Sony Xperia Z2 : A Review

The Predecessor

Back in 2012. the new lineup of Xperia smartphones from Sony were the hype of the mobile world. With Sony eliminating the Ericsson branding from their line of products and building their own unique identity, it was clear they were putting their foot down in the mobile phone industry and that they are going to stay.  The new Sony Xperia S, P and U models were different, fresh and aesthetically pleasing, as with most Sony Ericsson mobile phones in the past. It was good to see that the parent company decided to keep it that way.

Back in 2012, I got my Sony Xperia P, my second smartphone with the first being the Sony Ericsson X8. The Xperia P had a 4 inch display powered by a Dual-core 1GHz processor. At that time, the standard for flagship devices wasn't nowhere near where it is today. I was happy with it. It had an aluminium unibody design. It felt great, had a very nice and solid build quality to it and it had the brightest smartphone display out there and probably still does compared to most smartphones today in 2015.

The Silver Xperia P with its not so shiny aluminium body

The highlight of the new Xperia line of products back then was the transparent band at the bottom which houses capacitive touch buttons as well as having the ability to light up and act as notification lights.

With its many battle scars and scratches, the Ericsson green sphere logo thingy is still on this phone.

Performance was rarely an issue but as the years ticked by, it had become way too sluggish for comfortable day to day use. Uninstalling useless apps and freeing memory by deleting a lot of things? That box was checked. But yet the Xperia P was falling behind. So much so that an attempt to open the Whatsapp application would result in a 30 second wait, staring at a blank screen and eventually getting an error that the app has crashed. Or turning on the WiFi guaranteed at least a 10-20 second wait.

So I decided it was time. The Xperia P has served a good 3 years by my side being my workhorse. It has endured drops, knocks and rain soaked pockets for a good deal. But now it was time for a change.

The Successor

Phone hunting probably isn't the easiest thing to do right now. I have seen people who walked into a tech shop, try out some random phones, found the one they liked and purchased it on the spot. I doubt these people have even done their research on the models. But they have the financial capacity to buy without much contemplation and I don't.
I knew I had a few brands to choose from. Sony, Samsung and HTC. Those were the powerhouses in 2014, when I started my research. I liked the Sony design language, entertainment quality, ecosystem and how they've differentiated themselves in the smartphone niche. Samsung provided a wealth of options in their models but really all I can see is a bunch of very similar smartphones with different screen sizes and processor power. Except for the Note Series. HTC provided eye popping screens with fantastic audio quality as demonstrated by the M8 and the One series of products.

And then came the Chinese.

Translation: The Chinese are here

Xiaomi and Oppo aren't relatively new kids on the block but they've managed to lure people to their products to the point where Xiaomi has managed to overtake the 3 giants in the smartphone industry. Their products come with top of the end specs and unique features all for a very low price. But somehow I've not been able to put my trust in investing my money in them. They've yet to prove their reliability and quality over time. Or maybe I'm just biased towards Chinese companies. Added to the fact that almost every smartphone retailer in Wisma Saberkas, Kuching has Oppo dealers which swarm you when you walk past them, pushing their products in your face and degrading products from other companies just so they can further stuff your face with their Oppo products. No thanks. That just fuels my annoyance and if anything they've made me detest the brand.

An accurate portrayal of me telling Oppo staff to shut their traps

And Oppo has even made its way to the airport, effectively blocking a good view of the aircraft at Bay 5 which irks me to no end.

So after weeks of consideration and comparing products, I decided the Sony Xperia Z2 would be next in line to the throne. It's water-resistant, has a nice 5.2 inch display and dual front facing speakers. Not to mention that beast of a camera behind it with 20.7 Megapixels and awesome Sony optics which has proven themselves throughout the years in many of their products. AND it's got a slot for SD cards. Take that, Xiaomi!

My first two days with the Z2 was spent transfering and recovering data from the P and getting used to everything. Which wasn't much of a learning curve because the Sony ecosystem and interface doesn't deviate much from itself with each new iteration of smartphones they put out.

What I Got

Keeping in line with other smartphone manufacturers, the device's specs and features are prominent on the back. 

