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Sony Xperia Z2 Officially Announced

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vivftp

vivftp

Member
Well since this seems to be "the" current Sony mobile thread, anyone have any inkling on when they're planning to reveal Smartwatch 3 and the Z2 Ultra? Or possibly anything else?

Curious to see where they're going with this whole wearables thing.
 
P

PaulExcellent

Member
Rikyfree said:
I work for AT&T. I really want us to start selling this phone. From a profit standpoint I always feel it is best to offer variety in phone selection. That and I really want it. If it releases on our network (not confirming or denying) and you want to upgrade to this phone when/if it releases on our network, hit me in a pm and I can hook you up.
Click to expand...
I'mma go ahead and subscribe to this thread for this. lol

I'm thinking about that Xperia Z Tablet too much now. It looks so dang good. >.>
 
C

Christina Mackenzie

Member
vivftp said:
Well, the main upgrades on the Tablet Z2 seem to be the screen is using the new tech in the phone Z2, it has the stereo front facing speakers now, it's got the far more powerful Snapdragon 801 and 3GB of RAM, and it's both thinner and lighter.

That alone is a pretty nice set of upgrades, but I might have liked to see the pencil input function from the Z Ultra ported over to this device.

Generally speaking, it doesn't appear that tablets are expected to have amazing cameras to begin with. From what I can recall in reviews though, the Tablet Z had a pretty favorable camera, and it looks like they've improved it a bit on the Tablet Z2. I must say though I think Sony could really try to further seperate their tablets from the competition if they were to put one of those 13MP cameras from the Xperia Z along with a flash on their tablets. I wouldn't go so far as to hope they'd put the 20.7MP camera from the Z2 in it though, since the tablet is just too thin.

The only thing that might have been better is a larger battery capacity, but I don't recall too many people complaining about the battery on the Tablet Z. I imagine the Z2 tablet is even better.

Also just for the heck of it, I posted my wish list for the Z3 in the Android thread and figured I might post it here
Click to expand...

I had my hopes up when Japan Display announced a 12.1" 4K panel and was really hoping that would appear in the Z2 tablet. Guess 4K isn't happening as quickly as I thought.

The biannual flagships from Sony are here to stay.

Sony says Xperia Z2 is H1 2014 flagship; not sticking to a single design for future models

If I had to guess, I'd say the Z2 Ultra will be making an appearance in June/July with the Snapdragon 820.
 
R

Rikyfree

Member
PaulExcellent said:
I'mma go ahead and subscribe to this thread for this. lol

I'm thinking about that Xperia Z Tablet too much now. It looks so dang good. >.>
Click to expand...
I just hope you all know that I'm not promising anything. Just my help in a couple tricks I know from my time in the company. Nothing that would outright break company policy.
 
N

Nightengale

Member
vivftp said:
Curious to see where they're going with this whole wearables thing.
Click to expand...

Among all 'pure fitness trackers', I feel like Core may actually stand somewhat of a chance. It's basically nothing more than a small waterproof 'bead' that can be attached to almost any strap, and Sony is licensing it out to partners to make bands for.

If it's ridiculously price-competitive, I can see it working. Right now fitness bands are way too overpriced for their niche use case, and stuff like Gear/Smartwatch are...eh. They don't last long enough.

Plus I normally think it's lame, but the Lifelog thing seems pretty cool, honestly. If the app can seamlessly link itself to other apps ( eg. no need to use Walkman app to keep a log of heard music ), I can see myself just using it.
 
R

Roflobear

Member
I apologize if this has been asked and answered elsewhere in the thread, but does this support wireless or Qi charging?
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
Christina Mackenzie said:
I had my hopes up when Japan Display announced a 12.1" 4K panel and was really hoping that would appear in the Z2 tablet. Guess 4K isn't happening as quickly as I thought.

The biannual flagships from Sony are here to stay.

Sony says Xperia Z2 is H1 2014 flagship; not sticking to a single design for future models

If I had to guess, I'd say the Z2 Ultra will be making an appearance in June/July with the Snapdragon 820.
Click to expand...

This might work better on the other part of the word where people buy their phone outright but not in the US where 2 year contract and subsidize price phone is the norm. Plus it's definitely not going to work if the US will have to wait for months before the rest of the world, so by the time it get release in the US therewill be the newer model elsewhere in a couple of months.
 
A

Akira

Member
Did Sony hit this out of the ball park or what? I've been a fan of Sony's smartphones post-Sony Ericsson and ever since the Xperia S was revealed a few years back. But I held off buying one because in one way or another their phones have been disappointing.

