Sony Xperia Z2 Review

Sony has made users wait around for its recent releases the gaps between releases are pretty large, and while the Sony Xperia Z1 is relatively new, the Sony Xperia Z owners are not going to get satisfied with this, and require more. However, with the relatively rapid upgrade cycles, it means that there are only minor modifications every cycle – normally, this means a slight improvement in processing power, a bit of an increase in screen size, latest Android OS, or camera upgrade.

However, the modifications this time around include a much improved display of IPS LCD. Also the screen size has been increased without blowing the device out of proportion. The screen bezel has been slimmed down to make the similar in terms of footprint. The RAM has been bumped up to 3GB, graphics taken up to Adreno 330, video recording can be done 4x, stereo front speakers are added, and Android 4.4.2 is on board.

While there are other recent releases that have failed to create the kind of stir, some might think that the Sony Xperia Z2 has the capability to do just that. However, there will be others who think of this as just another minor upgrade versions, and the review that follows will elaborate how we feel about the latest flagship from Sony.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has a 5.2" 1080p IPS Triluminos display, supported by the X-Reality engine from Sony, the same combo that was introduced first with the Sony Xperia Z1 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra and was a resounding success. The IPS is a welcome addition, as it adds to the display some superb viewing angles. This addition also takes care of the long standing issue with the angles that a lot of Sony displays had in the past.

The display size has been taken up, so the stretch takes the pixel density slightly down from 441ppi of the Sony Xperia Z1 to 424ppi, which is still very good for displays of this size.

The display contrast of the Sony Xperia Z2 seems slightly lesser impressive than the one on the Sony Xperia Z1, as the level of brightness on the display has been reduced. The colors are still nice and vivid, and fairly accurate, with the optional X-Reality engine, the successor of the Bravia engine, being an additional option if you want to add sharpness, reduce noise, boost saturation and color while adding punchiness.

Since the brightness levels are lower than the Sony Xperia Z1, the Sony Xperia Z2 is more reflective, and of course, the visibility will reduce in the sunlight, which means a lesser score on the sunlight legibility.

With releases coming out so rapidly, the duration was too little for a revamp, and even so, the classy Omnibalance design would not be redesigned too much. The aluminum body and scratch resistant glass seems pretty sturdy, premium and classy. The Sony Xperia Z2, like the Z1, is dust and water resistant, with all ports protected by plastic flaps and rubber seals. The front and back glass are scratch resistant and shatter proof, and very easy to wipe out smudges from.

The Sony Xperia Z2 is a pleasure to use, even though the size being a bit on the larger side with the flat sides becoming slightly uncomfortable in smaller hands, the premium feel, especially the glass and the sturdiness bring an assuring and commanding feel.

The usual group of sensors lie next to the 2.2MP front facer, the notification light and earpiece just above the display, with the stereo speakers, which are a huge help for listening and watching media on the Sony Xperia Z2. The right side is fully loaded, with the microSIM close to the top, after which comes the power key, followed by the volume rocker and the shutter key. On the left side, though, there is a lot less to cope with, with the microSD card and microUSB port, along with the lanyard eyelet. Of course all the ports mentioned above have accompanying flaps to keep the Sony Xperia Z2 protected from water and dust.

On top of the Sony Xperia Z2 is the standard 3.5mm waterproof port, and secondary microphone which allows stereo audio for listening and recording, while also removing ambient sound from the calls. The primary microphone lies at the bottom of the device. The back is covered with a scratchless glass layer, as mentioned above, and there lies the 20.7MP camera on the top left corner with the LED flash accompanying it. While the camera is a very nice quality 27mm wide Sony G lens accompanied by the BSI sensor, the flash is the weak link here – we would have expected a far better flash to accompany such a fine piece of hardware implemented for snapping images.

Sony has used the latest Qualcomm release, the Snapdragon 801 chipset with Krait 400 CPU clock at 2.27GHz and a GPU speed of 550MHz, and this falls just shy of the processing speed on the Galaxy S5 which comes in at 2.5GHz. The Adreno 330GPU is used, with a raised level of 3GB RAM as well on the disposal.

For single core testing, the Sony Xperia Z2 came up way behind some of the competition like the Galaxy Note 3, the LG G2, and even the Sony Xperia Z1. However, on the multi-CPU, it produced a much better showing and came up above the top performers. The display related testing produced good to excellent results showing the kind of mettle the Sony Xperia Z2 possesses.