As usual, Sony carries on the traditional packaging style from the S,P and U line here. Glory shot on the front, Sony branding on the top left and model name on the bottom left. The box was bigger than I expected.

Branding continues on the side.

When I found out the Z2 would be shipping with the new premium Sony Digital Noise Cancelling Headset MDR-NC31EM, I was quite excited because it's not often you get high quality earphones in the box. And based on the reviews, majority of the people who got it testified to its amazing noise cancelling abilities and rich audio quality.

But nooooo I didn't get that. I found out that the shipments sold in Malaysia were actually brought over from Singapore and those shipments unfortunately didn't have them. Bummer.

But instead I got these (MH410c) which were pretty decent. The audio quality was much better than the ones I had previously, at least. Maybe because it's coupled with the Hi-Res Audio software of the Z2. I haven't tried it out on the Xperia P yet but they are pretty damn solid. The retail price of these things are like RM20 and the MDR-NC31EM costs a whopping RM230. Hmmm okayyyyy

Design
With a front and back glass design, you really can't go wrong here. Sony has once again done a great job with the product design and build quality. The white version is elegant, luxurious and will turn heads. The design language from the original Xperia Z continues here with the silver beautiful power button and the sleek unibody sides. The design is consistent, yes. But so is the case with Samsung products. But Sony has kept its consistency while at the same time offering a premium feeling and looking device. No flimsy plastic back covers here, oh no! And of course, the trusty and invaluable dedicated camera button is here to stay on the Xperia Z2.

5.2 inch IPS LCD screen. I love how the white just shows itself around the edges unlike the black and purple model.

Solid front and black glass design. It puts out an aura of style and sophistication.

20.7 megapixel G Lens camera from Sony

The signature power button with volume rockers close to its side. And the flap concealing a micro SD card slot.

And that favorite ol' camera button makes a return here.

The notification light is a nice bright 1.4cm strip above the Sony branding and below the top front-facing speaker. I prefer this over the conventional blinking dot on other smartphones. Being both side glass, the smartphone is a fingerprint magnet like no other and your screen will pretty much be covered in smudges in no time. I put a case on mine so the back is protected from any scratches or smudges. The front however is all smudges.

Look at all that! Ugh

The magnetic charging port. In some countries the Z2 ships with a magnetic charging dock.

Product shots by Lucas Moh. You can visit his photo blog here at http://justfortography.tumblr.com/ and also here.

Display & Performance
Basically owning this smartphone is like owning a mini Sony TV in your hands. The Z2 features a 5.2 inch IPS LCD Triluminos display with Sony's own image processing software, the X-Reality engine. I must say playing a HD movie on this is quite a treat. Colors are never dull but instead are vibrant and true to life. If you're ever unsatisfied with the coloration, you can always change the white balance in the Display section of the phone settings.

Performance. Now this phone is no slouch. It is powered by a Snapdragon 810 processor with a 2.3GHz CPU. It has 16 GB of internal memory and carries a crazy 3 GB of RAM. And it is running Android 4.4.2 KitKat with plans to upgrade to Lollipop in February.
Compared to the Xperia P, WiFi turns on almost instantaneously and connected to a network in just within seconds. Apps open and close effortlessly and the whole experience is buttery smooth. I have not experienced any significant stutters in this phone nor any overheating issues yet as accounted by other users of this phone.

I have been careful not to install too many apps that I know I won't be needing or even using very much. Just the necessary ones that I know will come in handy when I need them. I don't wanna drown the phone in too much junk in the first month of its time with me. Speaking of junk, the Xperia interface is clean, minimalist and there's none of those heavy bloatware you'll find on Samsung devices. Sure it has its own apps which will pull you deeper into the Sony ecosystem but they've kept it to a minimum. Sony's custom Android UI is light and close to pure Android.

Battery Life
With minimal usage, I was able to squeeze out more than a day out of this phone. And that involved on and off mobile data, the occasional web browsing and some texting. With the old phone, I would be paranoid leaving the house without it being at 100% charge. With a 3200mAh battery onboard, I wouldn't mind leaving the house with 60% or so. And I haven't been using my power bank ever since.

