The stylish yet simple 5.2" IPS display smartphone donning stereo speakers has lately turned a fair few heads in all the right ways, and with every reason.
Equipped with a host of Sony's BRAVIA and Walkman adopted technologies, it's clear to see how the Z2 was built with entertainment in mind, but there's so much more to this multi-functional beast.
Horray! Exams are officially over! At 17:30 on the 5th June, I stepped out of the exam center with bated breath. With only a slap up celebratory meal standing in my way, my next stop was the yet unopened package received the prior weekend - as the widely used connotation goes, out with the old and in with the new.
First impression - Size
On first opening the box, the very first thing that came to mind was it's size. While having tried various phones in between, I was directly upgrading to the Z2 from the Xperia T. 2 Years ago when I first obtained the Xperia T, I remember thinking how big its 4.55" screen was - in fact it still feels like yesterday I stood jaw-dropping at the size of the 4.2" Xperia Arc, like 6 months ago I was stunned by the 4.0" X10, even the X1's 3.0" display only feels like a couple of years back (it's actually been 6!).
Smart phones have been growing in size for quite some time now. its strange to think back to an age where the desirability of a phone was determined by how small it was, not how large. About an hour ago, my colleague approached me to show me his new phone with a 6" screen. Less than a month ago I was assisting my partner in shopping for a new tablet, some of those on display being less than 7". With the current rate of growth of smart phones, we're likely to experience a sharp u-turn in the coming months or years where small will reign champion again, and Sony are already at the forefront with the also current Z1c. But this review is about the Z2.
I personally think the Z2 is as big as it gets - or at least as big as it should get. I'm already finding myself mistyping words when typing with one hand, because I can't quite reach the far end, and my hands aren't the smallest. That doesn't happen much, but that it happens at all is a sign that any bigger, then I'd be running into serious problems. That, for me, places the 5.2" screen on the very border of what is successful.
Rating
The size of the X2 is almost perfect, but it's just a little too much. Admittedly, I do have small hands, but there are much smaller out there. Therefore, I rate the screen size
Positive impact: 7/10
Negative impact: 1/10
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| Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (2008) |
Second impression - Style
Well, what could be said about the stunning monolithic treasure that stood before me? I was absolutely blown away by the design of the Z2's look and feel in every way possible. The last time I had a phone made from such Premium materials was the X1 (pictured)- a phone who's whole purpose was to emit a look and premium feel.
All these years later, I somewhat feel in terms of design, the Z series has returned to the Xperia brand's legacy in displaying devices that stand out amongst the rest in terms of design.
There is however, a vast gap between what is considered stylish now and what was considered stylish 6 years ago, and this gap is reflected when looking at the differences between the two phones. The X1 emphasized complexity in it's curved, keyboard, and textured appearance.
In contrast, the Z2 opts to keep things simple. Recall that my last phone was the Xperia T, however that's not to say I've not been in the loop. This premium quality wasn't introduced by the Z2, rather, it was first seen in the Xperia Z, and later sported by it's successor, the Z2's older sibling, the Z1. Each iteration however has simplified the appearance slightly more in the subtlest of way from the curvature of the corners, to the boldness of the frame around the edge of each device.
In any case, the Z2 is something of pure beauty ranging from the glass that coats both the front and back of the phone to the purple tint along the sides of the phone (black model) only seen under the correct lighting and the wide (yet not too wide a la. Xperia SP) notification light that's barely visible to the human eye when inactive, showing that amid the simplicity lurks the carefully considered detail to tailer the Z2 into a master piece.
Rating
The design of the Z2's exterior is almost faultless. From the moment I opened the box I've yet to glance at the phone without feeling the urge to show it to the world, for it's beauty is dream-like in a way you'll never grasp from photos online. The device is firm to hold, and appealing on the eye. This beauty does however have its prices. The delicate materials deems the phone unsuitable for riding unprotected (see the next section, accessories), and adds weight making it more noticeable when out and about. This, paired with the screen size means you'll always know you're carrying your phone, whether that's a good or a bad thing.
Finally, refer back to when I said "Out with the old and in with the new", and the later explanation of how the Z2 adopts its style from it's ancestors. When we change our phones, we want a new experience. Sony know this - each flagship demonstrates interface overhauls and the promise of priority for firmware updates and new features. We love new things. For this reason, I can't go without down-marking the style of the Z2 for in this sense, it lacks originality.
Positive impact: 8/10
Negative impact: 1/10
Accessorizing
If you asked me three weeks ago whether I used a case, I'd have told you how much better my phone (the Xperia T back then) looked without a case. You'd likely have argued about how it protects the screen - I'd have said I'm particularly cautious.
