Sony Xperia Tablet Z Review

Slick design and useful features make the Tablet
Z Sony’s best yet — but is it worth the money?
Let’s not mince words — in a market dominated
by Apple’s iPad, any high-priced 10-inch Android
tablet is a tough sell. Over the past year, the
Android slates that have proved the most
successful have been smaller, less expensive
models like ASUS and Google’s Nexus 7. Yet from
the start Sony has concentrated its efforts on the
high-end tablet space, with the Xperia Tablet S
and Sony Tablet S before that. This year the
strategy remains much the same — push a high-
end tablet with unique multimedia functionality —
but the resulting device promises to be more than
just another Android tablet.
So here comes the Xperia Tablet Z , a super-thin,
super-light water-resistant tablet with LTE
connectivity, some unique battery-conservation
tricks and a camera that’s more than an
afterthought. But with prices starting at £400 in
the UK, it’s packing a premium price tag. So how
does it measure up? Read on to find out.
Thin, light, attractive design. Good-looking
screen with wide viewing angles. Speedy
performance. Useful software features like
double-tap to wake and battery stamina.
Water resistance and LTE connectivity.
Great battery life for a tablet this thin.
It’s a dust, lint and fingerprint magnet.
Annoying plastic flaps cover connection
ports. High starting price. CPU and display
not quite cutting edge. Decidedly average
rear camera.
The Xperia Tablet Z is probably the best 10-inch
Android tablet you can buy right now, if you can
stomach the £400 starting price. Rivals like the
Nexus 10 offer a higher-res screen for less cash,
but Sony pushes ahead with water
resistance, LTE connectivity, expandable storage
and battery-extending software features. However
with newer chips like NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 and
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 on the horizon, the
Tablet Z could be quickly eclipsed in the months
ahead.