  1. Xperia S was beautiful, but had weak hardware and outdated software.
  2. Xperia T was just blah.
  3. Xperia Z/ZL were huge steps forward, but they had the crappy screen lottery and awkward dual flagships strategy. Introduced the OmniBalance design and was the first worldwide flagship with water resistant body (something the big guy Samsung is scrambling to put into the S5, and the phone suffered for it)
  4. Xperia Z1 introduced a new camera module that rivaled Nokia's offerings, refined the OmniBalance design, and upped the hardware specs to match the best. But also had crappy screen lottery.

Xperia Z2 has improved everything over the previous phones, particularly the screen that looks to be class-leading.They improved other things such as the speakers, audio, and low light images. This in particular kinda blows my mind:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony...umia-1520-low-light-camera-comparison_id53270


http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-Xperia-Z2-hands-on-pushing-the-limits_id53035

When my iPhone 4 died back in November, I replaced it with the Nexus 5. A great phone. But I'm now considering selling it and buying the Z2. I'm just hoping there is no screen lottery with this one.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
Akira said:
Did Sony hit this out of the ball park or what? I've been a fan of Sony's smartphones post-Sony Ericsson and ever since the Xperia S was revealed a few years back. But I held off buying one because in one way or another their phones have been disappointing.

  1. Xperia S was beautiful, but had weak hardware and outdated software.
  2. Xperia T was just blah.
  3. Xperia Z/ZL were huge steps forward, but they had the crappy screen lottery and awkward dual flagships strategy. Introduced the OmniBalance design and was the first worldwide flagship with water resistant body (something the big guy Samsung is scrambling to put into the S5, and the phone suffered for it)
  4. Xperia Z1 introduced a new camera module that rivaled Nokia's offerings, refined the OmniBalance design, and upped the hardware specs to match the best. But also had crappy screen lottery.

Xperia Z2 has improved everything over the previous phones, particularly the screen that looks to be class-leading.They improved other things such as the speakers, audio, and low light images. This in particular kinda blows my mind:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony...umia-1520-low-light-camera-comparison_id53270


http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-Xperia-Z2-hands-on-pushing-the-limits_id53035

When my iPhone 4 died back in November, I replaced it with the Nexus 5. A great phone. But I'm now considering selling it and buying the Z2. I'm just hoping there is no screen lottery with this one.
Click to expand...

I'm going wait a few weeks before getting the Z2.
The Z1 was very promising too when it first came out. Praises about the improve screen and camera...and that didn't end up being true.

When I first got my first Z1 the screen was horrible with yellow hue and crap viewing angles. the wifi range is horrible. The camera was one of the worst camera I've used which was a shock to me cause I thought it would be good cause its one of its selling point. I went back to my Htc One right away and later went with the LG G2.
My second Z1 had a slightly better screen and slightly better camera performance due to firmware but still not great. I'm really hoping the Z2 is really good without some of the Z1 flaws as I really like the Xperia UI..it's my favorite after Sense Ui...it looks nice and function unlike stock which is ugly and useless. It's probably my

samven582 said:
According to my source on XDA, an unlocked Z1 with ATT LTE is going to be released on March 16th
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the Z2 will be release in March in other region? So that's not looking good for the release of the Z2 in the US simultaneously from the rest of the world.
 
S

spwolf

Member
Akira said:
Did Sony hit this out of the ball park or what? I've been a fan of Sony's smartphones post-Sony Ericsson and ever since the Xperia S was revealed a few years back. But I held off buying one because in one way or another their phones have been disappointing.

  1. Xperia S was beautiful, but had weak hardware and outdated software.
  2. Xperia T was just blah.
  3. Xperia Z/ZL were huge steps forward, but they had the crappy screen lottery and awkward dual flagships strategy. Introduced the OmniBalance design and was the first worldwide flagship with water resistant body (something the big guy Samsung is scrambling to put into the S5, and the phone suffered for it)
  4. Xperia Z1 introduced a new camera module that rivaled Nokia's offerings, refined the OmniBalance design, and upped the hardware specs to match the best. But also had crappy screen lottery.

