Sony unveils their Xperia Z2

[Bateluer]

but it looks like we're going to be dependent on apple for that... gag. I'm guessing this mass move to 5.2 inch phones is happening because apple is reputed to deliver 4.7 and 5.5 inch and no one is up for that kind of competition. they'd all rather build terrible phones than compete with apple at making decent ones.

Heh, lol. Apple producing a larger screen iPhone is a direct response to larger screen competitors clobbering them in sales. If they want to preserve whats left of their relevance, especially with the Jobs Distortion Field shrinking after his death, they'll need to keep up with what their competitors are doing.

Its somewhat interesting that Apple hasn't unveiled a smart watch type device yet, though that rumor has been floating for a while. Samsung is on the second generation of smart wearable, with LG/Google coming soon, HTC supposedly launching by Christmas. Apple not having their own means that they're letting everyone else decide what a smartwatch should do, look like, etc. If they wait too long, they'll be playing catch up again.

here, this is my idea of a true next generation android phone:

http://www.phonearena.com/news/Shar...p-display-ultra-compact-EDGEST-design_id51676

Wtf, you serious? Thats a horrible, Nokia-esque looking device. Not only is the bottom bezel so large as to be jarring, the sharp right ankles are going to make it uncomfortable to hold. Also, phones with sharp edges will wear holes in your jeans pocket.

But lets get back on topic, the Z2. Seems like its been fairly well received. T-Mobile's Facebook and Google+ posts announcing availability of the GS5 are filled will people wanting the Z2. I did a comparison shot on Reddit though, despite the Z2 only having a 5.2in screen, its about the same size as a Note 3.

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/si...te-3-Neo,Sony-Xperia-Z2/phones/8202,8297,8323

Here's a video review. Looks like they've addressed the poor viewing angles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJquEOrTj1Y

 

[podspi]

I like it myself, it's a bit squarish but I see no reason why the top and bottom needs to be symmetrical.
Ideally they'd put some capacitive buttons on the bottom bezel to reclaim the space but it looks pretty nice overall.
Its a nice example that waterproof doesn't have to mean bezeltastic as well.

At first I agreed with you, until I saw the on-screen buttons. There really IS no excuse for that...

 

[WelshBloke]

Wtf, you serious? Thats a horrible, Nokia-esque looking device. Not only is the bottom bezel so large as to be jarring, the sharp right ankles are going to make it uncomfortable to hold. Also, phones with sharp edges will wear holes in your jeans pocket.

Wait... You like the Z2 but the Sharp is too angular and it's bezels are too big?

 

[ewdotson]

De gustibus. For me, calling something horrible and Nokia-esque is a contradiction in terms.

 

[Mondozei]

The tablet is truly amazing from the first impression and I'm typically quite skeptical of new tablets. The only two minor points I'd want to see improved, were the size of the bezels as well as the resolution. Neither is a deal-breaker and I guess both will give them something to sell on the next iteration(4K?).

I mean, we could see sub-400 grammes tablets within this year. That used to be the preserve of the 7/8" tablets until very recently. They will both probably move to the sub-300 grammes area once we get sub-400 grammes 10" tablets.

Still, comparing the weight of the iPad 4 or other tablets which were often around 600 grammes, to what we have now, is breathtaking. I think a lot of people held back buying a 10" precisely because of weight, I know several of my friends did.

That's going to change going forward. Portability is still an issue, but honestly, in how many pockets do an iPad mini or a Samsung Note Pro 8.4 go into? Once the weight issue is solved between the formfactors, the sales will probably rebalance.

 

[Bateluer]

Wait... You like the Z2 but the Sharp is too angular and it's bezels are too big?

The bezels on the Z2 aren't as large as that Sharp, and they house front-ish facing speakers.

De gustibus. For me, calling something horrible and Nokia-esque is a contradiction in terms.

The pastel colors, right angles, thick device, right angles, these all scream Nokia. Its not a very good looking design, unless you're a tween girl and want a color phone.

 

[blairharrington]

Big thumbs down. Almost equal in weight to a Note 3 and nearly the same height. I also hate glass backed phones.

 

[zerogear]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKTYPBuGH4

Z2 vs iPhone 5 vs Lumia 1520 in low light. Z2 is amazing in low light.

 

[cronos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NKTYPBuGH4

Z2 vs iPhone 5 vs Lumia 1520 in low light. Z2 is amazing in low light.

Was that really without flash?

 

[zerogear]

Was that really without flash?

Seems so.

 

[WelshBloke]

Seems so.

I don't want to appear cynical but the final photo the guy takes is already there as a thumbnail in the top right of the screen before he takes that picture.

Are there any low light reviews of it that aren't made by Sony?
I'm not saying that it won't have great low light ability (hell Sony make some great smartphone camera hardware, they SHOULD be able to pull this off) but I don't trust that demo at all.

 

[Rdmkr]

Q: so does this have a broader color range than amoled, or just the best of any LCD you've seen?

Erica Griffin: it's broader than amoled with the measurements I have seen, especially towards ultra violet. They use a blue backlight and red and green phosphors. So essentially they are able to get near monochromatic wavelengths red, green and blue. The more monochromatic or pure a wavelength is for these three colors, the wider the gamut or range of colors you can see. It may be hard to believe that this can be wider than amoled but it easily can with the right backlight technology, phosphors, and filters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dviYRetmjTQ

Nice. Not only is the Z2's screen properly non-pentile; it also beats AMOLED at its OWN GAME.

