back to article Which petite model likes a fondle and GETTING WET? Sony's Xperia ZR

Sony has come up with a new waterproof smartphone: the Xperia ZR, which is essentially an Xperia Z with a slightly smaller screen. The gadget giant's other hydrophilic phone, the Z, is, our reviewer thought, “a bit of a slab”. Thankfully, the Japanese manufacturer has launched a slightly more compact model. The Xperia ZR's …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Moktu

    In these days of wireless charging, NFC and A2DP etc, I'm wondering when we will see a handset that can survive a proper dunking.

    The environmental protection doesn't seem much better than my old Defy (which is still going, after I fell overboard from an inflatable in Norfolk)

    Mind you even if this was the case, it'd be a bit of a beast to hang round my neck underneath a lifejacket.

    1. Dave 126

      >In these days of wireless charging, NFC and A2DP etc, I'm wondering when we will see a handset that can survive a proper dunking.

      You could probably modify an Xperia Z... whilst it doesn't have wireless charging, it does feature external contacts so it can be charged in a cradle without removing the rubber grommit over the microUSB port. In theory, you could stick some silicon sealant in all the ports and still be able to charge and use the phone.

  2. Fuzz

    IP55 or IP58

    which one is it?

    IP55 implies it's not safe to submerge where as 58 suggests it is

  3. Cameron Colley

    Why aren't all phone water ressistant?

    The phone manufacturers have decided we're not allowed keyboards and have to have these buttonless slabs so why can't they at least make them all water resistant? Why does this have to be an unusual feature? mobile phones are often used in situations where water resistance would be good yet there are only a handful of water resistant phones. Come on manufacturers and give all phones the hydrophobic treatment!

    1. Dave 126

      Re: Why aren't all phone water ressistant?

      >Why does this have to be an unusual feature? mobile phones are often used in situations where water resistance would be good yet there are only a handful of water resistant phones.

      Agreed. With luck the trend is moving in that direction.

      Previously, waterproof phones were marketed as such (See Motorola 'Defy', and Xperia 'Go')... what is interesting is that Sony are featuring in their top-end phones, and trying to make it a standard feature.

      They also have a waterproof tablet - a good idea for those who use a tablet to access the millions of food recipes on the internet.

      1. OrientalHero
        Happy

        Re: Why aren't all phone water ressistant?

        I have the Xperia Active.

        That's waterproof to IP67. Look it up on Wikipedia!

        The problem I have with it is when immersed in water, the speaker which is covered by a fine mesh that prevents the water penetrating becomes almost impermeable to sound. So it's difficult to hear people after your swim.

        Hmmm... Maybe I'll remove the outside cover having gotten a safe distance from said water so I can use it as a phone again (usually for photos whilst swimming).

      2. Kazriko Redclaw
        Go

        Re: Why aren't all phone water ressistant?

        Water resistance is a feature that is actually common in phones made for the Japanese market.

        My Droid DNA has spill resistance features including the often maligned USB door on the bottom, and a gasket around the edge inside because it was previously a Japanese market phone called the J Butterfly.

        1. AndyDent
          Thumb Up

          Re: Why aren't all phone water ressistant?

          Having just walked around Kuala Lumpur for a monsoonal week, I would have appreciated my iPhone being water resistant. I was nervous just about having it in my pocket of my increasingly damp shorts.

    2. N13L5

      A Sony phone with this year's hardware!

      Maybe Sony is learning new tricks!

      cool, I'll look into this for my wifey; her last phone died to water exposure in a monsoon rain...

  4. The_Regulator

    What happens if I go 2 metres down, will it spontaneously combust or phone home to tell on me?

  5. Zmodem

    smart phones are all rubbish until they atleast fir in your leg pocket on your average

    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0qbiiAMumBg/S735ZfhTo1I/AAAAAAAAAKc/77dWq2qK1os/s1600/apache-work-trousers-black-30-42-waist.jpg

    1. Zmodem

      most mini phones phones are to small so you might aswell stick to an old symbian phone, normal smart phones are to big

      they need to average 2/2.5 x 4 inches to fit in the knee pocket of everyone who does'nt have a handbag or work in a office

  6. Shagbag
    FAIL

    It's a SONY!

    == Pants.

  7. johnnytruant

    a friend has an Xperia Z

    and also a young child who has been a bit ill.

    He recently confirmed that the phone was not just water-proof, but also puke and piss proof.

    Which is good to know.

  8. pa2nuge

    Yeah, but ...

    Yeah, all good, and I bought the phone.

    But then it stopped dead in its tracks. Just refused to fire up. First I thought it was me - wrong cable, wrong adapter, forgot something. That took a day or so. Then I went online, and found this:

    http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/sony-apologises-for-xperia-z-sudden-death-glitch-50010732/

    Extremely rare, they said. But that's no consolation to me. I am without phone, until I can change it for the HTC One. How often do I go swimming with the phone anyway?

    1. tony2heads
      Trollface

      Re: Yeah, but ...

      You're holding it wrong

  9. Filippo Silver badge

    As someone who broke a phone just by going on a somewhat wet ride in an amusement park, and as someone who knows another person who broke a phone just by having it in his trouser pocket while it was raining, I wonder why this is not a standard feature. It will certainly be a pretty significant factor the next time I shop for a phone.

  10. ChristianG
    Facepalm

    I'm long-time SCUBA diver and I can tell you that there is no such thing as waterPROOF, not if its been made by a human. Water RESISTANT yes, waterPROOF no. The device has yet to be manufactured, will never be actually, that can be described as properly waterPROOF, just ask any manufacturer of decent watches, they took that label off them a long time ago and any present manufacturer of a device that they label as waterPROOF has just manufactured a lawsuit waiting for somewhere to happen.

  11. Nick De Plume
    Thumb Up

    Good strategy, for a device to carry around ALL THE TIME

    Yes, Sony did good to make it water-resistant. It is a good feature to have (unlike a bullet point, like eye following scrolling that only works in special circumstances).

    Maybe not many of us will take a dip with our phones, but they do get laid on bar tables quite often. It is nice not to be bothered with the occasional beer spill (or a toddler's wet burp, as one commenter pointed out).

    This version of Xperia may be preferable to some people, who found the the Z a bit unwieldy (due to the rectangular design and the size). And 720p resolution quite frankly is more than enough.

    Me? I got the water-unresistant HTC One. And keep it in my trouser pocket at a bar (and quite frankly can hear it when it rings even there, if a band is not playing).

  12. envmod

    Xperia Z

    I have an Xperia Z. It's awesome and I think should be included in more An Tu Tu/Geekbench benchmarking tests - you only ever see Samsung and Google phones for comparison.... My Xperia scores over 20,000 on An Tu Tu, more than pretty much everything else apart from the S4 and HTC One (and is comparible to them). Anyway, that aside - the phone is awesome and it feels so liberating to use the thing in the bath, and just casually throw it into the water for shits and giggles. Didn't dare to test it for ages... then finally took the plunge (pun intended) and dunked the thing. I don't know if I'd be able to go back to a non-waterproof phone now...like many people have said - smartphones get used in so many situations where being waterproof is very desirable (i have previously broke an iPhone by accidentally chucking down the toilet).

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like