Xperia Z2 has improved everything over the previous phones, particularly the screen that looks to be class-leading.They improved other things such as the speakers, audio, and low light images. This in particular kinda blows my mind:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony...umia-1520-low-light-camera-comparison_id53270


http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-Xperia-Z2-hands-on-pushing-the-limits_id53035

When my iPhone 4 died back in November, I replaced it with the Nexus 5. A great phone. But I'm now considering selling it and buying the Z2. I'm just hoping there is no screen lottery with this one.
Click to expand...

There was that interview in Japan with Sony Mobile head and he mentioned how they improved night shooting and color such as bright sky in Z2 as well as noise, despite sensor staying the same.

So it seems to be right.
 
R

roflwaffles

Member
Akira said:
Did Sony hit this out of the ball park or what? I've been a fan of Sony's smartphones post-Sony Ericsson and ever since the Xperia S was revealed a few years back. But I held off buying one because in one way or another their phones have been disappointing.

  1. Xperia S was beautiful, but had weak hardware and outdated software.
  2. Xperia T was just blah.
  3. Xperia Z/ZL were huge steps forward, but they had the crappy screen lottery and awkward dual flagships strategy. Introduced the OmniBalance design and was the first worldwide flagship with water resistant body (something the big guy Samsung is scrambling to put into the S5, and the phone suffered for it)
  4. Xperia Z1 introduced a new camera module that rivaled Nokia's offerings, refined the OmniBalance design, and upped the hardware specs to match the best. But also had crappy screen lottery.

Xperia Z2 has improved everything over the previous phones, particularly the screen that looks to be class-leading.They improved other things such as the speakers, audio, and low light images. This in particular kinda blows my mind:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony...umia-1520-low-light-camera-comparison_id53270


http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-Xperia-Z2-hands-on-pushing-the-limits_id53035

When my iPhone 4 died back in November, I replaced it with the Nexus 5. A great phone. But I'm now considering selling it and buying the Z2. I'm just hoping there is no screen lottery with this one.
Click to expand...

I'm on the exact same boat, ditching my N5 when this comes out.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
shinshoryuken said:
Wouldn't the Z2 will be release in March in other region? So that's not looking good for the release of the Z2 in the US simultaneously from the rest of the world.
Click to expand...

We already knew this based on zomgs info. It looks like Sony are still in negotiations with the carriers for the US release. Looks like it'll be launching everywhere else in March/April.


Zapages said:
I don't know if anyone heard/talked about this. But the Xperia Z2 has front facing speakers like the HTC One:

Here's a small comparison: http://www.cultofandroid.com/53212/stereo-speakers-sony-xperia-z2-compared-htc-one-video/

I am getting more excited about this phone now!!! This was one of my requirements for the phone. Although environment was not good, but it seem Z2 had the clearer sound.
Click to expand...

Yep, stereo front facing speakers is known. One of the best improvements IMO and a testament to Sonys engineering abilities that they can not only make them almost totally hidden, but have them be on par with the HTC One when this is a waterproof phone.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
shinshoryuken said:
The white is ugly anyways... Would bee 100x better if the bezel. It will kinda be like a white Sony vita
Click to expand...

You mean like the ZL and T2 Ultra?

xperiazl.jpg


Sony_Xperia_T2_Ultra_ad1.jpg
Click to expand...

Obviously Sony knows how to make phones with all white fronts since they're doing it, so they must have a design choice. I don't think waterproofing has anything to do with it since they'd just have to change the material under the front glass.
 
S

spwolf

Member
Kyoufu said:
Is this just a problem in general for white smartphones?
Click to expand...

basically it is due to the surface... if you have jeans that leave their dye easily (cheap jeans), then rubbing phone on it is as if you were coloring it with color marker (just lesser effect). With Xperia's, you have machined sides, not glossy ones - so side has a texture to it. So if you rub color inside, it will stay easier than on some glossy surface. But you can clean it of course, for some reason i thought plastic was losing its color or being "stained" in the sense that color transfered into it... but it isn't, it just got dirty from rubbing in jeans dye.

I have white S2 and I would get white Z2... White is sexy, some imperfections are easier to be seen on white (like this, with color), but some are harder, like scratches.
 
S

Styles

Member
vivftp said:
You mean like the ZL and T2 Ultra?

xperiazl.jpg




Obviously Sony knows how to make phones with all white fronts since they're doing it, so they must have a design choice. I don't think waterproofing has anything to do with it since they'd just have to change the material under the front glass.
Click to expand...

