There were times when big phones were called inconvenient and outdated. Time has replaced large devices with small, thin ones that fit in the smallest pocket. These small, ergonomic devices went like kids to school. It got to the point that the phones "thinned" to the size of Swiss knives. But then time played in the other direction. Buttons from telephones disappeared, the concept of "telephone" began to become obsolete, and the devices themselves began to grow by leaps and bounds. Just 3 years ago, I had buttons on my smartphone, and the display did not know fingerprints and was only 2 inches diagonal.
Everyone, drove nostalgia. Now smartphones can easily “do” what we used to call a computer, and at the same time will be much more convenient for many simple tasks like Twitter and talking on Skype. So, at the beginning of the year at CES 2013, new flagships from Sony were presented. The Xperia Z is slightly more expensive than the ZL and is water resistant. At the same time, ZL has a number of its own differences. I propose to look at one of the largest Sony smartphones - Xperia ZL.
First Impressions
The smartphone comes in a medium-sized box. On a black and white cardboard - pictures of the device itself and logos of all sorts of bells and whistles. Inside - the smartphone itself, charging with a detachable cable, pieces of paper and a vacuum headset with interchangeable rubber tips for different ears. Everything is packed in two layers, and unpacking fans can enjoy the process of turning a new device into a used one for a couple of minutes. There are a lot of manuals, as usual, and in two languages (Russian / Ukrainian).
The first turn on goes quickly and smoothly, with the exception of one moment: for some reason, the device at close range could not understand where it was and what time it should be automatically set. After changing the time zone, things didn’t change much, and I set the time manually, which I hadn’t done on equipment for a very long time.
After turning on and the first settings, the new UI immediately catches your eye. What I saw earlier from Sony on Android just upset me. I did not want to use the old interface options, although for undemanding users everything seemed less sad. I already liked the new look of the OS at Sony more, although it is not so drastically different from the “bare” Android. Outwardly, the Xperia ZL is very similar to the Xperia Z - the differences are only in the back and the fear of water in ZL. With design, we will begin to talk in more detail.
Design, buttons, display...
Nowadays it is very difficult to call the design of a smartphone unique. They all became the same, the difference is only in the size and materials of the case. Of course, you can say for a long time: “This strip here is longer, and the corner is smoother - that's it, it is original and unique!”, But there is nothing conceptually new. There are similarities with the Z-coy in front and on the sides, the rear parts are different. So, the front panel is completely covered with glass with a very thin frame around the perimeter. The side faces received the same glossy, almost mirror-like inserts with a slight grayish tint and fingerprints. It should be noted right away that the device will be clean only for the first few seconds after the box, then it will magnetize all the dust, lint, etc. onto itself. Personally, I wiped my smartphone right after my pocket, then after a T-shirt, then after a rag for wiping smartphones, then I stopped trying to clean it from dust and resigned myself. Actually, that is why a lot of dust is visible in all the photos - this is how the smartphone looks in daily use.
The back panel is no longer glass, like the older Xperia Z, but plastic. The shape also turned out to be different, slightly convex, which gives a difference in the thickness of the case by almost 2 mm. This plastic is covered with a textured mesh. In practice, such an “ass” gives the smartphone a cheap touch, without being cheap. Yes, it is not so cynical to throw it on the table, but holding it is not as pleasant as the Xperia Z, precisely because of the plastic back. Neither the silver Xperia inscription nor the speaker can save the situation. The best solution would be to purchase a white version of the smartphone - its back surface is smooth and glossy, but, alas, it is also not without sin. There is also a 13-megapixel main camera and a flash on the back. Below is an unusual stub, under which the Sim and the memory card are hidden. It will be difficult to lose the plug - it closes tightly and is additionally held with a rubber thread.
Of the side parts, the busiest is the right one. It houses the volume rocker, power button and camera button. The movement of the buttons is pleasant, I didn’t get any accidental clicks, and the camera button pleased me with two “levels” of pressing: without pressing the button to the end, you can focus, and pressing it all the way - take a picture; everything is like on adult cameras. On the left side, there is a micro USB connector without a plug. The lower left corner is "perforated" for a cord on the wrist. The upper side of the device received a headset jack, while the lower side remained empty.
