Xperia ZL can now become a new impetus for the Japanese corporation. The gadget is very similar to the Xperia Z: it has the same design and finish, but does not have IP57 certification.
Main disadvantages:
- non-removable battery;
- weak camera;
- slightly thicker than Xperia Z;
- questionable back panel build quality and aesthetics.
The difference between the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL essentially comes down to different sizes, finishes and security. The plastic case here doesn't look as good as glass, but it has its advantages. Waterproof is of course a big plus, but not everyone needs it.
Sony Xperia ZL comes in an identical box smartphone Xperia Z. Note that the kit includes an A/C adapter, a microUSB cable and a headset with an extra pair of headphones.
The gadget is a 5-inch smartphone with the smallest footprint. Its dimensions are 131.6x69.3x9.8 mm. The closest competitors are 139mm tall for the Xperia Z, 136.6mm for the Galaxy S4 and 137.4mm for the One.
However, the Xperia ZL is the thickest of all the listed smartphones at 9.8mm. But these features do not cause inconvenience. The device is comfortable to use.
One of the significant disadvantages is the low class of finishes, the lack of elegant design. But this, of course, is not a cause for concern, since the plastic looks very good.
The smartphone is one of the most compact gadgets with a 5-inch Full HD screen. Compared to the Xperia Z, the new phone has significantly reduced the top and bottom bezels on the front side. Perhaps this is the reason for the location. front camera in the lower right corner. This, of course, is unusual, but such a solution has already been encountered earlier in N9. The bezels around the display have also been reduced to a minimum.
Hardware buttons are placed on the screen.
Above the screen you can see the speaker and the company logo. Sony smartphones usually ship from the factory with a scratch-resistant glass screen protector, and the Xperia ZL is no exception.
The back panel is made of plastic, the patterned texture of which makes it easier to use the phone, as it is securely held in the hand. But at the same time, we note. It looks very sticky. On the back side is a 13-megapixel camera lens, which protrudes slightly above the surface. Next to it is a speaker grille and an LED flash.
A noise-reducing microphone with the Xperia logo was placed above the lens.
The panel looks like it's removable, but it's not. In order to access the microSIM card slots and , you need to open the shutter at the very bottom of the smartphone. This is not only physically inconvenient, but aesthetically it does not look very good.
The build quality of the device is good.
There is a microUSB port on the left side of the phone, which doesn't have a plug unlike the Xperia Z.
On the right, you'll find a paired volume rocker at the top, a power/lock button, and a two-stage camera button.
It's always handy to have a separate camera shutter button on your smartphone.
The top of the Sony Xperia ZL only has a 3.5mm headphone jack.
In the lower left corner there is a special eyelet for the lace.
In general, Sony Xperia ZL is quite comfortable to use: the controls are conveniently located and have a very good response.
Performance and software
The smartphone uses Snapdragon APQ8064 S4 Pro chipset with 4 Krait cores with clock frequency 1.5 GHz, Adreno 320 graphics accelerator and 2 GB random access memory. As we expected, the gadget scores the same benchmarks as the Xperia Z.
Even despite the more powerful chipsets (for example, Snapdragon 600), which are based on Galaxy smartphones S4 and Optimus G Pro, our phone still has enough performance to handle even the heaviest applications without problems.
The Sony Xperia ZL came in fourth in the Benchmark Pi, Linpack and AnTutu tests, and came in fifth in the Quadrant.
Interestingly, in GeekBench 2, our smartphone scored less than the Xperia Z.
When testing the gadget in GLBenchmark with a fixed resolution, the Xperia ZL did not disappoint, being in the same place with the Xperia Z.
In an important Epic Citadel test, the gadget showed excellent results, comparable to other flagship devices.
As a browser in Sony Xperia ZL is used Google Chrome, which became much faster after latest update and showed a result of 1290 ms in the Sun Spider test, being faster than the Xperia Z, Optimus G and Nexus 4.
