Xperia Z.. Tablet!

[lopri]

http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/tablets/xperia-tablet-z/#tabs (Official page)

I suppose this is a taste of things to come, but this thing is severely™ beautiful.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0SsDlXcO-o

http://www.androidcentral.com/sony-xperia-z-and-tablet-z-launch-globally-march-1

Sony is definitely upping the game with the Xperia series. I like it a lot.

Edit: notable specs

• Snapdragon S4 Pro w/ 2 GB LPDDR2
• Thinnest tablet to date (6.95 mm, thinner than iPad mini)
• One of the lightest among the 10" tablets (495 gram, iPad 4 weighs 650~660 gram)
• Surround sound (?)
• Waterproof
• Micro-SD slot (!)
• Jelly bean out of the box w/ updates planned
• High quality camera for both front (2 MP) and back (8 MP)
• 1920x1200, 224 PPI (Thank you, Ravynmagi!)
• Battery life (?)
• Price (?)
• Thumb/Palm rejection for drawing/writing (?)

There are some unknowns, but it looks way better than any 10" Android tablet in the market today. (Yeah, I know that Nexus 10 beats it in CPU benchmarks, but seriously I could care less about that ugly design)

 

[QueBert]

resolution sucks, and surround sound? lol. Waterproof sounds really cool, I could play Noble Nutlings while in the Jacuzzi.

 

[Ravynmagi]

It's 1920x1200 and 224 PPI.

I wish Sony rounded the edges though, 90 degree edges don't usually feel comfortable in the hand when holding it a while. Still surprised to see people making this mistake.

 

[lopri]

Edited the display detail. Thank you, Ravynmagi.

I am not too bothered by the edges. Look rounded enough for me and overall look is professional. And it matches the whole Xperia theme. Too rounded corners could make it look like an ugly toy (see: Nexus 10) and you run the risk of frivolous lawsuit from a certain company.

 

[lopri]

1920x1200 (in contrast to 1920x1080) is a step in the right direction for a tablet, IMO. It gives more vertical space when in landscape mode, and the ratio is closer to those of 7" Android tablets. 224 PPI is nothing to sneeze at, BTW.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Yeah, I wasn't happy with the look of the Nexus 10. Google should have had Samsung make it to resemble the Nexus 7 more, that was a much better looking tablet.

Xperia Z definitely looks much better.

Engadget says the 16GB model is $500 and the 32GB model is $600. Both in black. An exclusive white 32GB model will be sold through Sony stores as well.

 

[Ravynmagi]

1920x1200 (in contrast to 1920x1080) is a step in the right direction for a tablet, IMO. It gives more vertical space when in landscape mode, and the ratio is closer to those of 7" Android tablets. 224 PPI is nothing to sneeze at, BTW.

Most Android tablets use 16:10. So this is normal for Android. Windows RT and 8 tablets all seem to be going with 16:9 (1366x768 or 1920x1080) which I think don't care for.

 

[sequoia464]

Most Android tablets use 16:10. So this is normal for Android. Windows RT and 8 tablets all seem to be going with 16:9 (1366x768 or 1920x1080) which I think don't care for.

Have to agree - I just picked up an Asus Vivotab Smart 400 - like the aspect ratio better on my old touchpad and the little ladies Ipad.

Do like the W8 tablet better over all so far though.

 

[Dari]

I can see myself buying this. Does it have infra-red?

 

[lopri]

Apparently it does. And apparently this tablet has been out in Japan for a while already. While searching Youtube bunch of Japanese videos popped up. This one does a good job at comparing this tablet with iPad 4. Looks like custom skinning is very minimal, sticking to stock Android.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju3DRZi0NTs

 

[BladeVenom]

Most Android tablets use 16:10. So this is normal for Android. Windows RT and 8 tablets all seem to be going with 16:9 (1366x768 or 1920x1080) which I think don't care for.

I hope Android screens stay 16:10. I hate that most monitors are 16:9 now.

 

[lopri]

The product page is up. Added to the OP. Gotta go to bed. Stayed up too late!

http://www.sonymobile.com/us/products/tablets/xperia-tablet-z/Features/#display

 

[MrX8503]

I think the form factor is awesome. I don't like the front branding and non uniform bezel though.

The res is low, but I bet its due to battery life and form factor constraints.

 

[luv2liv]

i was amazed that its so skinny and still waterproof!!! how is that possible?
i wish all of our electronics are waterproof. i dropped my phone in a toilet once.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I really like it, that low weight and thickness on a 10" tablet is very impressive. Sony has been doing better on updates too lately so support should be fairly good and it probably isn't very locked down.

 

[gorcorps]

I'm still stunned at the low res comments. 1920x1200 remains the highest res of the Android tablets, isn't it?

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I'm still stunned at the low res comments. 1920x1200 remains the highest res of the Android tablets, isn't it?

The Nexus 10 is 2560x1600.

Since this tablet is so much thinner and lighter than the iPad people are probably looking for a flaw with it to justify their purchases.

 

[Red Storm]

Nice looking tablet. What worries me is Sony's post-release update support.

 

[dlock13]

$500 bucks though for 16 GB? Pass.

It sure is sexy though.

 

[lopri]

After the initial excitement, it's still looking nice. $500 is a reasonable price for this in my book until competition steps up. It goes into my short list for upgrade (albeit in quite a while). Only thing that I'd like to know is whether it has some sort of palm/thumb rejection mechanism, as well as native USB OTG support (which may or may not matter in the future, but it's nice to have for now).

Other than that, I don't see a competition that challenges this device yet, in form and in function. This is the first Android tablet for which I would pay $500, which was reserved only for iPad 4 (and only for folks less technically inclined, like my parents) untill now.

Edit: Thinking about it, I haven't read anything about its battery performance yet, which is very important.

 

[lopri]

For me waterproof is a big factor because I love to read in a bath tub. I believe my Kindle ($400! gifted to me, though) died due to condensation over time even though there was no direct water contact.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I would like to see a micro HDMI port on my tablet though. I don't want to mess with MHL on a tablet.

 

[Red Storm]

I would like to see a micro HDMI port on my tablet though. I don't want to mess with MHL on a tablet.

The actions are the same?

I forget what the Nexus 4 uses, but it removed the one downside to MHL which was requiring a power cable connection as well. Now you can use it with power or without.

 

[Ravynmagi]

The actions are the same?

I forget what the Nexus 4 uses, but it removed the one downside to MHL which was requiring a power cable connection as well. Now you can use it with power or without.

SlimPort on the Nexus 4 is even worse than MHL because it requires a new $30 adapter. And my understanding is the TV needs to support SlimPort otherwise you still need to power it via USB too.

 

[Dari]

I really hope SONY does not take their sweet time bringing this to America. They are always so damn slow with product launches.