The front panel is covered with mineral glass, which is likely to be damaged in the same way as any other, at least ten times tempered glass. The oleophobic coating was not very greedy, and as a result, prints will not often be wiped off on T-shirts, then with a rag, and so on, dust will interfere more ... Above, under the speaker, there is a small Sony logo, a multi-colored notifier is located at the bottom in the center, the front camera in in the lower right corner, and next to it is a microphone. At first it seemed to me that they got excited with the front camera, but no, they stupidly missed it. We will talk about this further, now about the front side. More precisely, its most important component is the display.
5 inches, TFT, Full HD, Mobile Bravia Engine 2, 440 ppi… And such lousy viewing angles. Logically, a device of this class should not even cause thoughts about it, but it did not grow together, unfortunately. Everything with the display is good, the backlight was enough for me with a margin, the colors are beautiful and juicy. But as soon as you change the angle of the display, the magic disappears, the colors fade, the world no longer seems so colorful and fun. And this is from the company that produces quite cool TVs. In practice, this rarely causes problems, but for this money I would not like to argue for half an hour with a person sitting next to me that the picture could be richer, but to finish this holivar with viewing angles.
Finishing talking about the design, I would like to note that the device turned out well, the assembly did not fail, almost everything is in its place (a subtle hint at the front camera). But there are a few things that I don't want to. Regarding the case, it would be better if the engineers did not hide the SIM card with a memory card on the “back”, but did it, as in the Xperia Z; the same about the back plastic, the texture of which only reminds of cheap dialers. Using a device of such a diagonal is not very convenient for me personally, but I don’t have any sharp discomfort either. The fact that it is not always possible to perform the required actions with one hand is more than compensated for while browsing and watching movies; in games and applications, due to very high resolution and unoptimized programs, some elements may be too small. Of course, it turned out to be inconvenient with viewing angles, but for those who rarely turn their smartphone in front of their noses, there will be no problems.
Cameras, photo and video
With the cameras in the Sony Xperia ZL, history repeats itself with TVs and a display. Previously, I met Sony cameras a couple of times and was pleased with them, which is difficult to say about what turned out to be in our review hero today. Let's start with the front camera. The resolution of such a webcam was 2.2 megapixels, its quality is good enough for video calls, but its location leads to the fact that on the other end your interlocutor will look not into your penetrating eyes, but through your nose. Alternatively, the interlocutor will look at the chin - depending on the usual position of the phone in the hand. Many, of course, will say that I'm looking in the wrong direction and I need to do it in the camera, but let's face it - everyone is looking at the interlocutor, and the problem will remain. There is only one way out - to turn the device horizontally, but by inertia everyone communicates in a vertical orientation - the way it is customary to hold a smartphone.
The main camera is in its usual place and looks good on paper: 13.1 megapixels, autofocus, geo-tagging, face recognition, Exmor RS and all the other bells and whistles. We take a picture. From a smartphone it looks good, but if you look at a computer monitor, then so-so. The sharpness of the photos is not very good. The same can be said about night shooting, and when you are still in the process of setting up for the desired picture, there is as much noise on the display as there was snow in Kyiv in March. Once you've taken the picture, the noise disappears, and with it the rest of the sharpness. I suspect that the built-in noise killer is always active, which would explain the poor sharpness. There is also a “Super Auto Mode”, but it is worse than the standard one, and if the situation allows, then you can try to tweak the settings - there are a lot of interesting and useful things. As for video recording, you can not try to shoot something fast-sharp - the shutter speed will not be enough. But it records Full HD at 30 frames per second.
But in general, everything is tolerable with the camera. For those who do not focus on the camera in the smartphone, everything will be enough. Personally, I don’t often shoot something important on a smartphone and I’m more worried about the other side of the coin - performance.
Hardware, software and battery
The insides of the Sony Xperia ZL repeat the Xperia Z, there are almost no differences. There is a standard flagship set - a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 quad-core processor with a clock speed of 1.5 GHz, 2 GB of RAM, an Adreno 320 video accelerator, a 16 GB drive expandable with Micro SD memory cards up to 64 GB. In a word, the same LG Nexus 4, for example, only with memory cards. For the normal operation of the device, this is enough for the head, I did not notice any brakes. It happens that applications crash, but it’s not so much dependent on hardware. In tests, the results are quite good: 20524 points were given out by AnTuTu, and in NenaMark2 - a tight 59.8 frames per second. The device heats up accordingly, but does not cause sharp discomfort.
