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back to article Sony Xperia Z2: What we REALLY thought of this Android fondleslab

While Sony seems wedded to a six monthly update cycle for its flagship smartphones – we’ve had the Xperia Z, Z1 and Z2 in the last twelve months – its tablet release schedule is a tad more leisurely. The impressive Xperia Z tablet rocked up in June 2013 and now, just shy of a year later, we have an update: the Z2 tablet. Sony …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Bore bore boring..... the smartphone and tablet market is so boring.

    Nobody really thinks about what technology could do for the better any more. It's all "better screen", "better camera" blah blah....

    These are all mature product lines. You might as well be reviewing toasters or kettles.

    3 20
    1. Dave 126 Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      I use my kettle every day. Before I bought it, I consulted reviews to get the best balance of time-to-boil, quietness, and efficiency. My current toaster is okay, but it lacks a 'reheat' button, that is invaluable for topping-up the brownness of my toast - otherwise, I tend to pop it in for a second time and forget until I smell burning. Its a small detail, but one that can save breakfast.

      Mature and boring is good - it means people look at polishing the small details. If the downside is that tech site reviews are slightly less fun to read... then I can live with that.

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      1. This post has been deleted by its author

        1. Michael Habel
          Reply Icon

          You looked at reviews for a kettle? Wow. Thats' some commitment to the tea making process. I just bought one that looked ok when the previous one died. Which is pretty much what I do with computers/phones these days too.

          When it comes to Phablets.... You always want to know the Specs... Specifically how much RAM it has.. Of which the BARE MINIMUM should be no less then 1GB, and there are plenty of Landfill carp out there that still only has 512MB RAM in it... And these um "Devices" are really best avoided.

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      2. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
        Reply Icon
        Happy

        My current toaster is okay, but it lacks a 'reheat' button

        Dave 126,

        Afterburners on a toaster? You're a bit of a demanding customer aren't you?

        Also, I suspect it would lead to even more problems with burnt toast.

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      3. Anonymous Coward 101
        Reply Icon

        "I use my kettle every day. Before I bought it, I consulted reviews to get the best balance of time-to-boil, quietness, and efficiency."

        Given that the efficiency of boiling some water is nearly 100%, I would love to find out the sensitivity of the monitoring equipment of these reviews.

        1 1
      4. Piro Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        We make shite toasters now.

        The Americans had this sewn up a few decades ago.

        http://www.automaticbeyondbelief.org/

        "There are no levers to press down. Just put the bread in the slot. The weight of the bread activates the heating elements, causing the center wire to lengthen microscopically and the bread to be carried into the toaster under its own weight.

        Inside, the Radiant Control thermostat monitors the heat radiated (not conducted) from the outer surface of the bread, which is directly proportional to its color change. There are no timers. The toast is raised only when it is properly toasted; no sooner and no later.

        When the thermostat opens, the elements cool, and the center element wire contracts. This movement is very small — on the order of thousandths of an inch — but a mechanical linkage multiplies this movement approximately 175 times. This is sufficient to operate the carriage and raise the toasted bread from the toaster."

        The crap we have now is primitive in comparison.

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        1. monkeyfish
          Reply Icon

          @Piro

          Sell me this toaster now please.

          1 0
        2. Jan Hargreaves
          Reply Icon

          Some days I like lightly toasted and some times well toasted. This toaster is therefore utterly useless? What the hell is "properly toasted"?

          1 0
      5. Arctic fox
        Reply Icon
        Happy

        @Dave 126 Re: "I use my kettle every day"

        You of course downloaded the manual before purchase?

        Sorry Dave 126, I could not resist that. In fact I am geeky enough that I not only RTFM I indeed DTFMBIBI. (Download The Fucking Manual Before I Buy It).

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    2. Michael Habel
      Reply Icon

      Bore bore boring..... the smartphone and tablet market is so boring.

      Nobody really thinks about what technology could do for the better any more. It's all "better screen", "better camera" blah blah....

      These are all mature product lines. You might as well be reviewing toasters or kettles.

      Well what else is there to "talk" about, when it comes to Phablets? I personally like the 2.3Ghz Quad-Core CPU. If that is anything like my Desktop CPU, then it should be quick indeed! + a whole 3GBs of RAM....

