no hidden buttons to press in here, just as you don’t need to carry a paperclip with you—the tray simply pulls out with your fingernail. Perhaps the method of installing cards in Sony Mobile devices is the most convenient.
All slots and connectors, except for the audio output, in the Sony Xperia Z2 are covered with plugs made of the same material as the side frame itself. They are held on the body by rubber clamps. The covers have rubberized gaskets, because the smartphone, like its predecessors, provides protection from dust and moisture. When all connector covers are securely closed, this smartphone is protected against low pressure water jets from all directions to IP55 and/or can be kept in 1.5 meters of fresh water for up to 30 minutes to IP58.
Based on the results of our testing, it was confirmed that the smartphone is not only impervious to water, but is also perfectly controlled with wet fingers - until the screen is completely immersed in water. Plus, due to the presence of a dedicated hardware camera control key, the smartphone can be used as a camera for shooting underwater.
On the left side there is an open contact group for connection to the docking station connector - such an element is found in many modern Sony smartphones. This option for daily charging the phone is convenient for those who do not want to open and close the cover of the Micro-USB connector every day. True, as mentioned above, the docking station is not included in all delivery kits.
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 new models it already consists of two parts: a ring and a round button inside it.
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. In general, there are no special complaints about the mechanical controls of the Sony Xperia Z2, except that the volume key protrudes too slightly from the body, so it is quite difficult to feel it blindly. In terms of ease of use, the large and pliable keys of Korean Samsung and LG look preferable to the thin metal and hard keys of Sony and HTC.
The audio jack for headphones (3.5 mm) is located on top in splendid isolation. Other leading manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG and HTC, have already taught us that another very convenient element should be located here - an infrared port, with which a smartphone can control various equipment as a remote control. Sony, unfortunately, did not provide anything like this.
There are nice holes in the lower left corner of the case - this is a traditional strap mount that is present on all Sony smartphones, and it’s a shame that other manufacturers neglect this useful element.
The body of the new product, like its predecessors, is available in three colors: black, white and purple. It is curious that the bevels of the side edges of the metal frame here are painted in the general color of the case, that is, if the case is purple, then the bevels of the sides are also purple, but the very top edge always remains silver and unpainted.
Screen
The Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch matrix. The screen dimensions are 64x114 mm, diagonal - 5.2 inches, resolution - 1920x1080 pixels. A parameter such as pixel density per inch is 423 ppi here. The display received the brand name Triluminos, but the most interesting thing is that the developers also mention here the new Live Color LED technology, which allows you to expand the color palette, providing 130% coverage of the sRGB palette.
The outside of the screen is covered with protective glass without a factory protective film - this proprietary distinctive feature is now disappearing from Sony screens. The thickness of the side frames from the edge of the screen to the edge of the body is approximately 4 mm - the frames are not that 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 head, 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.
Just like the tablet of the same name, the Z2 smartphone does not have the traditional Sony protective plastic film with low oleophobic properties and quickly becomes scratched. Let's hope that the company has finally and irrevocably abandoned this atavism. 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, there is a very effective anti-glare filter, which is superior to the screen filter of Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7) in reducing reflection brightness. For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia Z2, 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 90 versus 96 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia Z2 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 easier and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass.
With manual brightness control, its maximum value was about 450 cd/m², and the minimum was 14 cd/m². The maximum value is quite high, and, given the good anti-glare properties, the image on the screen should be clearly visible in bright daylight. 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, as 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 95 cd/m² (too much), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 190-195 cd/m² (normal), in a very bright environment ( corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to a maximum of 450 cd / m². If the brightness slider is about halfway up, then the screen brightness for the three conditions above is: 56, 120 and 450 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to minimum - 18, 50, 450 cd/m². As a result, the auto-brightness function works absolutely adequately. At any brightness level, there is practically 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 Z2, with the brightness of both screens set to approximately 200 cd/m². White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:
Uniformity is good, but the color tone is noticeably different from the Nexus 7 screen tone (when photographing, the color balance on the camera is forced to 6500K). And a test picture:
Colors on the Z2's screen are oversaturated and clearly red-shifted. 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, and the contrast at an angle has been preserved. And a white field:
The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (by at least 4 times, based on the difference in shutter speed), but in the case of the Sony Xperia Z2 the drop in brightness is less (brightness according to photographs is 237 versus 217 for the Nexus 7). However, the color tone did not change much. When deviated diagonally, the black field is lightened weakly and acquires a red-violet tint or remains almost neutral gray. 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 very good:
The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is good - about 915:1. 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 32 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 2.29, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve strongly deviates from the power law:
The smartphone has some kind of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness - either in some way depending on the nature of the displayed image, or depending on the current temperature of the device. But it definitely exists. For this reason, 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. As a result, 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. However, Sony writes in black and white that 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 you to obtain 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.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is good, since the color temperature is close to the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is less than 10, which is considered an acceptable indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is small, which also has a positive effect on 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 intensity 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. At the same time, judging by the reduced intensity of red, there was a little less redness in the image. 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, they can turn on the proprietary X-Reality for mobile mode. The result is shown below:
Saturation and contour sharpness are increased programmatically. Read more about saturation. X-Reality for mobile is disabled:
And included:
There is a strong decrease in shade gradations in the area of saturated colors. But the picture, yes, has become brighter.
Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is wide, and the anti-glare filter is very effective, which allows you to comfortably use the smartphone both on a clear day outside 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, the absence of flicker and air gap in the layers of the screen, weak black bleed when the gaze deviates from perpendicular to the screen surface, excellent uniformity of the black field, high contrast and good color balance. The colors are, however, a little oversaturated. However, overall the screen quality is very high.
Sound
The sound of the Sony Xperia Z2 has improved compared to previous models in the series due to the fact that the device now has two stereo speakers, and they are facing the user, like the HTC One. The speakers are located in the upper and lower parts of the front panel, the sound output is realized through two barely noticeable slot-shaped longitudinal symmetrical grilles, due to which it is possible to realize surround external sound, called here S-Force Front Surround. The sound is not bad, but still not as powerful and loud as that of the HTC One - this is due to the waterproof gaskets that protect the speakers from water.
As for the sound in headphones, there are no complaints here. The sound is excellent, clear throughout the entire frequency range, there is enough bass, and the maximum volume is high. In conversational dynamics, the voice of a familiar interlocutor, timbre and intonation remain recognizable.
To play music, the device uses its own proprietary player. The standard audio player, traditionally called a Walkman, 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.
Camera
Sony Xperia Z2 is equipped with two digital camera modules with a resolution of 20.7 and 2.2 megapixels. The front camera takes pictures with a resolution of 1920×1080, and videos in 1080p resolution. The capabilities of the front camera are more than sufficient for taking self-portraits; examples of test images are presented below.
 |
 |
The main rear 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 always activates it only in automatic shooting mode, even if the manual setting 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 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 Z2 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.
Completely new modes and effects have appeared:
- Timeshift video- a mode that allows you to shoot at 120 frames per second and select scenes to create expressive slow-motion effects exactly where you need it - even underwater. Playing such a video is accompanied by the same slow-motion playback of the recorded audio as on the Apple iPhone.
- Creative effect- Available in real time when shooting video, these settings allow you to enhance your video with effects such as mirroring, motion trail, color correction and miniature.
- Background defocus- This new application simulates depth of field (bokeh). It automatically takes two photos with different focus settings and stitches them together to make your photos look professional.
- AR effect, an augmented reality effect, has become available for video recording. Now you can experiment with both photos and videos using new animation effects with augmented reality elements, including sound effects for video shooting.
 |
 |
The camera can shoot video in 1080p and UHD (4K) resolution, and also has the ability to shoot videos in slow motion, standard for top smartphones. Examples of test videos are presented below.