The smartphone is running Android 4.1.2, there are no newer updates yet. The OS is supplemented with Sony's own shell, which looks good enough, but in practice you can find some minor inconveniences. But the lock screen looks much more interesting than the competition. There are not hundreds of additional widgets for the lock screen, but only a quick launch of the camera (which is a little more convenient to launch with a button) and a music player widget. Unlocking occurs by swiping up or down the screen, which is accompanied by a blinds-style animation. In general, everything works, the animations are pleasant, the menu is quite logical and convenient. A nice bonus was the ability to control the TV through the infrared port (located near the power button). Personally, I had no problems connecting to my LG TV, which surprised everyone around me.
The biggest problem with iron is the 2370 mAh battery, which runs out in half a day. As soon as the device got to me, the battery charge was 2%. Toward evening, I charged my smartphone and went to meet my friends, it was around 19:00. Returning home around midnight, I looked at the battery charge, it was 48% (and this is without hours of gaming or serious suffering). And so it was all the time of use - the smartphone could not withstand a full day. There are proprietary power saving modes that disable mobile data transfer when the display is off, but then the smartphone function is lost. In general, after lying on the table for a day even without a SIM card, the smartphone will lose at least half of its charge per day, and this is the biggest disadvantage of the device.
Amazingly compact phone with a 5-inch display
Is it possible to make the display bigger without increasing the size of the phone? Sony's Xperia ZL is a design revolution. The largest display currently on a phone that fits in your pocket. By optimizing the design of the phone, Sony engineers have increased the size of the display, while the phone remains quite compact. The result is a smartphone with an optimal ratio of the screen diagonal and the size of the phone itself. And what appeared instead of a wide frame? The largest display As well as an incredible world of entertainment that is about to break out of the phone.
Amazing photo and video quality in any light
Our smartphone cameras are built with the same technology and components as the best Sony cameras, so you can capture the clearest photos and videos anytime, anywhere.
One touch to access the world of entertainment
Discover an easy and fast way to transfer music and photos from your smartphone wirelessly. One-touch screen mirroring* with NFC technology makes it easy to view all the contents of your phone on your TV screen. Simply touch your phone to the BRAVIA® remote control and your photos or music playlists will appear on the TV screen. No wires, no buttons - no complications.
Incredibly powerful smartphone
Snapdragon™ S4 Pro quad-core processor delivers ultra-fast performance, superior graphics and efficient battery life. Get directions using Google Maps. Stream the latest YouTube clips with LTE technology. Or download newly released apps and get started right away. Get everything you need right now.
Longer battery life
STAMINA battery mode provides better battery management and four times more standby time*. When the screen turns off, the phone automatically closes unused applications that use a lot of power and opens them only when the screen turns back on.
Sound for entertainment
Your Xperia™ ZL phone comes with a high quality stereo headset.
The MH-EX300AP mini headset from Sony features superb sound quality, allowing you to enjoy sound that is close to the original.
Enjoy music, games and movies to the fullest. A comfortable mini headset with in-ear headphones lets you enjoy high-quality sound during your entertainment. And if you get a call or send a message, you will immediately know about it.