In BrowserMark 2 and Vellamo, the smartphone took 4th place.
As a result, Sony Xperia ZL showed good performance.
The gadget runs on the operating system Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean.
Built-in memory - 16 GB. There is support for Wi-Fi, GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS, FM radio, Bluetooth 4.0, 3G and LTE networks.
Screen
Surprisingly, we found that the Sony Xperia ZL has more best screen than the Xperia Z. Given that they are both identical according to the specification (5-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and a density of 441 ppi), they are manufactured by the same manufacturer, but we assumed that this is due to a single deviation, and not with the fact that Sony has developed a separate screen for the Xperia ZL.
The TFT display is based on Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology, which increases contrast and sharpness, reduces noise, and saturates colors to make them more pleasing to the eye.
The contrast is really good. However, the screen in this indicator is inferior HTC One, LG Optimus G Pro, HTC Butterfly, not to mention Super on samsung galaxy S4.
The gadget has not very large viewing angles.
Sunlight readability is good.
Camera
Sony Xperia ZL is equipped with a 13-megapixel camera that can take pictures with a resolution of 4128x3096 pixels. However, if you are using the default enhanced auto mode, you will only get a resolution of 3920x2940 pixels (that is, a 12-megapixel image).
The difference between the enhanced auto mode and the normal one is that the gadget itself tries to determine what kind of scene it is shooting and sets all the image parameters accordingly. This includes saturation, contrast, metering mode. In normal mode, only the exposure is automatically set, and you can experiment with other settings.
The improved auto mode tells you how the gadget will set up the camera and you can easily intervene if you think that the picture will not be very high quality. But our experience shows that almost all the time the settings were good. So if you're not a photography enthusiast, it's best to stick with the improved auto mode.
The Xperia ZL smartphone offers all kinds of features, including face recognition, Smile Shutter, geo-tagging, touch capture and mode.
The improved auto mode produces photos with pleasing, if slightly oversaturated, colors. Small details are clearly visible, the noise level is average, and dynamic range and the contrast is excellent.
Overall, the results are good, although we wouldn't say there's a noticeable advantage over good 8MP cameras.
If you switch to normal mode, you'll get images that look more natural, not oversaturated. This will give you more headroom if you plan to process the photos later.
We also took panoramic pictures. It turned out to be a very good panorama.
The Sony Xperia ZL is capable of capturing video from Full resolution HD at 30 frames per second. The gadget also offers HDR for shooting video.
We were disappointed that the Xperia ZL can capture photos while recording video, but only at 1MP resolution. This, however, is not very significant.
You can see very good detail in the video. The bitrate fluctuates around 17 Mbps.
Below is an example entry.
The benefit of HDR shooting isn't always as clear as we'd hoped, but it still adds some detail in the highlights.
An example of shooting with HDR.
Battery
The smartphone comes with a 2370 mAh non-removable battery, which is 40 mAh more than the Xperia Z. It's a little surprising that the battery is only rated for 13 hours according to official information. battery life talk time over 3G networks and up to 500 hours of standby time (against 14 hours and 530 hours for Xperia Z, respectively). It is possible that different displays can explain the situation. But our dedicated battery test also found the Xperia ZL to be less durable.
So, Sony Xperia ZL showed a result of 44 hours of battery life (while the gadget is used 2 hours for calls, an hour for watching videos and an hour for web surfing per day), which is 4 hours shorter than the Xperia Z. But it's still decent result.
When tested separately, the following data was obtained: the battery lasts for 15 hours 22 minutes of calls via 3G networks, for 6 hours 4 minutes of web surfing and for 5 hours 28 minutes of video viewing.
You also need to consider that the smartphone has a special endurance mode developed by the company that allows you to get much better battery life.
Price
The cost of Sony Xperia ZL on Russian market- 27,490 rubles.
