Hands-on: Sony's new mobile devices at IFA 2014
Sony had a stronger presence in IFA 2014 with a string of new mobile devices including two smartphones - the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact, its first 8-inch tablet – the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact, two wearable devices - the Smart Watch 3 and SmartBand Talk. Join us as we check them out in detail at the show floor!
Sony’s all out for IFA 2014
Sony probably has the largest number of product announcements this year at IFA. We saw new audio products, new lens-style cameras, smaller Action Cam, its first curved 4K TV (Bravia S90) and three new mobile devices. We dropped by the Sony Booth at IFA 2014 to check out their new mobility products.
Sony Xperia Z3
The Xperia Z3 is Sony’s latest flagship smartphone for 2014 and succeeds the Xperia Z2, which was announced six months ago.
In case you don’t know, Sony is fond of releasing a flagship smartphone every six months to stay competitive. While this may seem good in the eyes of the company, owners of the previous flagship variants may not be as happy to see their expensive devices replaced soon (which we owe this phenomenon to less than expected trading value and just pure ego). This time round, the brand new Xperia Z3 sports more aesthetic improvements than software upgrades.
Notice the new styling of its aluminium frame on the Sony Xperia Z3. You will also notice the nylon caps at the four corners of the device to better protect it against potential damage from mishandling.
Right off the bat, the Xperia Z3 comes with a rounder, more stylish frame. We were told by a Sony staff that the corners are deliberately covered in nylon caps to protect the frame from getting dents in the event of accidental drops.
Another physical difference which can only be felt when you hold the Xperia Z3 and Z2 is the weight of the newcomer. Sony shaved off 11g from the Xperia Z3. The reduction in weight could likely be attributed to a slightly smaller battery (3,100mAh) in the Xperia Z3 as compared to the 3,200mAh battery in the Xperia Z2. In terms of actual use and handling, we really liked the lighter Xperia Z3.
You can’t tell the difference between the Sony Xperia Z3 (left) and the Xperia Z2 (right) from the front, although the former sports slightly thinner bezels which is just 2mm thin.
Sony also managed to make the Xperia Z3 more compact in terms of footprint; it is slightly shorter in length (146 vs 146.8mm), narrower in width (72 vs 73.3mm) and thinner (7.3 vs 8.2mm).
You can hardly discern the differences in the physical dimensions, but the Xperia Z3 definitely feels better in the hands.
The rest of its hardware specs remains the same; you still get the same 5.2-inch 1080p display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset albeit with a higher clock speed at 2.5GHz, 3GB RAM, Android 4.4 KitKat, improved water and dust resistant chassis (IP65/68 vs. IP55/58 on the Z2) and the same 20.7-megapixel camera sensor.
The rear of the Sony Xperia Z3 remains unchanged from the Xperia Z2.
While the megapixel count remains the same, it bumps the ISO sensitivity to a maximum of 12,800. While recording videos, this tops out at ISO3200, but either way, it's a first for any smartphone to boast such settings. What all these means is that the Xperia Z3 is more capable than the Xperia Z2 and most of its competitors in low light shots. The G lens also differs as it come with a 25mm wide angle lens for fitting more subjects in a frame.
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
The Xperia Z3 Compact is a neat-looking Android smartphone.
The pioneer of the true compact flagship concept, Sony has unleashed a 4.6-inch variant of its Z3 flagship. As the name suggests, the Xperia Z3 Compact has a smaller footprint.
Compared to the Xperia Z1 Compact, the Xperia Z3 Compact is thinner (8.6 vs 9.5mm) and lighter (129g vs. 137g). It also adopts the new stylish and rounded frame as the Xperia Z3 with nylon caps at the corners to better protect against dents when dropped. For those who don't really take well to 5-inch and larger phones, they are going to love the new Xperia Z3 Compact as it can be easily handled in one hand.
Seen here are the 4.6-inch Sony Xperia Z3 Compact and the 5.2-inch Xperia Z2. The size difference is immense.
You see the signature aluminium power button on the right side and below it are the volume controls and camera shutter button.
The Xperia Z3 Compact has a bigger display compared to its predecessor at 4.6-inches although its resolution remains at HD (1,280 x 720 pixels). Nonetheless, the display still looks great. Its imaging hardware is the same as the Xperia Z3 although it lacks the wide angle lens. You get the same 20.7-megapixel sensor with ISO sensitively up to 12,800.
Availability
Sony states that the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact will be available globally from this month. Stay tuned for more local updates from us.
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact
The Xperia Z3 Compact sports an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels)
It’s a long time coming; Sony finally enters the 8-inch tablet category with its Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact while competing brands such as Samsung have already released endless choices of 8-inch tablets.