The overall performance of the Sony Xperia Z2 turns out to be pretty smooth, with good scores, though there were areas that could further be improved, as the device was not the top of the list, with even beaten by the Sony Xperia Z1 at times. Still, the Sony Xperia Z2 came out pretty strong, even under heavy load, web browsing in parallel, and gaming.

The Sony Xperia Z2 comes bundled with Android KitKat 4.4, the first smartphone from Sony with this combination. Sony has even tried to add up minor improvements along the way, though nothing major has been done.

The lock screen has multiple panes, and can launch camera directly, can add widgets, which are one widget per pane, and this contains some default widgets too. The unlock method is also standard, the Face, Pattern or PIN unlock.

Homescreen panes can be manipulated as routine, like adding apps and widgets or setting any pane as the default one, and panes can be added or removed. Notification area gets a slight rework as the toggles get moved to a separate tab, with an easy access option by swiping down from top using two-fingers, instead of the standard one finger pull-down gesture used to access Notifications area. The App Drawer is managed in a paged manner, with multiple sorting options present. Some more settings are present, by sliding in from the left edge of the screen. App search and uninstallation options are present here too, for quicker access.

The generic Android task manager is present, allowing users to easily switch between different open apps with the ability to terminate them as well. Additionally the “small apps” which were introduced in the Sony Xperia T and last seen on the Sony Xperia Z1 are present, and similar to Mini Apps from Samsung, can pop up tiny applications on home screen, and can be moved around like widgets without requiring being opened up. At a time, only one instance per small app can be run, but more than one different smart apps can be open at a time. Different small apps can be downloaded from the Play Store, while apps can be converted to Small Apps too, using the Plus option at the top of list.

Google Now is present with the Sony Xperia Z2, accessible by an upward swipe from the bottom of the screen while on the homescreen. A new addition to this app is the What’s New option, which displays the latest apps and multimedia, and content from Sony PlayStation. Google Now has its own set of features available for the user’s ease too. This includes access to the daily routine, whether the user is taking a routine traffic route to display traffic condition, the weather condition, any recent search related updates like sports or movies screening nearby, among other things. It also has voice integration for multiple usage like call launch, message taking, directions, or opening up a website being some of the many features.

Sony Xperia Z2 brings forward the standard phonebook application, which can contain information of and sync with multiple accounts. The standard features are all present here.

The in-call audio testing brought out strong results in favor of the Sony Xperia Z2, with noise cancellation working its wonders, though this can be turned off from the Settings menu. Another interesting option is the Slow Talk option, that slows the speech of the party on the other end of the call in real-time. Equalizer is present for the in-call settings too. However, with all the above bright spots, the one weak point was the loudspeaker performance, which made out only an Average rating, and we fear the missed calls counter will be used a lot, especially for those who are in loud environments. The xLOUD seemed to make a very minimal improvement on the audio.

The Google Chrome has been refined to a decent point by Google. Tab switch, resize is all standard, though the tabs can be arranged pretty neatly. Also, the browser sync feature of Chrome allows users to be able to sync their browsing session between the smartphone and PC, creating a more catchy experience. A greater level of command is provided by Chrome, like control over JavaScript, images, cookies etc. Another new feature, the Reduce data usage lets Chrome compress the webpage to display minimal data from the URL, while keeping the full functionality of the site. Chrome features Incognito tabs on the mobile version too.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has Office Suite 7 by default, which makes document view that much simpler. Plain text files, along with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files can be viewed and edited, while these and PDF file formats can viewed too.

The calendar, calculator, clock and notes control are pretty standard, though users can create handwritten notes as well.

Sony has introduced an app labeled Socialife, with a neat interface, which seems to have been inspired by the Blinkfeed app on the HTC One or the My Magazine app on Samsung. Another app influenced by a competitor is the Sony PlayStation app, which although is not on the same level as the Xbox app from Microsoft, the app is capable of displaying the PlayStation profile and related information, and allows connectivity with PlayStation too.

Sony has made the Power Saver a part of the settings menu this time around, and this option helps stretch the battery time by setting up toggles for different services and display settings being consumed by the smartphone. Once the threshold level is crossed, the toggles become applicable.

Sony has a Backup and Restore app, which can utilize the memory card, the internal storage or attached USB devices as well to backup or restore. Backups can be made of the apps, respective data of apps as well as any other files, media or otherwise.