Sony Xperia ZL video review:
3G, Android 4.4, 5", 1920x1080, 16GB, 151g, 13MP camera, Bluetooth
MAIN SPECIFICATIONS
Nutrition
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: yesIn January 2013, at CES 2013 in Las Vegas, the Japanese company Sony introduced two premium smartphones. More attention was paid to the Sony Xperia Z smartphone, enclosed in a thin, glass and waterproof case. Another model called Xperia ZL is very similar to the Xperia Z in terms of technical characteristics, but still different. The Zet El model cannot boast of dust and moisture protection, but it has the largest ratio of display area to front side area of all existing phones, i.e. it is the smallest phone with a 5-inch screen on earth (at the date of the announcement).
Smartphone overview
Specifications Sony Xperia ZL
- Dimensions: 131.7 x 69.8 x 9.8 mm
- Weight: 151g
- Available colors: black, white
- Networks: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, LTE
- Processor: Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) 1.5 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 320
- RAM: 2 GB
- Built-in memory: 16 GB
- Memory card slot: microSD up to 32 GB
- Operating system: Google Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
- Display: 5" LCD, 1920x1080 pixels, multi-touch up to 10 touches
- Rear camera: 13 MP with Exmor RS sensor
- Front camera: 2 MP with Exmor R sensor
- Battery capacity: 2370 mAh
- Interfaces: IrDA, USB, Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth, TV-out, MHL
- Navigation: GPS (A-GPS) and GLONASS
- Other: accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, magnetometer
As the manufacturer itself notes, when creating the Xperia ZL smartphone, engineers tried to remove all unnecessary details in order to focus users' attention on a 5-inch display. Apparently, the engineers succeeded, because the phone stands out with its compact size compared to other 5-inch devices, while the device's display itself occupies a record 76 percent of the front panel. True, the thickness of the “ZL” model is almost 2 millimeters thicker than the “Z” model - 9.8 mm versus 7.9 mm. Although, what is a difference of less than 2 millimeters? The dimensions of the smartphone are as follows: 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8. Weight 151 grams.
In 2013, the company decided to move on to a new design concept. Previously, it was the Iconic Identity concept (NXT series) - many remember those models by the transparent insert at the bottom of the case. Then there was a series of devices in the "arc" style with a slight bend in the form of an arch, which first appeared in Sony Ericsson in the "Xperia arc" model.
Now in smartphone Xperia Z El a new balanced design was implemented OmniBalance. The new concept makes the device symmetrical. The back panel is made of plastic, which has a corrugated surface. It is noteworthy that the corrugated surface is used only in the black phone. In the white version of the device, the back wall is made of soft-touch plastic. The frame around the perimeter of the device is made of wear-resistant glass-filled polyamide. In the hand, the device lies comfortably and does not slip.
On the right side of the device, in an ideal place, is the “proprietary” aluminum power button, which fits perfectly right under the thumb of the right hand; a little higher - the volume rocker, also made of aluminum. It's nice that the power button was not placed on top, since it would be very problematic to reach it while holding the phone in one hand. Below the power button is a mechanical button to start the camera. On the top edge is a 3.5 mm headphone jack; on the left side there was a place for a microUSB connector (with MHL), with which the smartphone is charged and communicates with the computer.
The device is available in two colors: black and white.
The basis of the front panel of the model "ZL" is a new display with a diagonal of 5 inches and Full HD resolution. The pixel density is 443 ppi, i.e. more than the famous Retina on the iPhone 4/4S/5. Note that each pixel of this device has 3 sub-pixels, unlike Samsung's PenTile pixels, where there are only 2 sub-pixels. The Xperia ZL pixel is an independent unit, and a pixel, for example, in the Samsung Galaxy S4, can only fully work together with neighboring pixels that complement each other (they are different).
The screen was produced using the company's own technology. Reality Display no air gap, so Touchpad located closer to the display.
- Glass
- Removed layer of air
- touch layer
- Display
The OptiContrast panel enhances image clarity in bright sunlight and reduces glare. Thanks to this panel, the borders of the screen, when the black phone is turned off, are practically invisible.