I therefore faced a predicament - pretty soon after the initial joy of opening the box, realization had kicked in - this phone is seriously vulnerable to scratches, and a single scratch would change its whole appearance.
With this in mind, we headed to our local shopping center. In it, there is a Sony store, a Carphone Warehouse, a Phones4u, 2 O2 stores, an EE store, a Vodafone store, amongst other relevant stores. Having checked the internet between my sudden realization and heading out, I'd found a case I wanted - the official Sony style case. I also thought while I'm out, I'll grab the magnetic charger.
None of the above mentioned stores had either of these in stock. Both of them had officially been released, but nobody was stocking them. When asked when stock was coming, all stores advised they had no known plans to stock them. When asked in the Sony store, I was advised that online would be the best place to get it. The problem is, I needed the case on the day. If I'd ordered one online, that'd be a few days of either over-protectiveness or the prospect of keys/environment marking the phone.
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| Roxfit Book Case |
Luckily, all stores had the Roxfit Book Case (pictured) which is a pretty similar match to the official case.
While a case was an essential on-the-day purchase, the magnetic charger wasn't. I therefore asked each store if they knew whether or not the Roxfit case (as the only case any of them were selling) was compatible with the magnetic charger, or if I'd need to take the case off each time I docked it. None of the stores knew the answer. I therefore will not be buying the magnetic charger, as I cannot be sure it will fit my case.
Now, accessorizing the Z2 is not a negative experience all around. In fact, when it comes to what accessories are available, there's a wide range. Additionally, Sony have made it easier to locate the right case for you by creating a dedicated website, Made For Xperia. If you're planning on grabbing a Z2, I suggest you head there as soon as you've finished reading this review to check out what's available. In addition to this, there's are more (non-case) accessories available on Sony's official Z2 page. The range is a bit short at the moment, but it's due to expand with the addition of the wireless charging case and mat. These accessories are listed on Sony's mobile accessories page, however for some reason they've made it hard to figure out which accessories are compatible with which device. Other omitted accessories include the Smart Watch series.
Rating
I've never felt more like accessorizing than with the Z2. Therefore, the idea of accessorizing is one that needs to be carefully considered particularly when rating the device. Accessories complement the Z2 - whether it's headphones, a charger, a case, or some of the later entrants, such as a smart watch or live band, each product is designed to add functionality to the base device.
Sony have nailed it in that there's a large range of accessories available, and traditionally, Sony continue to pioneer new technologies like the Smart Watch 2 and Smart Band. Additionally, Sony's headphones are some of the best on the market - The newly released Michael Jackson album Xscape is 'apparently' best heard when listened to on the Xperia Z2 with the MDR-NC31EM digital noise cancelling headphones, and produced with this scenario in mind.
The failings here though extend beyond the device, and stand out when shopping around. While on one hand it looks like Sony take the accessories market seriously, the lack of high street availability and sound knowledge of Xperia accessories even from its own retail store really do strive to say otherwise.
Positive impact: 5/10
Negative impact: 5/10
Battery
After a long day that kicked off with opening the box at 10am, completing an initial charge about noon and getting home from the shops about 7pm, I instinctively went to charge my phone.
See, with the Xperia T I found I'd get out of bed at 6:30am, do hardly anything on my phone all morning and need to charge it by 11am with 20% battery remaining. You can imagine then, how surprised I was that 7 hours had passed and my battery level was down to 89% - a reduction of just 11% in 7 hours, or 1.5% an hour.
I hear people claim their phones last days on end - 4+ days without charge. It doesn't seem possible to me in the era of smart phones but then I'm uneconomical. We can work it out though. If I spend 5 hours before needing to recharge and someone else goes 4 days, they're phone lasts 19 times as long as mine. Multiplied by the time it took to get to 89%, it would take one of these '4-day' dischargers 133 hours to drain just 11%. Overall, that'd be 1209 hours (50 days (nearly 2 months)) before completely draining their battery!... um... ok.
To be honest these people probably rarely use their phones, and turn them off then they're not being used, but the point is still the same, 11% in 7 hours is an impressive feat! I have nothing bad to say about this.
Rating
The last line says it all. I have nothing bad to say about this. This is the most reliable a smart phone battery has ever been for me. There's a phenomina that for the first few charges of a phone, the battery becomes more stable and readings are more accurate, and also that charge patterns can mean phones need charging with much less time between charges, but this has been stable for the 2 weeks I've been using it. I would expect by now to have seen some sign of degradation. So for now, I have to deem this as faultless.