I would have jumped on the Z2 ship in a heart beat if the phone had the same colour palette as the ZL, regardless of whether or not they've improved the mic quality for video recording(which is my only qualm with the Xperia series)..
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
I'm curious about this discussion about poor mic quality. The comparison vids I saw when the Z1 came out showed it was far supreior to the Galaxy S4, iPhone 5 and Lumia 1020. Anyone happen to have some newer comparison vids showing the Z1 performing poorly?
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
vivftp said:
You mean like the ZL and T2 Ultra?

xperiazl.jpg




Obviously Sony knows how to make phones with all white fronts since they're doing it, so they must have a design choice. I don't think waterproofing has anything to do with it since they'd just have to change the material under the front glass.
Click to expand...

Yup. That color scheme is much much better. The white Z2 looks like a black phone that's in a white case.

Is there only 3 colors? Needs a silver color one...
 
S

SSReborn

Member
I hope with this phone they fix the magnetic flaps I've had a problem with loose ones almost the first week I got the Z1 and now my phone isn't really water resistant anymore since I can't properly close them.

Also the only other flaw that they should fix is the fact that the phone has a scratch resistant screen but they put a shatterproof film over top of it which isn't. Which defeats the purpose of the screen in the first place.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
SSReborn said:
I hope with this phone they fix the magnetic flaps I've had a problem with loose ones almost the first week I got the Z1 and now my phone isn't really water resistant anymore since I can't properly close them.

Also the only other flaw that they should fix is the fact that the phone has a scratch resistant screen but they put a shatterproof film over top of it which isn't. Which defeats the purpose of the screen in the first place.
Click to expand...

No anti shatter film this time on the Z2.

Yeah the flap on the z1 seems so loose, I kinda make not trust the waterproofing of mine.
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
SSReborn said:
I hope with this phone they fix the magnetic flaps I've had a problem with loose ones almost the first week I got the Z1 and now my phone isn't really water resistant anymore since I can't properly close them.
Click to expand...

You're referring to the flaps rather than the magnetic charging connector I assume. In my experience they've been quite reliable on Xperia devices. Maybe you got a defective one?

I do recall a video stating the Z2 had even further improved flaps though.

Also the only other flaw that they should fix is the fact that the phone has a scratch resistant screen but they put a shatterproof film over top of it which isn't. Which defeats the purpose of the screen in the first place.
Click to expand...

The Z2 and Tablet Z2 no longer have shatterproof sheets on them. You'll be dealing directly with the glass screen.
 
S

SSReborn

Member
shinshoryuken said:
No anti shatter film this time on the Z2.

Yeah the flap on the z1 seems so loose, I kinda make not trust the waterproofing of mine.
Click to expand...

vivftp said:
You're referring to the flaps rather than the magnetic charging connector I assume. In my experience they've been quite reliable on Xperia devices. Maybe you got a defective one?

I do recall a video stating the Z2 had even further improved flaps though.



The Z2 and Tablet Z2 no longer have shatterproof sheets on them. You'll be dealing directly with the glass screen.
Click to expand...

I may have I'm not sure because it worked fine for a bit but now they don't stay in and keep popping out but its good to hear that the flaps are being improved further. I wish I knew about the magnetic charging connector around the time I bought the phone I wouldn't have even needed to trouble the flaps that much. I also think its good that they are getting rid of that film that's literally the only flaw in the design imo.
 
C

CurlySaysX

Banned
SSReborn said:
I hope with this phone they fix the magnetic flaps I've had a problem with loose ones almost the first week I got the Z1 and now my phone isn't really water resistant anymore since I can't properly close them.

Also the only other flaw that they should fix is the fact that the phone has a scratch resistant screen but they put a shatterproof film over top of it which isn't. Which defeats the purpose of the screen in the first place.
Click to expand...

Sony should bundle a magnetic charging cable in every single box. I'm sure they'd save people a lot of grief and Sony themselves a few warranty claims if people had little need to open those ports. They seem absurdly expensive too, and difficult to find outside of ebay.

it worked fine for a bit but now they don't stay in and keep popping out
Click to expand...
Try cleaning around the gasket and around the port, blow some air in the port where the gasket would sit when closed. My Xperia Z had the same issue in the first month, but I cleaned the flaps and port a bit and they've stayed shut ever since.
 
R

Radec

Member
In the case of the Galaxy S5's processor, however, Samsung simply went shopping. It made sure to buy the best, in the form of a highly overclocked version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 chip (called the MSM8974AC or Snapdragon 801), but ultimately this is just a marginally faster version of the chip inside Sony's Xperia Z2 (the MSM8974AB). In turn, the Z2's chip is just an overclocked version of the original Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) found in the Galaxy Note 3, Xperia Z1 and Nexus 5.
Click to expand...