      I'm usually the first to turn my nose up at something like this 'cause I hate paying for the Name. But, I doubt very much we'll be seeing anything close to those Spec's on a Budget Phablet anytime soon.

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      1. Michael Habel
        Reply Icon

        Well what else is there to "talk" about, when it comes to Phablets? I personally like the 2.3Ghz Quad-Core CPU. If that is anything like my Desktop CPU, then it should be quick indeed! + a whole 3GBs of RAM....

        Of course with specs like this... You shouldn't have to worry about ever buying a newer Phablet for a long time either. As those "Spec" should be more then enough to run Key-lime Pie... If and when it ever gets released

        The only sad thing about this fact is that S0NY will have likely nixed all support by that time in the hopes to lure more 'dolts into buying their next great thing.

        So in that respect yes AC might have a valid point. In the same way I fail to see why investing in a newer Mainboard + and CPU Architecture, at the expense of loosing all the PCI Slots I need for my HTPC (DVB Cards), from a 2.13Ghz Intel C2D, to an i7 with ZERO or in the rare event just the One PCI Slot on it.... And then for what? Intel has failed to make a case for i 3/5 & 7.

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        1. Vector
          Reply Icon

          " As those "Spec" should be more then enough to run Key-lime Pie... If and when it ever gets released"

          Did you miss the part where Key-lime Pie became Kitkat?

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        2. John 62
          Reply Icon

          "enough to run Key-lime Pie... If and when it ever gets released"

          I thought Key Lime Pie was renamed KitKat. The next release will be Lindt Bunny or something.

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    3. ElReg!comments!Pierre
      Reply Icon

      As a pedant tea drinker I would appreciate good kettle reviews: speed, temperature accuracy, aftertaste given to the water (or lack thereof, hopefully), etc...

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    4. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      and yet...

      you still read the review!

      The Reg (and other publications) may as well be reviewing TVs or cars or motorbikes or blue-ray players or laptops or cameras...nobody wants to know which ones are better than others. Oh, hang on...yes they f***ing well do.

      Chump.

      2 0
  2. Dan 55 Silver badge

    Meh

    And so battery life is sacrificed once more for thinness.

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    1. Lamont Cranston
      Reply Icon

      Re: Meh

      Did I read the review wrong, or is not the battery life improved over the previous iteration, whilst the tablet has become thinner?

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      1. Dan 55 Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Meh

        The battery is the same 6,000mAh Li-Po but it's thinner. It could have been less thin with a better battery. Is thinner than an iPad Air really necessary?

        1 4
        1. Paul Shirley
          Reply Icon

          Re: "Is thinner ... really necessary?"

          On tablets this size *lighter* really is necessary and if you want the same screen size your choice is make it thinner or make it hollow, I vote thinner. Reducing the bezels isn't an option either, it's a right PIA holding something this big without some dead area to grab.

          1 0
        2. Al Taylor
          Reply Icon

          Re: Meh

          "Is thinner than an iPad Air really necessary?"

          after you've held both in one hand for any period of time the answer is, I can assure you, yes.

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        3. Sloppy Crapmonster
          Reply Icon

          Re: Meh

          "Is thinner than an iPad Air really necessary?"

          Yes. The end goal should be something that is the dimensions and foldability of a piece of paper with the computing horsepower to get things done instantly and the networking oomph that everything in the whole world may as well be local. The things we have now are still hopelessly primitive.

          No, I'm not joking.

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  3. dogged

    > I personally like the 2.3Ghz Quad-Core CPU. If that is anything like my Desktop CPU, then it should be quick indeed! + a whole 3GBs of RAM....

    It is nothing like your desktop CPU.

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  4. Alastair Dodd 1

    have got one of these

    and it is indeed thin light and lovely. Battery life is excellent and performance first class.

    Best tablet on the market I would easily say as it does beat the ipad Air in every respect. A dream to use!

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  5. Duke2010

    I have one

    the battery life is excellent and the 3Gb Ram gives it a nice boost. You can throw anything at it and it wont slow down. The modifications Sony has made to Android are pretty good too. The first time I have ever felt happy to leave an Android device on the stock rom, not rooted..

