What's good
- Vivid display
- Excellent design
- Fast performance
- IP55/IP58 ratings
What's bad
- Screen resolution
- Reflective screen
- Price
- Battery life
The original Xperia Z Tablet proved Sony had the chops to compete in the tablet market. Time has passed and competitors are lining up. While the changes to the tablet are largely tweaks to the standard Sony formula, it offers a compelling package. Does it all add up to a great experience? Let’s check out the reviews.
The tablet’s star is a 10.1-inch display that TechRadar calls ““the best-looking Android tablet on the market” thanks to its Live Color LED technology. All reviews remarked on the lifelike color and excellent contrast. Unfortunately, reviews were split on the resolution of the screen. At just 1920-by-1200 pixels, the Z2 Tablet falls behind many of its competitors. TechRadar says, “boot up a web page, book or app with small text and you'll notice the difference in sharpness” while PC Pro UK was more lenient, stating “pixel density of 224ppi isn’t an issue.”
Another area in which most reviews agreed was the design and build of the tablet. With Sony’s Omnibalance design, the squared, thin design has many fans. Engadget applauded the tablet, stating, ““you'd be hard-pressed to pick one up and not be struck by its svelte shape (6.35mm) and light weight.” With a waterproof headphone jack and covered MicroSD and SIM slots, it achieves IP55 and IP58 waterproof and dustproof ratings as well.
Behind the pretty design is equally powerful hardware. Thanks to the lower resolution display, the Snapdragon 801 at 2.3GHz and 3GB of RAM offer plenty of power to keep the experience silky smooth. Reviews noted zero hesitation, great multitasking performance and great gameplay. TechRadar dubbed the Z2 Tablet “a blazingly fast piece of kit.”
Unfortunately, there were a few weak links pointed out. With a 6,000mAh battery, the battery life falls far behind the competition. PC Magazine’s benchmarks yielded only 5 hours of battery life. While other reviews managed to squeak out a day’s use, all noted needing to find a charger by the end of the night.
While a 10-inch tablet isn’t exactly ideal for photography, it does feature an 8MP rear-facing camera with no flash and a 2MP front facing camera for selfies and video chat. None of the reviews found the camera unusable, but Engadget summed up opinions well, stating, “neither camera is anything to write home about.”
Overall, the Z2 Tablet is largely an overhaul of the previous Xperia Z Tablet. Better specs and a few refinements, but in the end, standard Sony design and feel. Reviews agree that it is a quality piece of equipment, but many wonder if it will stand up to the competitive market. PC Magazine perhaps summarizes thoughts on the Xperia Z2 best, saying that it “might win folks over with its design, but it fails to distinguish itself in any other meaningful way.”
What the Critics Are Saying...
- iTechTriad team, iTechTriadOverall I think the Xperia Z2 Tablet is easily one of the best tablets currently on the market. There’s only two things I don’t like about it. First, I’m not the biggest fan of that display. I think this tablet would be so much more amazing with a Quad-HD resolution. Second, the pr...
- Kob Monney, What Hi-FiOverall, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z2 is an impressive piece of kit – with its superb screen and sound, battery capacity and user-friendly interface, it ticks all the right boxes to deserve a place on your shortlist.It doesn’t merit the full five stars, however, for a number of important re...
- Tim Schiesser, TechSpotIf you’re not keen on iOS and specifically after a high-end Android option, what Sony has produced may be the best choice for you.
- Brandon Russell, TechnoBuffaloFrom a hardware perspective, this is absolutely one of the better devices you’re liable to find. But then you start digging through the software, and in one fell swoop it all comes unraveled.
- Harry McCracken, TechlandThis stylish, waterproof featherweight is hobbled by some traditional Android disadvantages.
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