Testing the Xperia Z Ultra: the last of the Sony Xperia Z Series

Sony invited me to Munich and presented its new device, the Xperia Z Ultra. The 6.4 inch smartphone-tablet hybrid and I got to spend some bonding time together during which I tested it out for your reading enjoyment.

The magnetic dock works also as a charger. / © AndroidPIT

Design

Xperia Z, Xperia Tablet Z and now the Xperia Z Ultra. All three devices have one thing in common: the design. Sony calls this ''OmniBalance'' and has put an emphasis on high quality materials and a round power button made from aluminum located on the right side of the device. The front and back sides of the Xperia Z Ultra are fabricated completely from glass while the frame is made from aluminum. Sony only selected plastic for the protective port covering.

The headphone jack is open on the Xperia Z Ultra, that being said, it's still water-proof. / © AndroidPIT

The Xperia Z Ultra is 6.5 inches thin meaning that it's 0.3 mm thicker than the Huawei Ascend P6. Despite its sturdy 6.4 inch display, the entire device feels comfortable to hold thanks to the fact that Sony has made it slightly curved which gives the body's frame a convex form. That being said, the huge hybrid isn't at all optimized for small hands and one-hand operation is out of the question. You'll only be able to stick this into your pant pocket when the latter is big enough for such things.

Not really made for pockets! / © AndroidPIT

Display

For those who don't have a problem with its size, you'll get pumped about the full HD screen which glimmers with lush colors, high brightness and most importantly, great readability on an angle. Even when drastically tilted, the colors don't look washed out and remain quite natural. According to Sony, this is due to their Triluminos technology which is being implemented here in a smartphone for the first time. A few other key traits belonging to this device are the strong background lighting as well as intense color tones.

Watching videos with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a lot of fun! / © AndroidPIT

Software

The Xperia Z Ultra is packing Android 4.2.2 as well as Sony's very own user interface. Compared to the Xperia Z, Sony made a few changes: for one, the app drawer which presents an overview of all your installed apps is now shown in a pull-out bar found on the left side. This is used to sort and delete apps. What's more, the colors are also a lot lighter than those on the Xperia Z: the settings have received a white background instead of black and many of the apps have become lighter as well. The same goes for the keyboard which is now significantly flatter and rich in contrast.

App drawer and settings: Sony change the look of the UI in many places. / © AndroidPIT

During the course of my test, everything worked free of glitches and dropouts. It becomes immediately apparent that Sony equipped its new device with the Snapdragon 800, the strongest mobile processor offered on the market right now. The system reacts smoothly and stutter-free at all times.

Stylus Operation

The Xperia Z Ultra can also be controlled with a pen or stylus if so desired. This is quite a novelty in comparison to other stylus devices like the Galaxy Note 8. It functions using an electric high-sensitive touchscreen which reacts to even the smallest change in pressure on the display. This doesn't just work with the finger but also the stylus. In practice it worked quite well, however when you only use the pen, there was a delay of a few seconds.
Sony offers apps for handwriting recognition and sketch drawing where you have the choice of many pens and stamps. All in all the manufacturer offers far less software features as Samsung does with the Galaxy Note, which has been almost completely optimized for S-Pen usage.

A nice pass-time: Sony's App for sketching. / © AndroidPIT

Camera

The test photos that I took with the 8 MP camera included a slight blue nuance, though this could simply be caused by an incomplete software installed on the pre-series device. In terms of screen resolution, there wasn't anything to complain about in my test. I found it a shame that the camera doesn't include an LED flash. When a device's price starts a 780 US dollars, this is simply a standard feature to include.

The LED flash was left out. The NFC logo on the other hand was imprinted onto the body and this time not as a sticker. / © AndroidPIT

Bottom Line

The Xperia Z Ultra completes the Xperia Z line which was explained to me by a Sony rep during the visit. This will be the last device in this series and it's pretty clear that the manufacturer has come up with a worthy last contribution. The one point of criticism that I need to utter is the missing flash, but other than that I was completely happy with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra during the course of my short test. The Xperia Z Ultra should appear in the US market in the third quarter of this year, however no definite price has been decided as of yet. That being said, we can predict it being around the 780 US dollar mark.