Another technology Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, mainly relevant when viewing photos and videos. It enhances the contrast, makes the image on the screen brighter and clearer.
Whites are bright here, while blacks are deep and almost as rich as Super AMOLED displays. The color saturation changes slightly as the viewing angle changes. But even such a small defect does not spoil the overall positive impression of the display.
CameraMain Sony Xperia ZL camera has a resolution of 13 megapixels. The smartphone has the world's first sensor for mobile devices Exmor RS which supports shooting HDR video, thanks to which you get excellent pictures and videos in difficult conditions, when there are both very bright areas in the frame and, on the contrary, too dark areas. HDR allows you to expand the dynamic range, and you will not lose details when shooting, either in the shade or in the sun.
There are many different modes in the camera settings, among which it is worth noting Superior Auto mode. It automatically recognizes shooting conditions, lighting conditions, etc. If necessary, HDR mode and noise reduction can be automatically turned on.
But that's not all ... The camera was equipped with all sorts of other chips. There is shooting of panoramic photos (technology Sweep Panorama), the ability to shoot photo in video mode, as well as a burst mode that allows you to take as many pictures as you want at a speed of 10 frames per second (the pictures taken in this mode have a resolution of 9 megapixels).
The camera in this device is one of the main advantages over its competitors. The pictures are decent, there is almost no noise. It cannot be said that the camera of the ZL is the best on the phone market (after all, it falls short of the Nokia 808 PureView), but it is undoubtedly one of the best.
In the lower right corner on the front panel, which is somewhat unusual, is the front camera with a resolution of 2 megapixels with an Exmor R sensor. Basically, the front cameras are installed at the top, although this “bottom” arrangement has been encountered before. The front camera, as well as the rear camera, can record Full HD video and take pictures in HDR.
FillingXperia ZL / Z are the first smartphones of the company that are built on the platform of a top-end, but already inferior chipset - a quad-core processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) clocked at 1.5 GHz. This processor works asynchronously, i.e. its cores start and stop depending on the degree of load, which can significantly save battery power. The same processor has another important function - it has a built-in LTE / 4G modem that supports the frequencies of Russian operators.
Helps the processor handle 3D graphics GPU Adreno 320.
The device has a module with 2 GB of RAM. Built-in flash memory fixed amount - 16 GB. Fortunately, the smartphone provides support for microSD memory cards (officially up to 32 GB, but the device perfectly recognizes 64 GB flash drives).
Lately, I've been seeing more and more comments from people that Sony is one of the few companies that pays as much attention to the design of its devices as to their internal stuffing. Indeed, for the most part, Sony smartphones have a unique design, which distinguishes them from the background of devices from other manufacturers. The Sony Xperia ZL was no exception. Sharp corners, straight sidewalls, a convex back side with a camera protruding above its surface - all this is united by the name OmniBalance. The hero of our review is in a black case and a back panel made of rough textured plastic with a mesh pattern. A smartphone with a white body differs from black not only in color, but also in the type of material on the back panel. There it has a soft-touch coating, which, in our opinion, is more practical. Yes, and tactile is much more pleasant.
The mineral glass of the front panel is slightly recessed into the case in relation to the side around it. On top of the glass is a factory film with an oleophobic coating designed to fight fingerprints. Near the top end there is a slot for the earpiece. To the right of it are two sensors, lighting and proximity. Below them is a 5-inch Full HD-display, and under the display the front camera is shifted as far as possible to the right, a small oblong hole for a microphone and a barely visible LED that changes its color depending on the main color of the display. We have already seen a similar arrangement of the camera in Nokia smartphone N9. The screen occupies almost 80% of the area of the entire surface of the front panel, that is, 4/5, which is the highest among smartphones with a 5-inch screen. For example, comparing with the Sony Xperia TX, you will not see a difference in dimensions, and despite the fact that the Xperia TX is equipped with a 4.6-inch screen! Compared to (4.5-inch display), the Sony Xperia ZL wins. The situation is similar when compared with the Samsung Galaxy S4, not to mention the huge or, as well. But even without analogies and direct comparison, no one remains indifferent to the dimensions of the smartphone. At first, it seems as if the display is in hand with a barely noticeable frame around it.