3G, Android 4.4, 5", 1920x1080, 16GB, 151g, 13MP camera, Bluetooth
MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
Food
Battery capacity: 2370 mAh Talk time: 10 hours Standby time: 500 hours Music time: 40 hoursAdditional Information
Features: HDR camcorder Announcement date: 2013-01-08 Package contents: phone, power supply, headset, documentationGeneral characteristics
Type: smartphone Weight: 151 g Control: on-screen buttons Operating system: Android 4.4 Case type: classic Number of SIM cards: 1 Dimensions (WxHxD): 69.3x131.6x9.8 mm SIM card type: micro SIMScreen
Screen type: color TFT, 16.78 million colors, touch screen Type of touch screen: multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal: 5 inch. Image size: 1920x1080 Pixels per inch (PPI): 441 Automatic screen rotation: yes Scratch-resistant glass: yesMultimedia features
Camera: 13 megapixels, LED flash Camera functions: autofocus, digital Zoom 16x Movie recording: yes Max. video resolution: 1920x1080 Front camera: yes, 2.1 million pixels. Audio: MP3, FM radio Headphone jack: 3.5 mm Recognition: faces, smiles Geo Tagging: yes Video output: MHLConnection
Interfaces: Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, IRDA, USB, NFC Standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE DLNA support: yes Satellite navigation: GPS/GLONASS A-GPS system: yes USB-host : yes Support for LTE bands: model C6503 - 800, 850, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz; model C6506 - 700, 850, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHzMemory and processor
Processor: Qualcomm APQ8064, 1500 MHz Number of processor cores: 4 Built-in memory: 16 GB RAM: 2 GB Memory card support: microSD (TransFlash), up to 32 GB Video processor: Adreno 320 Memory card slot: yes, up to 32 GBOther features
Control: voice dialing, voice control Sensors: ambient light, compass Flight mode: yes A2DP profile: yes
In order not to waste either your or my time, I will immediately tell you about the main thing: inside this device and the Sony Xperia Z are twins. The same processors, the same set of applications, the same bundle - only for ZL there is no docking station. Accordingly, in this article I will focus on the most important differences, and you can read about performance and a number of other parameters in the Sony Xperia Z review.
In the comments, I heard a lot of opinions from different people, they say, not everything is so bad and you can live with the Z display. Like, the camera here is better than in the iPhone, you just need to shoot in normal conditions, and you can get used to the size, and everything else. An interesting practice, to buy a smartphone, and then get used to it - for me it is not entirely clear. But Sony did the right thing by creating two very different devices on the same base at once, initially I liked the Sony Xperia Z (despite the many “buts”), but in everyday use the ZL turned out to be much more convenient. I was told about this phenomenon back in Las Vegas by friends from Sony - they say, the size still matters. Let's talk in this article about a smartphone that is not a flagship. But it is he who can become Sony's flagship in terms of sales.
Design, construction
Against the background of its Z-brother, the device does not look so impressive. Yes, the same concept is used here: an aluminum button on the side, interestingly designed ends, but there is no glass on the back. On closer examination, it turns out that the ZL is in many ways more interesting than the Z. Ribbed and velvety plastic on the battery cover, the protruding Xperia inscription on the back, a beautiful indicator under the display, no plugs. To insert headphones into a plug or cable into microUSB, you do not need to pry all these hatches - it's convenient. There are controversial decisions here, the cover on the back opens up access to the slots for the memory card and SIM card, reminds something of a trunk. It is attached with some kind of weak rubber band, so do not tear the lid too hard. When it snaps into place, it does not play and does not go from side to side, the entire rear part is like a monolith, it is impossible to bend the battery cover. Both Z and ZL are remarkably built, but the ZL also feels very good in the hand. Dimensions are 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm, weight 151 grams, heavier than the iPhone 4S. A weighty bar, I personally like this weight. Well, back to the size again, after being like the Z for a week, the ZL seems very small, the thumb reaches any corner of the five-inch display. In addition to black, there is also a white version, I like both.
In order to place such a display in such a compact case, the engineers had to go to a number of tricks. For example, the front camera had to be moved down, I already talked about the rear hatch, but its appearance is connected precisely with attempts to make the body smaller. By the way, at the bottom left there is a traditional slot for attaching a strap, without which Sony cannot.
I won’t talk about the design of the ZL for a long time, it doesn’t look quite traditional for Sony, it reminds HTC on the back, but all this when you look at the pictures. In life, the device is original, with a number of special solutions. Let me remind you once again about the pleasant velvety plastic on the back, because of the notches, fingerprints are invisible here, but they remain on the film that protects the display. The camera is enclosed in a round rim, below is a flash, next to it is a speaker slot, strange, but this is not perceived as a pile of different elements. On the right side, above the aluminum button, there is a thin volume rocker, it is convenient. Below there is also a camera button, which is nice, with its help you can quickly activate it and take a picture (or record a video).
