Since the beginning of Honeycomb; the first version of Android prepared for tablets; we have seen how many manufacturers began to put effort into the fight to become the iPad killer that more than one expected. Among the various manufacturers, one of the most prominent was Sony, for very good reasons such as design or multimedia.
As usual, in each new year it is typical to see new products ready to fight against competition at the highest level, and Sony's commitment to succeed the Z2 tablet that we already met last year is already in our hands. Is the Xperia Z4 tablet at the height of the competition? We will know soon.
Sony Xperia Z4, a tablet to compete against all
In the world of tablets, Sony is a manufacturer that only offers high-end models, and as such, it has a technical sheet that meets expectations. For this, Sony's choice for the brain of this beast is the Snapdragon 810, the latest Qualcomm chip that has a big.LITTLE architecture that has 4 Cortex A53 cores at 1.5Ghz for everyday tasks, and another 4 Cortex cores A57 to 2Ghz for more demanding tasks.
These cores come well accompanied by 3GB of RAM, and an Adreno 430 GPU, the most powerful graphics offered by Qualcomm that will be destined to load with all the content that we will visualize on a prominent 10.1-inch TRILUMINES screen at a monstrous resolution of 2560 × 1600 pixels.
Here is the technical data sheet of the Xperia Z4 tablet:
- 10.1-inch screen with 2K resolution (2560 x 1600 pixels)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC: 4 A53 @ 1.5GHz cores and 4 A57 @ 2GHz cores
- Integrated graphic: Adreno 430
- 3GB RAM Memory LPDDR4
- 8MP rear camera
- 5MP front camera
- Connectivity: MIMO WiFi and LTE Cat6
- 6,000 mAh battery
- Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
- Dimensions: 25.4 cm x 16.7 cm x 6.1 mm
- Weight: 392g / 396g (WiFi / LTE)
- Water resistance with IP65 / 68 certification
Design: large, thin and light
Having the new Xperia Z4 in our hands there have been few sensations we have had. On the one hand we get a big surprise with its lower thickness and weight, reaching a height of 6.1 mm and 392g I weigh, making it the lightest large format tablet on the market. This results in a great ease to grab and hold it for long periods of time with great comfort.
On the other hand, although we have a thinner and lighter device, we observe a feeling of continuity in design. The rear part has the same plastic surface, which we would have liked to have been softer, while the side edges have become slightly curved, Z3 style, which still have rounded corners. Good guidelines of the characteristic design of Sony, but not surprising.
Perhaps the only change we can observe is the absence of the magnetic connector, a feature that has always been curious on Sony tablets, but that seen the picture, should not be popular.
On the other hand we have IP 65/68 protection, depending on the opening of its only available cover, from which we can access the microSD card, and card nanoSIM, in the case of the LTE model. On this occasion, the microUSB connector offers protection against water, so that it will not be damaged if it is submerged, although as is evident, we will have to make sure it is dry before connecting it.
screen
One of the most noticeable evolutions regarding the Xperia Z2 Tablet is the screen, and since we are talking about a device oriented to the consumption of contents could not be less. On this occasion, we met a IPS panel with TRILUMINOS technology and a resolution of 2550 × 1600 pixels, being at the height of the competition in terms of pixel density.
Even with blacks being a weak point of IPS screens, it behaves decently
But we know that the resolution is not everything, and fortunately in all other aspects it does not fall short. The TRILUMINOS panel offers a higher level of maximum brightness than in the previous generation, while its minimum brightness level is very dim, making this tablet a perfect companion for both the sunniest day and for dark use.
The color level is also fantastic, and in spite of being an IPS panel, it has more vivid colors than most tablets we know in the panorama, although the level of blacks does not reach the height of AMOLED screens. On the other hand, Sony software is designed to take full advantage of this panel, being able to choose color intensity settings for images and videos, as well as more advanced settings such as modifying the white balance manually.
In terms of protection, we have a scratch and fingerprint resistant front glass, which also has improvements in the response to our touch. The screen not only responds well under normal conditions, but also keep the guy wet, drastically reducing the times when the screen went crazy. Even so, the Z4 tablet will not respond to our touches while it is submerged, or with a large layer of water above, when it could start to do crazy things, but they are quite unlikely cases.
Sound and Camera
Focusing on the multimedia section, experience tells us that it is not enough to simply include the best screen, but also to include an auditory experience at the height. Sony being one of the top representatives of this kind of experiences.
For this, the bet of the Japanese company consists of two front speakers quite discreet, located slightly below the center of the screen. Despite their small size, these speakers have enough difficulty to be covered with our hands by accident, which makes it quite complicated to disturb our listening experience.
The time has come to finish our analysis, and with it to issue our verdict. The Sony Xperia Z4 tablet is a product that in its user experience has made us fall in love. Not only have we encountered a device extremely thin and light, but with one of the best products focused on multimedia consumption, thanks to its outstanding display and front sound.
Its Snapdragon 810 chip perfectly moves a version of Lollipop quite close to Google's Android with interesting additions to multitasking. We loved that it is not only fast, but stable, having not received any problem in weeks on, detail that should be usual in the high range, but that is not always the case.
On the other hand, for putting a lace, the camera has disappointed us a bit. It is true that photography is not one of the main uses of a tablet, but given its high price, we would have liked to find a higher quality camera. A topic that worries us is if the Snapdragon 810 will continue to make the stature in the future, but neither alarms us too much as it remains the best solution of Qualcomm, but having the Tegra K1 would have made it the ultimate gaming device.
Analyzing it completely we conclude the Xperia Z4 is about the most complete tablet of the Android panorama, although also the most expensive, since we can find it at an official price of 599 euros. The only mistake that we can blame on this tablet is really the camera, and if we are demanding that it cannot take full advantage of its chip's potential.
Without a doubt, we can say that it is The best Android tablet of the moment if you are looking for a tablet without limits in your budget. The addition of water resistance is highly valued, more now in summer. However, if you are looking for the best value in relation to quality / price, there are quite a few models in the competition, which although they are inferior in some aspects, have much more affordable prices.