On the sides and ends of the case there are inserts made of easily soiled glossy plastic (polyamide), which is also able to collect all the dust around. The owner of a smartphone needs to be prepared for the fact that there will always be thousands of lint on the case, not to mention fingerprints.
The left and right sides of the case contain a USB cable jack and a hole for a strap, as well as a long volume key, an aluminum power-lock button and a toggle camera button, respectively. Mechanical keys protrude quite strongly above the body, so finding them by touch is not difficult. The key travel is short with a characteristic click when triggered. round button The power supply is perhaps the most unusual element of a smartphone. A similar key is present in the Sony Xperia Z, and other recently announced models. Its use is overshadowed by a slightly excessive tightness when pressed, but its location and appearance make you forget about such a small flaw, besides, if it were more malleable, the probability of its accidental operation would become much higher.
There are only two holes on the ends of the case. Below is the second hole for the strap. At the top is a headphone jack.
Despite the fact that the corners of the case do not look rounded, as, for example, in Samsung smartphones, they are not as sharp as in . With prolonged use, there is no discomfort. The skeleton of the Sony Xperia ZL is made from a single piece of plastic, which gives the body rigidity. Given this, one nuance is surprising - the back panel looks like it is removable, which is actually not the case. The only removable part of the case is a small cover at the bottom end. There is a small notch to unpick it, and to prevent you from losing it, it is attached to the case with an elastic band. Under this cover are hidden slots for memory cards and SIM. Both Micro formats. In addition to the described elements, there is also a camera, flash and speaker.
The quality of fitting parts is excellent, there are no squeaks in the body of the Sony Xperia ZL, which cannot be said about the 2x3 cm sagging back of the case in the area between the Xperia inscription and the folding panel.
Operating system and shell
The smartphone has an operating system with the actual shell called Xperia UX. The interface has undergone significant changes compared to what we saw on Sony devices running earlier versions of Android.
On the lock screen, there is an alarm icon with an alarm time, a clock with a date and two labels on the sides of them. One is responsible for calling the player control keys, the second is for launching the camera. To activate one or another, you need to pull the shortcut to the center of the screen. To unlock the screen, you need to swipe it from top to bottom or from bottom to top, while the unlock animation resembles sliding blinds. As in Acer smartphones, only there they move vertically. If necessary, you can go to the notification panel from the lock screen. In addition to the notifications themselves, there are four toggle icons for changing the sound profile, turning on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and transferring data via mobile network. The fifth icon is for entering the "Settings" menu.
The desktop and its widgets have the same look and feel as in older Android on Sony smartphones. It is no longer possible to display all available graphic fragments on one screen using multitouch. Now this gesture is responsible for customizing the Desktop, including editing the number of windows, assigning the main window, adding widgets, application shortcuts, background screensaver and themes. Along with the theme, not only the background screensaver changes, as it was before, but also the image on the lock screen.
The interface supports the creation of folders by transferring shortcuts to each other. In the bottom line there are four shortcuts with an icon installed between them to call the list installed applications and widgets. Under them are three touch control keys - "Back", "Home" and "Dispatcher running applications". Holding down the Home key brings up Google Now. The running applications manager displays not only the most recently launched applications, but also a row of five shortcuts called “Small Applications”. The essence of their work is that they can be called at any time, regardless of which application is currently running. Small apps open in a new window. It can be moved around the screen and its size can be adjusted. Among the five applications are a calculator, a timer, notes, a voice recorder and a unit converter. If you want to expand the list of small applications, you need to click on the "+" icon, after which you will be taken to a special section Google Play, where there are about 20 other applications, including applications for working with the camera, a browser, and more. Thus, in order to take a picture, it is not necessary to launch the main camera, you can use the application from this list. At the same time, its functionality allows not only taking pictures, but also choosing the type of camera, image resolution, flash mode, white balance and many other options, while the player, browser or any other application can work in the background. Something similar, although not in this form, is in smartphones from LG (QSlide), Samsung (“Multiple Applications”). All this is one of the ways to demonstrate the power of the hardware platform. Unfortunately, in the race for uniqueness, Sony forgot about the key to quickly clear the list of running applications. You have to delete each one individually.
