Sony xperia articles

Compared to the Z2, Sony has made some minute changes in the Xperia Z3. We're looking at a slightly upgraded Snapdragon 801 SoC, a marginally smaller 3,100 mAh battery, a thinner design, and a few software tweaks. The camera and display are essentially the same. It's clear Sony has been tinkering with the perfect smartphone formula, and while those on the six-months-old Z2 can probably skip this, it might make users of competing phones consider a switch.

Most of the phones that will be coming out this year have been announced and launched, so now is the perfect time to pick some favorites. I've used all the flagships from HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, Sony, and more, so here are my thoughts on what's currently the best in the Android camp.

The fear of running out of battery wields such an extraordinary influence over how we use smartphones. We are never too far from a charger, and many of us carry a heavy, cumbersome power bank. I have good news: we are on the verge of true all day battery life.

The Xperia Z2 is the culmination of a series of refinements to Sony's formula, it doesn't stray significantly from the Z1 that came before it, but every upgrade since the original Xperia Z has been of note. We're looking at a top of the line phone with all the latest and greatest specifications, making it a very compelling battle between this and the flagship offerings from Samsung and HTC.

Also, don't miss the video review for hands-on comparisons between the Z2, Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8:

The Xperia Z2 Tablet is a successor to last year's Xperia Tablet Z, and like what we're seeing in Sony's smartphone range, the device is an incremental update to what came before. Like the Tablet Z, the Z2 Tablet is fully water resistant, packs a 10.1-inch WUXGA display, and is under 7mm thick. The most significant update is the specification bump to Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 801 SoC, plus there's an improved camera and a sizable weight reduction.

Enter the Xperia Z1. New Snapdragon 800 SoC. New 20.7-megapixel Exmor RS camera. New aluminium body. In many respects, this is what Sony was aiming for with the original Xperia Z: a solid set of features to lure any smartphone buyer including waterproofing. It may be out a little later than your Galaxy S4 or HTC One, but there's no doubting that the Z1 is a high-end handset to take Sony into 2014.

As we move closer to the end of the year everyone's moving to refresh their lineups in preparation for the lucrative holiday season. Apple just announced a new iPad Air and iPad mini Retina, Microsoft pushed out the second generation Surfaces, Amazon Kindles hedged its bets on high-end hardware and real-time support, Samsung did its own thing with numerous Android devices, and Google is set to refresh the Nexus line later this month.

With no less than 30 devices in their Xperia smartphone range, Sony certainly doesn't shy away from releasing multitudes of Android devices. However, nothing Sony has released thus far can be likened to the Xperia Z Ultra.

For the first time, the Japanese company has released a phablet. Sporting a gargantuan 6.4-inch display and powerful Snapdragon 800 processor in a body that's easily the largest, but also the slimmest that I've ever seen in a similar smartphone.