It's no secret that Sony have been improving their devices through the years in a bid to remain industry leaders. First TVs, then cameras, now comes a big step forward for smartphones with the Xperia Z2. With the Xperia Z2, Sony show that, not only are they market leaders but also a shark, that the other big fish should be weary of and although the Xperia Z2 is not perfect it has features that can make any smartphone user envious. Most of the other "big fish" announced their smartphones during Q1 of this year, and now the streets are flush with them; the HTC M8, the Galaxy S5 and soon the LG G3. Should you trade up for Sony's Xperia Z2? Let’s find out!
Let’s talk about its guts! First we find a Snapdragon 801 with a 2.3 Ghz Quad-Core CPU and 3GB RAM. Yea, they may just be numbers to you but these numbers are what make your phone faster and smoother. With these specs it doesn’t matter how many apps are open, this smartphone will not let you down. Next up is the rather low internal memory, coming in at only 16GB but you always have the chance to improve with an external micro SD card up to a whopping 128 GB.
The display is just amazing. At 1080p Truer HD, 5.2'' inches and 424ppi ( pixies per inch), this screen is definitely one of the best screens that I ever seen and the difference when comparing it to others in its class are apparent. It also sports IPS LCD touchscreen with 16 million colours which mean that images appear beautifully sharp and the brightness allows for a fantastic display even in bright sunlight.
Speakers are also just in the right position! Which may not seem important, but you'll come to appreciate them when listening to your favourite tunes while sitting around in the park this summer. They aren't too loud and offer an amazing quality of sound. In fact Sony has done a commendable job with the design and build of the Z2. The tempered glass back looks like a bigger iPhone 4S and the front panel looks great. The aluminium chassis also makes the handset extremely sturdy and a few wayward knocks won’t hurt it.
If you’re the kind of person who absolutely loves photography and the Windows Lumia isn't your thing, then this phone was created for you. The rear camera comes in at an eye popping 20.7 MP, and the quality is just fabulous. I've never seen an android phone with such an amazing camera. But don't worry selfie enthusiasts - the front facing camera comes in at 2.2 MP and is perfect for all your Instagram needs ;)
The 4K Video functionality is tricky to assess. On the one hand, the quality is really good but in the other, it makes the file HUGE and after 10 minutes of recording, the phone just crashes due to overheating. So in small bursts it's good indeed but for any extended period of time it just craps out. You could always can record with normal HD but where is the fun in that?
As ford the OS; the Z2 runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat along with a slightly tweaked Xperia skin but in keeping with Android's openness, if you don't like it you can always install a theme you do like from the Google Play Store. Last but not least, if you've always been annoyed that you can't take calls, post selfies or listen to music in your shower, well you can now! The water and dust proofing make this phone exceedingly useful for those with active lifestyles or people on holiday.
To sum up, don’t be afraid to go with this device. It's an amazing phone and will be a big contender even in the next few years to come.
In short...
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The Sony Xperia Z2 at CeX
