The iPhone 5, LG Optimus G, Samsung GALAXY S 4, Sony Xperia Z, and HTC One all had their displays put under a digital microscope, with comparison images of text taken between different combinations of the aforementioned smartphones being assembled together into slider images, allowing users to slide back and forth over the close-up shots and see them in a way their naked eyes can’t.

According to the folks who did the test, they chose to image text specifically because they felt a close-up look at the letters is one of the best ways to compare the displays. What you’re looking for is the curvature of the letters: smooth, round curves on the letters are preferable over ones with rougher curves. So which display is best among them?

Not to be disappointing, but the answer is, “It depends.” As you can see in the images, which we have in the gallery below, you can see the individual differences in the technologies used in the displays, but aside from that the subtle differences between the text is still obvious, and largely open to interpretation. For example, the Xperia Z and the GALAXY S 4 both offer 441ppi, but when looked at up close, one would be tempted to proclaim Sony the best of the two, with its lettering coming in very clear and smooth.

You can check out the interactive version of the comparisons at the link below. Which display is best? Let us know what you think!

[via Gadget Guy]

With the release of an XPERIA Z for T-Mobile, this would be another rare push by Sony to have a smartphone on a carrier with a contract here in the USA. Generally an XPERIA device will be released in the states off-contract only, allowing users to choose their carrier and their data plan without contractual obligations as such.

If the Sony XPERIA Z is released to T-Mobile in the near future, it’ll be put in indirect competition with the XPERIA ZL and direct competition with the Samsung GALAXY S 4 as well as the HTC One, both of which are being carried by T-Mobile this spring and summer. Sony’s hero efforts will need, therefor, a price point that’s less or equal to what these devices offer at least due to the much more active advertising efforts of the competition.

Have a peek at SlashGear’s review of the Sony XPERIA Z as it exists internationally, and stay tuned as we review the Sony XPERIA ZL for the USA as well. It’ll be up to you, if you’re Sony-addicted, whether you want to be attached to one or the other. Both will work with T-Mobile, mind you, but only one will be working with the network’s upcoming 4G LTE connectivity roll-out. The FCC listing discovered by Engadget this week shows the XPERIA Z to be working with T-Mobile-specific 4G LTE radios.

This smartphone runs with many of the same specifications that the XPERIA Z did, bringing on the 5-inch 1080 x 1920p full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 for the brightest and sharpest experience you’ve ever had on an XPERIA smartphone. You’ll be working with Infra-red for controlling your television, NFC for connecting to all the NFC tags you could ever want, and that same cool 13 megapixel camera on the back. You’ve also got a rather nice “Superior Auto” mode on the camera that instantly adds or subtracts camera features depending on what the camera detects in front of you.

You’ve got a newly rubbery textured plastic back panel instead of the glass flat panel the Z worked with – while some might not be all that pumped up about such a change, we’re certainly all for it. Now the device doesn’t feel nearly as fragile, and it retains its high-end feel just as well. You also get a significant size advantage with this build, the device working with the same massive display but with a bezel that’s shaved enough off the top and bottom of the build that you’ll be holding what basically feels like a “borderless” screen – a rather nice feeling.

Interestingly enough, it’s not as if the Xperia ZL was made entirely on the suggestions made for the Z. We saw the Xperia ZL at the same time as the Z back at CES 2013 with our Xperia Z hands-on. Both devices were ready to roll in their near-ready forms one next to the other, the one ready to dunk in the water, the other being the smaller-bodied beast.

Inside you’ve got the same processor you’ll get with the LG Optimus G and the Google Nexus 4 (by LG) – have a peek below at some benchmark tests to prove this device’s might. You’ll also find some hands-on images above and below, and we’ll be presenting additional tests soon. Please feel free to let us know any questions you’ve got about this device and we’ll do our best to make sure you’re fully informed before you purchase the Xperia ZL later this month!

Sony made some huge accomplishments at the Mobile World Congress this year. It showed off a bunch of huge, high-quality devices that attracted eyes everywhere. Its Sony Xperia Z smartphone, which is set to launch soon, attracted many eyes not only with its stunning design, but also with its water-proof capabilities, making it a very durable phone, appealing to most consumers who are prone to dropping their devices into liquids.