The Xperia Z and the Z Ultra in comparison. / © AndroidPIT

Tech Specs

Display	6.4 inch, 1920 x 1080 pixels, 342 ppi, LCD "Triluminos-Bildschirm with X-Reality-Engine"
Processor	Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974), 2.2 Gigahertz, Quad-Core, Adreno 330 (GPU), 2 GB RAM
Camera	8 Megapixel, Exmor-RS-Sensor, Superfast-funktion, HDR
Connectivity	LTE, HSPA+, GSM, WLAN n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, HDMI (MHL)
OS	Android 4.2.2 with Sony UI
Memory	16 GB + microSD
Battery	3000 mAh
Dimensions	179 x 92 x 6.5 mm
Weight	212 grams

Ascend P6 vs HTC One, Galaxy S4, and Xperia Z

With the official announcement of the Ascend P6 yesterday in London; Huawei is hoping to jump into the ring of high-end smartphones with the release of their ultra slim design. Whether or not the Chinese company can compete in the race for the top Android phone, alongside the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z, and Samsung Galaxy S4 still remains to be unclear. However, let’s have a look at all the devices side by side.

So, how does the Ascend P6 stack up compard to the rest? / © AndroidPIT

Media attention was all on board for the presentation of the Huawei Ascend P6 last night and as a part of the major event the smartphone was revealed to the assembled tech press. Here at AndroidPIT, we had a correspondent on location during the reveal and the first impressions of the device were very positive.
Behind the impressive design of this new smartphone, lies a somewhat confusing lump of hardware specs that don’t quite fit in with the coveted top spot it seems to be seeking. The Huawei Ascend P6 still does rank pretty well, but when put against the competitors in the same class, it seems to rank more closely to an upper mid class device. So, the main question remains: can the Ascend P6 keep up with the others? I’ve decided to compare it on seven different categories below.

	Ascend P6	HTC One	Galaxy S4	Xperia Z
Material:	Aluminium	Aluminium	Plastic	Glass
Display:	4.7 inches, LCD 1.280 x 720 Pixel 312 ppi	4.7 inches, LCD 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 469 ppi	5 inches, AMOLED 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 441 ppi	5 inches, LCD 1.920 x 1.080 Pixel 441 ppi
Processor:	Huawei K3V2 1.5 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.7 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 1.9 GHz, Quad-Core	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5 GHz, Quad-Core
Software:	Android 4.2.2 Emotion UI	Android 4.1.2 HTC Sense 5	Android 4.2.2 TouchWiz	Android 4.1.2 Xperia UI
BAttery:	2.000 mAh	2.300 mAh	2.600 mAh	2.320 mAh
Dimensiomns:	132.6 x 65.5 x 6.18 mm	137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm	136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm	139 x 71 x 7.9 mm
Price (Amazon.com)	North American prices unconfirmed. From 449 € Euros.	From $680 US Dollars	From $630 US Dollars	From $590 US Dollars

Material

When it comes to the material that is preferred on a device, that of course is a matter of personal taste. The debate about the pros and cons of each material isn’t worth getting into a heated discussion over, however, personally, I think an aluminum body looks elegant and sleek, feels good, and is less susceptible to grease stains and fingerprints. As such, the HTC One and Ascend P6 are front-runners in my eyes.

Display

When looking at the data sheet above, you can see that the Ascend P6 has the lowest resolution, pixel density, and screen size (along with the HTC One) out of the bunch. In practice, however, the readability of LCD panels in the open air is known to be better than that of AMOLED screens and as we stated in a previous post, the human eye cannot distinguish anything more than 300 ppi at a normal viewing distance of 30 cms.

Processor

All the other manufacturers that were part of this comparison were running Qualcomm chips, with Huawei being the lone wolf building its own processors. Technically, the quad-core chipset of the P6 keeps up with the Snapdragons and is on par with what is behind the Xperia Z. Upon first impressions though; the performance of the device is absolutely satisfactory.

The Emotion UI draws some inspiration from Apples iOS. / © Huawei

Software

The Ascend P6 comes with the latest Android 4.2.2 and with that, Huawei stands ground along with Samsung in releasing the latest version of the OS. As with all the manufacturers, each brings their own user interface to the mix. As with the contentious issue of preferred material, the UI remains a matter of personal taste. The Huawei Emotion UI has similarities to Apple’s iOS and dispenses with the classic App Drawer. In previous tests of the UI, we found the Emotion UI to be surprisingly good.

Battery

The battery capacity of the Ascend P6 is much weaker than that of competing models. With the lower resolution and a smaller display on the Ascend P6, the battery should be more than enough for what it needs. Moreover, thanks to some power-saving technology built inside the device, the P6 should have about 30 percent more juice in its battery.

Dimensions

Here, the Ascend P6 is the clear winner, at least it you are judging it by having the most compact dimensions possible. Coming in at an impressive 6.18 mm in thickness, Huawei has unveiled the thinnest smartphone currently in the world.

Both sleek and stylish, the P6 also is the thinnest. / © Huawei

Price

Huawei also wins in this category as well. While street prices are not yet available, the retail price for the device definitely shows in what direction they’re aiming. With a price significantly below the $680 US dollar amount, the Ascend P6 is a real bargain compared to the other devices. Comparable in price to the Nexus 4, it has a much more pleasing appearance (in our opinion).