- Video No. 1 (115 MB, 3840×2160)
- Video No. 2 (36 MB, 1920×1080)
- Video No. 3 (118 MB, 1920×1080, 60 fps)
Examples of photographs with our comments are presented below. Under some pictures there are links to similar ones taken with a resolution of 20 megapixels.
 |
Good sharpness in all plans and across the entire frame. |
 |
Noises in the shadows are barely noticeable. |
 |
Sharpness drops slightly only in the upper left corner. |
 |
Good sharpness and exposure. |
 |
You can probably tell that this is a tree cut. |
 |
Excellent sharpness and refinement of small details in distant plans. |
 |
The camera copes well with noise and fine details at the same time. |
 |
And at the same time, she also chooses the exposure very well. |
 |
A very decent shot for a compact camera. |
 |
Excellent noise reduction performance is also reflected in good color and smooth sky structure. |
 |
The car numbers are clearly visible. |
 |
At both resolutions, there is no sharpening in the image. |
 |
If you can see minimal sharpening in the crown, then it is quite appropriate there. |
 |
 |
 |
| 20 MP | 20 MP | 20 MP |
| Text in daylight, room light, low light, and with flash. In all cases, the camera captures text well, with only a slight drop in sharpness in the corners. | ||
 |
 |
 |
| — | 20 MP | 20 MP |
| Macro photography in daytime indoor and low light, as well as with flash. In all cases, the camera copes well, perhaps a little worse in low light. | ||
 |
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. На снимке вполне можно что-то различить. |
 |
Lighting<1 люкс, вспышка. Камера справляется немного хуже, чем в прошлый раз. |
It looks like Sony engineers have finally achieved what they set out to achieve. And initially the goal was very noble - to achieve the quality of compact cameras. Now we can say with confidence that it has almost been achieved.
The previous two attempts - Sony Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact - although very unsuccessful, still showed a slow but steady increase in the quality of images from a camera with a 1/2.3″ sensor, typical of simple compact cameras. Installing such a sensor in a fairly thin smartphone was in itself a serious step forward. It seems that the only thing missing was good optics capable of covering it entirely - as a result, we observed blurry corners and edges of the frame, and sometimes only the center was sharp. However, Sony brought the idea to a good practical implementation, and with the help of engineers and programmers they finalized the camera. To be fair, it is worth noting that even now 20 megapixel photographs taken in manual mode do not always turn out good. However, such errors are small and there are not many of them. Pictures with a resolution of 8 megapixels taken in auto mode almost always turn out good. True, for them to turn out great, you need to shoot slowly, carefully, with bated breath and without jerking your smartphone. This technique will allow you to avoid the appearance of small areas of blur that pop up in isolated cases.
Considering that the camera module has not changed externally and has not increased in size, we must give credit to the same engineers and programmers who still “crammed” a good camera into small dimensions.
As for the quality of the images themselves, there is practically no noise in them. Of course, you can see small spots of color in the shadows, but they are not striking. In addition, the grain after noise processing is barely noticeable (by the way, this is one of the advantages of small pixels - a stone in the NTS garden), so the sky acquires a uniform and smooth structure. This means that the company has finally learned how to make good noise reduction for small matrices. No other software processing is visible in the images. That is, there is no sharpening in principle. At least in the form in which we knew it. Sometimes the edges of the image are a little soft, but these areas are small and infrequent. True, 20-megapixel images often look blurry, especially at the edges - apparently, the optics still cannot fully process them. But after “recalculation” to 8 megapixels, the pictures acquire amazing sharpness that looks very natural.
It should certainly be concluded that the camera is well suited for both documentary and artistic photography. And for almost any subject.
For artistic shooting, among other scenarios, a new background defocus function has been added. Unlike the HTC One M8, which used two cameras so that the focus area could be selected on the finished photo, everything here is implemented more simply, but no less interesting. Sony offers to create a bokeh effect, but greatly limits your freedom of choice. For everything to work, you need to shoot a relatively small object at a distance of half a meter from the lens, and the background should be located at a distance of 5 meters. In this case, after shooting, the camera will allow you to select the desired background blur. If not all conditions are met, the function will not work, which the camera will, of course, report. It must be said that the function does not handle all objects equally well. Below are the three most suitable scenarios for defocusing the background.
 |
 |
 |
As you can see, the best shot of the squirrel was successful, since it is “spherical” and also does not have a clear outline. In general, this function is probably most applicable to portrait photography. The program often makes mistakes, so you have to look for a convenient angle for it, but the result looks nicer than in the case of different plans for the HTC smartphone, which, by the way, could not work in this way during macro photography.
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. With a SIM card from the domestic operator Megafon, the smartphone in practice confidently finds and works with the LTE network. Additional network capabilities include support for the second Wi-Fi band (5 GHz) and NFC technology. The external device connection mode (USB Host, OTG) is supported here, so any flash drives connected to the Micro-USB port, as well as mice and keyboards, are perfectly recognized. The navigation module supports both GPS and domestic Glonass and works very clearly and quickly.
 |
 |
 |
 |
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. An LED sensor 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, like Samsung devices - you need to switch the layout every time. 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 opportunity to “press” the keys of the virtual keyboard closer to one side or another to make it easier to reach with the fingers of one hand (here this is called “Keyboard for one hand”) - a typical functionality of top modern devices with a large screen diagonal. Naturally, there is also the possibility of continuous writing by sliding your finger from letter to letter - Swype.
 |
 |
 |
 |
OS and software
The operating system is the latest version of the Google Android 4.4.2 KitKat software platform, on top of which is traditionally installed its own proprietary graphical user interface. It does not change the appearance and organization of all elements as much as HTC Sense, and at the same time it is not as rich in various functions and modes as the interface in Samsung devices. The Sony shell in the updated version (by the way, previous top models, such as the Xperia Z Ultra, also received it) has some improvements and additions, but overall retains its main distinguishing features: the seriousness of the overall appearance, the conciseness of all menus and submenus, and also a familiar traditional set of proprietary pre-installed applications.
 |
 |
 |
 |
If we talk about changes, then it is worth mentioning, first of all, the improvements that have occurred with the notification menu and the installed programs menu. A second horizontal tab has appeared in the notification drop-down menu with access to the most popular smartphone functions - Quick Settings. In previous versions of the shell, it was replaced by a proprietary widget, which was located on one of the desktops on the left. Now there is no need for such a widget.
 |
 |
The main distinguishing feature of the program menu is its wide possibilities for sorting, selecting and working with icons of installed applications. To work with them, there is even a whole contextual panel that slides out from the left with a side swipe. In it you can search by category, set your own, arbitrary arrangement of icons, or sort them in several provided ways. It is very convenient that right here you can delete any application without having to go to a special section of the main menu - functionality that partially replaces the file manager. Naturally, the ability to create folders is supported, but to do this you need to keep the icons in the “own order” mode, otherwise all the applications sorted into folders will again be distributed across the desktops - for example, in alphabetical order. We first saw the new retractable panel on the mini-flagship Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, now it appears on all top Sony models with a firmware update.
 |
 |
The branded menu of “small applications” has not disappeared anywhere. It can be found if you open the list of recently launched programs by clicking on the far right button. From this menu you can get quick access to the calendar, calculator, stopwatch and notes, and you can also add other applications there, of which there are more and more in the Google Play Store. Not only can these applications be quickly launched from this menu, but they also open in separate small windows, which creates a kind of multi-window operating mode.
 |
 |
The set of pre-installed programs in the Japanese company's smartphones does not change too noticeably from handset to handset. Several online services, such as TrackID, Sony Select, What's New, offer you to select, buy and immediately play music, movies and games. Timescape collects information about friends' social activity. There is a file manager, a package for working with office documents, there is also a QR code scanner and the popular note-taking program Evernote. It’s very convenient that Sony always preinstalls a useful program for a complete backup and restoration of both settings and other data. When you launch the program, curiously named “Sketch,” a set of drawing and handwriting tools appears. Here you can choose brushes, paints, colors, line thickness, texture, etc. The functionality is reminiscent of the famous stylus-based Samsung Galaxy Note, only much more modest in capabilities, and here quickly recording long texts is impossible due to the delay (lag) between the touch and the appearance features on the screen. In this program, you can only slowly draw something, select a collage from ready-made elements.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Performance
Like the new flagships from Samsung and HTC, the Sony Xperia Z2 hardware platform is based on the latest single-chip quad-core system (SoC) Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 with four Krait 400 cores. Let us recall that the new platform has the functionality of the Snapdragon 800 with a slightly higher frequency of processor cores: Snapdragon The 801 can operate at frequencies up to 2.45 GHz, while the core frequency of the previous version of the chip was limited to 2.36 GHz. True, the Sony Xperia Z2, as in the case of the HTC One (M8), has a maximum processor core frequency of only 2.3 GHz (CPU-Z shows 2.27 GHz), which is less than the Samsung Galaxy S5 (2.46 GHz). This is explained by the fact that a slightly different version of Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB) is used here. Unlike the MSM8974AC version, which is installed in the Samsung Galaxy S5, here the maximum possible CPU frequency is limited to 2.36 GHz, and the GPU frequency is 550 MHz (for MSM8974AC these characteristics are 2.45 GHz and 578 MHz, respectively). Thus, of the three most recent new products presented on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 platform by top manufacturers, only the Samsung device runs on the maximum version of this platform - the other two, Sony Xperia Z2 and HTC One (M8), are equipped with a slightly less productive platform from the new series.
