Sony xperia z ultra
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is meant to be a phone but with a 6.44-inch screen it is pushing the boundaries of what a smart phone can really be. It is a huge device, there is no doubt about that, but at 6.5mm thick it sits more comfortably in the hand than you might expect and the full HD screen really impresses too.
Spec-fans will be unable to contain their excitement at the thought of the first smart phone with Qualcomm\'s Snapdragon 800 chip, a quad-core processor clocked to 2.2GHz.
Design
The design of the Sony Xperia Z Ultra is something that is as much of an acquired taste as the Xperia Z before it. It has the same sharp design, which makes it slightly more difficult to hold in one hand but the rubber exterior does mitigate this to some extent.
Early verdict
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a phone that wants to be a tablet. While many will look at the Ultra and recoil in horror at its larger dimensions, those that want the larger screen would not be able to help but desire this handset.
More importantly for the long-term future of Sony Mobile is that this handset shows that the Japanese brand is keen to show it is at the forefront of technology.
Screen and colors
The screen quality is definitely improved, with the Triluminous technology at work to improve colors saturation levels in key areas, increasing the palette for a fairly stunning-looking picture. It is also helped by the X Reality engine that\'s been developed for mobile, which fills in missing pixels in standard definition pictures.
Videos included to demo the technology are impressive, but overall the screen does not live up to the hype bestowed upon it by Sony. It suffers the same as the Xperia Z, in that it has a slightly washed-out tint to it, which is especially telling as it was mentioned as being \'closer to Samsung\'s Super AMOLED technology\' by one of the Sony representatives.
Magnetic charging port
It is also got a magnetic charging port on the side to facilitate, well, magnetic docks that allow charging it is odd that it takes up so much of the design though, where it is usually more discreet.
The waterproof element to the Sony Xperia Z Ultra is obviously one of the high points, and as such the little doors that seal in the ports are back in force. However, they are fascinatingly not used on the headphone jack, with Sony working out how to make it so the water gremlins won\'t destroy your sound.
The CPU speed certainly shows in general use, as it is as snappy both flicking between apps and browsing the internet over Wi-Fi were lightning fast. It is getting to the point where smart phones are faster than one can ever had and its performance is impressive.
Battery
Let\'s hear it for the battery though: a 3000mAh power pack is what we expected in a phone like this, and yes we are not disappointed on our expectations. Sony is still crowing about its slightly dubious Stamina Mode being a real benefit here.
Xperia Z Ultra features
6.4″ Full HD TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile powered by X-Reality™ for mobile engine for the ultimate viewing experience, Ultra slim, waterproof and dust resistant (IP55/IP58) durable design, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2.2 GHz quad-core CPUs and 4G LTE for fast performance. It has 16 gigabytes of internal storage with support for 64GB micro SD cards. An 8 megapixel rear camera and battery offering up to 11 hours talk time or 120 hours of audio playback. It has 8 megapixel cameras with “Exmor RS for mobile” sensor and HDR for videos and photos.
Headphone flap-free
The Xperia Z Ultra is 6.5mm (0.26in) thick only slightly deeper than the thinnest device on the market, Huawei\'s Ascend P6. Unlike the original Xperia Z the new phone does not need a flap over its headphone socket to protect it from water damage, addressing complaints the feature was fiddly to use. It can also be submerged to a deeper limit - 1.5m (4.9ft) in freshwater for up to half an hour.