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Introduction
Android recently unveiled one of the newest additions to its vast smartphone portfolio: the Sony Xperia Z. This particular Sony product was released exclusively for T-Mobile on July 17th with breathtaking features and fresh technology, which gives it the potential to be one of the most groundbreaking smartphones that Android currently has to offer. Nowadays, consumers are accustomed to hearing these types of extravagant claims and are aware that they are not always accurate and usually over exaggerated. For this blog I intend to further investigate the manufacturer claims of the Sony Xperia Z, evaluate its performance through extensive online research, and determine if it is truly worth its initial asking price of $570.00.
Manufacturer Claims
One of the most impressive facets of this device has to be its waterproof/dustproof design, which is a rare feature when it comes to smartphones. According to Sony, “Xperia Z’s revolutionary water resistant design stands up the wettest of conditions, even complete submersion in up to 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.” If that isn’t enough protection, the Xperia is also encased within a layer of tempered glass, which allows it to endure impacts that would shatter most smartphones.
Sony also brags about the Xperia’s high definition display and camera capabilities stating, “The Xperia features the World’s first HDR (high dynamic range) video for smartphones” and sports the same 1080p high definition display as Sony flat screen televisions. This smartphone also utilizes a new battery saving technique called “stamina mode”, which supposedly gives the Xperia a longer battery life than similar Androids. lastly, Xperia is powered by a quad core processor, allowing it to have very fast performance with no lag and smooth application multitasking.
Product Testing and Consumer Reviews
When it comes to meeting it’s claims, the Xperia Z follows through on most but not all of its technological promises. The product testers at Techradar stated that “There’s something slightly unnerving about taking a $570 phone and dropping it in the sink – but that’s exactly what we did. And it worked absolutely fine.” Surprisingly, the powerful quad core processor seemed be as efficient as described by the manufacturer because I could not find any evidence of issues or disappointment on consumer blog sites. Techradar also agreed with the manufacturer’s description of the Xperia Z, stating, “As soon as we took our review unit out of the box, we were mesmerized. This feels and looks like a premium, high quality product. Sony is one of the few manufacturers that can take what is, effectively, a plain black square and make it into something beautiful.”
As with every smartphone, there were aspects of the Xperia Z that were not so appealing to testers and consumers. For example, Android customers were not impressed with the 13 megapixel camera and proclaimed “The Camera is good but unable to catch up with the best 13MP shooters such as galaxy s4”. These opinions contradict initial claims that the camera and video capabilities on the Xperia are just as vivid as any Sony digital camera on the market.
When analyzing the appearance, product testers thought the backside of the smartphone seemed busy to the eye, covered with various tech information, while the front seemed plain and boring with nothing present to catch the consumer’s attention. Also, testers and users agreed that the back panel seemed to be stuck and was quite difficult to remove; this issue could be due to the watertight design and makes one wonder what other issues might arise because of this. Lastly, consumers seem to disagree with the manufacturer’s claim of “extended batter life” and proclaim that “(Xperia battery life) was a little disappointing and greatly depends on usage… my kind of usage drains the battery so fast”.
Conclusion
the Xperia Z would be the perfect smartphone choice for the consumer with deep pockets and high standards. It successfully incorporates a sophisticated set of features, a beautiful high definition display and great build quality that makes it stand out from most other smartphones of its generation. Any consumer who frequently uses their smartphone for work would love the Xperia because they can rely on it to be fast and built to last under any circumstance.
Personally, I have lost three smartphones due to water damage, so the waterproof design alone is enough for me to consider dishing out the $570.00 and purchasing one myself. According to Techradar, consumers should not be worried about the high price because “the price of the Sony Xperia Z is dropping quite quickly, already making it cheaper than the likes of the HTC One”. Even after considering the short battery life and unmovable back panel of the Sony Xperia Z, I would consider this smartphone to be a sound investment for anyone who is shopping for a new Android.