The processor here is supported in graphics processing by the same Adreno 330 video accelerator. About 11 GB of 16 GB of own memory for the user’s needs is initially available in the device. The smartphone's RAM capacity is 3 GB, and this makes the Sony Xperia Z2 stand out among its direct competitors - all the others received only 2 GB of RAM. This characteristic does not affect performance in any way - it only affects the number of applications that can be launched simultaneously on the smartphone. 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.
 |
 |
 |
 |
Since the most powerful and most productive of the competing serial platforms is now the SoC MediaTek MT6592, whose configuration includes eight full-fledged processor cores [simultaneously] operating at frequencies up to 2 GHz, it is logical to include its results in the comparison. Let us remind you that we recently released a review of the powerful TCL Idol X+ smartphone, which is built on the maximum version of this platform, so now it makes sense to compare the new Qualcomm platform only with this most advanced of all eight-core MediaTek platform.
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 figures). 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 4.x and GeekBench 3:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
This is what emerged from testing. As for the competing MediaTek MT6592, the latest Qualcomm system (Snapdragon 801) handled it confidently. In general, this is not at all surprising, considering that the previous version (Snapdragon 800) was faster than the top-end MediaTek solution. As for the Snapdragon 801 itself, according to the results of all tests, no special increase was found in relation to the Snapdragon 800, and there should not be any at a core frequency of 2.27 GHz, which is not very different from the core frequency of previous flagships on the Snapdragon 800. B In the “honest” version of the AnTuTu X test, the test subject demonstrated almost the same results as in the regular AnTuTu, which is reassuring (we always place a screenshot of the results of the “anti-cheat” AnTuTu X to the right of the main one).
There is also a difference in benchmark results between the top new products presented on the newest platform, but it is very small. All four of the latest smartphones are approximately equal in performance, the difference lies within the margin of error - especially considering that we are now talking about such high results that are simply not available to all other smartphones. So, in any case, we are now talking about the Sony Xperia Z2 and other new products on the Snapdragon 801 as the most powerful smartphones to date, the hardware power of which will be enough to perform any tasks for a long time.
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:
There is an advantage in the operation of the Adreno 330 video subsystem over the Mali-450MP4, which is part of the eight-core MediaTek MT6592, but it is not too great.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Sony Xperia Z2 (Snapdragon 801) |
Oppo Find 7a (Snapdragon 801) |
HTC One (M8) (Snapdragon 801) |
Samsung Galaxy S5 (Snapdragon 801) |
TCL Idol X+ (MediaTek MT6592) |
|
| Epic Citadel, High Quality (bigger is better) | 56 fps | 61 fps | 58 fps | 58 fps | 46 fps |
| Epic Citadel, Ultra High Quality (bigger is better) | 53 fps | 57 fps | 58 fps | 52 fps | no support |
| Bonsai Benchmark | 54 fps/3793 | 55 fps/3862 | 54 fps/3816 | 51 fps/3625 | 23 fps/1656 |
| Basemark X, Medium Quality | 22393 | 26350 | 26717 | 24095 | 9808 |
| Basemark X, High Quality | 11718 | 14147 | 12473 | 11983 | 3686 |
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 Z2 smartphone was not equipped with all the decoders necessary for full playback of most of the most common files on the Internet. 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.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| DVDRip | AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL SD | AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3 | plays normally | plays normally |
| Web-DL HD | MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3 | Hardware+ | |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3 | plays fine with decoder Hardware+ | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3 | plays fine with decoder Hardware+ | The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹ |
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. Additionally, we tested using an MHL adapter, which provided output at a lower resolution (720p) but at 60 fps. 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 and replicates 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:
Red marks indicate possible problems with 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 high, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. However, uniform alternation of frames is a relatively unstable state, since some external and internal background processes sometimes lead to periodic failure of the correct alternation of intervals between frames and even (very rarely) to the skipping of individual 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. For 50 and 60 fps files, we used an external adapter that provided 60 fps output but at 720p resolution. The output quality is very good.
The conclusion is typical - an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from an increase in screen size.
Battery life
The lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia Z2 turned out to be larger in volume than that of all direct competitors (Oppo Find 7a, HTC One (M8) and Samsung Galaxy S5), and has a capacity of 3200 mA very decent for a modern flagship h. However, the new Sony flagship did not become a record holder in terms of battery life, and it certainly did not outstrip its main rivals in this matter, demonstrating approximately the same battery discharge time in the same tests.
The standard charger has an output current of 1.5 A, our testing showed that in half an hour the device charges to about 25%, in an hour to 45%, and the battery is fully charged within about 3 hours. In this regard, Sony devices do not break any special records: for example, the new Oppo Find 7a - it actually charges in just 1 hour 10 minutes, but the output current of the included charger is 4.5 A.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D Game Mode | |
| Sony Xperia Z2 | 3200 mAh | 15:20 | 11:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Oppo Find 7a | 2800 mAh | 16:40 | 8 a.m. 20 p.m. | 3:00 am |
| HTC One M8 | 2600 mAh | 22:10 | 13:20 | 3 hours 20 minutes |
| Samsung Galaxy S5 | 2800 mAh | 17:20 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| TCL Idol X+ | 2500 mAh | 12:30 pm | 7:20 am | 3:00 am |
| Lenovo Vibe Z | 3050 mAh | 11:45 am | 8:00 am | 3 hours 30 minutes |
| Acer Liquid S2 | 3300 mAh | 16:40 | 7:40 a.m. | 6:00 am |
| LG G Flex | 3500 mAh | 23:15 | 13:30 | 6 hours 40 minutes |
| LG G2 | 3000 mAh | 20:00 | 12:30 pm | 4 hours 45 minutes |
| Sony Xperia Z1 | 3000 mAh | 11:45 am | 8:00 am | 4 hours 30 minutes |
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 15 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 11 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone worked for 3.5 hours and signaled the need to charge.
Bottom line
As for the cost of the new product, it is not yet known for certain at what price the new Sony flagship will be officially sold on the Russian market, but presumably it will be within the same limits as the flagships of other manufacturers - about 30 thousand rubles at the start of sales. This is a high price, but commensurate with the realities of our market, for a top-end device in all respects, which is in no way inferior to the latest flagship solutions from manufacturers of the same level, such as Samsung and HTC. And now only the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8) can compare with it - the same extremely powerful devices with top-end characteristics. Each of them has its own advantages over competitors, but there are also weaknesses. The Japanese flagship boasts a noticeable stylish design and premium materials, protection from adverse external conditions, decent technical equipment, good performance, a powerful battery, and good sound, but all this is also present in its closest competitors. Relative disadvantages include a non-removable battery, a body that has increased in size and has become rougher to the touch, and a camera that still lags behind advanced Samsung devices in terms of shooting quality - but this, again, is only when compared with equal competing top-end solutions from other manufacturers. Well, for the user, the basis for choosing between these flagship devices will to a large extent be the emotional preference of one brand or another, because in general, all the top new products are quite worthy of each other.
In conclusion, we invite you to watch our video review of the Sony Xperia Z2 smartphone.
I wonder why they are kings? Phones are not their element, televisions are also not very good, the sound
, they would like to get at least one step closer to Yamaha, PS remains, but this is not for everyone. So where are the Sony kings?
Facts? It would be interesting to read.
I know about the past glory of Sony, I can enlighten you on this matter. I’m asking about now, what revolutionary new Sony is releasing or developing now? Why do Sony TVs have a Samsung matrix? Why, for so many years, Sony laptops cannot finish their own drivers? There’s always a problem with them. Where are their vaunted acoustics now? For the price tag that they beat, and in everything, there are more interesting things. I’m asking for facts of today, and not 20 years ago. And if there’s nothing to say, then there’s no point in wasting your tongue.
We live in an age of consumerism and before buying any thing, every person compares functionality, design, quality and most importantly price. And don’t rush to everything that is Sony or another brand. Every company has successful products, and there are not so good ones. .