Google Maps and Navigation are ever present, with their standard functionality, enabling users to identify their current location, routes, traffic situations, street views, alternate routes and much more. This also includes offline maps for added advantage.

The gallery app for the Sony Xperia Z2 is the custom Sony app, Album. Images are sorted on the basis of different criteria, and thumbnail sizes can be changed as well. This time around, the app does not have any home page where all albums are listed, and a menu similar to the new menu on the App Drawer is present here as well. All online and offline albums can be accessed from here. The gallery has been enabled to connect to social media sites like Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, and locally available devices. Maps and Globe albums can also be seen utilizing the geo-tags on images. Tagging of locations, faces, group photos are all present. The app allows for basic image manipulation like cropping and rotating among others, while a quick share will be present too. A slide show option is present, which, utilizing the SensMe can string together similar images in the form of a slide show.

The video player has been labeled Movies and has a pretty good UI and is connected with Gracenote for more information regarding the media content, along with other additional information. However, there are some minor issues with the level of codecs that are coming pre-installed. The player automatically plays the first subtitle it found rather than providing a list of options to choose from – the remaining features are pretty standard.

The Walkman music player present has resurfaced in recent times and has started to appear on all latest Sony devices. The player is present here too, and has Music Unlimited integrated, though this part can be hidden too. The Music Unlimited features include ability to view latest music and news, charts and channels for music. Each of these features can be disabled independently, while the overall service disabling is present also. The swipe-in menu is present here, providing sorting options along with the ability to see which songs friends are playing at the time, though this feature requires logging into Facebook. The Infinite option on the Now Playing mode displays information from multiple sources regarding the track being played.

The Walkman player has the ClearAudio+ to set the best audio quality settings as per the track being played – this was one of our favorite features in the Sony Xperia E1 and we are happy to see it is here too. The audio accentuating is done very delicately to improve the very details of our audio experience. The Dynamic normalizer tends to smooth out the audio difference in between records. An equalizer with multiple presets and manual tweaking option is on board. Surround sound feature is included, which has different presets like Studio, Club and others, and this can be taken to a whole new level by the Clear mode settings. The speaker can use Clear Phase to adjust the audio quality, while xLOUD increases speaker loudness. A 5-band equalizer is also present on-board for those who wish to further tweak them.

The FM radio is available as a feature, and can ID the track being played on the radio, as well as the option to post a status on Facebook.

With the focus being on recent Sony devices, especially after the Walkman induction into the mix, Sony had to produce a much better showing in terms of audio. The smartphone does just that, when plugged into an external amplifier, with a perfect score, though the volume levels were slightly on the lower side as per our expectations – Sony Xperia Z2 proved to be one of the quieter devices that we have tested in recent time. Surprisingly, the ClearStereo tech in this case has a negative effect by increasing the crosstalk, so it would be better to have this turned off before using the smartphone with an amplifier. The earphones version of audio is not too good for distortion, otherwise the audio levels still remain decently high, but the damage is already done. However, the ClearStereo in earphones play does make a difference by improving the distortion, and even though the noise levels and cross talk increase a bit, the audio overall does come back into acceptable levels, at least for us. Still, the volume levels are merely average, though it still is slightly better compared to the Sony Xperia Z1.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has come out with the standard imaging hardware normally used by Xperia devices, but these are padded up by some software enhancements as well as an improved chipset. The same 20.7 MP camera is present here, as was with the Sony Xperia Z1 and the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact. The exclusive Exmor RS sensor which is larger than those found on most phones, is present here, and can capture images with a maximum resolution of 5248 x 3936 in 4:3, and also provides a wider range of resolutions to choose from.

The Sony Xperia Z2 provides some excellent quality snaps in the Superior Auto mode, although we would have liked the images in this mode to go up from the standard 8MP resolution. We also appreciate the Clear Image Zoom, and the ability to stream live videos to Facebook. The HDR mode is very useful, and catchy, and it is auto-enabled in the Superior Auto mode. In addition, the video recording is pretty good, going up to 4K making it even better. Still, the Scenes modes work only in 8MP mode, while the different standard modes are all available, though for Panorama, the orientation has to be manually changed. The flash of the device is on the lower side, and there is a high level of noise in the low lighting along with the 20 MP mode.

The Background Defocus feature is implemented, which turns the background into a blur with only the foreground in focus. The camera this time around has a higher frame rate, and the onscreen image is pretty clear.