The indicator light is well made, in the traditional Sony style, a kind of strip - it can light up in different colors depending on what is happening with the device. And you immediately notice that there are practically no frames on the left and right, the device resembles an iPad mini.
Included here is the same headset as with the Sony Xperia Z, based on the EX-300. For Sony, it doesn't cost anything, and users will certainly appreciate the care, listening to music is much more interesting with just such a headset, and it's even better to immediately install a third-party player.
The SIM card format is microSIM, so iPhone 5 users will need an adapter if they want to change the device. Another (in fact, the main) difference from the Sony Xperia Z is the lack of protection against water, I do not advise swimming with ZL. But there are no stubs.
Display
It seemed to me that the display here is better than in the Sony Xperia Z, although in all the main parameters they seem to be the same. This is a TFT, 5-inch diagonal, resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels, but here the viewing angles seem to be better, more saturated colors, although the black is the same. I don’t know how Sony works as suppliers, but I really want to believe that the company will be able to defeat bad businessmen - after all, there is so much talk about Bravia and stuff, and Samsung, HTC and Apple displays are a hundred times better. So, if compared with Z, then the screen is a little better, if compared with competitors, then it does not stand up to criticism. When looking point-blank, everything is fine, it is worth changing the angle - the image becomes faded.
The display covers the glass, there is a factory film on the glass, I do not advise tearing it off, the Sony inscription can also peel off. Widgets, wallpapers, and more are the same as the Sony Xperia Z.
Nuances
The Sony Xperia ZL, unlike the Z, has an infrared port, a remote control program, apparently, there is a port somewhere near the power button. In the settings, you can select the type of device, brand name, and then the program appears. I tried the system with home appliances, I really liked it, the Samsung TV was recognized instantly, you can turn it on and off, select programs, image source, and so on - everything is the same as with a conventional remote control. The range of operation is the same as that of a conventional remote control. Among the types of devices there are even docking stations for Apple technology, stereo systems - I tried it with the Pioneer music center, everything also works quite correctly. The program is well done, the added devices appear in the general menu with the names you have chosen and quite understandable icons.
As for performance, memory and other things, everything is exactly the same as in Sony Xperia ZL: the same set of programs, the same wallpapers, the speed is similar, although for a device with such a processor it is not entirely clear what to load it with. Is it possible to install various benchmarks and run them around the clock - I want to believe that the owners of Sony do not deal with such nonsense. I want to remind you that all official descriptions say that the device supports microSD memory cards up to 32 GB, this is not true - apparently, people from Sony did not have a 64 GB card. I tried everything works. Once again I will give here a link to the Z review, you should go there for details.
The battery life is the same as the Z, when using Chrome, the battery "melts" before our eyes, so it's better to choose another browser. If you use ZL only for calls and SMS, turn on Stamina mode, then you can achieve two or even three days of work - just do not forget to turn down the brightness, turn off all automatic synchronization, positioning systems, and so on. The time for a full charge from USB is about three hours, so it's better to use the included power supply. In normal mode, my device survived until the evening, but I did not deny myself anything and did not turn on Stamina.
The speaker here is louder than the Z, this applies to both regular and conversational. It is also more comfortable to talk, the interlocutors did not complain about the quality of speech transmission, the volume margin seemed to me more than that of Z.
The camera here is the same as that of the Z, I can safely say that the iPhone 5 shoots better and it does not depend on any conditions, settings, weather. Of all the effects that the ZL has, I used only the burst mode more often, oddly enough, the photos in general are better than in the normal mode. I will give here a few pictures and videos from ZL, you can evaluate it yourself.
conclusions
The device has a very piercing vibration, I have not seen such a sharp motor for a long time, it looks like a drill. It is especially annoying when it works when you press the keyboard, but you can turn it off yourself in the settings. But when the silent mode is turned on, you simply won’t be able to receive a call, ZL literally jumps out of your pocket.
Here would be a screen like that of HTC One, I liked it more than the SGS4, some kind of soft and velvety, does not hurt the eyes. Here, a team of programmers would work, and fix all sorts of small jambs, polish, make some things as simple and convenient as proprietary software for managing home appliances. Here to bring to mind the camera. Engineers to work with the speaker so that it is not so shrill. And this same motor should be used with another one so that the vibration matches the weight and design of the device. Here would be a thick instruction so that people know how to use a smartphone with Android, here would be a sticker on the package about LTE. And in general, manufacturers build a hell of a lot of different things into smartphones, but they don’t bother to convey possible use cases to consumers - there are a lot of functions, many are not used simply because people don’t know.
