Sony Xperia Z Ultra pushes the phablet envelope

Must cover this one. It’s big but it’s slim, it’s Full HD but it’s also waterproof… It’s the Android-powered Sony Xperia Z Ultra and it’s pushing the phablet envelope (a form factor criticised by Apple purists but one that is increasingly popular with the wider public). Really, it’s all about the display…

The Samasung Galaxy Note was the previous holder of the title “biggest smartphone display” but Sony has now taken that away: the Note’s 5.55-inch display had been surpassed by the Z Ultra’s massive 6.44-inch touchscreen. (The Galaxy Note III is imminent but rumours are expecting a 5.7-inch display at least or a 6-inch display at best, so Sony seems safely ahead on this metric.)

The Z Ultra’s TFT TRILUMINOS display (1,920×1,080 pixels) has a touch panel cover glass with Super Hard Coat ASF, according to the Sony release:

The Xperia Z Ultra features a 6.4″ touchscreen Full HD display with Sony’s unique TRILUMINOS Display for mobile, creating a wider palette of rich natural colours thanks to Sony’s BRAVIA TV expertise. The breakthrough technology includes X-Reality for mobile – Sony’s intelligent super resolution display technology which analyses each image and reproduces lacking pixels to optimise quality for the sharpest videos. It analyses elements depending on the scene and adjusts them based on pattern, outline and colour composition. It also strengthens subtle patterns and accurately portrays their detailed feel, as well as reinforcing bold outlines.

Measuring 179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5mm and weighing 212g, the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2.2 GHz quad-core CPUs, there’s 4G LTE support, and an 8 megapixel camera. As well as expected WALKMAN functionality, the Sony Reader app plumbs into Sony’s Reader store for books.

It runs Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), with NFC and Bluetooth 4.0. Networks supported are: UMTS HSPA+ 900 (Band VIII), 2100 (Band I) MHz, 850 (Band V), 1900 (Band II), 1700 (Band IV) and GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz.
The Xperia Z Ultra will launch globally from Q3 2013 (

While exact timing of availability will vary by regional market, the device is expected to be available in “Q3″…

Read the Sony release »

“The Xperia Z Ultra is the most exciting revolution in large-screen smartphone entertainment devices with both the slimmest and largest Full HD smartphone display in the world that is second to none.” said Calum MacDougall, Director of Xperia Marketing at Sony Mobile Communications. “We’re already bringing the best of Sony technology and design across a range of premium smartphones and tablets, and now we are bringing this same premium offering to the large-screen smartphone segment, setting a new standard for others to follow.”

An interview with Sony’s Jun Katsunuma, design lead on the Xperia Z Ultra »