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  6. ukgnome

    erm...

    it's hardly amazing for the price. Think I will stick with the ipad.

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  7. HumptyDumpty

    Where's the content?

    I, too, have one and am very happy with it but the search for legal HD content is something I'm currently struggling with. Sony's own Video Unlimited app won't give me HD options. Google Play tells me that the device isn't HD compatible. iPlayer looks awful.

    Stumped.

    1 0
    1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Re: Where's the content?

      Maxdome, Watchever, Netflix, etc. not available where you live?

      0 0
      1. HumptyDumpty
        Reply Icon

        Re: Where's the content?

        Two of those I hadn't heard of, so thank you. But German sites, no?

        0 1
        1. Charlie Clark Silver badge
          Reply Icon

          Re: Where's the content?

          Maxdome maybe German only. Watchever is pretty international. Both were set up by companies that have been trading in film rights so they tend to be heavy on films but deals for series are becoming more and more common.

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  8. petur

    evidence

    there seems to be lots of it :)

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  9. eszklar

    The 4G version in particular

    The Wifi version of the Z2 Tablet is easily available here in Toronto, however I'm much more interested in the cellular-enabled version which has pentaband GSM and LTE and apparently you can use the Z2 tablet as a big phone as it supports making phone call natively (not using VoIP) with a phone voice/data SIM card.

    1 0
    1. Duke2010
      Reply Icon

      Re: The 4G version in particular

      Yes it does support phone calls natively.

      1 0
  10. David Paul Morgan
    Thumb Up

    I'm torn...

    ... between this Z2 and the Asus TF701T to replace my TF101.

    I love the dock on the TF101, but I have a rather nice full size BT keyboard so might get away with it.

    However, the onboard sound seems to be better on the 701T?

    not bothered about it having Wi-Fi only, as I 'tether' my existing devices through the Z1Compact anyway.

    I love the thinness - which might be the decider..?

    Back on topic, my toaster has a re-heat and a 'frozen' button, plus a little rack that you put on top, to keep your buns warm!

    3 0
    1. David Paul Morgan
      Reply Icon
      Go

      Re: I'm torn...

      I've had my (wifi only, 16GB) version for a week now.

      I love it.

      thin, light fast.

      I seem to have taken the Sony 'shilling' as I now have

      Z2 tablet, Z1 compact handset, 'DJ' headphones, PS/BT/Keyboard (works nicely with the Z2) and the SRS-X5 BT/NFC amplifier/speakers 'brick'.

      Gave my 3 y.o. TF101 'netbook' to my brother.

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  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Halve the price...

    ... and I might be interested.

    1 1
    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Halve the price...

      You want the Moon on a stick, you do.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Halve the price...

      You get what you pay for. Want to pay half the price, get a Nexus tablet that's half as good...

      Android gives you choice, you can get the perfect tablet for YOU. But if you have high end requirements, expect a high end pricetag (or mid-end price tag if you compare this to an inferior Apple product)

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  12. Jelliphiish

    looks verrry nice

    The Better-90-Percent* has the phone variant with the 801 in it: blisteringly fast and looks properly NOM-some.

    I wouldn't want to buy the phablut at that price.. it's certainly lovely and high-end though..

    However, Pandawill dot com have some lovely toys ..

    Octa-core and 2048x1536 screen for under 200 quid? **

    OMNOMNOMNOM..

    Toaster-wise: got one of those Bosh Solid Element radiant ones.. has an actual On button and 8 shades of toasted.. very precise and will even do burger buns without the scorching.

    * she tells me it's a fair ratio.

    **yes, they're not built as well, but then I'm not prone to dropping my tablets or caring about the case too greatly ... everything else is just dandy :)

    1 0
  13. Tapeador

    Great but poison for RSI sufferer

    Having just enjoyed a tablet for the last three weeks I can say the specs sound great and yet it's utterly, utterly useless for me as an RSI-sufferer, I'm having the most whopping pain flare-up I've had in years after reading a few pdf e-books on an ipad, so until they invent a tablet which can be controlled very easily and totally by voice (which in reality is impractical because the voice gets tired so quickly) it's all just shite shite shite to me.

    but if i wasn't suffering from this i would choose the xperia z2, it sounds like the best thing on the market tabletwise.