Positive impact: 10/10
Negative impact: 0/10
Performance
This next point is a tricky one - while I've moved from the T to the Z2, I've also moved from android 4.3 to 4.4 in the process. Ignoring this however, and focussing purely on speed then (Xperia T) vs. speed now (Xperia Z2), the difference is huge.
Driving this speed increase along with the speed optimization changes made in android 4.4 is a 2.3 GHz Qualcomm MSM8974AB Quad-core processor.
I've at times used the phone with intense processes and so far I've only been able to produce lag on one ocassion; level 103 (and above) on Bloons TD5!
Of course, this isn't a real benchmark, so I also ran AnTuTu, making sure not to 'optimize' the phone prior to doing so. Bare in mind this test was run 2 weeks into heavy day to day usage, with some large apps running in the background. Also note, I've omitted the overall score as this is typically used to compare against other phones, which are typically gathered while the phone is optimized:
CPU: Good, Supports large apps and multitasking. RAM: Excellent, 2D graphics: Excellent, 3D graphics: Good, Fluently support most games.
UX Android 4.4.2
Multitask: 6484
Runtime: 3322
RAM 440.4/2778.3 MB
RAM Operation: 1265
RAM Speed: 3141
CPU 2265MHz (x4)
CPU integer: 3379
CPU float-point: 3369
GPU Adreno (TM) 330
2D graphics: [1080x1776] 1590
3D graphics: [1080x1776] 3828
IO 3299.0 / 11850.6 MB
Storage I/O: 1611
Database I/O: 640
Rating
Gone are the days of desktop redraws and lag also seems to be a thing of the past. Overall, the phone feels fast and responsive to use. With 2 weeks of heavy use under the belt, the phone still feels brand new. It's not 100% lag free, and that's to be expected when enough pressure is placed on it, but it's been very very close to perfect for me so far.
While scouring the internet for AnTuTu results, it became apparent that various results show either the Z2, Galaxy Note 3 or Galaxy S5 at the top of the list. Therefore it may or may not be the highest scorer on AnTuTu, and that's a tough one to call as the tests are all dependent on the state of the device when the tests are taken. One thing that is apparent though is that if it's not in the top spot, it's definitely up there by a very close call.
Positive impact: 9/10
negative impact: 1/10
Display
The Xperia Z2 has an IPS screen and apparently this is really good. I don't know, I have no idea what IPS is, what it does, and I'd rather not. I'm a very technical focused person, technology ripples through my life, at home, at work and at university. But displays, in my opinion, come under as something else.
It's one of these things where I feel like, if we're being told it's great and we've got all the evidence and backing up to say that it's great, then we'll think it's great. But I'd rather judge it from my own eyes and then, provided I think it's great, I'll say it's great. Do I think it's great?
I think it's nice. I think it's radiant, and colours are produced astonishingly well. Watching movies/TV is so much more practical on the Xperia T - the large screen and sound have a lot to thank for that, but also the video quality is superb. So in that respect, yes I think it's great.
But I started using the Z2 at the start of June, and within those two weeks, summer has been creeping along. With that, so has the sun. The sun is a battle ground of its own when it comes to mobile displays, and one that the Z2 looses itself a little. The screen is insanely reflective and this looks lovely when the phone is off (see the style section, above), but what about when it's on, your outside and the sun is shining? I've been in the position before where I've had phones that send me on a panicking rampage hunting for the nearest big of shade, but I've also had phones (including Sony phones) that do a decent job of alleviating that problem. The Z2, with auto-brightness enabled, send me on the familiar rampage.
As I said above, I'm no buff when it comes to display technology, and I don't want to be. For all I know, the Z2 may have the technology to adjust itself so that sunlight doesn't render it unusable, but if it does, it isn't working, and this can be quite restricting. That said, it's not completely debilitating and, while it's annoying, doesn't stop the small tasks (such as making calls, sending texts) with the help of a hand for cover. When I consider the tasks i do on my phone while I'm out in the sun, they tend not to involve intensive viewing such as watching TV or browsing the internet.
Rating
As brilliant as the display is on the Z2, it's let down by the issue of sun light flooding the ultra reflective screen. It almost feels like a trade off though, as an issue that has plagued several handsets now (though one that never really impacted me), namely the problem that Sony have had with viewing angles has apparently been fixed. So by trading one problem for another, the Z2 is at an even stance with older devices. In this case though the display reigns supreme and really pushes the Z2 making it a fine display for media, so long as you're not outside on a sunny day.
