Sony Xperia Z2 initial impressions

The Xperia Z2. Image: Android Police

While the hype from MWC is all about the Galaxy S5, I'm still quite amazed by the flagship that was announced earlier - the Xperia Z2. I'm not a member of the press, nor am I some famous YouTuber who gets to go to all these cool events, I'm just a typical (but slightly more knowledgeable) consumer with a healthy interest in mobile technology, which I think pretty much sums up the majority of the tech community. So for us who can only watch videos and read articles on the web, it's important that the manufacturers at these trade shows make their devices so amazing, that we can still be excited about them even without holding any of their products in our own hands. So without seeing the Z2 with my own eyes, or feeling it with my own hands, what do I think about it? Here are a few good and bad points I've come up with.

The good

The same old beautiful design

Sony's recent mobile devices have been nothing short of spectacular, from a design perspective that is. The Xperia Z2 maintains Sony's well known industrial design that we've seen from its predecessors - the original Z and the Z1. Even the Xperia Tablet Z. Not only does it maintain the beauty, but also the IP58 rating as well, making it an even more attractive product. The Z2 just looks stunning, and Sony's promo video for it does an excellent job of showing that.

Front facing speakers

Taking a page out of HTC's playbook, the Z2 comes with front facing stereo speakers. Being only the second major Android flagship to do so, it's a great addition to an already great device. Some things are just too good to only have on one device, and I'm sure nobody will complain about Sony "stealing" this feature from HTC. The more phones with front facing stereo speakers the better I say.

Boom Sound anybody?

Large battery, slim body

Battery life has always been an issue with our large 1080p display flagship phones. Most times, the software can only do so much, so we are left hoping for huge batteries in our phones. Unfortunately, most devices that have large batteries tend to be large themselves. Sony did a great job making the Z2 as small as possible, but with a larger than average battery. It has a 3200 mAh battery, yet is thinner than the G2, which has a 3000 mAh battery. In comparison to the Note 3 which also has a 3200 mAh battery, the Z2 is shorter, narrower, thinner and lighter as well. A great feat of engineering if you ask me.

Snapdragon 801

This is a big deal especially for Sony. The Xperia Z from last year unfortunately launched with the Snapdragon S4 Pro, which was from the previous year, while the competitors to the Xperia Z all launched with the much newer Snapdragon 600. The Xperia Z had already lost the battle before it had begun. This year however, the Z2 is launching with the Snapdragon 801, the same chip found in the Galaxy S5, and presumably the upcoming successor to the HTC One as well. A much more level playing ground this year will give Sony a great chance to compete in the market.

The bad

The same old beautiful design

Yes, you read that correctly. Sony's great design is actually a double-edged sword in my eyes. I love the design, but it's already been used on three flagships and a few other devices as well. To avoid being labelled as another Apple or Samsung by sticking to the same design language for years, Sony should already start looking at alternative designs for their upcoming devices. I'm sure they'll come up with something just as amazing.

Beautiful design, but needs to be changed soon. Image: GSM Arena

Too many flagships

All OEMs release several devices a year, but only one is a proper flagship. HTC had the One, Samsung the S4 (Note is still technically, a niche product, not a flagship), Motorola the Moto X, and LG the G2. But Sony? Last year they released the Xperia Z and Z1, both flagships. And now with the Z2, that makes 3 flagships in just over a year. I hope the Z2 will remain Sony's flagship for the entire year, instead of us seeing a Z3 later this year.

A wee bit bigger than the rest

While the Z2 is "small" despite the size of the battery, it is actually still a bit large compared to other flagships. A quick glance at the graphic below will show you just how big it is compared to the rest.

Image: PhoneArena

Like I said in my intro, this is what I gathered about the device from just watching videos and reading about the device, which is how I imagine everyone (apart from those at MWC) will base their initial impressions. I'll definitely play around with one in a retail outlet once it's available, but I've played around with the Z and Z1, so I'm pretty sure I already know how the Z2 will end up feeling in my hand.

What do you think of the Z2?