It started off with someone at Samsung playing a joke with the Note which somehow turned out to be a success. As it became the hot thing, a lot of other manufacturers decided to launch more products having weird dimensions. The phones started growing bigger and they started turning into the love child of phones and tablets. These devices were termed as Phablets and promised to give you the good bits of both phones and tablets. Even the small players in the market stormed the stores with their ‘Phablets’.
We recently saw Samsung make the devices even less pocket friendly under the ‘mega’ name and now Sony has come up with a device to go against other players. We were reading about the rumors of a bigger device from Sony, named Z Ultra. Even the screenshots of display surfaced online a while back which gave us a hint of the modifications made to the interface to suit the larger display. We take a closer look at the device and tell you the full story.
DESIGN :
The phone/ tablet/ phablet whatever you like to call it, is huge. It is supposed to be a phone but the 6.44 inch display doesn’t support the fact. In fact the display size is close to most tablets as they have got 7 inch displays. The good bit here is that they have kept the device slim. It is just 6.5 mm thick which makes handling the device a bit easier than you would expect. The design is similar to the Xperia Z and has got the same sharp lines on it. It might make handling difficult but thankfully they have wrapped the body in some rubber to aid your grip.
No matter how much they work on the design, it is still a device not meant for one handed operation. The device is not very light at 212 gms but still they have kept it under control for a device this big. Even the people with huge hands would not be able to operate the device with one hand. During calls you will be able to hold the device in a hand but that is the limit. Even if you want to end the call, you will have to hold the device in one hand and tap with the other. Skipping the criticism, the device is very well built and for a device this big, is comfortable to handle. Most devices which have similar dimensions of front face are thicker which makes handling relatively hard.
DISPLAY :
This is the most prominent part of the device, obviously. The display is 6.44 inch and has a full HD resolution. The display seems to be slightly better than the Xperia Z and the colour saturation is pretty good. Not only the high definition content looks good but the X reality engine considerably improves the quality even when you play standard definition videos. The contrast ratios are okay but not great. We might have liked the display if we weren’t introduced to the amazing contrast ratios of AMOLED displays
HARDWARE :
Apparently everything about this device is huge. The phone (or phablet) runs on Qualcomm’s snapdragon 800 SoC, at clock speed of 2.2 GHz. The graphics are handled by an Adreno 330 GPU which will be one of the best we have ever seen. All this hardware is coupled with 2 GB of RAM. It has got 16 GB of internal memory with support for upto 64 GB of micro SD card and has a 3000 mAh battery. We feel that the battery size is adequate and will be enough to take you through a day of average usage.
You get all the usual connectivity options you see on other flagship devices. The phone supports Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE, NFC and other usual options.
You get an 8 megapixel camera on the device which is okay but some might ask for more. We were expecting a 13 megapixel camera and for that price, that wasn’t asking too much. The camera, being a Sony is loaded with smart features. The Exmor light sensor claims to reduce the noise even in low light photos and the photos have better colours and contrasts as compared to other cameras. You also get HDR mode on the camera which will let you capture a photo against the light while preserving the details which are otherwise lost.
INTERFACE/FEATURES :
The phone runs jelly bean 4.2 with the Sony skin. The interface is largely similar to the Xperia Z but they have made a few changes so that the large screen doesn’t go waste. The app drawer shortcut has now got 3 shortcuts on each side instead of the 2 on Z. The application drawer now has a 6 x 5 layout so that the icons don’t get excessively large. This was a smart move otherwise some Phablets have got weird icon sizes and the large display goes waste.
The phone runs super smooth, thanks to the powerful hardware. You don’t need such a powerful hardware and chances exist that you might not need something that powerful in years to come but having some extra power won’t hurt, right?
VERDICT
The phone or whatever is simply amazing. It has got immense power under that pretty design and it can also handle a lot of physical abuse. The device display has been toughened and has got a shatter proof coating. So even if you drop the device while trying to use it with single hand, it would survive. Also the device is waterproof upto a meter and can survive upto 30 minutes underwater. The device is claimed to be dustproof too. The device is priced around 45 K which is quite decent considering the hardware it has on offer. You get the super powerful QUALCOMM hardware running under that sleek design and then there is the amazing display. If you can live with the size, it is a great device for you.
Main Specification of Sony Xperia Z Ultra Mobile :
- 2.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad Core Processor
- 2GB RAM
- 6.44 Inch Full HD Display
- 8 MP Rear Camera With Auto Focus
- 2 MP Font-Facing Camera
- 16 GB Internal Memory
- Bluetooth 4.0
- Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
- Watter Proof And Dust Proof
- 3050 MAh Battery
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