The dial pad supports searching in Latin and Cyrillic. When typing text messages, you can choose the skin of the keyboard and its layout, continuous typing (Swype) is supported.
Among the installed applications there is nothing unusual, the only thing that you almost certainly will not find in other smartphones is "remote control" - an application for controlling home appliances using an infrared port located near the power button. I didn't manage to make it compatible with my TV, but judging by the number of keys and settings, its functionality is higher than what is installed in the Samsung Galaxy S4. True, there I easily picked up the necessary settings to control the TV.
In general, the updated interface has received much more features than in smartphones running Android 4.0. Now the backlog from Samsung, HTC and LG is not so noticeable.
Hardware platform
The Sony Xperia ZL smartphone shares a common hardware platform with the Sony Xperia Z - a system-on-a-chip Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro. 1.5 GHz quad-core processor, video accelerator Adreno 320, 2 GB RAM and 16 GB of ROM. This, as well as the Full HD screen, makes it possible to refer the device to the top class of devices that can cope with the task of any complexity, whether it is a modern 3D game or Full HD video.
According to the results of benchmarks, the Sony Xperia ZL occupies the top lines of the ratings. At the moment, there are only two crystals demonstrating even better results, one from the same Qualcomm - Snapdragon 600, the second - Exynos 5410. But there are no devices based on these chips in Ukraine yet. HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4, powered by Qualcomm and Exynos respectively, should go on sale next month. But while they appear on the shelves, the cost of Sony Xperia ZL will drop below, so that in the eyes of buyers the smartphone will look attractive no longer due to the newest hardware platform, a screen with high resolution and 13 MP cameras, but at the expense of a relatively affordable price.
The built-in Gracenote video viewer can digest all popular video codecs (AVI, MP4, MKV), find cover art and descriptions for files. The number of sound settings, as well as the volume and quality can satisfy even the most demanding and demanding users.
The Walkman music player has similar functionality to Gracenote. There is a search for covers, support for a wide range of codecs, including FLAC, a visualizer (something like that in Windows Player) and tons of sound settings. As with the sound in the video player, the sound of the music is on top, but in order to get the most out of the sound, you will have to use your headphones. Headset Sony MH-EX300AP supplied in the kit is not able to reveal all the features of the Sony Xperia ZL.
The smartphone has a battery with a capacity of 2370 mAh, which is 40 mAh more than the Sony Xperia Z. The “Power Options” item has appeared in the menu, where you can see the approximate operating time of the smartphone, as well as use one of several battery saving modes. Among these is the mode STAMINA, Energy Saver, and Wi-Fi by location. In fact, none of them carry anything that the user can configure himself. STAMINA just disables data transfer when the screen backlight is off, which cannot be called useful feature, because background data synchronization is one of the main features of a smartphone. As a result, the operating time of the Sony Xperia ZL can be described as good, which for Full HD smartphone looks like a compliment. In the Antutu Tester application, the smartphone scored 540 points, having worked for exactly 3 hours, which is equivalent to 12-15 hours of work with not the most active use. In the best case, what the user can count on is one and a half to two days with moderate use of data transfer and forced work in a 2G network. Watching Youtube HD videos at 50% screen brightness will drain your battery in 7 hours and 22 minutes, or 8 hours at 0% screen brightness. Approximately the same results when watching HD video from internal memory, 7 hours 27 minutes and 8 hours 6 minutes, respectively. Watching the same video at maximum brightness will drain the battery in 4 hours. The operating time when listening to music (MP3, 192 Kbps) is 33 hours and 33 minutes. All of these figures correspond to the value of "good", especially considering the 5-inch screen.
