The built-in battery has become more capacious - 3200 mAh instead of 3000. At the same time, battery life in standby mode compared to the Z1 has decreased slightly, and the time for talking and listening to music has increased. In fact, the smartphone shows average battery life. If you surf the Internet on the way to and from work, make a dozen calls and are not distracted by your smartphone during the working day, then the battery will last until the evening.

But there are a number of software features that allow you to extend operating time when the battery charge is low. The Stamina Mode is already familiar to us; the new one is Low-battery mode. There is even a separate settings section for it, where you can mark the functions that will be disabled in this mode. These include not only GPS and data transfer, but also the functions X-Reality, xLOUD, and vibration feedback when working with the keyboard. In addition, you can limit the maximum brightness level and the time the display automatically turns off. No switching to black and white mode like in Samsung Galaxy S5, not provided. Probably, in the case of an IPS matrix instead of an OLED, this makes no sense.

Software

Sony Xperia Z2 runs under Android control 4.4.2 KitKat. A proprietary user interface is installed on top, familiar to us from the company’s previous smartphones. There are no special changes, except for a couple of new applications and additional settings sections. The most useful feature of the Sony add-on is the ability to sort shortcuts in the main menu alphabetically, by frequency of use, or in any arbitrary order. It is very convenient when applications are installed on 5-6 menu screens.

February 2014 pleased fans cell phones and communicators with the latest new products from leading manufacturers around the world. Developers from Japanese did not stand aside either. Sony. At the beginning of 2014, it was decided to show the Sony Xperia Z2 d6503 as the main flagship of the line. The Japanese did not think long about the characteristics of their new smartphone and tried to ensure that every element of it was the best in comparison with its main competitors. Whether they succeeded or not, we will find out from the further review.

Main technical characteristics

Sony did not skimp on its new flagship smartphone Z2 d6503. The characteristics of this model are amazing. Let's start with the processor. The quad-core Snapdragon 801 was chosen as it, the clock frequency of each core is 2.3 GHz. And this is very good characteristics processor compared even to the flagships of previous years. This communicator also has enough RAM - 3 GB. Both the processor and RAM Enough to be able to play the most “heavy” games of our time without freezing. Internal memory smartphone is 16 GB. If this volume is not enough, you can always buy additional microSD card to increase the total memory capacity of your smartphone. Like many other flagships from competing companies, the smartphone from the Japanese manufacturer boasts operating system"Android 4.4.2".

External characteristics and ergonomics of Sony Xperia Z2 d6503

A review of this model shows that in terms of design and appearance new flagship from Sony does not have significant changes compared to the previous one - Z1. But this is only if you look at it and not hold it in your hand. The point is that new smartphone differs from its brother in dimensions. If Z1 has a more impressive weight, then Z2 gravitates towards a longer shape and slim body. However, this circumstance did not prevent the newly-minted flagship from acquiring a capacious 3200 MAh battery, which is quite enough for a whole day of work. There are two color options for the Sony Xperia Z2 d6503: black and white. The smartphone has a screen diagonal of 5.2 inches. On the front there are light and proximity sensors, as well as the main company logo. All the main buttons are located on the right side of the smartphone, which makes it convenient to use if you are right-handed. There are volume control buttons, a power button, as well as slots for a MicroSD card. On the left side there is a slot for a USB device, which helps when charging and connecting the smartphone to personal computer. On the top there is only a hole for the headset. Rear panel The smartphone is glossy, and the Sony brand name is printed on its surface. In addition, in the upper left part there is a main camera of more than 20 MP, which makes the Sony Xperia Z2 d6503 one of the most powerful camera phones of our time.

Camera and photo quality

As mentioned above, Sony has equipped its new flagship with an outstanding twenty-megapixel camera. At its core, the camera is almost the same as on the Z1, but the developers assure that the quality of the photos should be noticeably different. In fact, in good light conditions the quality of the images is really at a different level, but at night the image detail is not much different from last year’s smartphone.

Sound

For music lovers this parameter is almost the main thing. It’s worth noting right away that the sound quality of music on Sony smartphones is worse than that of competitors from Samsung and NTS. Sony Xperia Z2 d6503 was no exception. Feedback from experts who reviewed this model suggests that the smartphone's speakers could be louder and the sound quality better. That is, the developers' assurances that each element of this smartphone considered competitive are not very similar to the truth. At least in a situation with sound. The sound volume during calls could also be louder. In loud conditions environment It is necessary to increase the sound level to the maximum in order to be able to hear your interlocutor.

