It is fair to say that the Sony XPERIA phone is the handset that marked Sony’s come back into the mobile phone scene, and it is only logical that the XPERIA Z2 was rather anticipated by Sony’s followers, but also by the industry at large. At Mobile World Congress, Sony puts an end to the rumors, and reveals the official specifications and design of its new high-end Android smartphone.
High-end specifications
The XPERIA Z2 is equipped with a Snapdragon 801 (with 3GB of RAM), a 5.2-inch Full HD display and a 3200 mAh battery. It is clear that sony has listened to the customer feedback, notably about the battery capacity and has addressed the most important features that users cared about. The XPERIA Z2 seems very much like a slightly faster and better version of the Z1 released late last year.
Camera
Of course, Sony has also improved the camera as well since it is the leader in mobile CMOS sensors with prestigious clients such as Apple. the XPERIA Z2 gets a 20.7 Megapixel camera and this time again Sony uses its own G-lens. The Z2 can record 4K video (3840×2160) at 30 FPS and can record at an accelerated frame rate to play back at slow motion speeds. As usual with Sony, there are a number of imaging apps that are quite well-done – I like the background defocusing best, but there are plenty of effects to pick from.
Noise-Cancellation
Talking about effects, Sony has added a noise-cancellation feature that work in conjunction with its MDR NC31EM Noise Cancelling Headset. The details remain elusive for now, but it looks like the handset is contributing to the noise-cancellation algorithm, possibly by listening to the ambient noise with its multiple microphones and pre-processing the sound before it goes to the noise-cancelling headphones. I always thought that the Sony noise cancelling headphones were really good, so I’m curious to see how much this will add to the overall effect.
Conclusion
In terms of hardware, the Sony XPERIA Z2 gets all the improvements that its Qualcomm platform offers, and Sony made this new phone even more palatable when compared to the Z1 which was a substantial bump over the original Z smartphone. Of course, if you own a Z1, there is no compelling reason to upgrade, but if you were on the fence, maybe the Z2 will be enough to convince you. What do you think?
The best part of the phone is its industrial design which remains very unique with glass encased in a smooth aluminum shell. As always the new XPERIA Z2 can survive underwater even though the 3.5mm audio jack is fully exposed. this is pretty cool. Given that nearly half of smartphone death are caused by water, this is a non-negligible factor if you think that the odds are against you.
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