Sony Xperia Z

The Sony Xperia Z is a very powerful Android smartphone, and is pretty much on the same level as the HTC Butterfly in terms of performance. But, the fact that the Xperia Z is slightly taller and wider than the HTC Butterfly may not be ideal for quite a few users. It packs a fairly good display, and the redone UI is neat. Clearly, Sony is making a big push in the Android smartphone market, and the motivation seems to be in place. This phone is a big improvement over all Xperia phones we saw in 2012. While it may not be the one to taken Sony to the coveted top spot among the Android smartphones, it is a step in the right direction.

The Sony Xperia Z is now the second smartphone in the Indian market with a 1080p HD resolution display – the first being the HTC Butterfly. We were very impressed by the Butterfly, and the test scores pegged it as the fastest Android phone in the market. The Sony Xperia Z has similar hardware, which gives it a very good shot of toppling the Butterfly. 

The slab design of the Xperia Z catches the attention almost instantly. Gone are the rounded edges and the slightly curved back cover we had seen on various 2012 Xperia smartphones, in different degrees. This is more like a bar of milk chocolate! For a five-inch phone, the edges and the straight lines give it an imposing persona.

On the front, the 5-inch display sits beneath what Sony calls a shatter proof and scratch resistant glass, giving it a very shiny look. The same glass is also on the back, which adds some serious shine to the phone. Equally, we found that the glass on the back caught a lot of scratches very quickly and very easily, something that may not sit well with a lot of users.