Positive impact: 7/10
Negative impact: 4/10
Durability
As the flagship feature of the Z2, this one gets an honorary mention as something I wouldn't generally include as a category in a review. The Z2 is IP55/58 certified. You may or may not already know what this means, though the probability is that you don't. It essentially proves that the Z2 is built to a set of standards for water proof and dust proof devices.
People often ask me what's the point in a water proof phone? They often follow their initial question with an initiation to debate how they don't go surfing, jet-skiing, etc. and that such a decision to water proof the phone is one for a niche audience.
I have 2 arguments for this.
The first argument is that a water proof phone may appear to much more people that first consideration. I for example, don't drive, and work a 40 minute walk from home. Every day, after work, I phone my mum, and we talk for about 30-45 minutes. There have been many occasions where I've had to end the call, due to an unexpected bout of rain and not an umbrella in sight. So just because a waterproof doesn't sound convenient, doesn't mean it isn't.
My other argument is that innovation isn't always about changing our existing habbits, sometimes it's about inspiring new ones. Referring back to my earlier discussion about testing the display, I took a bath last week, and watched futurama on Sky Go. In the bath. How cool, right?! And I'll be doing that again. Before now, I've been putting spotify on the Roku in the bedroom, down the hall way. By time the sound reaches the bathroom, it's all muffled. Now I'll use my phone. Now I'm not restricted to listening but I can watch, too.
Personally, the whole water proof thing is a game changer, but others would argue otherwise.
Rating
I've made it no secret how much I respect the progression of phones heading in the waterproofing direction, and the Z2 changes things in various ways for me. No more hanging up due to the rain, for a start! But the ability to use my phone in new ways can only enhance the experience the Z2 has to offer. Will others see it the same way? Maybe, maybe not. But this is my review and I love it!
Positive impact: 10/10
Negative impact: 0/10
Connectivity
I wasn't going to include a section on connectivity. In my opinion, a phone is a phone, and should come with at least the ability to make calls and connect to the internet. Anything on top of that such as poor line quality is a complicated thing - it could be a result of degradation or it could be the other part's phone, or other contributing factors, and therefore not something I could comment on in the first 2 weeks.
As it happens, every call I've made, has been amazing. The sound quality is the best yet. It's loud, clear, and serves the purpose well.
But that's not the reason for my sudden change in decision. Since receiving the phone, I've had a bit of a problem. Wifi works fine at home, but not in another, large environment I use on a regular basis. In this situation, I need to disconnect wifi and use my data instead for any internet connectivity. It connects, looks connected, and says its connected. To an extent it 'kind of' works, where a bit of data comes through, and then it'll stop. This raises problems pulling in emails, loading websites, etc. and yet only happens with the Z2. The T was fine, other phones, many other connected devices and PCs etc. So I checked some techie stuff, ip conflicts, different gateways, etc. but to no success in trying to identify the problem. I read recently that this is an issue cropping up more and more. So far it looks like primarily UK users are affected, and the issue appears to be with support for 2.4GHz networks, while 5GHz networks work fine.
So, why? 2.4GHz networks are still widely in use. Maybe not to my approval, but it is so. Typically, these are in environments that cannot have the parameter changed at the click of a button. Yes, it's easy to change from 2.4 to 5GHz, but it's not something that's going to happen without rigorous testing, and certainly not because someone's phone won't connect.
I don't know if this is an intentional conscious decision from Sony to remove support for 2.4GHz signals or a bug affecting the Z2, but either way it's a debilitating issue. At the start of this section, I began by stating that "at least the ability to make calls and connect to the internet" should be available. While this holds true, wifi is no longer an option at work, forcing me to revert to my (not unlimited) data plan.
Rating
There's no way I can possibly award positive impact marks for the phone's ability to make calls and connect to the internet - it's a given standard these days to be able to do both, and if it wasn't possible to do these, the product would be unfit for purpose. So I can't mark it up for that.
I do however, need to fairly consider the debilitating and potentially costly impact of not being able to hold a decent connection to 2.4GHz infrastructures.
Positive impact: 0/10
Negative impact: 4/10
Utility
I've left the utility section until last, as this can cover anything miscellaneous relating to the usage of the device. For example, utility covers application use, situation use (such as work, study, entertainment) or customization (i.e. custom launchers).
The Z2 has a beast of a screen, and this caters for a multi-purpose device. Big enough to show video in an appreciative form or work with office suites for editing, great at home and at work, while small enough to carry around as a set of flash cards, or note pad, perfect for a student. As someone who utilizes my phone for all three categories, I can all but emphasize just how convenient the screen size is.
The Sony launcher gets better with every regenerative injection of new and/or overhauled features, and this iteration is no exception. As with every other iteration however, that as sleek as it looks and as feature rich as it is, it lacks the level of customization I seek. It can however easily be replicated, and Sony's own widgets can be loaded into 3rd party launchers, something that in the past was restricted.