Productivity and durability

The Sony Xperia Z2 d6503 smartphone has the latest Snapsragon 801 chipset, which allows for a noticeable increase in overall performance compared to its predecessors. In terms of performance, this communicator showed itself to be very good. While using the phone, there were no freezes when switching programs, as well as when trying to load and play the most “heavy” games on Android. I was also very pleased with the high-capacity battery. When the smartphone is heavily loaded and a widescreen movie with high brightness is watched on it, the battery lasts for almost 12 hours. That is, under normal conditions, the battery capacity can last at least 2 days.

Equipment

Like many other smartphones from Sony or other manufacturers, the Sony Xperia Z2 d6503 has a very prosaic set of components. Firstly, after purchasing a smartphone you will be given a branded box containing all the purchase data. Secondly, inside the box itself you can find, in addition to the phone, a document - instructions on how to use the phone, a USB cable for connecting the smartphone to an electrical network or a computer, an adapter for recharging the phone, as well as a proprietary headset from Sony. Headphones are not something sophisticated, so if you consider yourself a music lover, it is better to immediately purchase new ones.

Smartphone prices

As mentioned several times above in the review, Sony phone The Xperia Z2 d6503 is the flagship of the Japanese communicator manufacturer, and therefore you should not expect a low price from it. The starting price for it is around six hundred US dollars for the standard model without additional memory cards and other bells and whistles. In case of additional costs, the cost of a smartphone can reach $700. It is also worth remembering that in different dealer stores the price of a smartphone, as well as the terms of sale, may vary.

The concept of releasing new flagships as frequently as possible, which the division adopted mobile devices Sony, has two consequences. On the one hand, this approach allows the company to quickly update the hardware of its top models to the “very best” level. As a result, if you buy Xperia smartphone, then you can be sure: the filling in it is truly as advanced as possible.

On the other hand, updating the design as often is problematic. You won't have enough fresh ideas for this. Therefore, Sony's new flagship - Xperia Z2 - in terms of appearance turned out to be exclusively evolutionary. It will be possible to identify a truly new smartphone in the Z2 only if you place it next to the Z1 - the slightly changed dimensions will prevent confusion. If you just see the Z2 in someone’s hand, you may not understand that this is a new product - the new one differs little from the previous “Z”.

Or you will have to look closely at the details - there are many noticeably changed little things in the design. For example, the Z2, unlike the Z1, does not have a plastic display backing. Or rather, there is a plastic backing, but now it is not a separate part, but is “flush” fitted into a metal frame (the darkest stripes on the frame are plastic).

This solution made it possible to get rid of one of the most unpleasant design features of the current Xperia - too wide margins on the sides of the display. But the tactile qualities have become a little worse: before the rounded backing touched the palm, but now the sharp edge of the back side of the frame cuts into it. It’s not that strong and completely unpleasant, but the “ribbing” is still felt.

One more detail: the “loud” speaker has moved from the bottom end of the case to front side. To be completely precise, loud speakers now there are two: the top one, which in Z1 was used only for conversations, can now also sound loud. Stereo, in a word, albeit weak due to the small separation of the speakers. Not to say that the quality is breathtaking - the HTC One M8 is more interesting in this sense, but still the sound has become better - and certainly louder.

The factory film has disappeared from the display and back glass panel, so the Xperia Z2 will not scratch as quickly as the Xperia Z1. But if it gets scratched, it’s forever.

Like all flagships of 2014, the Xperia Z2 turned out to be too large - both in length and width. However, in size this smartphone is far from even the first Galaxy Note, not to mention larger “shovels” like the Xperia Z Ultra.

Like all previous Sony flagships, the Xperia Z2 is protected from dust and liquids according to IP55 and IP58 standards. That is, it is completely invulnerable to dust (dust can get inside the case, but does not affect the performance of the device), withstands water jets from any angle and can be completely immersed in water to a depth of one and a half meters. So you can wash the Z2 under the tap, take a bath with it, and do underwater photography - the latter is especially convenient, since the smartphone has a hardware camera button.

The scheme for protecting connectors from water is the same: only the headphone jack remains on the surface, and everything else is hidden under plugs. If the Z1 had three plugs - for microSD, SIM card and micro-USB, then the Z2 has two of them: the SIM card and the universal port are hidden under one large cover.

