Sony Xperia Z2 review

Introduction

Quite a few people were getting impatient at one point but a Sony flagship is well worth waiting for. But then, wasn't it clear well before the impatience started to kick in that owners of the original Xperia Z had a lot more to look forward to than those holding the - still relatively new - Z1?

One can easily blame it on the shorter upgrade cycle that the Sony Xperia Z2 is in many ways an incremental upgrade - like most of the competing flagships of late. A tad bigger screen, a bump in processing power, camera upgrades and the latest software.

  
Sony Xperia Z2 official photos

Flip that over though - and you'll notice a much-improved screen, actually a brand new IPS LCD. Plus, a bigger screen diagonal of 5.2" hasn't blown the size out of proportion - the Sony Xperia Z2 has managed to keep virtually the same footprint by just slimming down the screen bezel.

  
Sony Xperia Z2 official photos

And there is more. You get 3GB RAM up from 2GB, a more robust Adreno 330 graphics chip, 4x the video recording resolution, there are now stereo front speakers, and the latest Android 4.4 KitKat.

Key features

• Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support; 3G with 42Mbps HSPA; 150Mbps LTE
• 5.2" 16M-color 1080p IPS capacitive touchscreen Triluminos display (424ppi pixel density); X-Reality engine
• Android OS v4.4.2 KitKat with custom UI
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset: quad-core 2.3GHz Krait 400 CPU, 3 GB of RAM, Adreno 330 GPU
• 20.7MP autofocus camera with a 1/2.3" Exmor RS sensor and F/2.0 Sony G Lens; Info-eye, AR effects
• 2160p video recording @ 30fps, 1080p@ 60fps, 720p@ 120fps, continuous autofocus and stereo sound; live video streaming to Facebook
• 2.2MP front camera, 1080p video recording
• IP 58 certification - dust and water resistant
• Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA; Wireless TV out
• GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS
• 16GB of built-in storage; microSD card slot up to 128GB
• MHL-enabled microUSB port
• Bluetooth v4.0
• NFC
• Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
• Accelerometer and proximity sensor
• Stereo front speakers (with improved loudness over Z1)
• Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic, noise-cancelling headset bundled
• Ample 3,200mAh battery

Main disadvantage

• Non-user-replaceable battery
• No proper video playback decoders (XviD, DivX) out of the box
• No wireless charging options

Could the Sony Xperia Z2 have been better? Other recent flagships have failed to make a big splash - as in bringing anything quite impressive or unexpected. But those comparisons have yet to come. The Z2 is in fact better than Z1 - in terms of screen quality and battery life. Not as much better perhaps as some may've hoped? Or maybe the thing is it's just better - when it could've been mind-blowing. Says who?

   
Sony Xperia Z2 at ours

Alright, it depends on where you're coming from. We're only about to start discovering just how good the Sony Xperia Z2 is. We can't help but wonder as well what kind of impact a likely Z2 compact and a possible new flagship six months from now may have on the sales of the Xperia Z2, which is already some time behind major rivals like the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One (M8).

Unboxing the Sony Xperia Z2

The Xperia Z2 comes in a familiar package Sony typically ships its Xperia line of smartphones in. Having handed out lots of digital content and accessories to tease the launch and pre-order campaign, Sony didn't bother put any special treats inside the box. A compact charger, a microUSB cable and a headset is all you get.

 
The retail package

The pair of headphones is quite good though - the Sony MDR-NC31EM comes with noise-cancelling capability and is specially designed to provide crisp and loud audio on the Xperia Z2 line, including the tablet. Unfortunately, we didn't get the headphones themselves in our review unit.

On some markets the Xperia Z2 may be bundled with Sony's latest Smart band. t's a fitness tracker band, which pairs quite nicely with Sony's line of Xperia phones.

   

The band's brains are hidden inside a little white plastic insert, which can be easily transferred to a range of band styles to match your taste. It just slots in its place. The SmartBand we got came with a standard black rubber band and there are two bands of different sizes inside the box.

Sony Xperia Z2 360-degree spin

The Sony Xperia Z2 has a slightly bigger display and more battery capacity, yet manages to keep the same footprint as the Xperia Z1 and has even lost some weight. The dimensions are 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2mm - that's 3mm taller, but about a millimeter narrower and a tad slimmer. It now weighs 7g less than Xperia Z1 at 163g.

This wasn't that hard considering the Xperia Z1 has screen bezel to spare - a source of much criticism.

   
Sony Xperia Z2 next to Sony Xperia Z1

Here go some mug shots of the Xperia Z2 next to other popular Snapdragon 801-powered flagships. It is about as tall as the 5" HTC One (M8), but thinner.

   
Sony Xperia Z2 next to the HTC One M8

The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a 5.1" display with super slim bezels, helping an overall slightly more compact body compared to the Sony Xperia Z2.

   
Sony Xperia Z2 next to the Samsung Galaxy S5

Design and handling

Six months or less is quite a short time to come up with a completely new design, especially when the bar is set so high already. And to say why fix it if it ain't broke would be a massive understatement for the OmniBalance body wrought from aluminum and covered in scratch-resistant glass.

Sony is using a а two-stage process to anodize the aluminum and has finished the sides for a two-tone look, which works very well.

   
Sony Xperia Z2 • Xperia Z2 sized up against the Xperia Z1

We doubt it that any real Sony fan would settle for plastic even though it would have made the Xperia Z2 lighter. Glass and aluminum is a premium blend and the Xperia flagships do look gorgeous.

