Sony Takes On The iPad
Hands-on with the Sony Xperia Tablet
Z, a true high- end competitor to the iPad
Since it was first unveiled, Sony’s Tablet
Z has been seen as the most likely candidate to make a dent in an Android
tablet market dominated by the budget Nexuses and Kindle Fires, or the
ubiquitous Galaxies. It certainly is one of the most strikingly designed
tablets we’ve seen. It takes its styling from the Xperia Z smartphone, and
while we found its harsh angles uncomfortable to hold in small form, on a
tablet it is perfect. So light (485g) and thin (an incredible 69mm) is the
Tablet Z that you think it might snap in half. It won’t of course, because the
device is surprisingly tough, with the same IP57 rating for dust and water
resistance that the phone had.
Sony
Xperia Tablet Z - a true high- end competitor to the iPad
The 10.1-inch display is impressive, with a
better-than- HD resolution. Like most Android tabs the display is widescreen -
not ideal for use in landscape, and the large bezel makes the Tablet Z even
longer.
The
10.1-inch display is impressive, with a better-than- HD resolution.
The Tablet Z runs Android 4.1 with Sony’s
skin adding the usual selection of Sony apps but otherwise being fairly light.
Performance was good, as expected, with a 1.5GHz Krait processor and 2GB of
RAM. 4G LTE is the highlight of some strong connectivity features.
The Xperia Tablet Z will be available
towards the end of May with a price that looks set to be upwards of $600. Fair
play to Sony for producing a premium product rather than trying to compete with
some loss-leading devices. Android has struggled to compete with the iPad at
the top end of the market, and the quality on show here might finally give the
green robot a chance.
Sony Xperia Tablet Z’s specs
·
Operating system: Android 4.1
·
Processor: quad-core 1.5GHz Krait
·
Memory: 2GB RAM
·
Dimensions: 266 x 172 x 6.9mm
·
Weight: 485g
·
Display size: 10.1-inches
·
Display resolution: 1,920 x 1,200 pixels
·
Expansion slot: micro SD
Xperia Targets Mid-Range Market
With the Xperia SP and Xperia L, Sony
has added two new mainstream phones to its range.
Sony has also fleshed out its Xperia
smartphone range with two mid-range handsets. The Xperia SP brings some of the
features of Sony’s flagship devices to a more affordable price point, and
sports excellent design and build quality surpassing equivalent handsets such
as the Galaxy S III Mini. It is powered by a very-fast 1.7GHz dual-core processor,
has a crisp 4.6-inch 720p display and a larger-than-average 2370 mAh battery.
The Xperia L is a more basic model with a curved back akin to the old Sony
Ericsson Arc range and comes with a 1GHz dual-core processor. Both phones run
Android 4.1 and are equipped with an eight-megapixel camera, and a host of very
impressive features.
Sony
Xperia SP
Sony
Xperia L
Xperia SP’s specs
·
Operating system: Android 4.1
·
Processor: 1.7GHz dual-core
·
Memory: 1GB RAM
·
Dimensions: 130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98mm
·
Weight: 155g
·
Display size: 4.6-inch
·
Display resolution: 1,280 x 720 pixels
·
Expansion slot: micro SD
Xperia L’s specs
·
Operating system: Android 4.1
·
Processor: 1GHz dual-core
·
Memory: 1GB RAM
·
Dimensions: 128.7 x 65 x 9.7mm
·
Weight: 137g
·
Display size: 4.3-inch
·
Display resolution: 854 x 480 pixels
·
Expansion slot: micro SD
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