⇡ Technical specifications

⇡ Hardware and communications

From a platform perspective, the changes are minimal: the processor has been upgraded from the already terribly powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 to the slightly more powerful Snapdragon 801. In numbers, this means an increase in the maximum clock speed of the processor cores from 2.15 to 2.26 GHz. There are still four cores, and the architecture is the same - Krait-400. In general, not God knows what serious changes.

The Xperia Z2's sensor suite now includes a barometer

However, we must keep in mind that power consumption and heat dissipation depending on frequency do not grow linearly, but more abruptly. So a slight increase in the number of megahertz while maintaining the same technological process of 28 nm HPm, apparently, results in a rather serious increase in heating at “maximum speed”. In this regard, the Xperia Z2 has such a curious detail as a heat pipe - not as powerful as in coolers desktop computers or laptops, but still the most real.

An adult cooling system is all the more relevant because it is integrated into the chip graphics subsystem overclocked more noticeably than processor cores: from 450 to 578 MHz. So in graphical tasks, performance increased more than in purely processor-based ones. It’s difficult to say how much this is in demand in modern applications - except for benchmarks: it’s hard to remember games that lack the power of the Snapdragon 800.

The amount of RAM has increased from 2 to 3 GB - of the existing smartphones, only Samsung can compare with the Xperia Z2 in this regard Galaxy Note 3. The volume of the built-in storage remains the same, 16 GB, of which slightly less than 12 are available. However, the card slot microSD memory has not gone away, so you don’t have to worry too much about the amount of flash memory - microSDXC cards up to 128 GB are also supported.

Architecturally, the Snapdragon 801 is almost identical to the Snapdragon 800. In particular, the built-in modem has not changed: it is still the same MDM9x25, in addition to 2G/3G networks, it can also work with LTE Cat.4 networks - with theoretical speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s “down” and 50 Mbit/s “up”. But the transceiver is now new: the place of the well-deserved WTR1605L has been taken by the more advanced and omnivorous WTR1625L. In practice, this means one simple thing: with the new RF chip, you can ensure that your smartphone supports more bands at the same time.

If Samsung and HTC chose to ignore this opportunity in favor of a more rigid division of devices for different markets, then Sony continues to profess a “worldwide connection” approach that is very pleasant for the frequently traveling buyer. The range of frequencies in the Xperia Z1 was very extensive; in the Xperia Z2 they added a couple more LTE “bands”: 13th and 17th (different blocks of the 700 MHz range). Combined with the fact that Sony's flagship has support for 3G and 4G in the 1700 MHz band, this makes it compatible with most US networks. Of course, in Europe, Asia and Africa there will be no problems with communication either.

Another good news for avid travelers is that the Xperia Z2 uses a micro SIM card - as a rule, such SIM cards are easier to find on sale than nano ones, especially in developing countries. We probably can’t even mention support for Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC - for modern flagships this is standard set. But there is no IR port in the Xperia Z2, so you can control it normally household appliances It won't work with this smartphone.

GPS/GLONASS reception a minute after a cold start, from left to right: Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z1, Sony Xperia Z2

However, support for the Chinese system in the Xperia Z2 is not announced and, apparently, does not work. In any case, during testing we were not able to catch a single Chinese satellite. At the same time, the Samsung Galaxy S5 successfully caught them in exactly the same conditions. What’s even more surprising is that we found Beidou support in the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet - it’s not very clear on what principle the Japanese operate, including the network in some products and not including it in others.

The next flagship of the Japanese manufacturer, more advanced than previous generations, is the Sony Xperia Z2 LTE D6503. It received an improved hardware platform, a new screen, and more RAM. Thanks to its impressive appearance, the smartphone looks and feels quite solid. The degree of protection of the device from water and dust complies with the IP 55/58 standard.

The Sony Xperia Z2 LTE D6503 model is equipped with a very high-quality screen with an IPS matrix and new Live Color LED technology, which expands the color range. Impressive too complete absence graininess due to high pixel density - 423ppi. The 5.2-inch screen is highly sensitive, responds even to a gloved hand or wet fingers, and is capable of handling up to 10 simultaneous touches. The smartphone will delight you with stereo sound, rich, clear, with low frequencies.