I really tried to force myself, at one time, to like the Xperia Z1, but it didn’t work out. As a result, I bought another device. The Z2 review was also not impressive. There were too many flaws. And why did they omit the story about the device overheating in the second review?
firstly, Sony TVs have different matrices... it all depends on the model! They have their own matrices and elzhysh ones, etc... not an argument at all! on TV, Sony remains the best manufacturer, which has been beating its competitors in price since last year! on laptops... I heard about drivers... but alas, the division is already 95% sold and left on the domestic market!
acoustics? where are the acoustics? The acoustics were one of the best and still are! Now only the pioneer is actively pushing them back, while the rest are somewhere behind... nothing has changed in the sound of the Sonya! the sound remains one of the best on the planet! I myself am a happy owner of a Walkman (in comparison with players from other manufacturers, they are the best)...
data? well, ok... from the field of photography: whose matrices do you think are in most of today's smartphones? Sony has developed a unique thing - smartographs... are there any analogues in the world that can compete with them? NO! further... from the field of portable players: last year Sony was the first to decide to combine a player, headphones, speakers... and did it brilliantly! There are two solutions - plugs and monitors... I am the owner of the second option!
smartphones: who was the first to offer a projected capacitive sensor in 2012? Nokia? No! Sony! again, innovation... who was the first in 2012 to offer smart watches, which the whole planet is now so famously copying? Sony! ... who created and most importantly optimized the operation of the dual shock 4 with the new Morpheus virtual reality helmet? Sony! the list can be very long, because I am not aware of professional decisions, for example from the field of prof. Sony video cameras, projectors, etc... and yes, I almost forgot... this year Sony invited the world to try out a new full frame matrix, which accelerates to an incredible 409600ISO... by the way, this sensor is already on the Nikon D4S, which is sold for incredible money like...
Here’s my advice: if you don’t know the hardware, don’t get involved in an argument, and keep your personal impressions (subjective attitude towards the company’s products) to yourself... you didn’t like the Z1... well, that doesn’t mean it turned out to be really bad ! many, for example, liked it, and many, on the contrary, consider it the best smartphone of 2013... and the camera... I’ll say this! you need to use your brains and put your hands to the settings, and not shoot automatically! and you will get better pictures than your competitors!
Those. The Samsung matrix in a Sony TV looks better. And it shows better quality. Did I understand correctly? It’s clear about the drivers, there are no options there. I’m wondering since when Sony acoustics are on par with Pioneer, Yamaha, Gibiel, Lowe, etc., even entry-level? Player, the taste and color of the markers are different, but compare at least with Cowon. And it wasn’t Sony that first crossed the player with ears, read here http://lenta.ru/news/2006/06/13/playerphones/. We read about smart watches here http://habrahabr.ru/post/212483/ . About touch screens here http://fgadgets.ru/2010-06-19-13-28-31/ . And so on... I’m just tired look for links.
first point: if you think that the Samsung matrix looks better than the Sony matrix on TVs, then I simply have nothing to talk to you about! Do you like watching animation or do you prefer to watch realistic pictures? the choice is yours... further: you can argue about acoustics for a long time, but Sony's experience in this area has already proven itself to be a leader, or one of the best! here, as elsewhere, you can agree, you can disagree - everyone’s personal business, but this is a fact! Cowon?? is this a joke?)) no kovon of course the company for portables is not bad and even good, but it will not rank with such monsters as iPod, Airiver and Walkman... no matter how you look at it! and this is also a fact! As for your first link: take in your hands what is on the site in the link and the Walkman that I wrote about above and you will understand that the devices are fundamentally different! and where exactly is this development of the first player-headphones? Yes, for some reason she stayed with Sonya! smart watches... well, ok, I agree, but options like smart watches with a calculator and other things are not considered... again... where were those same smart watches from manufacturers before? and why did everything start to move with the arrival of Sony on this market? Try to answer this question yourself!... and it suddenly became relevant! Your last link does not open at all and I again doubt that there is some kind of objectivity in the sensor area! in short, Sony was and remains a trendsetter and trendsetter... you are looking for context in my words and trying to find a refutation by googling! Even though the Sony smartwatch is not the first smart watch, it is the first in how it should have been made to make it relevant and interesting!
Information about the make, model, and alternative names of the specific device, if available.
Design
Information about the dimensions and weight of the device, presented in different units of measurement. Materials used, colors offered, certificates.
| Width Width information - refers to the horizontal side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 73.3 mm (millimeters) 7.33 cm (centimeters) 0.24 ft (feet) 2.89 in (inches) |
| Height Height information - refers to the vertical side of the device in its standard orientation during use. | 146.8 mm (millimeters) 14.68 cm (centimeters) 0.48 ft (feet) 5.78 in (inches) |
| Thickness Information about the thickness of the device in different units of measurement. | 8.2 mm (millimeters) 0.82 cm (centimeters) 0.03 ft (feet) 0.32 in (inches) |
| Weight Information about the weight of the device in different units of measurement. | 163 g (grams) 0.36 lbs 5.75 oz (ounces) |
| Volume The approximate volume of the device, calculated based on the dimensions provided by the manufacturer. Refers to devices with the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped. | 88.24 cm³ (cubic centimeters) 5.36 in³ (cubic inches) |
| Colors Information about the colors in which this device is offered for sale. | Black White Purple |
| Certification Information about the standards to which this device is certified. | IP55 IP58 |
SIM card
The SIM card is used in mobile devices to store data that certifies the authenticity of mobile service subscribers.
Mobile networks
A mobile network is a radio system that allows multiple mobile devices to communicate with each other.
| GSM GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) is designed to replace the analogue mobile network (1G). For this reason, GSM is often called a 2G mobile network. It is improved by the addition of GPRS (General Packet Radio Services), and later EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) technologies. | GSM 850 MHz GSM 900 MHz GSM 1800 MHz GSM 1900 MHz |
| UMTS UMTS is an abbreviation for Universal Mobile Telecommunications System. It is based on the GSM standard and belongs to 3G mobile networks. Developed by 3GPP and its biggest advantage is providing greater speed and spectral efficiency thanks to W-CDMA technology. | UMTS 800 MHz UMTS 850 MHz UMTS 1700/2100 MHz UMTS 1900 MHz UMTS 2100 MHz |
| LTE LTE (Long Term Evolution) is defined as a fourth generation (4G) technology. It is developed by 3GPP based on GSM/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA to increase the capacity and speed of wireless mobile networks. The subsequent technology development is called LTE Advanced. | LTE 850 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 900 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 1700/2100 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 1800 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 1900 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 2100 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 2600 MHz (D6503; D6543) LTE 700 MHz Class 13 (D6503) LTE 700 MHz Class 17 (D6503) LTE 800 MHz (D6503) |
Mobile communication technologies and data transfer speeds
Communication between devices on mobile networks is carried out using technologies that provide different data transfer rates.
Operating system
An operating system is a system software that manages and coordinates the operation of hardware components in a device.
SoC (System on Chip)
A system on a chip (SoC) includes all the most important hardware components of a mobile device on one chip.
| SoC (System on Chip) A system on a chip (SoC) integrates various hardware components, such as a processor, graphics processor, memory, peripherals, interfaces, etc., as well as the software necessary for their operation. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974AB v3 |
| Technological process Information about the technological process by which the chip is manufactured. Nanometers measure half the distance between elements in the processor. | 28 nm (nanometers) |
| Processor (CPU) The primary function of a mobile device's processor (CPU) is to interpret and execute instructions contained in software applications. | Krait 400 |
| Processor size The size (in bits) of a processor is determined by the size (in bits) of the registers, address buses, and data buses. 64-bit processors have higher performance compared to 32-bit processors, which in turn are more powerful than 16-bit processors. | 32 bit |
| Instruction Set Architecture Instructions are commands with which the software sets/controls the operation of the processor. Information about the instruction set (ISA) that the processor can execute. | ARMv7 |
| Level 0 cache (L0) Some processors have L0 (level 0) cache, which is faster to access than L1, L2, L3, etc. The advantage of having such memory is not only higher performance, but also reduced power consumption. | 4 kB + 4 kB (kilobytes) |
| Level 1 cache (L1) Cache memory is used by the processor to reduce access time to more frequently used data and instructions. L1 (level 1) cache is small in size and works much faster than both system memory and other cache levels. If the processor does not find the requested data in L1, it continues to look for it in the L2 cache. On some processors, this search is performed simultaneously in L1 and L2. | 16 kB + 16 kB (kilobytes) |
| Level 2 cache (L2) L2 (level 2) cache is slower than L1 cache, but in return it has a higher capacity, allowing it to cache more data. It, like L1, is much faster than system memory (RAM). If the processor does not find the requested data in L2, it continues to look for it in the L3 cache (if available) or in RAM memory. | 2048 kB (kilobytes) 2 MB (megabytes) |
| Number of processor cores The processor core executes software instructions. There are processors with one, two or more cores. Having more cores increases performance by allowing multiple instructions to be executed in parallel. | 4 |
| CPU clock speed The clock speed of a processor describes its speed in terms of cycles per second. It is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 2300 MHz (megahertz) |
| Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) The Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) handles calculations for various 2D/3D graphics applications. In mobile devices, it is most often used by games, consumer interfaces, video applications, etc. | Qualcomm Adreno 330 |
| Number of GPU cores Like a CPU, a GPU is made up of several working parts called cores. They handle graphics calculations for various applications. | 4 |
| GPU clock speed Running speed is the clock speed of the GPU, measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz). | 578 MHz (megahertz) |
| Amount of random access memory (RAM) Random access memory (RAM) is used by the operating system and all installed applications. Data stored in RAM is lost after the device is turned off or restarted. | 3 GB (gigabytes) |
| Type of random access memory (RAM) Information about the type of random access memory (RAM) used by the device. | LPDDR3 |
| Number of RAM channels Information about the number of RAM channels that are integrated into the SoC. More channels mean higher data rates. | Dual channel |
| RAM frequency The frequency of RAM determines its operating speed, more specifically, the speed of reading/writing data. | 933 MHz (megahertz) |
Built-in memory
Each mobile device has built-in (non-removable) memory with a fixed capacity.