There are a lot of things that could be improved in order to get candy at the end. Although ZL turned out to be more interesting than Z in the main - yes, the latter has a better design, it does not sink in water. But for everyday use, ZL is much more convenient, it fits perfectly in the hand and the ribbed plastic on the back is certainly more pleasant than slippery glass under the film. If you want to choose one of these two smartphones, then do not be lazy, hold both, weigh them - Z is more beautiful in the photo, ZL is preferable in life. Moreover, there are no stubs.
The smartphone costs about 27,500 rubles, with the release of SGS4, Sony will have to revise the pricing for its flagships - although this is unlikely to save Z and ZL from marketing pressure. Be sure that Samsung will spend such an advertising budget on the "four" that at every corner and from every crack you will be advised to buy it. This is neither good nor bad, it's just a given, whoever has a larger budget has the truth. Since the announcement of Z and ZL, I keep repeating that the devices themselves turned out to be quite good - moreover, the stars were very successful for Sony. There were three months to prepare the market, launch, but now we need to quickly sell, sell, sell, until the terrible SGS4 arrives. We must sell and work hard on the next models, we must look for another gap - a few months of life, then months of silence.
It takes a genius to change this situation. A genius who can send bad suppliers with bad screens to one place, a genius who can disperse all the smoke screens in the form of complicated settings, a genius who does not forgive even the slightest jambs in the software. Let's hope that Sony has one, and Z paired with ZL will be the last step on the way to something truly outstanding, incomparable, unparalleled. It's time. We were all waiting.
P.S. Try to type ZL in Russian, the result is interesting.
Sergey Kuzmin ()
Sony Xperia Z, like any flagship, was doomed to close attention from the press long before it went on sale. And there are reasons for this: in addition to the powerful filling, the smartphone has a case protected from water and dust. Sony Xperia ZL is, in fact, the same Sony Xperia Z, only dressed in a regular body, the bonus of which can be considered compact.
Specifications Sony Xperia ZL
| Sony Xperia ZL | |
|---|---|
| Operating system | Google Android 4.1.2 |
| Display | TFT, 5 inches, 1920x1080 pixels (Full HD), 441 ppi, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, 10-finger multi-touch |
| CPU | Qualcomm S4 Pro APQ8064 1.5 GHz, 4 cores, Adreno 320 accelerator |
| RAM | 2 GB |
| Flash memory | 16 GB + microSD card slot |
| Camera | 13 MP, autofocus, 1080p video recording, LED flash, HDR mode, LED-light, front camera for video calls (2 MP) |
| Wireless technologies | Wi-Fi a/ac/b/g/n (2.4/5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.0, GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA+ 850/900/1900/2100, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC , LTE |
| Interfaces | micro-USB, headphone output 3.5 mm |
| GPS | Yes |
| Battery | 2370 mAh |
| Dimensions and weight | 132x69x10 millimeters, 151 grams |
What's in the box
Just what you see in the picture. Smartphone, charger with microUSB cable, multi-size headset and user manual.
Case and design
Marketers love the prefix "most." It was also applied to the Sony Xperia ZL. In the phrase "the world's smallest smartphone with a five-inch screen." This is probably true: 132x69x10 millimeters is not much compared to other happy owners of large screens. Although the language does not dare to call the ZL “small”, when you see smartphones with more modest diagonals next to them.
Together with iPhone 4s
Such compactness was achieved thanks to the design: the screen occupies almost the entire front panel. There was no place even for the touch buttons (they "gone" to the screen), and the strangest location of the front camera is explained by the same. She, dear readers, is hidden in the lower right corner under the screen. Visually, it seems that it was quite possible to place the camera eye on top. In the end, there was also a place for the Sony logo and a voice speaker (well, it would be really strange to move it from here to save space).