Sony also debuted its Sony Xperia Tablet Z at MWC. It has a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 resolution display, and has the same water-proof attribute as the Sony Xperia Z. It’s packed with a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, lasts up to 8 hours on a single charge, and will be priced at $499 for the 16GB version. The Xperia Tablet Z is looking at a May release window in some regions, however its release date will vary in others.

The Sony Xperia ZL that Sony used to snag its Guinness World Record is very similar to the Sony Xperia Z in terms of specs, minus the water-proof capabilities. It is said to be the most compact 5-inch device in the world, making it the best candidate in Sony’s line-up to help it secure the world record. Like its brother, the Sony Xperia ZL will be making its way to the United States soon. Sony is now thinking of ideas to implement in its next mosaic. To get a feel of the Sony Xperia Z devices, check out our review of the Sony Xperia Z.

[via Sony]

Unlike the latest iPhone security issue, the Xperia Z’s method doesn’t involve any fiddling with the SIM card or other physical parts of the phone. Instead, demonstrated in the video attached below by Scott Reed, who found the issue, you can see the method at work, which involves using the emergency dialer.

After pulling up the emergency dial pad, the user only needs to type in *#*#7378423#*#*, which then brings up the service menu. Via the service menu, the user then needs to use the NFC > NFC Diag Test, at which point the home button can be pressed and the home screen accessed. The bypass is easy enough for anyone to replicate.

This follows shortly after a new bug has surfaced with the iOS 6.1.3 update that fixes one security bypass issue while introducing a new one, which involves using voice command and ejecting the SIM card at a certain time. Likewise, Samsung has had issues with some of its Galaxy devices providing lock screen bypass vulnerabilities.

[via GSM Arena]

This device works with some advanced industrial design features such as concentration on perfecting the roundness of the edges and “premium build and craftsmanship” put specifically into the power button. Strange and excellent! This device also works with a display that’s got Sony’s own touch of greatness in it with “Reality Display” technology and power backed up by Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2.

NOTE: Don’t forget to check out our review of the Xperia Z as well – similar, but not the same!

This device also boasts implementation of Sony’s own Exmor RS technology, the first in the world – so they say – that offers a mobile implementation of HDR Video. You’ll find that this device also works with a “STAMINA” mode for battery life extension so you’ll be able to shoot all day long.

Key features for Xperia ZL:
• 5″ 1080 x 1920p full HD Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2
• 13MP Fast Capture camera with Exmor RS for mobile, HDR video (1080p), Superior Auto and • Noise Reduction to effortlessly capture razor sharp pictures and videos in any conditions
• Battery STAMINA for improved standby time
• NFC-enabled and Infra-red capable
• 1.5 GHz asynchronous quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with 2GB RAM
• MSRP $759.99 (unlocked, Model C6506) and $719.99 (unlocked, Model C6502)
• Available colors: Black, White, Red
• Xperia ZL will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)

Past the idea that this machine will be launching with the not-quite-newest version of Android (with 4.1 instead of 4.2 Jelly Bean), it’s clear that Sony means business with this release. Expect this lovely little amalgamation of bits and pieces to be available to you sooner than later right here in the USA! Pre-sales have already begun!

The demonstration took place in the window front of a T-Mobile store in the Czech Republic, where a clear shower was installed. Showing off the Xperia Z’s waterproof capabilities in perhaps the most eye-catching way possible, a pink bikini-clad supermodel took the phone into the shower with her and used it in the water. As you can see below, this drew quite the crowd.

That was certainly a brazen way to launch a flagship handset, with the Xperia Z hitting shelves in the nation this week. Less anyone feel left out, a guy also tested the phone out in the shower, with the models taking turns. One thing is certain, those who happened to pass by aren’t going to forget this live product show as fast as they would a 20 second TV commercial.

The Xperia Z is quite a nice handset, which we detailed in a full review that you can check out for yourself here. The handset features a 5-inch full 1920 x 1080p HD display, as well as a quad-core processor, 13.1-megapixel camera, and, of course, a completely waterproof design. It runs Android 4.l Jelly Bean.