Memory cards
Memory cards are used in mobile devices to increase the storage capacity for storing data.
Screen
The screen of a mobile device is characterized by its technology, resolution, pixel density, diagonal length, color depth, etc.
| Type/technology One of the main characteristics of the screen is the technology by which it is made and on which the quality of the information image directly depends. | IPS |
| Diagonal For mobile devices, screen size is expressed by the length of its diagonal, measured in inches. | 5.2 in (inches) 132.08 mm (millimeters) 13.21 cm (centimeters) |
| Width Approximate screen width | 2.55 in (inches) 64.75 mm (millimeters) 6.48 cm (centimeters) |
| Height Approximate screen height | 4.53 in (inches) 115.12 mm (millimeters) 11.51 cm (centimeters) |
| Aspect Ratio The ratio of the dimensions of the long side of the screen to its short side | 1.778:1 16:9 |
| Permission Screen resolution shows the number of pixels vertically and horizontally on the screen. Higher resolution means clearer image detail. | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Pixel Density Information about the number of pixels per centimeter or inch of the screen. Higher density allows information to be displayed on the screen with clearer detail. | 424 ppi (pixels per inch) 166 ppcm (pixels per centimeter) |
| Color depth Screen color depth reflects the total number of bits used for color components in one pixel. Information about the maximum number of colors that the screen can display. | 24 bit 16777216 flowers |
| Screen area Approximate percentage of screen area occupied by the screen on the front of the device. | 69.5% (percentage) |
| Other characteristics Information about other screen features and characteristics. | Capacitive Multi-touch Scratch resistance |
| Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 3 Triluminos display for mobile X-Reality display |
Sensors
Different sensors perform different quantitative measurements and convert physical indicators into signals that a mobile device can recognize.
Rear camera
The main camera of a mobile device is usually located on its back panel and may be combined with one or more secondary cameras.
| Sensor model | Sony Exmor RS |
| Sensor type Information about the camera sensor type. Some of the most widely used types of sensors in mobile device cameras are CMOS, BSI, ISOCELL, etc. | CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) |
| Sensor size Information about the dimensions of the photosensor used in the device. Typically, cameras with larger sensors and lower pixel densities offer higher image quality despite the lower resolution. | 6.17 x 4.55 mm (millimeters) 0.3 in (inches) |
| Pixel size Pixels are usually measured in microns. Larger pixels are able to capture more light and therefore provide better low-light photography and wider dynamic range than smaller pixels. On the other hand, smaller pixels allow for higher resolution while maintaining the same sensor size. | 1.176 µm (micrometers) 0.001176 mm (millimeters) |
| Crop factor The crop factor is the ratio between the dimensions of the full-frame sensor (36 x 24 mm, equivalent to a frame of standard 35 mm film) and the dimensions of the device's photosensor. The indicated number represents the ratio of the diagonals of the full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) and the photosensor of a particular device. | 5.64 |
| Svetlosila F-stop (also known as aperture, aperture, or f-number) is a measure of the size of a lens's aperture, which determines the amount of light entering the sensor. The lower the f-number, the larger the aperture and the more light reaches the sensor. Typically the f-number is specified to correspond to the maximum possible aperture of the aperture. | f/2 |
| Focal length Focal length indicates the distance in millimeters from the sensor to the optical center of the lens. Equivalent focal length (35mm) is the focal length of a mobile device camera equal to the focal length of a 35mm full-frame sensor, which will achieve the same viewing angle. It is calculated by multiplying the actual focal length of a mobile device's camera by the crop factor of its sensor. Crop factor can be defined as the ratio between the diagonals of a 35 mm full-frame sensor and the sensor of a mobile device. | 4.79 mm (millimeters) 27.02 mm (millimeters) *(35 mm / full frame) |
| Flash type The rear (rear) cameras of mobile devices mainly use LED flashes. They can be configured with one, two or more light sources and vary in shape. | LED |
| Image Resolution | 5248 x 3936 pixels 20.66 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution | 3840 x 2160 pixels 8.29 MP (megapixels) |
| 30fps (frames per second) | |
| Characteristics Information about additional software and hardware features of the rear (rear) camera. | Autofocus Continuous shooting Digital zoom Digital image stabilization Geographical tags Panoramic photography HDR shooting Touch Focus Face recognition White Balance Adjustment ISO Setting Exposure compensation Self-timer |
| 1080p @ 60 fps |
Front-camera
Smartphones have one or more front cameras of various designs - a pop-up camera, a rotating camera, a cutout or hole in the display, an under-display camera.
| Sensor model Information about the manufacturer and model of the sensor used by the camera. | Sony Exmor R |
| Image Resolution One of the main characteristics of cameras is resolution. It represents the number of horizontal and vertical pixels in an image. For convenience, smartphone manufacturers often list resolution in megapixels, indicating the approximate number of pixels in millions. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video resolution Information about the maximum video resolution that the camera can record. | 1920 x 1080 pixels 2.07 MP (megapixels) |
| Video recording speed (frame rate) Information about the maximum recording speed (frames per second, fps) supported by the camera at maximum resolution. Some of the most basic video recording speeds are 24 fps, 25 fps, 30 fps, 60 fps. | 30fps (frames per second) |
Audio
Information about the type of speakers and audio technologies supported by the device.
Radio
The radio of the mobile device is a built-in FM receiver.
Location determination
Information about the navigation and location technologies supported by your device.
WiFi
Wi-Fi is a technology that provides wireless communication for transmitting data over close distances between various devices.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a standard for secure wireless data transfer between various devices of different types over short distances.
| Version There are several versions of Bluetooth, with each subsequent one improving communication speed, coverage, and making devices easier to discover and connect. Information about the Bluetooth version of the device. | 4.0 |
| Characteristics Bluetooth uses different profiles and protocols that provide faster data transfer, energy savings, improved device discovery, etc. Some of these profiles and protocols that the device supports are shown here. | A2DP (Advanced Audio Distribution Profile) AVRCP (Audio/Visual Remote Control Profile) DIP (Device ID Profile) GAP (Generic Access Profile) GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) HDP (Health Device Profile) HFP (Hands-Free Profile) HID (Human Interface Profile) HSP (Headset Profile) MAP (Message Access Profile) OPP (Object Push Profile) PAN (Personal Area Networking Profile) PBAP/PAB (Phone Book Access Profile) SPP (Serial Port Protocol) |
USB
USB (Universal Serial Bus) is an industry standard that allows different electronic devices to exchange data.
HDMI
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a digital audio/video interface that replaces older analog audio/video standards.
Headphone jack
This is an audio connector, also called an audio jack. The most widely used standard in mobile devices is the 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connecting devices
Information about other important connection technologies supported by your device.
Browser
A web browser is a software application for accessing and viewing information on the Internet.
| Browser Information about some of the main characteristics and standards supported by the device's browser. | HTML HTML5 CSS 3 |
Audio file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different audio file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital audio data.
Video file formats/codecs
Mobile devices support different video file formats and codecs, which respectively store and encode/decode digital video data.