Sony's lock screen has long been what I perceive to be a problem in the sense that when I reach for my phone, I want to be able to unlock it and enter without the need to enter a pass code, draw a picture, or smile for the camera. Back in the olden days, a user would need to swipe an element from one part of the screen to another part. In the even older days, before touch screens, users would need to enter a key combination that was specific to the make and model of the device, something like *#. In the even more olden days, the importance of lock screens hadn't been realized, and so phones came without them. We'd sit down, and in the process turn the phone on and phone someone. Pocket calls, I used to call them, where we'd get a call on the telephone and it'd be silence appart from the odd scuffering or talking in the distant back ground.
The lock screen was aimed at preventing this, only, a recent trend has been to make 'unlocking' as easy as possible, even if it means a single subtle touch. Queue the return of the pocket phone call.
I was hoping the Z2 would see the return of a lock screen that required a swipe from one part to the next, or at least a swipe from any location, but the ability to choose a minimum swipe length to prevent accidental swipes. Luckily my phone is now protected by a case that prevents any of this, but I empathize with anyone who, like me, wants a simple yet effective lock screen, but doesn't have a case.
Rating
The Z2 is perfectly capable of handling a number of tasks and does so well with it's screen size. That said, reading multipage pdf's and magazines of a4 size may still prove to be a challenge, though those tasks are best left to phablets and tablets if the full page view is what you're after. The weight of the Z2 impacts utility in that holding the device for long periods can become a strain.
The launcher gets better with every iteration but still isn't perfect. It's easily mimic-able though which in itself is a step up from previous iterations. Sony have yet to nail the lock screen, in my opinion.
Positive impact: 8/10
Negative impact: 2/10
Summary
The Z2 truly is an amazing phone. Built from the ground up with durability in mind, Sony have yet again put a keen focus on bringing something new to the table, something they've excelled at in the past. What stands out the most about the Z2 is its superb battery life, peering high above any Xperia I've had the pleasure of using to date - this seems to be the one where Sony have nailed it.
The Z2 does have its drawbacks however. The display is highly reflective of sunlight which can be a huge inconvenience though this can almost be forgiven for the screen looks simply outstanding under the right conditions. Other drawbacks include problems with WiFi connectivity and an apparent unwillingness to acknowledge just how serious accessorizing is, when considering the fragile aesthetics. These points however, can easily be remedied through software updates and change of attitude respectfully.
No phone is perfect, though the Z2 isn't far off. It scores an impressive 78% from me (as explained below) and with the necessary changes in place, has the opportunity to be in the region of 90% - an astonishing achievement! The Z2 is one of the best smart phones on the market and with improvements naturally expected over time, is a worthy investment.
Scorecard
The Z2 truly is an amazing phone. Built from the ground up with durability in mind, Sony have yet again put a keen focus on bringing something new to the table, something they've excelled at in the past. What stands out the most about the Z2 is its superb battery life, peering high above any Xperia I've had the pleasure of using to date - this seems to be the one where Sony have nailed it.
The Z2 does have its drawbacks however. The display is highly reflective of sunlight which can be a huge inconvenience though this can almost be forgiven for the screen looks simply outstanding under the right conditions. Other drawbacks include problems with WiFi connectivity and an apparent unwillingness to acknowledge just how serious accessorizing is, when considering the fragile aesthetics. These points however, can easily be remedied through software updates and change of attitude respectfully.
No phone is perfect, though the Z2 isn't far off. It scores an impressive 78% from me (as explained below) and with the necessary changes in place, has the opportunity to be in the region of 90% - an astonishing achievement! The Z2 is one of the best smart phones on the market and with improvements naturally expected over time, is a worthy investment.
Scorecard
| Category | Positive | Negative |
| Size | 7 | 1 |
| Style | 8 | 1 |
| Accessorizing | 5 | 5 |
| Battery | 10 | 0 |
| Performance | 9 | 1 |
| Display | 7 | 4 |
| Durability | 10 | 0 |
| Connectivity | 0 | 4 |
| Utility | 8 | 2 |
| Total | 64 | 18 |
Each category has been rated out of 10 for both its positive and negative impact on the device, represented as two scores per category. Both scores from each category are then added to a total representing the number of points the overall score is to be compared against. In this case, the overall figure is (64 + 18) 82.
The final score is then given by returning the percentage of the overall figure that represents the positive impact. In this case as the Z2 scored 64 positive impact points out of 82 impact points overall, the final score is:
78.05%
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