Edward Swift - Hands On: Sony Xperia Z2

The Xperia Z2, Sony’s new high-end smartphone, is here. It’s described by the company as “the world’s best camera and camcorder in a waterproof smartphone”, and in that respect it does not lie. Sony has taken the smartphone and focused on it being a portable camera that we have with us at all times. And to be honest, that’s one of the key uses for smartphones now.

The Z2 has a very powerful camera, shooting up to 20.7 megapixels. They also boast a 1/2.3 inch sensor that they claim is 30 percent bigger than standard smartphone camera sensors. The combination of the two allows the user to take stunning photos that you’d never guess were taken with a smartphone. The video quality is superb, with the ability to record and 720p and 1080p. But remarkably they’ve upped the ante, giving the user 4K video recording.

They’ve also come up with a number of camera features and apps to enhance their camera offering. There’s the ability to unfocus the background of a photo, make a sweeping panorama, and to add creative effects, which has become commonplace in most smartphones now (or if not there’s always Instagram).

One of the features I liked though is ‘timeshift burst’ mode. The camera takes 61 photos in two seconds as you take the photo. That way if you’re taking a photo of someone and they blink, you don’t have to retake the photo – you just choose the best shot. The fact that you have so many options to choose from is a step up from similar features on other smartphones.

Watching videos is a breeze. With its 5.2” Full HD display, I could easily sit and watch a video on the bus without any quality issues.

As has become the standard for smartphones, it is waterproof up to 1.50m of freshwater for up to 30 minutes and dustproof. However it does rely on you making sure that all the covers and slots are closed, otherwise you might find yourself needing a replacement phone.

The battery was also very good. Over the week or so that I trialled the phone, I found I only needed to charge it every day and a half. 4G capabilities also meant I could surf the net without having to wait ages for page to load or videos to play.

The big downside I found is that it is a very big phone. At 146.8mm by 73.3mm and 8.2mm thick, it is a tad bigger than its competitors. And while it does boast a ‘premium’ design, it’s nearly square corners did make it feel a bit clunky in my pocket.

Overall it’s a very good phone and has the ability to be a serious competitor in the smartphone market. But what will be interesting to watch is what its competitors do to try and top it, and what Sony does to try and keep outdoing those same competitors.

Sony Xperia Z2

• 163 grams
• 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm
• 20.7 MP camera
• 5.2” Full HD TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile with X-Reality for mobile picture engine
• 16,777,216 colours Full HD 1920x1080 pixels
• Google Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
• 2.3 GHz Qualcomm MSM8974AB Quad-core
• Waterproof (IP55 and IP58)
• Dust-resistant (IP55)
• Talk time: up to 19 hours***
• Standby time: up to 740 hours***
• Music listening time: Up to 120 hours***
• Video playback time: Up to 10 hours***
• Battery: 3200 mAh minimum
• RRP $949.95

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