Battery
Mobile device batteries differ from each other in their capacity and technology. They provide the electrical charge necessary for their functioning.
| Capacity A battery's capacity indicates the maximum charge it can hold, measured in milliamp-hours. | 3200 mAh (milliamp-hours) |
| Type The type of battery is determined by its structure and, more precisely, the chemicals used. There are different types of batteries, with lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries being the most commonly used batteries in mobile devices. | Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) |
| 2G talk time 2G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 2G network. | 15 h (hours) 900 min (minutes) 0.6 days |
| 2G latency 2G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 2G network. | 690 h (hours) 41400 min (minutes) 28.8 days |
| 3G talk time 3G talk time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged during a continuous conversation on a 3G network. | 19 h (hours) 1140 min (minutes) 0.8 days |
| 3G latency 3G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 3G network. | 740 h (hours) 44400 min (minutes) 30.8 days |
| 4G latency 4G standby time is the period of time during which the battery charge is completely discharged when the device is in stand-by mode and connected to a 4G network. | 640 h (hours) 38400 min (minutes) 26.7 days |
| Characteristics Information about some additional characteristics of the device's battery. | Fixed |
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)
The SAR level refers to the amount of electromagnetic radiation absorbed by the human body while using a mobile device.
| Head SAR level (EU) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device close to the ear in a conversation position. In Europe, the maximum permissible SAR value for mobile devices is limited to 2 W/kg per 10 grams of human tissue. This standard has been established by CENELEC in accordance with IEC standards, subject to the guidelines of ICNIRP 1998. | 0.375 W/kg (Watt per kilogram) |
| Head SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation that the human body is exposed to when holding a mobile device near the ear. The maximum value used in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. Mobile devices in the US are regulated by the CTIA, and the FCC conducts tests and sets their SAR values. | 1.34 W/kg (Watt per kilogram) |
| Body SAR level (US) The SAR level indicates the maximum amount of electromagnetic radiation to which the human body is exposed when holding a mobile device at hip level. The highest permissible SAR value in the USA is 1.6 W/kg per 1 gram of human tissue. This value is set by the FCC, and the CTIA monitors mobile devices' compliance with this standard. | 0.82 W/kg (Watt per kilogram) |
Sony continues to develop its mobile business, concentrating on integrating all its best practices into one single top-end smartphone. The founder of the new Xperia Z line was more of a trial pen, but the Xperia Z1 was supposed to be the real embodiment of all the best features of the company. However, the product turned out to be very controversial, since the expectations of some potential buyers turned out to be somewhat too high, and the Xperia Z1, although it tried to meet them, was not completely able to. However, the company continued to work actively, learning to work with new materials, a unified design concept and software. The result of this painstaking work was the Sony Xperia Z2 - the company's current flagship, which is not only an improved version of the Xperia Z1 on all fronts, but also in some aspects a completely new product. The device was supposed to be released on the market at the end of March, but, alas, this happened only in a few countries, while the global release was slightly delayed. In Russia, the phone will appear on shelves in the first half of May at a price of 29,990 rubles, but it arrived for testing a little earlier, so let’s move on to a closer acquaintance with the device.
Technical characteristics of Sony Xperia Z2:
- Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA (850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz), LTE (800/900/1800/2100/2600 MHz)
- Platform (at time of announcement): Android 4.4.2 KitKat
- Display: capacitive, 5.2", 1920 x 1080 pixels, IPS TRILUMINOS, X-Reality for mobile, Live Color
- Camera: 20.7 MP, f/2.0, 1/2.3”, 1.1 µm, LED flash, autofocus, Full HD video recording, Sony Exmor RS sensor, G Lens optics, SteadyShot electronic stabilizer, 4K@30fps video recording, video recording 720p@120fps
- Front camera: 2.1 MP
- Processor: 4 cores, 2.3 GHz, Snapdragon 801
- Graphics chip: Adreno 330
- RAM: 3 GB
- Internal memory: 16 GB
- Memory card: microSD
- A-GPS and GLONASS
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n)
- microUSB 2.0
- 3.5mm jack
- IP55/IP58 protection
- Battery: non-removable, 3200 mAh
- Operating time in audio player mode: up to 110 hours
- Dimensions: 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm
- Weight: 158 g
- Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
- Type: smartphone
- Announcement date: February 24, 2014
- Sales start date: April 2014
Video review and unboxing
Design and equipment
As is usually the case with Sony smartphones, a non-commercial version of the device arrived for testing - a so-called demo sample for journalists, which is as close in quality as possible to production samples. As you may have noticed in the unboxing above, we initially received the Xperia Z2 in white, but for the preparation of the review it was replaced with a more recent black sample in order to minimize possible risks and eliminate inappropriate behavior in any use scenarios, be it excessive heating or instability. Someone will probably say that it would have been easier to get a Singapore commercial sample, but it is not intended for sales in our country, it may differ in quality (from the earliest batches) and software (for example, this was the case with the Xperia Z Ultra phablet, which Asia appeared earlier than in the rest of the world and was sold there with very crude and early software), so we waited for the official European model, which will appear on sale with us.
Alas, the configuration of the demonstration device is somewhat different from that intended for sale in our country. In the box you can find a 1.5 A EP850 charging block, a cable for connections and charging, simple in-ear headphones, and various instructions. The official kit for Russia will delight the buyer with a high-quality Sony MDR-NC31EM headset with noise reduction. For other markets, it is possible to be equipped not only with it, but also with a magnetic charging dock - keep in mind the difference in the kits if you decide to buy a “gray” smartphone.
In terms of design, we already have a typical Sony flagship. The ideas of the OmniBalance design concept with complete symmetry on all sides, laid down in the Xperia Z, continue to flourish here, but with certain modifications, passed through the experience with the Xperia Z1. Don't assume that the Z2 is no different from the Z1 in look and feel - just hold both smartphones in your hands to see how different they are. Sony Xperia Z2 has become a little thinner and lighter than the Z1, but has a more capacious battery and is a little longer. The new flagship feels in the hand much closer to the classic Xperia Z with straight and sharp edges, that is, it is very different from the smooth and streamlined Xperia Z1. The glass body and solid metal frame remained in place, but the frame received soft-touch coating, which makes using the smartphone a little more convenient by reducing slipping in the hand. Interestingly, the black Xperia Z2 has a purple coating under certain lighting conditions. In real life it looks a little less impressive and catchy than in the photo.
The front and back panels finally lost their protective films (and acquired good oleophobic properties), which wear out very quickly and become unusable, which were not so easy to get rid of, which also threatened the loss of Sony logos (and for some this is quite important detail). Despite this, the Xperia Z2 remains as durable as its predecessors. It is not afraid of small scratches, but accidental falls or intentional damage will quickly affect the appearance of the glass case. Sony foresaw this and prepared a branded flip case for the smartphone’s release to the market, which you could see in the preliminary review of the device. If you are worried about the safety of such a precious gadget, this case or any other case is strictly recommended for purchase. Although, of course, nothing prevents you from covering the Xperia Z2 with any films, it certainly won’t make it any worse. Protection from water and dust according to IP55/58 standards has not disappeared anywhere, which means that with Z2 you can swim without fear in fresh water up to one and a half meters deep, but no more than 30 minutes, or wash it under the tap. The main thing is not to forget to dry the hole under the headphones without using a wired connection after swimming for about two hours.
The smartphone received a 5.2" TRILUMINOS touch display, made using IPS technology using the latest Live Color LED development, which consists of adding particles of red and blue phosphorus to the backlight to expand the color gamut and the best color reproduction. The proprietary X software has not gone away either -Reality, which saturates the image even more in photos and videos, but it can be used or not. If we discard all marketing terms and technological aspects, then we have simply an excellent IPS display with maximum viewing angles, acceptable inversion when tilting, no fading and excellent color rendition. Sony has never had anything better for smartphones, you can safely forget about the screens of the Xperia Z, Z1 and even the Z Ultra and Z1 Compact. In addition, the display recognizes wet touches (I personally found typing in the rain much more comfortable, than on the Z and even more so on the ultra-sensitive screen of the Z Ultra, although heavy rain can cause involuntary activation of a variety of interface elements), supports operation with gloves and the use of a simple pencil, keys, and paper clips as a stylus to remove SIM cards.
Above the screen are traditional light and proximity sensors, the Sony logo, and a 2.1-megapixel front camera. The earpiece, equipped with an LED notification indicator, is also a multimedia speaker, and is complemented by another multimedia speaker located under the screen. Together they form an excellent stereo pair, but the lower speaker sounds noticeably louder than the upper one, and when there is an incoming call, the sound comes only from one of them - the lower one. For listening to music instead of a small speaker, this option is excellent, but for notification of calls and events it is very controversial, since there is a high chance of missing something important. It is possible that this is a software feature and will be corrected in the future (perhaps the programmers simply could not immediately teach the phone to switch the loud sound of the top speaker during a call to a quiet one for conversations when holding the device to the head. HTC One (M8) (review) with When calling, both speakers play, but there is a separate one for conversations.However, even one bottom speaker of the Z2 sounds better and louder than the Xperia Z1 and especially the Xperia Z.