[via Android Community]

According to WildTangent, the Sony Xperia X will lead the charge with the Xperia smartphone universe, the team promoting their service with a handful of free WildCoins if they register WildTangent on their Xperia device. WildCoins are used by WildTangent members to rent and purchase games for their device. In addition to being able to rent a game for a limited period of time, users are able to purchase that app outright – and when they do so, any money spent on rental is applied to the purchase automatically.

Many games are are available for free as well, they being subsidized – to so speak – by the advertisements they carry in-game. The titles Great Little War Game and Babel Rising 3D are just two of the next-generation of devices coming on quick, and completely for free. You’ll also find the now-classic Fruit Ninja and ultra-powerful third-person shooter game SHADOWGUN there as well.

Have a peek at the Wild Tangent universe for yourself if you’ve got an Xperia device, and consider having a tap with it even if you don’t – it’s growing more universal by the day! Also be sure to have a look at the rest of our Mobile World Congress 2013 coverage through the MWC 2013 tag portal – more up to the minute news blasts and hands-on action than you can handle!

Hardware

For once, there’s a feeling that Sony isn’t keeping its best technology for the Japanese market. The Xperia Z is one of a rare breed of water resistant phones available outside of Japan, and even more unusually it’s free of many of the compromises “rugged” phones generally entail. Since Sony doesn’t make any claims about extra bump protection, the Xperia Z can be slim and reasonably light: 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm, in fact, and 146g, though the squared-off edges leave it feeling quite slabbish in the hand.

The broad, flat feel is partly forced by a 5-inch display, with Sony using an LCD TFT panel running at 1920 x 1080 Full HD resolution. That’s still a rarity in the mobile market, though it will be less of one as time goes on. Sony’s panel isn’t quite up to the same eye-tingling magic as HTC has used on the DROID DNA (which means it’ll also be outshone by the HTC One when that arrives, as the One’s slightly smaller 4.7-inch screen bested, to our eyes, that of its DROID DNA predecessor) and we can’t help but wish that the Mobile Bravia Engine 2 was enabled across all aspects of the phone.

That new engine works to sharpen and generally tweak photos and videos viewed on the Xperia Z, and is applied to any multimedia content including YouTube videos. The results are visible – blacks get a little inkier, colors more saturated – but it also serves to show up how washed out the menus could look at times, particularly when the phone cranked up the backlighting. Sony’s choice of a grey color scheme didn’t help here, either. Meanwhile, viewing angles aren’t the best we’ve seen, with the display losing clarity when you look at it askance.

We’ll be generous and call the Xperia Z’s design “handsome and sober”; others we showed the phone to were less accommodating, and though it was dull. The glass inserts – toughened on the front and back – are interesting, though they did make the phone slippery; meanwhile, the “skeleton frame” of glass-fiber polyamide is akin to metal in strength, Sony insists, but feels a whole lot like regular plastic.

Still, you get that water resistance from it, and that’s a welcome addition. The Xperia Z meets IP55 and IP57 standards, meaning it’ll survive a dunk in up to 1m of water, being squirted with water jets, and the ingress of dust (which can play havoc with electronics). However, it also means that Sony has been liberal with ports, flaps, and hatches, since the resistance ratings are only met when the body is sealed up. The headphone socket on the top edge has a flap; the microSD and microUSB ports on the side each get their own flaps; and the microSIM slot has a flap too. If any of them are open, you lose your water and dust-resistance, which means if you’re listening to music with wired headphones and accidentally drop the Xperia Z in a puddle, there’s a fair chance it’ll stop working.

The other noticeable design element is the power button, which Sony has over-engineered seemingly solely for the purpose of proving it can. A shiny aluminum disc protruding from the right edge of the handset, it’s certainly tactile, though we can’t say we felt it was entirely necessary. In fact, we all too often reached for it when using the Xperia Z’s camera – in our defense, it’s a lot like a Sony CyberShot shutter button – powering off the phone in the process.