Wait what? Did Engadget mixed things up or they're right?
 
O

outsidah

Member
samven582 said:
According to my source on XDA, an unlocked Z1 with ATT LTE is going to be released on March 16th
Click to expand...

I know there was a guy on XDA that always nails the info on these releases so I'm thinking it's the same guy. I hope its not $759 like the ZL was when launched.
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
vivftp said:
... where are you getting $800-$900 from? Just checking through some articles from the time of the Z1 launch, it was released at about $650 unlocked, and is currently going for $550 unlocked on the sony.com website

http://www.engadget.com/2013/10/15/sony-smartwatch-2-us-launch-price/

http://store.sony.com/xperia-z1-zid...d-Phones?vva_ColorCode=000000&_t=pfm=category
Click to expand...


The Z1 had 3 models c6902 no Lte, C6903 semi Lte and the C6906 with LTE that works with Att and tmobile.

When I bought my c6906 from Canada I payed around 800(tax shipping) something....because the only one that the Sony sold in the US is the C6902 with no Lte. Reason probably cause tmobile didn't allow them to release an unlock Lte model.

Even right now importers are charging around 750 for an unlock C6906...

Currently there's pre order for the Z2 going on in Europe which cost £544.79 which is like 900 something.....

So yeah that how I got the 800-900 estimate price...
 
vivftp

vivftp

Member
shinshoryuken said:
The Z1 had 3 models c6902 no Lte, C6903 semi Lte and the C6906 with LTE that works with Att and tmobile.

When I bought my c6906 from Canada I payed around 800(tax shipping) something....because the only one that the Sony sold in the US is the C6902 with no Lte. Reason probably cause tmobile didn't allow them to release an unlock Lte model.

Even right now importers are charging around 750 for an unlock C6906...

Currently there's pre order for the Z2 going on in Europe which cost £544.79 which is like 900 something.....

So yeah that how I got the 800-900 estimate price...
Click to expand...

Then may I suggest disclosing all of this extra information when citing a price? Without it, random person may have thought Sony was batshit insane for charging $800-$900 in the US for the phone.
 
O

outsidah

Member
shinshoryuken said:
The Z1 had 3 models c6902 no Lte, C6903 semi Lte and the C6906 with LTE that works with Att and tmobile.

When I bought my c6906 from Canada I payed around 800(tax shipping) something....because the only one that the Sony sold in the US is the C6902 with no Lte. Reason probably cause tmobile didn't allow them to release an unlock Lte model.

Even right now importers are charging around 750 for an unlock C6906...

Currently there's pre order for the Z2 going on in Europe which cost £544.79 which is like 900 something.....

So yeah that how I got the 800-900 estimate price...
Click to expand...

The 544 is with VAT which we don't pay. Still, without VAT it's about $760 or so. I've imported many phones but as much as I like the Z2 I can't justify paying that much more over my Nexus 5. Just not enough there. If Sony US decides to not take months to release it here and doesn't price it at $700+ then I'd love to have one. In purple please.
 
D

DrFunk

not licensed in your state
It's recommended that you do import one (or buy from a 3rd party) since US carrier versions won't be coming for a while.

On another note, the Z2 supports pencil input:

mansonfat_3_SONY-_1dbb1f2cb1bfa7ef21024d5508a9c780.jpg
 
K

Koppai

Member
It makes me sad if the US version doesn't come out until their next flagship comes out...hope the rumors are bogus. My upgrade is due in October and this phone looks amazing...
 
S

shinshoryuken

Member
Koppai said:
It makes me sad if the US version doesn't come out until their next flagship comes out...hope the rumors are bogus. My upgrade is due in October and this phone looks amazing...
Click to expand...

Yeah, 800-900 dollars importing it won't be worth it especially if it will be replaced after 6 months..
 
S

spwolf

Member
outsidah said:
The 544 is with VAT which we don't pay. Still, without VAT it's about $760 or so. I've imported many phones but as much as I like the Z2 I can't justify paying that much more over my Nexus 5. Just not enough there. If Sony US decides to not take months to release it here and doesn't price it at $700+ then I'd love to have one. In purple please.
Click to expand...

yeah but those prices drop fast in Europe... in US, they never are as high and they never drop a lot... it is middle grounds from start up.

Z1 Compact dropped from €499 to €449 in Germany already.
 
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