Sony has unveiled the Xperia Z2 and has power packed it with some of the best features to take on the mighty Samsung and probably earn the title of one of the best Android phones for 2014.
The company’s announcement came ahead of Samsung’s event scheduled for later on Monday. The Xperia Z2 comes with the industry’s first noise cancelling technology and packs the camera with 4K capable video recording.
Sony has termed this as its best ever smartphone combining its best display, sound, camera and camcorder experience apart from being waterproof.
In terms of design, the phone looks similar to its predecessor although Sony has increased the display size of the Z2 to 5.2” offering a Full HD experience. The phone is 8.2mm thick and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3GHz quad-core processor, backed by 3GB of RAM and also features the Adreno 330 GPU for rich graphics and gaming and a dual ISP for better camera and display experience. Xperia Z2 also includes a large 3200 mAh battery, sufficient to last for more than a day.
Sony says its latest device incorporates the company’s experiences in the camcorder industry with “a combination of the world’s best mobile camera and our most advanced camcorder ever in and 8.2 mm slim smartphone.”
The 20.7 megapixel camera is matched with 1/2.3-type Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor, Sony’s award-winning G Lens and intelligent BIONZ for mobile image processing engine.
Videos can not only be captured in 4K resolution (3840×2160 pixels/30p) but Sony has added additional features such as Plus, SteadyShot image stabilisation technology. The new Movie Creator allows the user to trim and crop videos. The inbuilt STM10 Stereo Microphone offers high quality stereo audio recording.
Sony is betting so highly on its camera, that it has pre-loaded the Z2 with new camera apps for both photo and video.
Here are some of them:
Timeshift video: To relive every moment of the action in slow motion detail, the new Timeshift video mode lets you shoot in 120 frames per second and select scenes to slow the playback speed for dramatic slow motion effects exactly where you want, even underwater.
Creative effect: Use a range of new creative effects for your photos and videos. Available in real-time for video, these adjustments enhance your clips with a range of effects such as colours, image trails, mirror and motion effects.
Background defocus: This new camera app simulates a shallow depth of field. Capture two photos at different focus settings and blend together the different depths, leading to a blurred out background for more professional looking photos.
AR effect: Now available for video recording, have some fun with your photos and videos with new augmented reality animations, including sound effects for video.
Vine4: Create short, beautiful, looping videos in a simple and fun way for your friends and family to see – all from your camera’s viewfinder. Plus, using the dedicated camera button, you can capture Vine videos underwater as well.
The Xperia Z2 will launch globally in March.