Conclusion

The differences are few and tiny. Even if the current top of the line smartphones seem a bit overpowered when it comes to the Ascend P6, it is technically still at the same level of the rest. In conjunction with the low price and stylish design, the Ascend P6 is definitely a serious contender. And while Huawei still has to take on the role of the underdog in most markets, it’s important to note that Huawei are the world’s third largest smartphone maker, behind Samsung and Apple, and are definitely looking to prove that they are up to the task.However, with only a slated release in specific parts of Europe and in China, it's unknown whether this device, or any Huawei device, will make its way to North American shores within the near future.

The Xperia Z Ultra, Sony’s Mini-Tablet Sized Phone, Wants You To Talk Less & Watch More

Sony is steering its mobile ship into deeper waters with the Xperia Z Ultra. The 6.4-inch device (above, left) slots in the size gap between its former flagship handset, the 5-inch Xperia Z (above right), and its 10.1-inch Android slate, the Xperia Z Tablet. The Xperia Z Ultra might have more sensibly been named the Xperia Z Tablet Mini. Instead, Sony has hedged its bets with a name that doesn’t exclude either possibility: for some people this is a really big smartphone, for others it’s a highly portable small slate.

I got hands-on with the newest addition to Sony’s line up at a press event this morning. First impressions: there’s no getting away from the sheer size of this beast. The Xperia Z Ultra is a mammoth. It’s huge, crazy huge. It looks more like a mini tablet than a phone when you see it wielded in anger, which likely explains why Sony has felt the need to make a dummy handset accessory (powered by Bluetooth) so you don’t have to hold this slab up to your face. Doing that is going to invite ridicule unless you’re one of those Ballmer-sized business men with hands the size of dinner plates.

Even holding the Ultra in one hand feels a little ridiculous if you have smaller hands than average, like myself, but its slender profile (just 6.5mm) helps — meaning it doesn’t feel too palm-stretching. The main offsetting factor is a very lightweight feel. It’s surprisingly light in the hand (212g) for such a large device. You could happily hold it in one hand and not worry about getting wrist-ache. And if you can find a pocket on your person big enough to accomodate the Ultra it won’t feel like a drag, even if it drastically reduces your ability to bend.

Sony says the Ultra is about a third bigger than the Xperia Z (and has a third-extra in battery capacity too, so it’s still good for about one day’s use before needing a charge). And at 6.4-inches it’s considerably larger than Samsung’s 5.5-inch Galaxy Note II, and fractionally larger than Samsung’s newer phablet, the 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega. Rumours around the Galaxy Note refresh suggest Samsung is contemplating adding a 5.9-inch pane on the next iteration. Sony has evidently decided its worth making an even bigger splash with its own phablet foray. But with the Xperia Z already sitting on the cusp of phablet sizing, with its 5-inch pane, supersizing the sequel is the natural next step.

Sony talked up how consumer demand for bigger screens is growing — apparently as fast as the screens themselves are swelling. The likely reason for that, as I have previously argued, is that people are using smartphones for more rich media consumption and visual computing uses more of the time – fuelled by apps and high speed connectivity — rather than for talking on the phone. Screen size is therefore inflating to adapt to shifting use. And Sony reckons it’s well placed to capitalise on the momentum powering media consumption — thanks to its sprawling entertainment empire.

As with its other Xperia devices, Sony’s Android skin foreground access to this media content. Sony is hoping its content empire can become a differentiating force in the mobile devices space — and help it stand out in the crowded Android OEM segment. As with Sony other current Xperia devices, the Xperia Z Ultra is preloaded with its Walkman app providing access to music downloads and its Music Unlimited streaming service; Movies for video content, including access to Sony’s Video Unlimited store for renting or buying films; and PlayStation Mobile for accessing its games app store. There’s also Sony Reader for browsing and downloading ebook content.

Elsewhere, Sony has kept its Android tweaks to a minimum so there’s little getting in the way of enjoying Android 2.2 Jelly Bean as Google intended. The device felt slick and fast during my brief hands on, with no obvious signs of lag. The phone’s engine is a beefy 2.2 GHz quad-core chip (Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processor) — possibly the first device to pack that CPU. It also includes 4G/LTE for high speed cellular connectivity.

