Water Proof SmartPhone: Sony Xperia Z

Water proof Smartphones are about to become fashion in a few days as all of us are so reluctant in caring our phones and sometimes we wash these electronic gadgets in water unknowingly.

Japanese phone maker Sony launched its flagship smartphone Xperia Z at an event in Delhi. Sony Xperia Z features a 5-inch full HD display, is water and dust resistant and sports a scratch-resistant glass body. The device costs Rs 38,900 in India and competes against the likes of HTC Butterfly, Nokia Lumia 920 and BlackBerry Z10, along with upcoming smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S IV and LG Optimus G Pro.

The all-new Xperia Z has a TFT display that supports 1920x1080p resolution and boasts of 441ppi pixel density. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and will soon be upgraded to Android 4.2, the manufacturer has said. Sony has used a quad-core 1.5GHz Krait processor and 2GB RAM in this smartphone. For memory, the device has 16GB onboard storage and 32GB microSD card support.  

Connectivity options in the phone include 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and microUSB 2.0. Sony Xperia Z comes with Battery Stamina Mode, which improves the standby time by four times or more by automatically shutting down battery-draining apps whenever the screen is off and starts them again once the screen is back on.  

Specifications:

Display: 5-inch TFT touchscreen with 1920x1080p resolution and 441ppi pixel density;

Operating system: Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), planned Android 4.2 upgrade;

Processor & RAM: 1.5GHz quad-core processor, coupled with 2GB RAM;

Storage: 16GB internal memory with microSD support up to 32GB;

Connectivity: 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0;

Camera: 13MP rear camera with LED flash and 2.2MP front snapper; and

Battery: 2,320Ah  

Also look at Best of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2013

One thing the Sony Xperia Z certainly does have in common with every other smartphone out there is the fact that it is a pure magnet for fingerprints. You'll struggle to keep it clean all day long without either surgical gloves or a can of Mr Sheen in your bag.
As is fast becoming the norm, you can expect to pick the Sony Xperia Z up in white too. On top of that, O2 in the UK is exclusively offering a purple variant.

If you're coming from something like a Samsung Galaxy S3, it'll feel similar, if a little larger, in terms of size: the Sony Xperia Z rocks in at 139 x 71 x 7.9mm/5.47 x 2.79 x 0.31 inches, so there's little room for anything else in your hands.
Coming from something smaller like, say, an iPhone 5, you'll certainly notice the difference. But it's amazing how quickly you'll adapt.
At 146g/5.15oz, it's by no means the lightest handset out there - but the Sony Xperia Z exudes a heftiness that belies a quality device. It's on a par with Apple's offering when it comes to the thickness.

The front of the Sony Xperia Z is minimalist - showing off only a Sony logo and front-facing camera. The rear is a little busier, with various tech info printed on it, plus the Sony Xperia logo, an NFC badge, camera light and the all-important lens. That back is stuck fast - as is becoming the custom, you'll have no luck if you want to remove the battery.

Turn it on, and you're not disappointed. Coming from the blackness, the 5-inch screen springs into life. Whether or not you'll like it is down to personal choice.
Some who've used the Sony Xperia Z describe the screen as a disappointment because Sony has gone for TFT - albeit with 1080 x 1920 pixels, giving a pixel density of 441ppi, which would explain why it looks a bit washed out. If you've come from a Super AMOLED screen you'll definitely feel the difference.
We're still fans - this is a razor sharp display from one of the world's premier screen manufacturers, although it doesn't have the wow factor of the HTC One's Super LCD 3 screen.
The only thing that lets it down is viewing angles - if you look at the Sony Xperia Z's screen, dead on, it's sharp enough. If you look at it from the side, it has a strange ability to look incredibly washed out. It's no huge problem though - unless you like to look at things side on. In which case, see a doctor.

And at £529 (around US$817/AU$789) in the UK, this is not a cheap handset by any stretch of the imagination. It's actually the same price as the comparable SIM-free 16GB iPhone 5. Now, that's not to say that Apple product prices should set the benchmark, but considering we've often thrown out there that we think iOS devices are hideously overpriced, this is a very brave move from Sony.

Maybe it's trying to be bold and use the price to show it's confident the Sony Xperia Z is better than the iPhone.
In fact, the iPhone 5 is the only real competition in its class for now - with the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S3 both starting to show their age. Indeed, until the imminent arrival of the new HTC One or Samsung Galaxy S4, this is probably the most advanced Android smartphone out there.

If you don't want to stump up the cash in one go, monthly contracts are of course available. But again, be willing to sell your grandmother to afford one.
The Sony Xperia Z will not be provided free in the UK unless you sign up for a deal starting at around £37 a month and commit for two years.