The corrugated plastic that protects the rear of the smartphone is far from being as spectacular as the glass surface of the Xperia Z, but it is practical: no slips, no annoying fingerprints. It has a camera with a flash and a sound speaker. The entire cover is non-removable, but you don’t have to use the “magic key”, as in the iPhone, to install a SIM card or memory card. Sony, in my opinion, acted very wisely, providing the cover with a retractable “hatch”, under which the necessary connectors are hidden.
But you can’t get to the battery on your own, alas. Metal strips are built into the sides of the device, which not only decorates the smartphone, but makes it stronger than its all-plastic counterparts.
The main controls are located on the right side. This is a volume rocker closer to the top, access to the camera at the bottom, and a round metal button in the center is responsible for turning the power on and off.
Personally, I'm not very comfortable, because I prefer left-handed control. But it seems to me that such an alignment is not suitable for anyone right-handed, but only for the owner of large palms.
The left side contains a microUSB connector, the top one has a 3.5 mm headphone jack. In the hand, the device lies comfortably, but still, both the size and weight (151 grams) indicate that the Sony Xperia ZL is a smartphone, rather, for men. Its design is neutral and pleasant, not too catchy, but extremely neat. Of the cosmetic features, I note the presence of an LED in the form of a strip under the screen. It glows green while recharging, and when you're viewing photos, this smart light will light up in the color that's currently in the current photo. Why - I do not know, but it turns out funny. It is a pity that the light does not know how to dance to the beat of the music, as it sometimes occurs in various models.
Screen
Wonderful things smartphone manufacturers. Honestly, I don’t quite understand why it was necessary to put such a screen in such an expensive and equipped to the teeth model. And this also applies to the Xperia ZL, and even the flagship Z, the cost of which can cause convulsions in most of the inhabitants of our latitudes. Of course, the screen has its advantages. This is a large area, high sensitivity, resolution of 1920x1080 pixels with an excellent pixel density of 441 ppi…. All this would be just fine if it were not for unnatural color reproduction, low brightness and completely non-black black.
Usually a faded screen when watching videos or pictures is somewhat transformed: the mysterious Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 mode is turned on, making life, or rather some objects on the screen, bright to pain in the eyes. In this mode, the inversion of colors during rotation is especially noticeable, and it is very specific. For example, a bright red jacket with minor deviations became acid pink. I don't want to mislead readers with sharp criticism of the screen: it's not bad at all, it just doesn't correspond to the class of the model at all. In a mid-range device, such a huge display with excellent pixel density would look simply gorgeous. And in order not to be unfounded, I will give graphs with measurements taken using a Datacolor Spyder4 colorimeter.
System
Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean will be updated to version 4.2 after a while. The Sony interface is familiar from some other modern devices of the company, in my opinion, it is quite convenient and functional. As usual, desktops are called up by holding your finger on the screen of one of them, after which you can add widgets and applications to it, as well as select a background and theme. And, of course, add a new desktop.
Virtual keys are located right on the screen, the right of them, which calls the list of active programs, also provides access to the so-called "small applications". Calculator, screen memos, sound recorder, timer and remote control are pre-installed. Others, if desired, can be found on Google Play.
Among branded applications, I would like to note Walkman. The music player has a lot of settings, allows you to create playlists and fine-tune the sound of tracks using the equalizer. In addition, there is a ClearAudio + function, but for my taste, it only distorts the sound. Although, I can assume that there are tracks in nature that will sound better after applying such an “improver” to them.
"Album" provides access to all the pictures stored in the smartphone. At the same time, it allows you to change the scale of pictures on the preview and move them. Here you can also find a simple photo editor, as well as find out where this or that photo was taken (with geotagging enabled). To the delight of many users, the smartphone has a radio. And, of course, GPS.
Performance
As befits a decent flagship this season, the Sony Xperia ZL has a Qualcomm S4 Pro APQ8064 quad-core 1.5 GHz processor with an Adreno320 accelerator and 2 gigabytes of RAM. Naturally, the operating system interface flies, like the vast majority of programs. Frankly, I did not come across an application that can load this system to the fullest.
Performance tests agree with me, and confirm the leading position of the Sony Xperia ZL. If not the fastest, then certainly among them. 16 gigabytes of disk space is not an indicator of super-capacity at all today. But support for memory cards with a capacity of up to 64 GB fundamentally changes the situation, leaving all sorts of such claims unfounded: there will be enough for photos, games and movies.