There’s no shortage of connectivity inside the new Sony. Our UK handset supports hexaband LTE (1/3/5/7/8/20) and triband HSPA, along with quadband GSM/EDGE. Then there’s WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, aGPS/GLONASS, NFC, WiFi Miracast, a microUSB 2.0 port with MHL HDMI support, and a microSD card slot (supporting up to 32GB cards). Onboard storage is 16GB, while the 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 Pro quadcore processor is paired with 2GB of RAM. On the back there’s a 13-megapixel camera with Sony’s own Exmor RS branding, while a 2-megapixel Exmor R camera is above the display for video calls and vanity shots.

Software

Sony has launched the Xperia Z running Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, not the latest Android 4.2 version, though it’s questionable whether you’ll notice the difference, especially given its been reskinned. The UI is familiar from previous Xperia phones, tasteful but loaded up with more than a few space-hogging apps and plenty of entry points for the company’s services, such as Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited (for music and video purchase and rentals, respectively), and the Sony Select “curated” download store of apps and games, which basically works as a shortcut to titles in the regular Google Play market.

If you’ve a Sony smart TV then you can use the Media Remote app to control it from the Xperia Z, and there’s social aggregation for Facebook and Twitter with the Socialife app. It works, though anyone with more than a passing interest in their social media will quickly ignore it in favor of the full Facebook and Twitter apps.

The Xperia Z wasn’t without its glitches. There’s shortcut access to the camera from the lock screen, for instance, but we found it would often bounce us back to the lock page when we tried to change mode or settings. The only way around it was to unlock the phone as normal and navigate into the camera manually.

As for performance, the Xperia Z scored in line with the LG Nexus 4 and DROID DNA by HTC, no great surprise given the core hardware is the same across the three devices, in all but SunSpider, the test of browser performance. There, it put in a particularly poor showing, taking more than 50-percent longer than its similarly-specified rivals. In practical terms, though, it handled full webpages, games, and multitasking with aplomb, with only the occasional pause during app loading to slow things down. It’s worth noting that, while you can still use the touchscreen even when the Xperia Z is submerged, a steady flow of water plays havoc with the display. Something to consider if you’re hoping to use the phone while in the shower.

Camera

While HTC opted for the bigger pixels strategy with the One, Sony has followed a more traditional path with a 13-megapixel sensor for the Xperia Z. Here, it’s an Exmore RS chip, the first time the new sensor has appeared on a phone, and bringing with it such niceties as real-time HDR for both photos and full HD video.

It also comes with software that should be familiar to anyone who has used a Sony camera in recent years. There are a huge amount of settings, features, and modes to choose from on the Xperia Z, but we found that for once the “Superior Auto” mode didn’t make a mess of sifting through them. That’s partly because it’s reasonably transparent – you see exactly what scene mode its selected based on the subject, whether that be sports, portrait, or any of the total of 36 settings – but also because it gets access to the HDR and advanced noise reduction tools.

Of course, you can select between all of these manually, though the Xperia Z’s interface can be a little confusing at times. There’s a settings menu, where you can choose things like resolution (up to 12-megapixel 4:3 images, or 9-megapixel 16:9 images), and a mode bar that spreads across the top of the display and offers manual scene selection, video mode, HDR, panorama, and other more high-level options. Both still and video recording buttons are on-screen simultaneously (though you can only shoot a 1-megapixel still while recording video), but there’s no way to change the video resolution unless you manually jump into camcorder mode.

Nonetheless, the important thing is image quality, and the Xperia Z does well. There’s plenty of detail and not too much noise, particularly when outside, and low-light performance is impressive. Colors are a little on the muted side, even in HDR mode, which on other phones we’ve tested can lean uncomfortably toward the “clown” setting. Sony, though, takes a more balanced approach, though we wish we could selectively adjust the HDR effect for those times when punchier colors are the goal.

As for video, regular clips share the same slightly muted colors but good balance as stills, getting more rounded and balanced when in HDR video mode. Again, this isn’t a shortcut to lurid footage – in fact, sometimes we struggled to tell the difference between HDR and non-HDR clips. Rather than boost colors, as HDR Is arguably best known for, the Xperia Z tends to use the system to broaden its contrast, with darker areas proving clearer.

