The Sony Xperia Z Ultra, or the Sony Xperia ZU, as it’s also known, will be the company’s first foray into phablet and stylus-driven phone territory. The device is shaping up to be quite a formidable opponent to the current crop of competitor handsets. Read on to find out all we know about this giant Sony phone.
Sony Xperia ZU Display
Multiple rumours point to Sony’s phablet device sporting a 6.44-inch display and although the company rarely mentions what specific technology is used we reckon the vast majority are LCD. It’s said to have a Full HD 1920x1080 pixel resolution and the most recent reports indicate a pixel density of 342 pixels-per-inch (ppi), which should be pretty sharp.
Sony’s going all-out on its technology layers. For a start you’ve got a bundled-in stylus, but according to repeated rumours and leaks the screen will let you use a pencil or other stylus-like object should you find yourself without the included apparatus.
On top of this, you’ve got Sony’s OptiContrast, which, as the name implies, enhances contrast, dark tones and black depth. There’s also Sony’s X-Reality engine, which is an evolution on the company’s Mobile Bravia Engine 2 and further enhances colour as well as the general quality of the image. The display is said to use Triluminos display technology, which allegedly produces richer, brighter and more natural colours than conventional display setups.
Sony Xperia ZU Hardware
Leaked specs and benchmarks show the Xperia ZU will pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 graphics processing unit (GPU).
More recently a benchmark result emerged via AnTuTu showing the Xperia ZU’s hardware outperformed results allegedly from a Qualcomm 800-powered Samsung Galaxy S4 variant.
Onboard storage is pegged at 16GB and it’s thought there will be microSD support for cards up to 64GB. Connectivity will include NFC, MHL, Wi-Fi and Miracast. Although not mentioned we’d also expect to see Bluetooth, microUSB, GPS, HSPA+ and 4G LTE.
Infrared ports are currently trending and another similarly specced handset from Sony, the Xperia i1, is listed in leaked specs as packing such technology. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Xperia ZU carried it too.
Lastly, the battery is rated at 3,000mAh, hopefully ensuring we won’t see a repeat of the Xperia Z’s relatively short lifespan on one charge.
Sony Xperia ZU Software
Being an Xperia phone the Xperia ZU will of course be Android-based, version 4.2.2 Jelly Bean specifically, at least according to reports. It's also said it will feature a new 'Xperia UI' which could be different from the Sony UI seen on existing handsets. There's currently no information on what this UI might add or change and it may simply be a fairly lightweight re-branding.
Android of course will offer the usual setup of swipe-gesture controls, expandable notifications, performance and latency optimisation and slick multitasking.
Sony Xperia ZU Design
We've seen a few leaked photos which may or may not be the real deal, but there's also the profile snap shown in Sony's official launch event invitation. From what we've seen it appears the Xperia ZU will not be a huge departure from the existing Xperia Z flagship. It's not clear whether it will have a glass back panel, but we can expect a very angular design with panelled detailing on the edges. We haven't seen anything to indicate whether the stylus will be slotted into the device as it is on Samsung's Galaxy Note but we do suspect this will be the case.
Sony Xperia ZU Camera
Camera tech is a specialist area for Sony, but although the Xperia ZU’s setup will likely be very competent it doesn’t appear, according to the most recent leaks, as if the company is preparing anything particularly special for the Xperia ZU. The role of a camerphone which will ‘wow’ us seems to be falling to the other model we mentioned earlier, the Xperia i1. The Xperia ZU, meanwhile, will feature an 8-megapixel primary using the company’s Exmor RS back-illuminated sensor (BSI) with HDR mode, while the front-facing secondary will be a 1.3-megapixel BSI Exmor R (the previous generation sensor). Again further details haven’t been mentioned but we’d expect the Xperia ZU to sport the usual array of Sony imaging capabilities, including things like panoramic capture.
Sony Xperia ZU Release date and Price
Next to nothing has been said about a release date or possible pricing for the Xperia ZU, all we know is that it has a premium spec and will likely be announced on June 25. That date is when Sony is hosting an event in Paris, France, the invitations for which featured a prominently displayed stylus. As hints go that’s a fairly strong one.
Based on the spec and the positioning of previous high-end Sony flagships we’d estimate the Xperia ZU will retail for around £500-£600 SIM-free and will likely be available on 24 month contracts for around £35-40 per month.
Sony typically seems to release flagship models about a month after its announcement, so with that in mind we’d think the Xperia ZU will appear in stores and on contracts with UK networks by the end of July at the latest.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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