Camera
Fashion for 13-megapixel cameras in flagship smartphones seems to me somewhat unjustified and ridiculous. It would be better if there were 8 of them, but the same as in the iPhone! Yes, Apple haters will forgive me for the expressed weakness, but I really don’t understand what prevents Android smartphone manufacturers from bringing the quality of built-in optics closer to that of the latest apple devices. Hardly awe or fear of non-compliance with patents ... Nevertheless, the Exmor RS sensor used in the Xperia ZL is relatively good. Equipped with a variety of software add-ons, the camera can shoot video and photos with HDR, perform high-speed continuous shooting and apply real-time effects. There is an automatic super-mode here, which, in theory, should understand what is happening around and select the settings accordingly. And yet, as it seemed to me, manual focusing on objects does not always work correctly.
In short, the camera is noticeably inferior to that of the Samsung Galaxy S4, and it is far from the 8-megapixel sensor of the iPhone 4s / 5.
Sound
Once upon a time, sound was the forte of Sony devices, in part it remains so today. I can't say the Xperia ZL has the best speaker I've heard, but it's definitely not bad. At least the fact that it is loud and clean enough. You will hear a call, you can also watch a movie. True, there is no bass, but hardly anyone seriously considers listening to music through the speaker. For these purposes, there are headphones. And with them, complete, and even better - some higher class, the smartphone can be used as a full-fledged music player. It is better to listen to rock and classical music as is, without equalizers, but electronics lovers can experiment with sound settings, including the ClearAudio + function I mentioned above.
Heating and autonomy
Due to the design features, the smartphone heats up, and unconventionally - from behind. And it heats up quite noticeably, especially when it comes to tests or toys. But even in the normal operating mode, saving warmth spreads on the back of the smartphone, warming the hands. This is due to the location of the battery closer to the screen, and the main iron - on the contrary, closer to the lid.
Closed on all sides, the non-removable battery has a capacity of 2370 mAh, which is a lot. However, it should be remembered: we have a smartphone with an insatiable flagship hardware and a large FullHD-screen, it’s not easy to feed them. Let's say, in my usual mode of working with a smartphone (20 minutes of calls, SMS, sometimes the Internet, music and shooting with a camera), the Xperia ZL hardly survived until the evening. In the settings you can find several modes to save energy. For example, Stamina, which turns off data transfer when the screen is off. Moreover, if you want some applications to still carry it out, they can be added to the list of exceptions. You can also activate the power saving mode and set a certain charge level threshold (for example, 20%), after which the smartphone automatically turns off a number of functions. For example, vibrating alert, GPS, Wi-Fi. In general, if you put up with it and pay due attention to the device settings, it can be made to work a little longer.
Competitors
The competitive environment of a smartphone is quite natural: these are other flagships of famous companies. The cost-comparable HTC One has a metal body, while the Galaxy s4, while not sleek, has an excellent screen. At the same time, both competitors are somewhat more affordable (not to mention the LG Optimus G), so if the starting price does not start to drop rapidly, it will have a rather difficult fate.
In the dry matter
Sony Xperia ZL turned out to be an interesting, albeit controversial smartphone. It seems to me that those who are determined to buy a flagship model will not fight for those 500 hryvnias, which will approximately be the difference in price between the protected Xperia Z in a spectacular glass case and the Xperia ZL, whose advantage compared to its brother and other 5-inch models can be considered compact body dimensions. Thus, the Xperia ZL does not have such a clear competitive advantage as the Xperia Z. Like any flagship, this smartphone is very productive, well-built, has a large FullHD screen, which, in fact, is its biggest drawback. Otherwise, high-quality case materials, decent design, a relatively good camera and good sound make the Xperia ZL a worthy choice for those who buy flagships and love Sony's style.
4 reasons to buy Sony Xperia ZL
- Excellent performance
- Good design and body materials
- Compact body for a 5" smartphone
- Good sound, high volume
3 reasons not to buy the Sony Xperia ZL
- The screen, by the standards of the flagship, is rather weak
- Not the best camera
- Non-removable battery