Sony Xperia Z Full HD video sample:

Xperia Z HDR video vs. non-HDR video demo:

Phone and Battery

Gobfuls of mobile band support mean the Xperia Z can get online across a broad range of networks, and there’s HSPA+ support if you don’t have a local LTE carrier. In-call performance was solid, though not the best we’ve tested of late, and we wouldn’t argue with some more audio volume; we don’t know if that’s down to the speaker waterproofing, but whatever the reason it means you spend the first half of most calls shuffling the Sony against your ear to try to line it up best.

With a big, Full HD screen, you’d expect battery life to be shaky, and sure enough the Xperia Z demonstrates – at times – a voracious hunger for power. Sony quotes up to 11hrs or talk time or 550hrs of standby, but it’s worth noting that neither of those conditions have the display turned on. Power up the 5-incher, and the Xperia Z can go from full to flat before you’ve reached mid-afternoon.

Sony is particularly proud of its Battery STAMINA mode, which promises up to four times the runtime by shutting off background data use when the screen is turned off. Instead of having your email, Facebook and Twitter updates, and other apps updating continuously, they only get to sip from the data connection when the Xperia Z is active. A whitelist of permitted apps, meanwhile, doles out background data support piecemeal, so that you can have, say, your email still checking but nothing else.

We noticed some improvement, but it’s questionable whether the target audience for the Xperia Z – power users lured in by the display and processing horsepower – will really benefit from Battery STAMINA. It’s only effective when the display is off, after all, and those who want to actually use their phone aren’t unlikely to leave it sufficiently idle for it to make its mark. True, if you treat the Xperia Z with kid gloves and use it more sparingly, you can eke out a full day from a single charge, but that seems somewhat counter-intuitive for a flagship device.

Wrap-Up

There are two ways of looking at the Xperia Z. In the context of Sony’s track-record of smartphones, this is certainly the best to-date. It has the best display Sony has used, a solid camera, useful waterproofing (even if it does force annoying flaps on you), and sleek – albeit conservative – styling. It’s not cheap and plasticky in the hand like the Xperia Arc was, nor slathered in plastic chrome trim. If you’re a Sony devotee then the Xperia Z is the phone you’ve been waiting for.

On the other hand, in context with the rest of the smartphone market, the Xperia X finds things tougher going. The design and build, while sturdy, lack the classic evolutionary styling of the iPhone 5, or the pristine, tactile elegance of the HTC One. It bests the Samsung Galaxy S III on display and construction, but Samsung has a new Galaxy waiting in the wings, and is almost certain to redress the screen balance.

It’s the battery that gives us the biggest pause for thought. The Xperia Z simply expires too quickly, and the power saving tools Sony has provided only really work at their best by discouraging you from using the phone at all. Given the waterproofing (and dimensions) means the battery is non-removable, that’s quite a compromise to be made.

Despite how quickly it runs out of steam, we like the Xperia Z. It’s about time Sony waded into the smartphone market in earnest, and with some refinement its 2013 range shows great promise. What it doesn’t have is an obvious winner: the Sony Xperia Z is a solid phone and a capable alternative to the knee-jerk iPhone/Galaxy options, but it lacks the completeness that would push it ahead of the pack.

The video essentially acted as the countdown timer to the start of the press conference, but it provides five minutes of soothing and relaxing gadget goodness that shows Sony engineers assembling the company’s products. Think of it as a reverse teardown of sorts, where they start with all the parts neatly laid out in front of them, and they finish with a completely assembled product.

It definitely gives you an idea of the complexity of circuitry that goes on inside Sony’s phones and cameras, and while their products probably aren’t assembled by hand like this (but rather in a factory by an assembly line), the video does a great job at showing you how these products get put together.

While five minutes does seem extremely quick to put together something as intricate as a smartphone or camera, there doesn’t seem to be any fast-forwarding of the assembly process going on in the video, proving that these engineers know what they’re doing, and we’re guessing that they’ve put together devices like this before on several occasions.

