The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is the big dog of the Xperia family – the kind of phone that sits in the same class as RMS Titanic, King Kong, and the Burj Khalifa. Although this giant tablet flirts with the parameters of acceptable phone size, it certainly packs a lot in.
Key features
- Dust proof and water resistant
- 6.4-inch display
- 2.2GHz quad-core processor
- Up to 64GB internal storage
- 8 megapixel camera
- 3050mAh battery
Design & Hardware
In terms of physically handling the Z Ultra, it’s almost too big to hold in one hand and it feels a bit uncomfortable in your pocket. If your pockets aren’t particularly deep it will poke out the top and inevitably escape when you sit down. It’s also very thin too at just 6.5mm, so picking it up off a flat surface is quite difficult without sliding it to an edge to scoop off. Nokia Lumia 925
Given the large display, this tablet would work very well with a stylus but doesn’t come with one. We have found however that it works equally as well with a standard pencil, but unfortunately, it isn’t pressured sensitive, so not ideal if you were wanting to use it for sketching. Best Android Phone
It’s also rather durable, being both water and dust resistant. For the tropical photographer out there, you’ll be able to shoot video underwater for up to 30 minutes to a depth of one meter – ideal for snorkeling.
Software & Multimedia
Functionally, the Z Ultra is very good. Running Android Jelly Bean software the familiar user interface is welcoming, if a little overwhelming in size. Gameplay runs smoothly and the graphics are of high standard, no doubt alluding to the 2.2GHz quad-core processor. It’s easy to become absorbed in the display’s high quality, and it’s not long before you’re unaware you’re operating on a mobile device. Cheap Android Phone
The display is a vibrant pallet of other-worldly color, but the camera really brings the whole thing back to earth. If it featured something like the Xperia Z1’s 20.7-megapixel snapper this would have been a spectacular phone, but with just 8 megapixels the quality doesn’t match up to the display’s potential.
Images produced are particularly noisy and when on the camera app, the viewfinder only fills around two-thirds of the full screen.
HD video looks really sharp on the phone, and appropriately answers the question ‘why such a big display?’ With up to 64GB of internal storage, watching and downloading films will have never been such a breeze.
Performance & Verdict
The entire product leans very much towards the tablet side of things. When taking or making a call, we found positioning the speaker a bit of a task – it’s so vast and long that it feels awkward as if it was never meant to go on faces. Also, if you’re a spectacle hipster, like some of our team, the phone will knock awkwardly off the arm of your glasses, whilst wrestling to get it close enough to an ear. Sony Xperia Z2
The battery also depletes rather quickly. At 3050mAh it sounds quite sizable, but with it having to support such a big unit you’ll struggle to get a day out of it.
In summary, the Xperia Z Ultra ’s pretty damn big. It’s an awkward halfway point between tablet and phone but does have a lot to offer if you have ever wished your tablet could make calls. It’s not one to care about on a day-to-day basis, but it looks like it would be perfect for a network sharer tariff, which will become more widely available in the coming months.
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