 

[zerogear]

I don't want to appear cynical but the final photo the guy takes is already there as a thumbnail in the top right of the screen before he takes that picture.

Are there any low light reviews of it that aren't made by Sony?
I'm not saying that it won't have great low light ability (hell Sony make some great smartphone camera hardware, they SHOULD be able to pull this off) but I don't trust that demo at all.

As far as I know that video channel isn't by Sony. Seems like that guy is a video reviewer if you look at his other videos. (I don't understand Thai)

 

[WelshBloke]

As far as I know that video channel isn't by Sony. Seems like that guy is a video reviewer if you look at his other videos. (I don't understand Thai)

Yeah but it would be pretty easy to set up a phone to take good low light photos in those conditions but really crappy ones in real life.

The stand holds the phone very still so they could just be using long exposures that would be useless for normal use and other phones wouldn't be set up for that.

Now they may have sorted out something amazing but I'd rather wait for some proper reviews by people who I trust before I get impressed.

 

[zerogear]

Yeah but it would be pretty easy to set up a phone to take good low light photos in those conditions but really crappy ones in real life.

The stand holds the phone very still so they could just be using long exposures that would be useless for normal use and other phones wouldn't be set up for that.

Now they may have sorted out something amazing but I'd rather wait for some proper reviews by people who I trust before I get impressed.

It really isn't magical, it's just a larger sensor with long(er) exposure on auto mode

Transcription of the video ripped from Reddit:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1z36ko/_/cfq65oy

This is a transcribe of the video, there's a few sentences that were kind of confusing but that was how he said it:

Hello everyone, I’ll demonstrate the capability of taking picture in low light of Z2, 5s and Lumia 1520.

This is a box that Sony put in their booth for everyone to try. Inside the box they put a picture, and it has a very small hole so we can place the cameras there to take pictures. And of course, for all of the phones, I’ll leave them in Auto mode, no flash.

Here is iPhone 5s. You can see that iPhone 5s can see the picture inside and you can measure the sharpness and brightness and take picture. I’ll turn off the HDR feature. Now I’ll focus, then take a picture. The result is that we can see the picture of a buffalo or a dog or a cow or something that is kicking a ball.

And now I’ll test with 1520. I’ll also put the nokia camera there using full auto mode. And you can see that Nokia 1520 can’t see very clearly the picture inside. I’ll take the picture anyway. It comes up a little bit, very unclear, very dark. Here.

And now I’ll try with Z2 so you can see how Z2 does in this scenario. And we’ll also use auto mode, the super auto mode from Sony. It’s called “Intelligent Auto”. This, the yellowish thing at the right corner. It recognizes that this is a low light scenario. It has a candle icon and also a tripod icon so we know we have to hold the phone more steady. Now we take the picture. Wow. You can see that, very surprising, the picture from the Z2 is very beautiful, very nice color, and the picture is very bright, much more than iPhone 5s and much much more than Lumia 1520.

There and you we can compare the 3. It’s very difficult to see on Lumia 1520. On iPhone 5s it’s a little brighter. But it’s very nice on Z2.

The Z2 can capture ISO up to 6400 and aperture up to 2.0; and the sensor and the auto system give you a very good result

 

[WelshBloke]

It really isn't magical, it's just a larger sensor with long(er) exposure on auto mode

Transcription of the video ripped from Reddit:

That's what I was saying about long exposures. Its pretty useless in real use.
How often do you set your phone on a tripod to take a low light shot and get your subjects to not move?

 

[Rdmkr]

its lens aperture size goes all the way up to f/2.0, which is the second highest I've heard of in a smartphone camera; that definitely helps the low light performance in combination with the massive pixel size in the Intelligent Auto's standard 8 megapixel mode.

the only problem with sony's camera is the lack of OIS, but this is not relevant to pictures taken from a tripod.

 

[cliftonite]

Heh, lol. Apple producing a larger screen iPhone is a direct response to larger screen competitors clobbering them in sales. If they want to preserve whats left of their relevance, especially with the Jobs Distortion Field shrinking after his death, they'll need to keep up with what their competitors are doing.

Its somewhat interesting that Apple hasn't unveiled a smart watch type device yet, though that rumor has been floating for a while. Samsung is on the second generation of smart wearable, with LG/Google coming soon, HTC supposedly launching by Christmas. Apple not having their own means that they're letting everyone else decide what a smartwatch should do, look like, etc. If they wait too long, they'll be playing catch up again.



Wtf, you serious? Thats a horrible, Nokia-esque looking device. Not only is the bottom bezel so large as to be jarring, the sharp right ankles are going to make it uncomfortable to hold. Also, phones with sharp edges will wear holes in your jeans pocket.

But lets get back on topic, the Z2. Seems like its been fairly well received. T-Mobile's Facebook and Google+ posts announcing availability of the GS5 are filled will people wanting the Z2. I did a comparison shot on Reddit though, despite the Z2 only having a 5.2in screen, its about the same size as a Note 3.

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/si...te-3-Neo,Sony-Xperia-Z2/phones/8202,8297,8323

Here's a video review. Looks like they've addressed the poor viewing angles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJquEOrTj1Y

Would love to have this phone (especially a google edition) But its almost the same size as the note 3 and has a much smaller screen

 

[Red Storm]

Would love to have this phone (especially a google edition) But its almost the same size as the note 3 and has a much smaller screen

Yeah that's unacceptable to me. Maybe it has something to do with the dust/water proofing? Still though, those bezels are ridiculously big and ugly, especially when you look at it side by side with the Note 3.