The hardware design of the Xperia Z Ultra follows the same mold as the Xperia Z and Xperia Z Tablet. There are no showy embellishments. What you get is a clean, relatively blunt-sided high gloss slab (or at least it’s clean until you touch it, when the high gloss becomes a fingerprint magnet). The user’s eye is clearly intended to fall squarely on the screen — where Sony gets to really strut its stuff, by pulling in IP from its Bravia TV division to amp up the colour clarity and video playback experience on the handset. The Ultra is also the first device in Sony’s Xperia line-up to be badged with its latest Triluminos TV tech, which it said supports a greater range of colours.

The screen looked plenty bright during my hands on but as with other Sony mobile screen it’s not as saturated as Samsung’s high end AMOLED screens typically are. Sony opts for more true-to-life colourings with its display tech. The Xperia Z Ultra’s big, bright full 1080p HD pane obviously comes into its own for consuming video content. You can image the device being a handy travelling companion for watching TV shows and movies on the go, assuming you don’t want to lug around a full-fat tablet. Or for watching TV in the bath — being as the Ultra is waterproof. Gaming is also likely to work well with so much screen space for mashing virtual buttons.

The Ultra’s large physical size (179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5 mm) does mean typing can require two fingers to reach all the keys. But Sony has a software fix for that. It’s added a one-handed keyboard option which allows the user to switch from a screen-filling QWERTY to one which compacts into the right or left hand corner, depending on your choice (so that both right- and left-handed people can use it). So that’s pretty neat. You can of course further augment the Android keyboard experience by downloading alternative third party apps.

Sony has also added support for stylus input on the Ultra — presumably taking another cue from the Galaxy Note — for taking notes, sketching and for handwriting recognition. In a laudable move — especially for Sony, once the king of propriety accessories — there’s no specific stylus required here. You can draw on the screen with a pencil. Or even a fingernail.

To sum up, the Xperia Ultra Z feels like it has a lot going for it. Sony is refining its Android play to zero in on media consumption. And if it’s content you want to consume, then a 6.4-inch screen is exactly the sort of thing you’ll want in your pocket. Or, more realistically, in your handbag/manbag. Flagship smartphone screens aren’t getting any smaller either, so even if the Ultra feels like it’s pushing the screen size envelope a bit far right now, it’s unlikely to remain the biggest phablet in phablet-town for long.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra takes on the Galaxy Note with insanely large 6.4-inch display

For good or ill, the oversized smartphone trend shows no signs of abating. In fact, Sony's just taken it to the next level with the Xperia Z Ultra — a new smartphone with a simply monstrous 6.4-inch, 1080p screen. Despite the huge panel and respectable 3,000mAh battery (which it surely needs to power that massive screen), the phone is also extremely thin at only 6.5mm and weighs 212 grams. That's thinner than the iPhone 5, but also twice as heavy — we'll have to see how these dimensions feel when you're holding Sony's supersized phone. Other noteworthy features include a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor clocked at 2.2GHz, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage plus a microSD slot, Android 4.2, and an 8-megapixel camera
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Sony Xperia SP M35t, Xperia C S39h announced for China

Sony unveiled a pair of mid-end smartphones that will be available in China.

First comes the Xperia SP M35t, a TD-LTE-enabled variant of the existing Xperia SP that will be offered by China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile operator by subscribers. Aside from boasting a different radio, it remains the same Xperia SP under the hood, boasting a 1.7GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, 8-megapixel camera and a 4.6-inch 720p HD screen.

The other device, Xperia C (model number S39h), is Sony’s first product that uses MediaTek’s processor — quad-core one, clocked at 1.2GHz. It also comes with a 4-inch qHD (540×960 pixels) display, 8-megapixel camera with Exmor R sensor, and dual-SIM support. Interested users will be able to get this phone through China Unicom, which will offer it in few color options, including white, black and purple.

No word on prices, though. Moreover, we’re also not sure whether the Xperia C will ever be released in the West. Not that we necessarily want one — it’s just that it’s always good to have one more option…

Sony's flagship Xperia Z finally arrives on a US carrier, available from T-Mobile in 'coming weeks

Sony's Xperia Z, the high-end, ruggedized Android phone that was announced at CES, is getting its first launch on a US carrier. The phone will be available exclusively on T-Mobile in the "coming weeks;" it will come in both black and a limited-edition purple model. The Z is Sony's latest flagship phone, and it sports a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor, 1080p display, and a 13-megapixel Exmor RS camera that Sony touts as offering HDR video — though we found the camera underwhelming in our review. Unusually for a US phone, it comes with a water-resistant coating, something that sets an otherwise relatively ordinary device apart from comparable Android phones.

The similar Xperia ZL is already available as an unlocked phone in the US, but this is the first time we've seen the new high-end Xperia on an American carrier, though Sony's Kaz Hirai hinted at the move in May. The Xperia Z will be available on T-Mobile's installment plan, but no down payment price has been announced yet.