The camera UI is traditional, laid out in left and right columns – the right column has a shortcut to gallery, shutter for camcorder and camera, and shooting modes. The column on the left has the flash toggle, front/back cam selection, as well as settings. Settings change for different shooting modes and tuning of shooting / recording. Unlock and camera launch option of the hardware adds another benefit for times when an immediate snap moment is to be lost. The hard buttons are present on the side for easier snapping and handiness.

The Sony Xperia Z2 encourages snapping in the Superior Auto mode, and this mode, combined with the best shooting modes and color, contrast and metering settings is automatically selected for snapping, though these are all preset at 8MP only, using 16:9 ratio standard. Still, though the overall hype of the 20.7MP snapper may be reduced a bit by this action, we still think that the snapping is still of a good quality.

The Manual mode is also present, though not encouraged – and apparently, much more complicated than what the general public can easily handle. Managing the white balance, the exposure compensation, ISO, focus and metering is pretty tricky work. And, it seems that the manual focus is missing in the manual mode, as is contrast, saturation, and sharpness among others.

The Sony Xperia Z2 shutter has all kinds of options, including smile shutter, face detection, touch capture, geo-tagging and the HDR mode. Scenes modes can also be used in Manual mode, though for this to work, resolution has to be taken down from 20.7MP.

The Sweep Panorama that we saw on the Sony Xperia Z1 is provided here too, which can capture a panorama image, either in landscape or portrait orientation – as this does not utilize the accelerometer, orientation has to be set manually. The quality is on the lower side. The exposure is set as per the first frame capture of the panorama, and is not set to be variable. In addition, the stitching together of images was not good enough.

The Augmented Reality mode is present with the Sony Xperia Z2 like it was with the Sony Xperia Z1, and similar to its predecessor, the smartphone can lay over one of many virtual locations on top of the real one – an interesting feature. This also caters to motion sensing, catering the virtual map as per the movements being done as well. However, the image quality, again, drops.

The Info-eye feature is almost like the Google goggles, recognizing business cards, QR codes, barcodes, text, landmarks, book covers, among other items. This feature provides extremely interesting information for those who want information at a skim about whatever item they are looking at. For this purpose Sony has partnered with some of the leading vendors in their own fields to provide information.

Other modes include the Picture Effect (consisting of different effects and filters and snapping in a 3x3 grid). Users can stream directly from the camera to their Facebook profiles using the Social streaming. The newly introduced Timeshift mode can captures 61 shots in 2 seconds, for best image selection.

The camera captures some very good and detailed images, especially under proper lighting. The level of detail on the Superior Auto mode is just great, and with the reduced noise, and proper projection of textures and objects, the imagery was pleasing to the eyes. With the colors being on the realistic side and not too exaggerated, and had very defined dynamic range. The images are sharper and there is an added noise reduction with the Superior Auto mode, though for some this might not be perfect – we, on the other hand, were quite pleased with the results.

For those of us who do not want the over processed images, they can go for the 20.7 mode with manual shooting. This mode captures a lot of detail, and the size is taller, since it being in 4:3. Still, with the increase in size comes the increase in noise, and at times it even creates into areas that have sufficient lighting, and corners are softer too. Also, there is splatter in some areas of images captured, and this seems to only be in the 20.7 MP mode – let’s just say that the third consecutive release from Sony having the same issue is a bit too much, and we hope that they resolve this issue in the near future.

Similar to the Sony Xperia Z1, the macro shots are good performance, and the detail that comes out if very fine, with a clear separation between the item in front and the rest of the background. The HDR images present a better take on images with a nice exposure overall in the image, but can be considered a bit on the moderate side when compared to its mainstream rivals. Still, the details in the shadows and in the sky are enhanced. The snapping in low light is a completely different story for the Sony Xperia Z2, with a lot of noise creeping in – brightness levels and detail is very nice though, but the granular disturbance does effects the overall quality. The flash also, is not the best we have seen around, and every now and then, it misses the mark. Still, at some level, the flash does seem to regain some detail. The Manual mode has the same story.

The overall quality of the Sony Xperia Z2 in terms of snapper, has a slight edge over that of the Sony Xperia Z1 due to the extra sharpening of images, though detail wise the image quality of both the devices is the same. Against Manual mode, the difference becomes more visible, with the colors of the Sony Xperia Z2 being darker, and though the detail is the same, the images from the Sony Xperia Z2 seem to be on the softer side as compared to those of the Sony Xperia Z1. The same difference is visible in the low lighting shots too.