The reception quality of the Wi-Fi network signal is good, the data transfer rate is one of the highest, only the Samsung Galaxy S4 has a higher result. The smartphone supports GLONASS, the search for satellites does not take much time. Round-trip voice transmission is also not a weak point of the Sony Xperia ZL. None of the subscribers complained about poor audibility or distortion, but with a weak signal level, the voice becomes intermittent. The volume of the conversational and multimedia speakers is sufficient for most situations, although in noisy places, I would like to have a margin, otherwise, you have to rely on not the most powerful vibration alert.
Display
One of the trends in 2013 was the use of displays in smartphones with Full HD resolution. Sony did not stand aside either, showing in January two devices with a 5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. The second generation Mobile BRAVIA Engine is responsible for driving the display - it improves video and images.
In the display settings, the “White Balance” item has appeared, where, if desired, you can adjust this option as you wish. In our opinion, a more relevant setting would be to adjust the color saturation than the white balance. However, the trend is encouraging. For the first time additional settings appeared in Samsung smartphones. We recently saw something similar in Huawei Ascend D2, and now in the Sony Xperia ZL.
Traditionally for Sony, the displayed colors are not as bright as in IPS-matrices, not to mention Super AMOLED. Given the low viewing angles, calling the Sony Xperia ZL display its strength is not the language. To find out the reasons, we asked the manufacturer a question, but have not yet received a response. As soon as Sony reveals the secret of what type of matrix is used in their top-end devices, we will complete the review.
The backlight level of the display ranges from 28 cd / m² to an impressive 478 cd / m², 50% brightness value corresponds to 128 cd / m². Considering the maximum brightness setting, the Sony display could well achieve good contrast ratios, if not for the strong black glow. As a result, the contrast ratio of the Sony Xperia ZL display is 543:1, which is a rather modest indicator.
If we discard the numbers and talk about the impressions of the screen, then they are not so bad, which means that picky users will not pay attention to the low contrast and low viewing angles at all.
Camera
The smartphone uses a new generation of self-developed sensors - Exmor RS. A 13-megapixel sensor allows you to take not only HDR pictures, but also record HDR video, which is also one of the trends of this year.
The camera interface has received some changes, but for those who have already had the pleasure of using Sony smartphones, it will seem familiar. By default, when you turn on the camera, "Super Auto" is activated. According to the developers, it should be suitable for all occasions. At first glance, this seems to be true, at least the photos look good on the smartphone screen, but when viewing them on the monitor, noise reduction becomes noticeable, after which there is no need to talk about any sharp pictures. As a result, if you want to get more or less high-quality photos, it is best to use the "Normal" mode. If you have enough time, you can adjust everything from the scene, balance, exposure and ending with stabilization, geotagging and more.
Sample photos taken by Sony Xperia ZL
Examples of Full HD video shot by Sony Xperia ZL
Results
Smartphone Sony Xperia ZL became the first device on the Ukrainian market with a Full HD display. A similar situation was observed last year, when Sony showed its first device after the break with Ericsson. Following the Sony Xperia S, the HTC One X went on sale. This year, the picture is about the same. By the end of April, HTC One should appear on store shelves, but it will have to share the storefront not only with Sony, but also with Samsung Galaxy S4. Against their background, the Sony Xperia ZL has practically no advantages. Practically, because regardless of the timing of their appearance, functionality and price, the Xperia ZL will remain the most compact smartphone with 5 inch screen. For some, this can be a decisive factor in the choice. From strengths Sony Xperia ZL note the sound quality, size, redesigned interface. From what the implementation could be better - the screen, the quality of the pictures, autonomy, although everything is not so simple with it, since the indicators of the operating time when playing video and music are at least good. All this together makes the smartphone interesting for those who need to console themselves with the knowledge that they have in their hands a device with one of the most productive hardware platforms, with a Full HD screen and a 13 MP camera with the ability to shoot photos and videos in HDR mode.
