• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Sony Xperia Z2 Officially Announced

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

raven777

Member
now that Galaxy S5 was revealed,(and I thought it was disappointing) this could be the phone that makes me switch to Android. It will depend on how Galaxy note 4 and iphone 6 comes out later this year.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
raven777 said:
now that Galaxy S5 was revealed,(and I thought it was disappointing) this could be the phone that makes me switch to Android. It will depend on how Galaxy note 4 and iphone 6 comes out later this year.
Click to expand...

If you're going to be guaging Sonys offerings against phones released in the Fall, keep in mind it's highly probable that Sony will be releasing another flagship in that time period as well.
 
R

raven777

Member
vivftp said:
If you're going to be guaging Sonys offerings against phones released in the Fall, keep in mind it's highly probable that Sony will be releasing another flagship in that time period as well.
Click to expand...

oh yea...I hate Sony's timing of phone release. I really think Sony should follow Apple and Samsung's model and release 1 flagship per year around similar time of the year.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
raven777 said:
oh yea...I hate Sony's timing of phone release. I really think Sony should follow Apple and Samsung's model and release 1 flagship per year around similar time of the year.
Click to expand...

Did they made a statement that the z1 will continue to be the flagship for the year?... Lol what a lie
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
samven582 said:
According to source on esato, this phone will be coming out on all US carriers but not until July :(
Click to expand...

Here's the post in question:

"Those in the US wanting the Z2 will have to wait until July. It will be available for Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The international version D6503 supports all the US LTE bands and it will work on AT&T and T-Mobie with no issues. I will be importing mine since I don't want to wait for another 5 months."


If true, that would most definitely suck for US consumers. I'm going to remain skeptical about any super far launch windows because this is supposedly Sonys big push into the US and it makes no sense to delay the device by nearly half a year.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
raven777 said:
oh yea...I hate Sony's timing of phone release. I really think Sony should follow Apple and Samsung's model and release 1 flagship per year around similar time of the year.
Click to expand...

A user on the esato forums made an intereting post recently that seems to explain the rapid fire launches Sony are doing for their flagship phones. I don't know how true it is, but I'll post it since it's a decent little read:

After reading the same repeated cries time and again regarding Sony's dual flagship strategy, it's time to help shed some light on Sony's strategy. As always, we are never 100% sure what Sony is up to and why, but understanding the wider context can be... enlightening.

Last year the AFR published an article on Sony, and more specifically, Japan's "fad-loving consumers". A slightly harsh choice of words, but accurate for those of us who have lived in Japan. The (now old) article can be found here:

http://www.afr.com/p/technology/japan_fad_loving_consumers_threaten_UYtA3HB4tg4uzLidkfctjM

In short, Sony is effectively dictated to by Japanese phone carriers and the constant demand for updated models. After just 3 months of the XZ going on sale: “It’s time for a new model,” said Mai Kariya, a DoCoMo representative in Tokyo. “We’re finished with the Xperia Z, and now focusing on the Xperia A.”

The same story could be had for the Z1, Z2, eventual Z3 etc. Key excerpts:

"As Sony banks on smartphones to turn around its struggling electronics business, it faces an increasingly bothersome obstacle at home: the demands of Japan’s powerful cellphone carriers, which remain obsessed with constant model updates. For years, Japan’s three largest mobile network companies have pressed phone makers to update their handsets every three or four months, providing Japanese consumers a dazzling array of newfangled phones and
features each season."

"The fast-paced cycle is commonplace in Japanese marketing. Manufacturers deliver short runs of seasonal products to create buzz.... Phone manufacturers in the country have found it impossible to achieve the economies of scale that would justify the high development costs and the slim profit margins."

"If Sony can score more successes overseas and gain market share there, it could start shifting the lopsided power dynamics between Japan’s carriers and handset makers, analysts say."

We know Japan is one of Sony's largest single markets (the EU not withstanding). It clearly plays an important factor in the Xperia model strategy; Sony cannot afford to ignore the whims of that market's particular demands. However, as Sony pursues overseas sales and lessens the dependence on its home market, we may yet see a change in the future.

tl;dr summary: Don't blame Sony for constant model updates. Blame Japanese consumers and mobile carriers.
Click to expand...
 
A

acklame

Member
Ok I just caught up on the reveal of the S5. What the hell? Z2 looks way better.

Shame if Z2 doesn't come to US till later though. They need to reduce that lag between international and US release to be competitive.
 
Z

Zapages

Member
vivftp said:
Here's the post in question:

"Those in the US wanting the Z2 will have to wait until July. It will be available for Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The international version D6503 supports all the US LTE bands and it will work on AT&T and T-Mobie with no issues. I will be importing mine since I don't want to wait for another 5 months."