For video recording, the Z2 has gone up from the standard 1080p video footage at 30fps or 60fps and standard HDR videos with frame rate of 30fps to 4K recording at 2160p and 2840 x 2160 resolution. Users can capture a vast variety of modes, ratios and screen sizes. The 4K videos have a 53Mbps rate, with 30fps frame rate with stereo audio at 150Kbps and 48kHz sampling rate.

Like all Sony sets, the video recording on the Sony Xperia Z2 matches the best in the industry. The level of detail in 1080p is pretty decent, while that on the 4K is outclass. Videos are smooth, exposure is precise every time, focus shifting was automatic and made the shooting almost perfect. The continuous auto-focus can be disabled as well. The HDR mode videos, on the other hand, disappointed us, with the reduced dynamic range, and the resemblance to greyscale images. The Timeshift video mode is present too.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has 2G and 3G connectivity, with HSPA speeds of up to 42 Mbps for downloads and 5.76 Mbps for uploads can be achieved. Sony Xperia Z2 supports LTE bands, with 150Mbps down and 50Mbps uplink.

Local connectivity is provided in the form of Wi-Fi dual-band, DLNA and Wi-Fi Direct, so that content sharing is easy, especially with DLNA enabled devices. Screen sharing and other DLNA functions can be utilized as well. The device also has Bluetooth 4.0 including A2DP, alongside ANT+, which is used as a connectivity tool for different sports accessories. Sony Xperia Z2 can easily handle NFC as well, though a handling app will have to be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

MicroUSB is present, and is used for charging and PC connectivity purposes, and USB On-the-go support is present as well which can let you attach external flash drives to the smartphone. The MHL-enabled microUSB port has support for HDMI connections to be made to an external monitor.

Sony comes with the recently released Smart Connect included in the Sony Xperia Z2, and this app can do multiple functions when any accessory is connected – unfortunately this app does not work with NFC.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has come out with a decent 3,200mAh battery, a raise of 200mAh on the Sony Xperia Z1 – the battery is actually non-replaceable and non-removable, fixated under the back panel and scratchless glass.

For the performance, the endurance rating is 89 hours, which is saying a lot for a smartphone as solidly built and with a display of this quality. However, the talk time is at almost 22 hours, while due to improved web browsing and video playback times, which are raised from almost 6 hours each on the Sony Xperia Z1 to almost double, with the browsing standing near 12 hours and video playback exceeding the 12 hour barrier, we would say Sony has done a pretty great job.

As is visible from the above review, below are some of the very few shortcomings that the Xperia Z2 does possess:

• Battery is non-exchangeable
• Video playback decoders have to be installed separately
• Wireless charging is not on board

With the Sony Xperia Z2, Sony has introduced a smartphone that is attractive to all users, not just the die-hard Sony fans. It is smart, premium, and its classy looks are matched by some good features. Sure, most Sony Xperia Z1 users will not find it a big leap from the recently released Sony Xperia Z1 and may not opt to move, but there will be a lot of customer base which would like to go with the Sony Xperia Z2.

With a bunch of offerings, like the 5.2 inch IPS display, the better graphics in the shape of Adreno 330, the bump in RAM, and the 2160p video recording not being enough, Sony has provided an improved 3,200mAh battery and more capable stereo speakers.

Sony has now decided to go into overdrive, coming out with new devices every six months or so, which will be better for Sony since the huge time delays they provide benefit the competition while pulling them out of the race. Also, this may be enough time to load up the next generation of smartphone with better tech and making it more attractive to the consumers. This strategy’s first recipient, the Sony Xperia Z2 has adapted to the same methodology, and while the boost may not be too much in the eyes of some users, the IPS display, alongside the Snapdragon 801 chipset is always a better offering. Bring into the mix the 4K videos, stereo speakers, and better battery, as well as the latest Android KitKat 4.4, and the neatest Sony launcher, and you may have a much better smartphone. Still, since Sony was lacking in some areas, the jump does not tend to make the waves we had anticipated it to.

Sony overall, did not go for the flashiness and trickeries like the HTC, Samsung and others, in terms of providing more sensors, or a dual camera, among others. Still, the strengths Sony has are well known to Sony itself, with the build quality, design, and chipset power. A lot of the users will definitely go for it, especially a lot of Sony fans. Still, the Sony Xperia Z2 does not edge past the competition too much it merely comes up to speed in some areas.