And it's a water and dust proof unibody yet again - nothing for Sony to fix in this department. All slots and ports are where they were on the Xperia Z1, protected by plastic flaps with rubber seals to keep water and dust out and keep the design intact.

Both front and rear sheets of glass are shatter proof and scratch-resistant. No word on any sort of oleophobic coating, but even though smudges do occur, the panels are very easy to clean.

Handling the Xperia Z2 is a pleasure - it is big and the flat sides don't have the best grip, but the feel of glass against your palm combined with this kind of heft is second-to-none. Sure, the Xperia Z2 will slip into pockets with relative ease for its size and looks more than make up for the solid 163g.

 

A 5.2" 1080p IPS display

The Sony Xperia Z2 comes with a 5.2" 1080p Triluminos IPS display, backed up by the company's X-Reality engine. We've already seen the X-Reality Engine in action on the Xperia Z1, so we know that it's clearly superior to most of the screens Sony has produced in the past. The IPS display is definitely welcome as it deliver superb viewing angles.

The 5.2" 1080p IPS display

The pixel density breaks down to 424ppi, which is as good as it gets in terms of sharpness. No matter how closely you look, you won't be able to tell pixels apart and images will always look tack sharp (provided they have enough resolution in the first place).

Here's a shot at the underlying pixel matrix of the screen that we've taken with our digital microscope compared to the Xperia Z1's RGB matrix.

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A key area that has seen further improvement courtesy of the IPS display is viewing angles. Those have been a long-standing issue of all of the company's screens over the past few years, but they have been tweaked in the Xperia Z1 and they are now even better in the Xperia Z2.

The native display contrast of the Sony Xperia Z2 is somewhat less impressive as on the Xperia Z1 because the Z2's screen isn't as bright as its predecessor's. Colors are nicely punchy, but still fairly accurate. If you'd like a bit of extra punch to your images and videos you should enable the X-Reality engine, which is the successor of the Mobile Bravia Engine. It aims to improve sharpness, reduce noise, while boosting contrast and saturation, and it does a pretty good job of it.

Display test	50% brightness			100% brightness
	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio	Black, cd/m2	White, cd/m2	Contrast ratio
Sony Xperia Z2	-	-	-	0.41	488	1195
Sony Xperia Z1	-	-	-	0.38	580	1513
Sony Xperia Z	-	-	-	0.70	492	705
Oppo Find 7a	0.33	280	842	0.68	580	852
Samsung Galaxy S5	0	274	∞	0	529	∞
Samsung Galaxy S4	0	201	∞	0	404	∞
HTC One (M8)	0.20	245	1219	0.46	577	1256
LG G2	0.10	149	1522	0.45	667	1495
HTC Butterfly S	0.15	165	1117	0.43	451	1044
Apple iPhone 5	0.13	200	1490	0.48	640	1320

Quite expectedly, the Xperia Z2's screen is more reflective than the Xperia Z1's because it's less bright. This means we got a lesser score in our dedicated sunlight legibility test. We tried the Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z2 side by side under direct sunlight and being noticeably brighter, indeed we found the Xperia Z1 screen a bit easier to read and work with.

Hardware overview

There are the usual sensors above the 5.2" display, next to a 2.2MP front-facing camera. What's new is the stereo speakers, a nice addition to the flagship spec sheet, helping an immersive experience when watching videos or listening to music.

Each speaker is hidden underneath a very thin but elongated grille carved out of the front glass. The top speaker doubles as an earpiece and the LED notification light is integrated therein too.

  
The font of the Xperia Z2 and the notification light in action

The right side of the Xperia Z2 is very busy. In the upper corner is the microSIM compartment under its protective flap. Just below it is the signature power key, followed by a volume rocker. Finally, there is the two-stage shutter key.

  
Right side: microSIM card slot, aluminum power key, shutter key

The left side has the microSD card slot and the microUSB port under a protective plastic lid as well. Naturally, it should be properly closed if you want your Xperia Z2 to be dust and water proof. The lanyard eyelet is also around.

  
Left side: microSD card slot and microUSB port, plus the lanyard eyelet

The top of the phone holds the exposed but waterproofed 3.5mm audio jack and the secondary microphone allowing stereo sound in videos and keeping ambient noise out of calls. The primary mic is at the bottom of the Sony Xperia Z2.

   
The water-resistant 3.5mm audio jack is left exposed • same goes for the loudspeaker on the bottom

The entire back is covered by a scratch-resistant glass of undisclosed origin. One of the key features of the Sony Xperia Z2 - the 20.7MP camera lens - is in the top left corner. It's a 27mm wide Sony G lens with a fast F/2.0 aperture and the Sony Exmor RS backside illuminated (BSI) sensor.

 
The back of the Xperia Z2

If you were hoping for a more powerful LED flash, dual or a true-tone LED, you'll be disappointed. The Xperia Z2 uses the same tiny singe-LED flash we saw on the Xperia Z1.

Battery life

The Sony Xperia Z2 is powered by a 3,200mAh Li-Ion battery - sealed under the sheet of glass, it's non-user-replaceable as usual. It's a bigger battery, the one in the Z1 was only 3000 mAh. We couldn't wait to do our battery test and find out whether the new Xperia Z2 can do better than its predecessor.

So, we did what we usually do and the Sony Xperia Z2 turned out an amazing performer. An overall rating of 89 hours was mostly down to vastly improved video playback and web browsing times. This means your Xperia Z2 will last just shy of four days if used for an hour each of video playback, calls over a 3G network and web browsing a day.