As expected of Xperia tablets, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is a beauty to hold in the hands. The first thing that impressed us during our hands-on trial is its ultra-sleek waistline of 6.4mm. In comparison, the 7.9-inch Apple iPad Mini with Retina Display has a 7.5mm thin chassis while the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has a 6.6mm thin form factor.
The Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is insanely thin at 6.4mm!
The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is also the lightest of its class at just 270g, making it an excellent tablet to tote around. Another physical attribute that we really liked about the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is the matte rear texture. Unlike its Xperia Z3 smartphones with glass panels, we feel it is a good choice to use a matte material for its rear as glass not only attracts fingerprints/smudges, it also scratches under wear and tear.
The white matte rear of the Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is nice to feel in the hands although you may want to protect it against stains and dirt in everyday usage.
As an Xperia Z3-branded device, it is only natural that the Z3 Tablet Compact sports similar design attributes. You will see the nylon caps at the corners of its rounded frame and the device is water and dust proof with IP rating of 65/68.
Nylon caps are situated the four corners of the chassis to protect against dents in an event of an accidental drop.
Under the hood, the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core 2.5GHz processor, 3GB RAM, Android 4.4 KitKat and is powered by a 4,500mAh battery. It comes with 16GB internal storage space with microSD expansion up to 128GB.
Availability
The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is slated for a global launch in both LTE and Wi-Fi models from this month.
Sony Smart Watch 3
The Smart Watch 3 is actually the fourth generation wearable device from Sony.
As an Android vendor, Sony had no choice, but to develop a smart watch based on Google’s Android Wear platform. Its previous smart watches are powered by its proprietary operating system, which are at risk of being obsolete considering the interest around Android Wear.
Compared to the Smart Watch 2, the new addition has a similarly-sized display at 1.6-inches across albeit with a higher resolution (320 x 320 pixels). This is on-par with the ASUS Zen Watch. In terms of design and appearance, we felt that Sony took a step back with the Smart Watch 3. Having handled the Zen Watch and LG G Watch R, the Smart Watch 3 pales in comparison with its silicone rubber strap and neither does the watch appear to have a premium finish.
The Sony Smart Watch 3 does not look and feel as premium as the other smart watches from ASUS, LG and Samsung.
However, Sony continued to nail one crucial aspect that the other brands failed to address - the ease of charging the device. The Smart Watch 3 has a micro-USB port on its rear protected by a flap. This means that the Smart Watch 3 can be charged using any micro-USB cable. The other smart watches require a special charging cradle to be attached when charging, which can be inconvenient especially if you forget or lose the charging cradle.
You just have to remember to close the flap properly to maintain the IP68 water/dust resistance of the Sony Smart Watch 3.
The Sony Smart Watch 3 can be charged using any micro-USB cable and has no need for a special charging cradle.
Other specs of the Smart Watch 3 include a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 512MB RAM, 4GB internal storage, a microphone for voice control, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and a 420mAh battery that is stated to last up to 2 days of normal usage.
Sony SmartBand Talk SWR30
Sony throws in a 1.4-inch e-paper display on the SmartBand Talk.
Sony seems to be adopting the same six-month refresh cycle for its SmartBand portfolio as its Xperia flagship smartphones. 8 months after unveiling the SmartBand at CES 2014, Sony updated the device with a 1.4-inch e-paper display and brands it SmartBand Talk.
While the e-paper display is curved, it only shows black and white. This helps to keep power consumption to a minimum, and also makes the display highly legible under strong lighting conditions. The display along with the side buttons are used to navigate the interface. You also tap on the menu icon to access it.
You have to use the Sony’s Lifelog app alongside the SmartBand Talk (and Smart Watch 3) to maximize their functionality.
Like its predecessor, the SmartBand Talk is built around the Lifelog app where physical activities (sleeping, exercising, walking, running) and things you do on your smartphone are tracked.
You can view the state of weather on the Sony SmartBand Talk.
As the name suggests, the SmartBand Talk comes with a built-in microphone and speaker. This allows you to make and receive calls from the wearable device. You also can rely on Sony’s integrated Voice Control technology to assign specific voice commands for carrying certain phone functions.
Other specs of the SmartBand Talk include waterproof capability with IP68 ratings, accelerometer and altimeter. Unlike the Android-Wear powered Smart Watch 3, the SmartBand Talk requires an Android device running OS version 4.4.
Availability and Pricing
The Smart Watch 3 is priced at €229 while the SmartBand Talk will cost about €159. Both wearable devices are expected to be launched globally later this month.
The Smart Watch 3 (left) and SmartBand Talk are Sony's latest wearable devices.
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