If true, that would most definitely suck for US consumers. I'm going to remain skeptical about any super far launch windows because this is supposedly Sonys big push into the US and it makes no sense to delay the device by nearly half a year.
Click to expand...

why so late for US carriers. :| So it'll be this or iPhone 6… :\
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
vivftp said:
Here's the post in question:

"Those in the US wanting the Z2 will have to wait until July. It will be available for Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The international version D6503 supports all the US LTE bands and it will work on AT&T and T-Mobie with no issues. I will be importing mine since I don't want to wait for another 5 months."


If true, that would most definitely suck for US consumers. I'm going to remain skeptical about any super far launch windows because this is supposedly Sonys big push into the US and it makes no sense to delay the device by nearly half a year.
Click to expand...

I delay might be might be necessary to not pissed off tmobile lol.... The Z1s just came out...
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
Zapages said:
why so late for US carriers. :| So it'll be this or iPhone 6… :\
Click to expand...

Well I think it's best to take such things with a grain of salt until we hear more info.

Personally? The imrovements I'm seeing on the Z2 phone and Z2 tablet have me giddy with excitement over what they'll probably do with the next Z Ultra phone. Front facing stereo speakers? Yes please!
 
S

spwolf

Member
vivftp said:
Here's the post in question:

"Those in the US wanting the Z2 will have to wait until July. It will be available for Sprint, Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile. The international version D6503 supports all the US LTE bands and it will work on AT&T and T-Mobie with no issues. I will be importing mine since I don't want to wait for another 5 months."


If true, that would most definitely suck for US consumers. I'm going to remain skeptical about any super far launch windows because this is supposedly Sonys big push into the US and it makes no sense to delay the device by nearly half a year.
Click to expand...

i would trust our zombg more than some random person... and he says May and no AT&T for now.
 
F

Fezan

Member
One thing i have noticed is that every media outlet is saying Z2 is just updated z1 which i agree on but later on the same authors writes how s5 is a winning formula
 
Z

Zapages

Member
spwolf said:
i would trust our zombg more than some random person... and he says May and no AT&T for now.
Click to expand...

Screw AT&T if this is true. I have AT&T and pay about 100 dollars for smart phone (Galaxy S2) and feature phone (Samsung Eternity 1). Why AT&T?! :(
 
J

Jeels

Member
My ZL is damn sexy (less bezel than this and I don't like glass backs), so I'll wait it out. I feel like the ZL still has another year (if I could push it for two years even better). I would like that waterproofness though.
 
T

ThoughtsOfSpeaking

Banned
shinshoryuken said:
Samsung getting the apple treatment...
Click to expand...

Im ok with this.

it means the Z2 wont be sold at a ridiculous entry price, and will drop fairly quickly.

Sorry im selfish, I don't care if the phone is successful for Sony as a company, i just want the hardware at a reasonable price.

Another reason why im beginning to hate samsung is their popularity is allowing the to keep the prices of their phones artificially high. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to get the Note 3 for £400 sim-free brand new nearly 6 months later.
 
F

Fezan

Member
ThoughtsOfSpeaking said:
Im ok with this.

it means the Z2 wont be sold at a ridiculous entry price, and will drop fairly quickly.

Sorry im selfish, I don't care if the phone is successful for Sony as a company, i just want the hardware at a reasonable price.

Another reason why im beginning to hate samsung is their popularity is allowing the to keep the prices of their phones artificially high. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to get the Note 3 for £400 sim-free brand new nearly 6 months later.
Click to expand...

this is the bad thing. sony phone and tablet prices rarely drop. right now i can have lg g2 for 400 new and that's the same price as original xperia z

outunderthestars said:
I think I want both the phone and the tablet. The tablet seems amazing. :)
Click to expand...
I know the feel. I don't need a tablet but just want to buy it
 
D

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
All those in the US waiting (and use T-Mobile and ATT), just buy the unlocked version. You'll save time and won't have a carrier-gimped version.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
shinshoryuken said:
I'm planning that but there better be no BS of sony using leftover parts on the first batch...
Click to expand...
lol, if you're talking about the screen, no need to worry since this is Sonys first 5.2" phone, so there are no old parts around to be used. Not to mention even if we ignore the size difference, this is an IPS display.

Hrmmmm... gonna be jealous watching all these Z2 owners while I'm sitting here with my Z Ultra. Come on Sony, get that Z2 Ultra out there!
 
C

Christina Mackenzie

Member
As long as the reviews are good and they've fix all the complaints on the Z1 like the viewing angle I'll be jumping in. Don't think I can wait till fall for them to refresh the Z again with S805. My phone is dying on me.

shinshoryuken said:
Did they made a statement that the z1 will continue to be the flagship for the year?... Lol what a lie
Click to expand...

Yup but it was still their flagship in 2014... for about 2 months.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
vivftp said:
lol, if you're talking about the screen, no need to worry since this is Sonys first 5.2" phone, so there are no old parts around to be used. Not to mention even if we ignore the size difference, this is an IPS display.