On the left side there is a magnetic connector for a dock or an adapter from microUSB to charging, a slot for a microSIM card, and an MHL port (both under a flap). There you can also see a red emergency shutdown button. Below you can see the hole for the strap (Japanese loyalty to tradition). The bottom end is equipped with a voice microphone hidden in three holes, the top end is equipped with a microphone for noise reduction during a conversation and video recording with stereo sound. There is also a 3.5 mm port for headphones. The bundled NC31EM noise-canceling headphones for the Russian market, by the way, are poorly compatible with other devices (especially non-Sony ones), since they use a 5-pin connector that provides support for the unique digital noise reduction function first implemented in the Xperia Z2. That is, the noise is dampened not only by the headphones themselves with microphones, but also by the phone itself, which is paired with them. The same goes for the separate STM10 stereo microphone, but for recording high-quality concert sound, which will also be available for purchase. The right side features the signature metal power button, volume rocker and photo key. There is also a microSD slot under the flap. There's nothing on the filmless glass rear panel other than the 20.7-megapixel camera, flash, and Sony, Xperia, and NFC logos.
The device is assembled perfectly, free of creaks and backlashes. Maximum solidity is achieved by the absence of collapsible parts and a removable battery (this atavism is long overdue for the dustbin of history), coupled with protection from dust and water. The phone feels expensive and of high quality, befitting its price tag of 29,990 rubles.
Software
The smartphone out of the box runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat, firmware version 17.1.A.2.55. It includes significant improvements in speed and smoothness of operation, fixes of various bugs, etc. The minor update numbered 17.1.A.2.69 has just appeared on the horizon and has not appeared on the test device at the time of writing the review.
The proprietary Xperia Home shell in the version for Android KitKat has undergone significant changes (lockscreen with sparkles and launching the camera by swiping from the bottom, transparent status and control bars, new design themes with live wallpapers in the style of PlayStation 4, expanded controls in the top line, all KitKat innovations), some of which are described in a separate material. In the case of the Sony Xperia Z2, the company has reserved several unique features that are unique to this smartphone and are not planned for implementation in previous models. Below I will try to describe them all, and touch on some key features of the new version of the shell, which are also characteristic of other models.
Xperia Connectivity Options now feature a one-touch setup for Xperia devices running KitKat or higher, enabling Bluetooth, Screen mirroring, Xperia Link and Media Server. There are much more options in personal settings. Now, for example, you can disable almost all system icons in the status bar if you don't need them. In the case of the Xperia Z2, motion settings have been added here - answering calls by holding the device to your ear, rejecting a call by shaking the smartphone, and turning off the call signal by turning the screen down.
The Home screen allows you to choose how information is displayed on your desktop. Essentially these are two launchers - Xperia Home and Simple Home Screen, reminiscent of that in Samsung devices. It displays only the main parameters on the desktop in the form of large icons and is intended for older people and completely novice users. In the call settings, you can enable an answering machine, which makes simple voicemail unnecessary. The phone offers to record a greeting, after which it will be able to handle incoming calls and save voice messages in memory. It’s nice that this feature has also been given to other Xperia smartphones along with the update to KitKat. In addition, the ICE (In Case Of Emergency) function, which is useful in case of any troubles, has appeared, which is a map of your medical data and emergency contacts. Can be displayed on the lock screen and is available for all Xperia with KitKat.
In the Sound settings, the usual sound effects have not gone away (equalizers and gadgets for the player, as well as various enhancements for smartphone speakers), but the sections Audio Accessories and Hi-Res Audio via USB have been added to them. In the first case, the function uses new branded accessories with a 5-pin connector from Sony (the same separate microphone and headset with noise reduction), and in the second case it is proposed to connect a special amplifier to play high-quality audio with sound effects disabled (for example, the proprietary Sony PHA-2 at a price of $500-$600). It’s difficult to say how a smartphone will perform with this amplifier, as well as with other non-branded amplifiers, since I haven’t personally tested the capabilities yet, but we will try to do this in the future and supplement the material.
In the display settings you can find the usual X-Reality for Mobile enhancement, which makes the image in photos and videos richer, glove mode, white balance, intelligent backlight control (leaves the screen on while you hold the phone in your hand), exiting sleep mode double tapping on the locked screen, notification indicator (hidden in the slot of the top speaker). The remaining parameters remained virtually unchanged, you can see all of them in the screenshots.
Branded pre-installed applications are also in place (Walkman player, Album gallery, Movies, etc.), which have received an improved design with more convenient controls and functionality (the calendar, for example, now displays the weather for the next few days). A new widget and a What's New section have appeared, displaying various interesting new items from the world of applications and games. The PlayStation client has been added to the built-in applications (possibly only on the sample for Europe). Interestingly, thanks to the Xperia Lounge application, you can get several free movies from Sony and an exclusive in the form of a free new album of unreleased tracks by Michael Jackson. Other offers are possible over time. Currently, for example, they are offering 2 months of free use of the music portal Deezer.
Third-party programs are represented by the Evernote note-taking utility, the OfficeSuite document viewer, the Pixlr Express photo editor, and the File Commander file manager. It’s impossible to say anything special about them.
Camera
The smartphone, like its predecessor Xperia Z1 (and even the Z1 compact), received a 20.7-megapixel camera, which remained unchanged in terms of hardware, but was heavily corrected in software terms. For example, the same frame shot on the Z2 and Z1 compact weighs one and a half to two times more in the case of the new flagship. We reduced the compression, tweaked the algorithms a little, and now we have perhaps the best modern smartphone camera.
The interface, meanwhile, remained unchanged, except that additional features were added. This includes support for 4K video recording, which is so relevant today (interestingly, the Xperia Z1 with the KitKat update did not receive it, although this feature was initially tested on early firmware), and HD video recording at a speed of 120 frames per second with the ability to slow down any areas as many times as you like (the main difference from the analogue in the iPhone 5S), and Full HD video recording at 60 fps, and software background blur in the style of DSLR cameras. All previously available camera applications and add-ons have been updated and improved. Below you can see examples of photos and videos.
I was interested in comparing how much the new flagship is superior in photo quality to the “grandfather” Xperia Z. In daytime conditions the difference in quality is colossal, but in poor conditions the Z2 does not shoot much better.
Examples of photos from Sony Xperia Z2:
Examples of photos from Sony Xperia Z:
Examples of photos from Sony Xperia Z1 Compact:
Examples of photos from Meizu MX3:
Examples of photos from LG Nexus 5 (without and with HDR+):
Examples of photos from Apple iPhone 5S:
The same is true in comparison with the iPhone 5S, which in the examples with a toy horse in a dark room out of the entire crowd of devices (Nexus 5, Meizu MX3, Xperia Z1 Compact and Xperia Z) produced the best and most correct result. In daytime examples, all devices are approximately comparable, with slight deviations in one direction or another.
Other examples of photos from Sony Xperia Z2:
without and with HDR
without and with HDR
I would also like to mention macro photography. Z2 does it very well. But shooting in poor conditions definitely still has room for improvement.
As for the video, examples in 1080p quality at different speeds are equally good in both picture quality and sound; the SteadyShot software stabilizer works properly and makes the moving picture incredibly smooth. Slow-mo video also looks pretty good, the ability to slow down several segments at once and the ease of saving files for transferring to other devices or a computer are nice (you get two videos - slow-motion and 120 fps).
Not everything is clear with 4K video. For example, when photographing bees on flowers, I did not see incredible clarity when zooming in on the image during recording (apparently the camera did not have time to adjust and focus properly in such a scenario), although overall both examples look great. The duration of 4K video recording is limited by free memory (a minute of recording eats up 400 MB) and the temperature state of the device. When recording such a video, all the hardware's performance is used, so it is better to record such videos in chunks, otherwise, after exceeding the threshold of 4 minutes of recording, the phone will report the possibility of overheating and close the camera. It’s nice that the recorded video can be immediately trimmed and saved in the gallery, and this is done in literally a couple of clicks, and saving occurs quite quickly. Be sure to watch the original video (download from here), YouTube spoils the quality very much.
Benchmarks and Performance
The smartphone is built on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset with Adreno 330 graphics accelerator and 3 GB of RAM. According to these characteristics, Sony Xperia Z2 is the leader among the flagships of the first half of 2014. Does this provide any noticeable advantage? The shell, despite its great lightness and airiness, sometimes manages to falter or does not work quickly enough (especially if you leave the beautiful branded animated wallpaper on the desktop). This is somewhat annoying to observe, given such advanced technical characteristics, but in fairness, the Samsung Galaxy S5 also cannot boast of an absolutely fast and smooth interface, and yet it is already on sale and has the final commercial software, while the Xperia Z2 will still receive a minor update with fixes, and It’s not a fact that before the global launch in May it will be limited to just this. For most tasks, however, the speed is more than comfortable.
