Check out our review of the Sony Xperia Z2 tablet.
Sony has revealed the Xperia Z2 Tablet, a sequel to the Tablet Z launched at Mobile World Congress last year. It’s promoted as the world’s slimmest and lightest waterproof tablet, and is stuffed with the latest tech and a few interesting new features.
Updated on 2-24-2014 by Jeff at Mobile World Congress: I’ve added some new shots of the tablet.
The Xperia Z2 Tablet has been slimmed down to a mere 6.4mm thick. That’s more than a millimeter thinner than the iPhone 5S, and close to matching the Huawei Ascend P6, once holder of the world’s thinnest smartphone title. The style is reminiscent of Sony’s most recent Xperia smartphones, with an attractive, symmetrical design. Overall, the tablet weighs 436 grams, and the chassis has IP55 and IP58 certification for water and dust protection.
A 10.1-inch, Triluminos (just LCD) screen with a 1080p, Full HD resolution covers the front of the Z2 Tablet, but the display is billed as a Live Color LED panel, apparently a world first on a tablet. Sony says this makes colors more natural, and the screen easier to read in sunlight. We’ll see how it performs when we get some hands-on time with the Xperia Z2 Tablet.
Sony is using a new Qualcomm processor inside the tablet. It’s not the forthcoming Snapdragon 805, but the quad-core Snapdragon 801. There’s not much information on the new chip, but we do know it’s running at 2.3GHz, has an Adreno 330 GPU, and 3GB of RAM. Sony is also making a big deal about the Z2’s audio system, which boasts a digital noise cancelling system when you use a compatible noise cancelling headset.
The feature list continues with an 8.1-megapixel camera using Sony’s fancy Exmor RS sensor on the rear, a 2.2-megapixel front camera, the option of a Wi-Fi or 3G/4G LTE connectivity, and a big 6000mAh battery. It uses Qualcomm’s Quick Charge technology for a 75 percent faster charge time, and will provide 10 hours of continuous video playback. A Bluetooth keyboard case accessory will convert the Z2 Tablet into a small laptop.
Sony won’t make us wait for the Xperia Z2 Tablet, and has confirmed it’ll go on sale around the world from March, but the price and and exact U.S. release date aren’t yet finalized.