Hrmmmm... gonna be jealous watching all these Z2 owners while I'm sitting here with my Z Ultra. Come on Sony, get that Z2 Ultra out there!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah.. Youre right... Yay!!!
 
J

jokkir

Member
Anyone know if the bootloader will be unlockable? That was a problem with the Sony phones getting developer support IIRC despite being active in the AOSP community
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
Christina Mackenzie said:
As long as the reviews are good and they've fix all the complaints on the Z1 like the viewing angle I'll be jumping in. Don't think I can wait till fall for them to refresh the Z again with S805. My phone is dying on me.
Click to expand...


Well just based on what we've seen so far, here are the improvements I can spot:

- FAR better screen and viewing angles are just spiffy. Screen colour accuracy is said to be the best of any mobile device, period
-Front facing stereo speakers are a LOT better an louder than the one on the Z1.
-Better and brighter notification LED hidden in the front top of the phone along with the front top speaker
-Improved camera performance, plus new features like slow motion video and 4K video
-Slightly larger screen
-A bunch of new software related features
-Noise cancelling headphone abilities along with a pair of noise cancelling earbuds in the box (dunno if this applies globally or not)
-Faster processor and 3GB of RAM as opposed to 2GB on the Z1
-An additional 200 mAh of battery life bumping it up to 3200
-Depening on who you talk to, they may have done away with the shatterproof sheet, which means you don't have to worry about potential scratches over your display.

That's what I can tell based on the previous leaks and all the media and info I've seen over the past 24 hours.
 
D

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
jokkir said:
Anyone know if the bootloader will be unlockable? That was a problem with the Sony phones getting developer support IIRC despite being active in the AOSP community
Click to expand...
The unlocked version should have an unlockable bootloader. Don't hold your breath for a carrier version to have it alas.
 
A

Arc

Member
By the time this hits I'll be ready to upgrade from my S3. This will be fantastic timing if AT&T and Sony can make this work. PLEASE. I can't afford to import!
 
B

Bob Dobalina

Member
I gotta say, the inverted colors on the sides (what was black on the Z1 is silver and vice versa) make this look a lot classier than the Z1 and remind me of the iPhone 4S.
 
T

Tallshortman

Member
My contract is coming up in november so I'm due for an upgrade. Looking at this, whatever HTC is coming out with, and maybe moto's next thing. S5's front is again boring and barely any improvement over it's predecessor.
 
R

Regiruler

Member
My TL is still currently under contract (I don't need the most updated phone at the time so I went with something older), hopefully by the time my contract is up this will be going for cheaper.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
SRG01 said:
What, that soon?! When he says Canada, does he mean that it'll be carrier exclusive or will all carriers have this phone? I have a hard time believing that this phone won't be exclusive to Bell or Rogers...
Click to expand...

Why would it be? The Z1 was on Bell, Rogers and Telus. The only exclusive parts were certain carriers got certain colours.

Of course the Z Ultra was exclusive to Bell, but it wasn't exactly a mainstream phone to begin with so maybe the others weren't interested. Had to buy my Z Ultra outright to use it on Rogers. Hoping its successor will come to all carriers as I want to use my Rogers upgrade option
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
Killing_Joke said:
Any word on carrier? Hoping for Sprint but not holding my breath. Sony doesn't want my money.
Click to expand...

I'll just quote zomg

Close to confirmation that the Z2 will be available on multiple US carriers with a "competitive timeframe", whatever that means. The original rumour was VZW, T-Mob and possibly Sprint. AT&T have so far declined. I feel they will change their minds come May.

In Europe, Asia and Canada the Z2 will begin rolling out in the second and third weeks of March. Full availability across all carriers in these places.

Also, now that the Vaio division is closed, more marketing money has been made available. Close to triple what they had for 2013 is being made available for 2014. It's going to be a wild ride guys. 2014 could be the year Xperia breaks out. The line up is there and the early buzz for the Z2 is insanely positive.

Finally, you guys need to see this screen in person. Nothing else even comes close. It is without a doubt the best mobile display currently in production, and the Z2 Tablet screen is also the best tablet screen I have ever seen. Even better than the Air.
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Sony unveils new gaming phone: Xperia 1 IV Gaming Edition and Xperia Stream add-on($1,225, 4K HDR display, 16GB RAM, 5,000mAh)
2 3 4
187
17K
64bitmodels replied
Introducing G-SYNC Pulsar tech
2
68
8K
Ywap replied
  • Poll
SONY/SIE: The Balance Of Chasing Margins, Multiplat Expansion, And Maximizing The Console
Opinion Business Analysis 2 3
101
10K
vaibhavpisal replied
Forbes: Sony Launches Its First PS5 And Xbox Series X-Friendly AV Receivers
2
53
6K
diffusionx replied
Ken Kutaragi is the Greatest 'emperor' Of All Time and remains SIE's only true visionary
Opinion 2 3 4
156
16K
GAF machine replied
Top Bottom