Sony also offers its own power saving features which include Stamina Mode which turns off all background activity when the screen is off and Ultra Stamina mode. Sony even threw in a Low Battery mode just in case you feel like saving every single drop of blood from that dying beating heart.

Camera
Shooting with the Xperia Z2 was something I've been looking forward to. Throughout the years I have trusted and preferred Sony when it comes to mobile photography. The Xperia P took great pictures but I was eager to see what the Z2 might bring to the table. Armed with a 20.7 Megapixel camera with some magical wizardry behind the lens, I embarked on a nice day for photo snapping. Below are some pictures I took. They have been processed by Vscocam but I will link the gallery of unedited pictures below.

I was particularly impressed with the low light capabilities. Sure noise reduction isn't the best but hey, it's a smartphone camera. It has limits too. But in the end everything worked out okay. Below you will see two photos of empty cinema halls. Those were taken in moderately dark situations. I mean the theater halls were empty and the only source of light were the dim spotlights above and a little bit of sunlight from the open exit door. So yeah pretty good.

Taken at night, fully auto with no flash. There was a little bit of moonlight but other than that, nothing else.

Same situation as the above.

Same as the above.

This was in my pitch black bedroom with the curtains letting in some light from the bulb outside at night.

All photos below are taken using the Superior Auto mode in 8MP-16:9 resolution, edited by Vscocam.

Links for the unedited photo samples are here!

Background defocus mode is another feature commonly seen in other flagship phones.But often, it is a hit and miss and requires precise positioning and distance from the object you wish to focus on. 

Features & Media Consumption

The Z2 is a Sony phone and thus one might expect above average quality on the media consumption front. The Z2 doesn't let down. It has dual front facing speakers and they are surprisingly good. Not great but certainly more than above average. The Z2 does a good job of reminding people that the speakers on your phone should be facing you and not away from you! I mean what's the point if they're facing away from you, right?

Who remembers the Sony Ericsson W595? It had speakers on the top and bottom and it was also THE Walkman phone of its time. And I was a proud owner of one ^_^ Until I lost it =(

The Z2 has speakers both on the top and bottom of the device. In the past I used to cup my hands over the phone speaker in a vain attempt to amplify the sound and redirect it towards me. None of that crap anymore! 

In terms of audio quality, the Z2 does live up to my standards. Which I guess are not that high, anyway. The dual speakers do a good job and they sound amazing in a moderately noisy environment. I daresay they are louder than the speakers on my laptop. And that is why I will always watch The Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls and Once Upon A Time on my phone from now on.

With an option to include a Micro SD card, I might as well have an SD Card full of movies and shows just to watch on the Z2.

However it is threatened by HTC's One M8 which is a bloody fine boombox and is pretty much the one dominating the 'phones with dual front facing speakers' category right now. The Z2 is very close to achieving that standard and in some cases, both phones are equal, none better than the other. Which is somewhat disappointing because hey, you're Sony! You're supposed to make bloody fine boomboxes out of your phones!

Next on the much paraded list of special features of the Z2 is the waterproof and dust-resistant capability. It is IP55/58 rated which means it can withstand being submerged in 1.5m of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. Some have reported the phone withstanding longer and deeper but I won't push my luck. 

I haven't tested the waterproof capabilities yet and I don't think I will anytime soon. I won't go dunking it in a pail of water just to test it. Unless I accidentally dunk it in a pail of water. But it does give me some peace of mind knowing that I won't be damaging it if I somehow find myself in less than favorable or wet conditions.

Final Thoughts

This phone will be my daily workhorse for hopefully another 3 years or more. During my time with this device (which is less than 2 weeks), I've found it to be a reliable piece of tech. Like a mini laptop. But then again that's how I felt about the Xperia P three years ago. But as always, technology is evolving rapidly with flagship phones flying off the shelves every year and just when you think smartphone makers have exhausted almost every single idea or "innovation" they can slap on a slab of stuff, there'll always be something new. Will the Xperia Z2 be able to hold on and prove itself against that challenge?

I can't wait to find out.