The synthetic results, however, were not without oddities. For unknown reasons, both the HTC One (M8) and the Xperia Z2 in Vellamo score lower than their predecessors based on the Snapdragon 800. Probably, this is due to the lack of optimization of the test for new chips and Android KitKat (Vellamo writes that in HTML5- test results may be incorrect). In most cases, the performance of the Xperia Z2 will satisfy all lovers of virtual parrots. In AnTuTu, the maximum result was 34,998 points, but it was obtained in the refrigerator after several runs of the test, while the usual result of the Z2 barely exceeded 34,000 and dropped significantly after the second and third runs. In Quadrant, the device scored 18,995 points, Geekbench - 944/2894, 3DMark - 18,679, Basemark OS II - 1216, Epic Citadel - 55.7 fps, GFXBench - 12.5/11.7/29.1/27.3 fps.
According to the results of the Stability Test, we can note a fairly typical heating level for all modern flagships (45 degrees - nothing special, this is the level of the Galaxy S5 and One (M8), but the One X+ heated up to 56, the Xiaomi Mi3 heats up to 57 - this is where you need to raise the alarm ), the discharge for half an hour of the test was 18%.
In the case of the games Asphalt 8, Dead Trigger 2 and Real Racing 3 with maximum graphics, no performance problems are observed. Plus, they all support Android KitKat full-screen mode and hide the on-screen control keys, so it's a pleasure to play. But GTA San Andreas with maximum settings openly lags, even more than on devices with Snapdragon 800. It didn’t perform the best there either, but here there is no optimization for the new chips, nor is there a full-screen mode.
In HD video playback mode at maximum brightness and volume, without a SIM card (to eliminate the negative influence of not the most stable Moscow networks), the Xperia Z2 can last about 12 hours with a discharge rate of about 9% per hour. In everyday use in active or medium-active mode with listening to music, the Internet via LTE/3G/Wi-Fi, social networks and trips around the city with rare calls and SMS, you can count on a full day of work with 6.5 hours of active screen. This is an excellent result, superior to, for example, the Xperia Z Ultra. This is thanks to the 3200 mAh battery and better optimization of power consumption in the Snapdragon 801.
There were a few strange glitches during testing. For example, immediately after turning on the device, an attempt to adjust the status bar controls causes the Android UI process to crash (seen on the white and black Xperia Z2, the problem is purely software), although no problems arise with this in the future. Another bug concerns the camera viewfinder freezing after unlocking the smartphone with the camera button and directly launching it. This happens approximately once out of three or four launches and only when unlocked with the camera button. Naturally, these are just minor software imperfections that will probably be corrected in due course; there is no need to panic over them.
There were no complaints about the telephone functions. In terms of sound quality and maximum volume level in very high-quality headphones (Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ear were used) with tracks purchased from iTunes, the Xperia Z2 surpasses all Sony smartphones that have been tested up to this point, but in comparison with other devices, not everything is so simple. The sound of the iPhone 5S can be described as a little deeper and more massive than that of the Z2, where the sound is a little softer, rather more suitable for light music, while on the iPhone you can comfortably listen to both heavy guitar parts and massive electronic drumming. The Xperia Z2 has no volume reserve, while the iPhone is capable of producing 20-25 percent louder and more powerful sound. Meizu MX3, also used for comparison, sounds better than both of them - more detailed, richer and more balanced, and the volume margin is even greater. And this is without resorting to various equalizers, proprietary enhancers and third-party players. I’ll leave experiments with third-party players up to you; there’s nothing to do with equalizers and enhancements like ClearAudio+ on good headphones. It was not possible to check the ability to play Hi-Res Audio and its quality during testing, but we will definitely try to do this in the future and supplement the review, as mentioned above.
conclusions
Sony finally has a true flagship, without any compromises in terms of design, materials, screen, camera or sound. It is no worse than any other flagship of its competitors, and in many respects it may be better for some. What you can’t take away from a smartphone is premium materials and a stylish appearance, coupled with protection from water and dust, an excellent package for Russia with a very cool and high-quality headset, the presence of interesting accessories, optimal battery life, good quality images in not the most difficult conditions, beautiful and comfortable shell. Yes, there are some rough edges in the early software, the shell has become a little more shiny and clumsy, with two speakers of different volumes it turned out somehow indistinct, and in general there is still something to work on, but for me personally, the main flagship of this half of the year is definitely the Xperia Z2. At a price of 29,990 rubles, it will be a good candidate for purchase and is perhaps the most balanced device among all the current top-end Android smartphones.
More pixels. Large matrix. Amazing resultsXperia Z2 combines a large 20.7MP 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS™ mobile image sensor, award-winning Sony G Lens, intelligent BIONZ™ image processing and ultra-crisp 4K video recording. This unique combination allows the Xperia Z2 to rival compact digital cameras in performance and image quality. The resulting images are highly clear and bright in any shooting conditions.
Enjoy unprecedented sound
Digital noise cancellation can cancel out up to 98% of ambient sounds. This technology is based on the so-called active noise cancellation system, which eliminates low-frequency noise so that high frequencies do not even reach the user. Thanks to the digital noise reduction function built into the smartphone, even the small MDR-NC31EM headphones will sound perfectly clear. Ambient noise is detected using a microphone and then compensated by the Xperia device's special dynamic system - resulting in perfectly clear sound. And thanks to powerful dual stereo speakers, Xperia Z2 sounds even more realistic. Two separate speakers create deep, natural sound.
An unforgettable viewing experience
Xperia Z2 is built with the latest Sony TV technologies optimized for mobile devices. It uses state-of-the-art Live Color LED technology to enhance the depth and richness of color, unique to Sony Mobile displays. The IPS matrix provides a wide viewing angle and accurate color reproduction at any angle. The large 5.2-inch TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile devices with Full HD and X-Reality technology has a 1920 x 1080 resolution and progressive scan for amazingly clear photos without jagged edges. When you add in a pixel density of 423 ppi, you can be sure that your smartphone's images will always be incredibly clear and bright.
Perfection in every detail
The Xperia Z2 combines the best of Sony. Only the highest quality materials have been used to craft the smartphone, with a stunning unibody aluminum body and glass panels that reflect the world around you. With a perfectly balanced design, the 5.2" display looks great from any angle.
Always ready for the unexpected
Sony's Xperia Z2 is rated IP55/IP58, making this sleek and stylish smartphone resistant to water and even the smallest particles of dust. With the waterproof Xperia Z2 smartphone, you can take up to 30 minutes of photos while swimming in fresh water. You can even dive to a depth of 1.5 meters with it! Just remember that all connectors: for Micro USB, Micro-SIM card and memory card - must be securely closed.
Take your game to the next level
PS4™ Remote Play gives you the freedom to play wherever you want: simply switch from your PS4 console to your smartphone or tablet and continue playing in another room. All you need is an Xperia device connected to your home WI-FI network and a DUALSHOCK®4 controller. Done: now you dictate the terms of the game yourself.
* To use the Remote Play feature, you must install the latest software update.
Amazing speed and performance
This tablet runs on the latest Sony software and is powered by the latest ultra-powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 processor. This advanced quad-core processor is 75% faster than the S4 Pro processor, delivering maximum power and speed with incredible battery life. Run multiple apps simultaneously, search the web with minimal load times, and stream videos without lag. Thanks to the asynchronous architecture, each processor core is powered independently of the others. This way, you get exactly the power you need at the moment without draining your battery unnecessarily.
Any connection with one touch
How many hours have you spent trying to connect different devices? It's a thing of the past now. Use NFC technology to share data such as videos, photos, web addresses, music files or contacts with other NFC-enabled Sony devices. NFC (Near Field Communication) technology allows you to quickly and easily connect any electronic devices with just one touch without using wires. View photos and videos from your smartphone on your TV or play music through a wireless speaker. No hassle with cables, buttons or settings. Why bother when you can just have fun?
*For details when making this connection, please refer to the instruction manual of your compatible device. You may need to turn on Wi-Fi® or Bluetooth® on both devices to make the connection work.
From your smartphone - straight to the big screen
Who said that you can duplicate the contents of your smartphone on a big screen only if you have a TV that supports NFC technology? Or that without this technology you can't switch between headphones and speakers? Content from a Bluetooth-enabled smartphone can be transferred to a Wi-Fi-enabled TV using the Throw function, which involves screen mirroring or using DLNA technology. And you can transfer music to speakers via Bluetooth. With Intelligent Throw, your smartphone determines the best way to connect wirelessly to other devices. You can also use Miracast™ Wireless Display, which lets you stream content from your smartphone to your TV over Wi-Fi.
Loading...