The smartphone will surprise you with its speed

The new one is responsible for the fast, stable operation of the device. Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 801, supported by 3GB of RAM. The performance of the device remains at the highest level, allowing the device owner to launch any applications and quickly browse Internet pages. When connected to the LTE network, you can enjoy movies at your best quality online and quickly download any files. The phone supports a memory card up to 128GB, so there are no problems with storage. The main camera of the smartphone is equipped with a 20.7 megapixel sensor with a wide-angle lens.

The balance between design, technical base, and price of the Sony Xperia Z2 LTE D6503 is maintained and users are offered a very interesting option, ready to fight on equal terms with its main competitors, Samsung flagships Galaxy S5 and HTC One(M8).

Well, I can congratulate Sony, they managed to make the flagship a flagship. I always knew that Sony has a large army of fans and connoisseurs of their products, but it was hard for me to understand in honor of what? Most likely, due to old achievements, because I frankly did not understand the enthusiastic reviews towards smartphone models that are called top-end, for example, Z and Z1. If more affordable models can be forgiven a lot, then the best must be the best. What didn't I like? To be honest, there is one drawback that you can put up with; nothing is perfect. But the Xperia Z had more of them. The display on paper was very good, with a bunch of marketing names, but in fact it was much inferior to competing solutions. The viewing angles were completely useless when no one remembered them anymore (though, later LG also distinguished itself with its G2, and then with the Nexus 5). The autonomy of the Z-ke did not stand up to criticism, and the water resistance of the smartphone made it inconvenient to use in many situations, if only because of the closed headphone jack. The Xperia Z also had a weak camera and a body that was overly large compared to its competitors. After it, a very interesting phablet, the Xperia Z Ultra, appeared, which, oddly enough, was qualitatively superior to the Z in everything, but was really huge, which made it niche. However, hopes arose that since the display in the Z Ultra is high-quality, then the next flagship model will have the same quality. But something went wrong and we again saw a low-quality screen. And, although the headphone jack was now uncovered, the smartphone was still a bit big, and the camera was still inferior to top solutions from other manufacturers. And here we have new Sony Xperia Z2, which I was skeptical about from the very beginning - after all, I already had my hopes up twice. But from the very beginning, the smartphone pleased me more, and there are no more shortcomings that were in its predecessors. The display is now good, the camera easily competes with competitors, and the body, despite the increase in the display, has become thinner, narrower and lighter.

Design and ergonomics

The body still feels the same premium; Sony seems to have never suffered from this. But now there are no films on it, neither front nor back. Previously, the glass was covered with factory protective films, which were almost part of the design. It was not easy to remove them, and the manufacturer’s logos were also removed along with them. But the main thing is that there was no oleophobic coating under the film on the display. Now everything is like everyone else: if you want, you can pay for the film yourself, but most people just want good glass protection. The body feels monolithic; under strong mechanical stress it does not creak, nothing wobbles. However, I didn’t really like the fact that the design lacks rigidity; I talked about this back when testing the Sony Xperia Z Ultra. The body rotates quite easily and this is noticeable, however, for this, you still need to make an effort. IN real life I don't think this will cause any inconvenience to anyone. The location of all elements is familiar to users of previous generations Sony flagships. Right: Card slot under flap Micro memory SD, a proprietary round key for blogging/turning on the device, below it is a volume rocker, and even lower is a two-position camera key. The presence of the latter is very pleasing, but I, as before, have questions only about the volume key - why is it below the waterline? It's not convenient.
On the left, under a paired flap, there is a slot for a SIM card and a MicroUSB connector, below is a connector for the dock, it is not covered.
At the bottom there is an eyelet for a strap and its presence also makes me happy. The smartphone is waterproof, so as not to drown it, floating on the surface, I would cling it to my hand.
At the top there is an additional microphone and a headset jack.
The front side is occupied by a 5.2″ display, on the bottom and top of which there are now stereo speakers that sound very good. Not the same as in , of course, but I really liked the sound. And this is taking into account the presence of additional protective membranes that provide protection against water ingress, the sound is better than that of other flagships. An LED was also placed under the top speaker, not like in most devices, but in the form of a wide strip flashing in different colors, depending on the scenario. Looks beautiful. 2.1 MP are located near the top speaker front camera and sensors.
The frames do not look huge, which is good, however compact smartphone you can't name it.
At the back there is a 20.7 MP camera and flash. The flash is without any bells and whistles, as in other flagship models: not double, without color diodes.
But I use the flash on my smartphone exclusively as a flashlight and it handles this easily. There is a separate application that includes it for illumination, but it looks very ugly - it stands out from the general style of the interface.