Sony already showed us its easy-pairing approach using NFC on the Xperia Z, but the system has more uses than just streaming audio over Bluetooth to a speaker or headset. The TV controller – which Sony is calling the One-touch Remote – when tapped briefly against your compatible Xperia phone automatically pairs up a WiFi Direct connection, and begins screen mirroring.

That means photos, videos, music, and apps on the big screen, and in a way that’s probably so straightforward that we can even envisage the mass-market adopting it. Tapping the phone against the remote a second time cuts the connection, with a little haptic-feedback buzz from the Xperia to let you know it’s worked.

In fact, the limiting factor is likely to be the fact that it’s Sony-only right now. Just as with other customized NFC-based systems we’ve seen – Samsung’s S Beam comes to mind, on the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note II – there’s no playing nicely between the technologies. Being able to hand your friends and family the remote and have their content almost instantly appear on the big-screen is great; having to frisk them to make sure they have a Sony Xperia first is less impressive.

When it comes to specs, the Xperia Z ticks all the right boxes. Measuring in at 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm and 146g, it runs Jelly Bean on Qualcomm’s S4 Pro APQ8064+MDM9215 quadcore with Adreno 320 graphics and 2GB of RAM; Sony tells us that it’ll be Android 4.1 at launch, with a 4.2 upgrade “shortly after” that. Connectivity includes LTE and HSPA+, depending on local market, along with WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, MHL-HDMI, aGPS/GPS/GLONASS, and a microSD card slot for up to 32GB cards. Internal storage clocks in at 16GB.

Inside, there’s a 2,330 mAh non-removable battery good for up to 14hrs of UMTS talktime or up to 510hrs of LTE standby. However, Sony also adds a Battery STAMINA Mode option to the settings, which – when enabled – turns off any background data use while the screen is turned off. A whitelist allows select apps to remain active, but Sony says that with STAMINA turned on, runtime is extended up to fourfold. The system learns from your usage style and that of different apps, too, automatically adjusting its runtime estimate according to which apps are in the whitelist.

Sony Xperia Z overview:

As for the cameras, that’s a 13-megapixel sensor on the back and a 2-megapixel version on the front; the main camera uses Sony’s Exmor RS technology for better quality, and the interface features elements pulled from Sony’s CyberShot line. A “Superior Auto” mode adjusts the scene according to lighting, movement, and subject conditions, while a burst mode can continuously capture 10fps at 9-megapixels until your battery (or storage) expires. Sony is particularly proud of its HDR technology, which is used not only in still photos but in video capture too.

Those videos look particularly good on the Xperia Z’s display. The new flagship features the latest iteration of screen processing software from Sony’s HDTV range, Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, which does real-time processing to make video content more colorful and engaging. It looks fantastic on the 5-inch TFT LCD HD Reality Display, with bright colors and crisp edges that don’t look over-saturated in comparison to some AMOLED panels of the moment. On top is a layer of scratch-resistant, shatterproof glass.

There’s shatterproof glass on the back, too, and glass-like inserts in the subtly curved sides. However, rather than being prone to smashing, the Xperia Z meets IP55 and IP57 dust and water resistance specifications, and can survive being immersed in (clean) water for up to 30 minutes with no issues. Even the power button is special: Sony has milled it precisely from aluminum, after its research found that the average user presses the key 64 times a day.

Sony Xperia Z walkthrough:

As for NFC, Sony will be using that as the “enabler” for a push in distributed media sharing around the home. Alongside the Xperia Z there’s a new Stereo Bluetooth Headset SBH20 and Wireless Headset DR-BTN200M, both of which can be paired via NFC simply by holding the Xperia Z nearby. Sony also has a new five-strong range of Smart TVs for CES, which include NFC in the remote control for easily pairing the phone with the TV and then streaming video over WiFi Direct.

Certain markets and carriers will get the Sony Xperia ZL, a second variant on the Xperia Z. It shares almost all of the specifications as the regular Xperia Z, but in a shorter, slightly thicker housing; it’s also not waterproof.

Sony isn’t talking pricing at this stage, nor confirming exact US availability or which carrier(s) might have picked up the Xperia Z or Xperia ZL. Still, from everything we’ve seen here at CES, this is the most compelling Sony handset in some time.

Sony Xperia Z hands-on: