Our man Dicky attended the Sony Experia Z launch event on the 26th February and here are his thoughts:
On first impression the Sony Experia Z looked like a brick, Having been an IPhone user forever I was attending this launch with low expectations, but after 5 minutes it turned out I really liked it.
Yes it’s bigger than my usual phone and could take some getting used to; when the Iphone 5 was released it took me a while to get used to the extra screen size, but with all the functionality of the Sony, you really need the big screen to make the most out of it. 2Mb memory as standard, with up to 16MB internally available but can be expanded to 32MB via a micro STDM card.
The phone does not seem to weigh as much as you think it would (146 grams) and is nicely balanced in the hand. The button on the side to activate the screen is well placed and the phone reacts quickly to any command or swipe of the screen. The 13 Mega pixel Camera is phenomenal taking exceptional photographs, the Walkman feature which allows you to listen to music is also very good. Flicking through the settings is a breeze and if you want to change the visual appearance of the phone, this can be done in seconds. Sony claim that the screen is scratch proof with a new film fitted during manufacture to the front and back which considering how much abuse our phones take is a great thing.
The Movie playback is in full HD and there is not a flicker of delay when playback is in operation. Game play is the same, fantastic quality with all the features you would expect on a tablet.
The phone connects with ease to NFC-enabled Sony devices such as PlayStation 3 and Sony Vaio Laptop with just a touch of the phone to the controller or device. If you don’t have a NFC-enabled Sony device, cables can be used as normal.
As the Experia Z is an Android supported phone most of the usual apps are there to download.
The phone is water proof for 30 mins up to a depth of 1 meter and the camera or video can be used while submerged, the phone however is not usable!
The built in Navigation system was unfortunately not running on the model I reviewed but this was explained that they were prototypes with a limited operating system, however this did not effect my 2 hours of constant “playing” with the phone.
I’d say it is more like a cross between a phone and a touchscreen tablet, an interesting direction for Sony to go. Is this a phone I would replace my IPhone with……. guiltily, I might just say yes.
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
Nerd Comments