Display

Perhaps the main problem of the previous “Z” cars was the display. In case of deviations, the image was greatly distorted and became covered with a white veil. I already told you above how inferior it was to its competitors, but in Z2, everything has finally changed. Now there is an IPS display with excellent viewing angles and good brightness levels. Now I can say that I would only like the maximum brightness to be higher; on a bright sunny day the picture is hard to see. Otherwise I have no complaints. The colors do not give off excessive warmth or blue, the picture looks natural, which is what you expect from IPS. We also noticed new names in the new screen, for example, Live Color LED technology, which expands the sRGB color gamut to 130%. That is, the picture becomes more saturated and contrasty, but the realism decreases.

The resolution of the 5.2″ display is 1920x1080 pixels, pixel density is 423 ppi. This is enough for the display to be in no way inferior to Quad HD displays; the pixels are indistinguishable. Also, unlike LG with strong oversharpening and Samsung with SuperAMOLED matrices, there are no outlines around the fonts, which are a little annoying when reading large texts.
Another feature that can be attributed specifically to this point is the absence of film from the box. Previously, a factory film was glued over the screen, which was very difficult to remove, under which there was no oleophobic coating, and along with which the company logos were removed. Still, if a person wants to wear film, purchasing it separately is not a problem. But there are many more of those who do not want to do this, and they had to worry a lot. In addition, any film collects scratches very quickly, because its rigidity is much inferior to glass. In general, the right move.

Cameras

And the second complaint after the display was the camera. The new product has been significantly improved and now it easily competes with the most powerful smartphones in the world. But the flaw that frankly annoyed me back in the Z1 was not fixed here. Sony favors its automatic shooting mode, which produces 8 MP widescreen images. There is nothing wrong with having such a mode, but I don’t like wide-format frames with distorted edges, and when you start the camera using a mechanical key, it activates automatic mode, even if you manually set another one before.
And one more nuance, which, perhaps, is present only in my copy - sometimes (literally a couple of times) the camera refused to start, and did not start until the smartphone was rebooted. And this happened, of course, just at the “right” moment :)
However, the quality of the images now covers everything. Particularly pleasing is the opportunity to shoot underwater, because the smartphone is protected, and there is a mechanical button to release the “shutter”, which, moreover, is two-position. When I had the Z2, we went to instameet in Buki and only there I was able to immerse the smartphone in the rushing water, the footage was worth it. Here is the finished card: More in full resolution in the gallery below. Also note how the camera “washes the background” when focusing close; the aperture here is 2.0. Video is recorded up to 4K resolution. Level stabilization. The camera interface is significantly different from that in stock Android; there are quite a lot of settings, including white balance, shooting modes and additional applications.

Photo examples

Video examples 1080p 1080p 60 fps 4k

Sound

Perhaps this is a rare case when I will pay a little more attention to sound quality. The fact is that the main stereo speakers are now located on the front side of the gadget, like in the HTC One. At the same time, despite the security of the case, they sound much better than in other flagship models, with the exception of the mentioned One and its successor One M8. And here there is protection according to the IP55 standard against water pressure under low pressure and according to the IP58 standard for immersion to a depth of up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes - doubly respect. We can clearly distinguish the stereo effect, the volume is decent, but most importantly, the sound is quite well detailed. It’s clear that few people will enjoy the sound of their favorite songs from external speakers, but showing someone an excerpt of a song or watching a video with sound will be more convenient here than on many other flagship models. And I find the front placement the most convenient.
But the main thing is the sound in the headphones, it is extremely good. There are no blockages across the entire frequency range, which means that even specific headphones will be easier to adjust with an equalizer. The standard Walkman player, by the way, allows you to do this. There are many presets and a customizable equalizer.

Specifications and software

The performance is driven by the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, with clock frequency 2.3 GHz, graphics - Adreno 330. The amount of RAM is pleasing - as much as 3 GB. Today, only one of the modifications of the LG G3 and the SGN3 have so much. Considering the non-gluttonous software from Sony, the smartphone behaves very well. However, you can warm up the device, and quite simply - using the camera, rummaging through the browser, or, even worse, playing a demanding hairpin game. Battery capacity - 3200 mAh. In principle, not a little and the smartphone lives in good order, but compared to its predecessors. And competing models are still ahead, the same SGS5 and HTC One M8 last longer in any mode of use, to say nothing of real long-livers. But, in general, I have enough autonomy for a day.