Liked
+ Dimensions
+ Design
+ Soft-touch plastic in a white smartphone
+ Front camera quality
+ Capture photos and videos in HDR mode
+ Operating time in the mode music player
+ Support for a wide range of audio and video codecs
+ Xperia UX interface
+ Availability of infrared port
+ Maximum display brightness
+ Display resolution
+ Headphone volume and sound quality
+ The speed of receiving and transmitting data in a Wi-Fi network
+ Hardware platform
Did not like
- Inflated recommended price
- "Super auto mode" in the camera
- Low contrast display
- Small display viewing angles
- The material of the back side in a black smartphone
- Margin of the hull
- Photo quality
 | |
| Weight (g) | 151 |
| Processor (for smartphones) | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) Quad Core 1.5GHz + GPU Adreno 320 |
| Memory | 2 GB RAM + 16 GB internal memory |
| Expansion slot | microSD (up to 64 GB) |
| Main screen | TFT (Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2), 5″, 1920 × 1080 pixels, 16 million colors, touch, capacitive, multi-touch support, protective glass |
| Keyboard type | screen input |
| Accumulator battery | Li-Ion, 2370 mAh |
| Operating time (manufacturer's data) | conversation - up to 10/13h (2G/3G), standby - up to 500/500h (2G/3G), audio - up to 40h |
| Communications | USB 2.0 (micro-USB, MHL), Bluetooth 4.0 (A2DP), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot |
| Photography | 13.1 MP, auto focus, digital zoom, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, image stabilization, HDR, sweep panorama, 2 MP front camera |
| Video filming | 1920x1080 pixels, 30 ks |
| Flash | LED |
| Operating system | Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with a high chance of being upgraded to later versions |
| FM radio | Yes |
| Additional features | media player, videotelephony, a-GPS receiver, Google services, accelerometer, gyroscope, integration with social networks, work with office documents, type of SIM card - Micro-SIM |
Contents: Telephone, EP880 USB network charger, MH-EX300AP wired stereo headset, 3 pairs of ear tips different sizes, USB cable EC801, warranty card, manual, packaging
Product description
Sony Xperia ZL
The cameras of our smartphones are created using the same technologies and on the basis of...
The device works with Micro-SIM cards of all GSM operators.
Sony Xperia ZL- all the best from Sony in the new smartphone. Introducing a high-tech smartphone with support for Full format HD.
Incredibly clear and very bright display provides a full sense of presence. Developer experience...
The device works with Micro-SIM cards of all GSM operators.
Sony Xperia ZL- all the best from Sony in the new smartphone. Introducing a high-tech smartphone with Full HD support.
Incredibly clear and very bright display provides a full sense of presence. Developer experience BRAVIA TVs now used in creating screens for mobile devices. Get in the middle of the action with Full HD (1080 x 1920) Reality Display. High pixel density and superb brightness for incredibly crisp and legible images, even in sunlight. Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 automatically optimizes images for crisper, brighter images. She also offers best opportunities in contrast and color management.
Amazing photo and video quality in any light. The cameras of our smartphones are built using the same technologies and components as the best Sony cameras, so you can capture incredibly clear photos and videos anytime, anywhere. Featuring a fast response 13-megapixel camera and the company's latest generation Exmor RS mobile sensor sony mobile The Xperia ZL Android phone captures stunningly clear photos anytime, anywhere. Are you an expert in settings? Superior Auto mode automatically turns on when needed HDR function and noise canceling mode.
One touch to access the world of entertainment. Discover simple and fast way transfer music and photos from your smartphone wirelessly. One-touch screen mirroring with NFC technology allows you to easily view all the contents of your phone on your TV screen. Just 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.
Sound for entertainment. Together with phone Xperia ZL you get a high quality stereo mini 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. 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.