    1 0
    1. Seth Johnson
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      Re: Great but poison for RSI sufferer

      Hello there, I normally don't reply to forums but I was sorry to hear about your RSI. I struggled with terrible RSI about 10-13 years ago that was steadily and slowly worsening over the years. I tried many different methods and approaches in terms of long/regular breaks, stretching exercises, mixed sessions with voice typing, also Alexander techniques for posture and breathing and it made very little difference except temporary. I was medically advised to 'look for a career that didn't involve computers' - I was a programmer at the time! I seriously considered surgery even though the 'success' rates were decidedly modest. After much prayer (I'm muslim), I came across someone was a pianist who had gone through many of the same experiences that I could relate to and he recommended a book called "The Mindbody Prescription" by Dr John Sarno. A systematic set of techniques, considerations and (mental) tools that that have been hugely effective when it comes to any kind of persistent chronic pain (particularly back, shoulder, neck and wrist pain). I read it with an open mind, naturally extremely cynical but looking for something that would make a difference. I'm very, very, (VERY!) happy to say that following the outline in that book, I've now been totally RSI pain free for years and consider my condition completely resolved.

      So there is light at the end of the tunnel!

      The book is quite famous so you can even get a second hand copy from Amazon for next to nothing and given your comments, I really recommend it.

      Best wishes.

      ~S

      1 0
  14. king of foo

    design flaw?

    All I got from that review was "some plonker put the audio jack on the same edge as the dock"

    If the dock also has an audio jack then this is forgiveable.

    Other than that it looks like a capable device but there's no wow factor.

    I'm still waiting for a tablet with freakin lazers

    1 0
    1. Duke2010
      Reply Icon

      Re: design flaw?

      The wow factor is more when you hold it. It is amazingly light and thin. Even the ipad feels bulky compared to this.

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    2. Al Taylor
      Reply Icon

      Re: design flaw?

      "If the dock also has an audio jack then this is forgivable."

      It doesn't.

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  15. Jim Wilkinson

    Sound quality?

    I didn't spot any reference to sound quality. I only comment because my Sony P phone has the best sound of any music player I've ever had (certainly better than the fruit-pod I have - though it's a bit ancient now.). Did the sound quality hold up well?

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    1. Duke2010
      Reply Icon

      Re: Sound quality?

      through the headphones its good quality but low volume. So nothing to get excited about.

      The speakers are also low volume. I think that's due to the tablet being water proof. So basically the sound performance wont blow you away.

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  16. AlanT1

    New tech is fine but

    Once a gain Sony prove they can produce new product up with the best of them but my worry is if they will lose interest in it when they release the Z3. If the tablet mimics the phone experience then this model may be out of date soon and out of favour with Sony support.

    For this reason I am wary of purchasing Sony which is a shame as it is not bad tech.

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  17. Dave Horn

    It's not that quick...

    I played with one in a shop last week. Flicking through homescreens is still laggy (albeit barely noticeable), just like in the early days of Android tablets.

    Yeah, there are a lot of pixels to throw around but my [insert Apple or Microsoft product here] doesn't seem to struggle.

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    1. Duke2010
      Reply Icon

      Re: It's not that quick...

      When they released it the standard launcher was laggy but it has been updated now and there is no lag. also if you install a third party launcher there is no lag. the one on display must be on old software.

      That's something Sony should look into, its not much good if the demo device is slow! I nearly didn't buy one because of that. But the device is very very fast so dont let the demo unit put you off..

      The old software also had problems with touch response but that's also fixed. I get the feeling Sony rushed it out to hit a deadline because there has been 3 or 4 software updates since I had mine and each time it gets better. No complaints with anything now.

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  18. lotus49

    Huge bezel

    The bezel looks enormous compared to almost any recent device. Even comparing it to my aged Xoom it looks big but it must be twice the size (proportionally speaking) as that on my S4 or Note 10.1 2014.

    As my Australian colleague would say, not a good look.

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