Sony's consumer electronics
division is in an ongoing state of flux. Having already given up on PCs and e-
readers, the company recently
pledged to make fewer TVs and smartphones in a bid to get its books
back in the black. How Sony's
strategizing will affect its output of tablets remains unclear, but no doubt
a keen eye is being kept on the
reception of its latest slate, the Xperia
Z3 Tablet Compact (don't let that
mouthful of a moniker fool you
-- Sony only classes the 8-inch tablet as "compact" to differentiate
it
from its two previous 10.1-inch
devices). The company is renowned for the quality of its premium
products, and like the two smartphones
that make up the rest of the Z3 family, its newest tablet is a
testament to that legacy.
Cutting to the chase, it's an elegant and powerful device, but with prices
starting at $445/£300, those
credentials might not be enough to make you choose Sony over the
competition.
Summary
Sony's Z3 Tablet Compact is a well-made, thin and light device with
a stunning display, brisk performance and robust battery life. Still,
it's difficult to recommend at this price ($445 and up) when there are
other thin and light flagship tablets that cost less, many of which
offer higher-resolution screens and more capable cameras.
Hardware
Sony's experimented with quirky devices
in the past, but these days it tends to take a distinctly no-nonsense
approach to design. Similar to the other members of the Z3 range, the
Tablet Compact has a deliberate, square profile, softened only by slight
rounding of its corners and sides. Some might call it uninspiring or
flat-out boring, but I regard it as stylishly simple. Where other
manufacturers might use vibrant colors, clashing textures and a bit of
imagination to attract buyers, Sony prefers an IP65/68 dustproof and
waterproof rating alongside stainless steel corner guards for extra
durability.
That's not to say it's completely lacking in design
accents. Sony's signature aluminum power key is in attendance, and a
purely ornamental dark gray border (silver on the white version) around
the perimeter of the device serves to break up the rubbery plastic and
tempered glass that dominate the back and front, respectively. Dotted
along the edges, you'll find a volume rocker next to the power key, a
3.5mm headphone jack, Sony's magnetic dock connector and a couple of
sealed cubbyholes: one for the micro-USB port and another protecting the
microSD and nano-SIM slots (the latter only being present on the LTE
model, of course).
The direction of the two silver Sony logos on either side
of the tablet suggests it's meant to be used in portrait orientation.
This is even clearer when you consider the high, central position of the
main camera on the back of the device, as you have to be mindful of
obstructing the lens when taking photos in landscape mode. Previous
Z-series slates -- excluding the curious "tablet edition" of the Xperia Z
Ultra -- have sported an almost symmetrical, picture-frame style of
display bezel. With this new 8-inch effort, however, the left and right
bezels are slim enough that I can grip the tablet firmly with just one
hand. While that sounds convenient, it's actually more uncomfortable
than it should be to use it this way.
The power key and volume rocker sit central on the tablet's right edge, and directly opposite is Sony's useless
proprietary magnetic dock connector. When I'm grasping the slate with
one hand, then, these features are in just the right spot to rub and
scratch at my skin. Aside from this design oversight, the tablet is a
joy to use, mostly because it's only 6.4mm thick (0.25 inch) and weighs
270g (9.5 ounces). That's even thinner and lighter than the latest iPad mini,
which comes in at 7.5mm (0.29 inch) and 331g (11.7 ounces). The Z3
Compact is perfectly balanced and light enough that you can easily
suspend it between your paws for extended periods of time without
fatiguing; in fact, it's the only tablet I've used that hasn't had me wishing for a case to prop it up in right out of the box.
An unavoidable side effect of being so thin and light is that the tablet also feels a tad... delicate.
Now, the device does bow to my twisting and flexing tests a little more
than I'd like, but even then, I'm content with the overall build
quality. In other words, I wouldn't choose to make it sturdier at the
expense of size or weight. Also, the Z3 Tablet Compact is fully waterproof, after all, so it's not like Sony's thrown this together using spare parts and a roll of duct tape.
Display and audio
The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is decked out with an 8-inch,
1,920 x 1,200 IPS LCD display (283 ppi). In simpler terms, that means
it has a full HD (1080p) screen with a few pixels left over for
accommodating the standard Android navigation keys. As is Sony's way,
the tablet's graced with several of the company's display technologies,
including Triluminos and X-Reality for richer colors and sharper images.
Forgetting the trademarks, the panel is, quite simply, gorgeous. Colors
are vivid; whites are accurate; and blacks are basically as good as
they can be for an LCD display. Viewing angles are excellent, and the
panel can also claim fantastic sunlight readability. On a nice day,
you'll still get a modicum of glare coming off the glass, but the screen
burns bright enough to be easily visible even in strong, direct
sunlight.
I didn't expect much from the tablet's stereo speakers.
The only clues as to their whereabouts are two slivers of missing
plastic above and below the display glass, and I can't say these narrow
grilles look particularly functional. I guess it was inevitable that I
would be pleasantly surprised, however, given my low expectations. Sound
is well-defined, even if it is restricted to the middle and top end,
and the speakers kick out more than enough volume to annoy everyone in
your train carriage. At approximately 75 percent of maximum volume,
though, the tablet begins to vibrate and audio loses all sense of
clarity as distortion takes hold. The speakers could be way
better, and any semblance of bass whatsoever would be appreciated, but
there are also worse ways to watch an episode of your favorite show in
bed.
Having had the pleasure of reviewing the excellent Xperia Z3 Compact,
I had a hunch the Tablet Compact would be a different animal once a set
of headphones was plugged in; and I wasn't wrong. Through headphones,
audio is crisp and perfectly balanced, with a healthy bass range to get
your head bobbing. There's all manner of technology working away in the
background to make sound output as good as it is, such as an
audio-resolution upscaling engine, but all you need to concern yourself
with is what you want to watch or listen to next. The tablet supports
several high-resolution audio formats, too, if you happen to have a
particularly fancy digital music catalog.
Software
The Z3 Tablet Compact is running Android 4.4.4 KitKat for now, but Sony expects to upgrade the slate to Lollipop
(Android version 5.0) in early 2015. Hopefully it won't just be an
under-the-hood upgrade, as the company's custom skin could do with an
overhaul, too. It's familiar and comfortable enough, as it doesn't stray
too far from the stock Android experience, but it could use refining in
the same way Z-series hardware has been subtly nipped and tucked over
the generations. At this point, it's almost too colorful and cartoony, given the business-like appearance of Sony's devices themselves.
The firm has something of an ongoing love affair with
bloatware that could do with being scaled back, for example. Out of the
box, you need to spend a moment clearing the Z3 Tablet Compact's home
screen panels of unwanted widgets and shortcuts, before setting it up
how you actually want it. The overly cluttered app drawer? Well,
that's something you just kinda have to put up with, which isn't a huge
deal if you make good use of the home screen carousel. Still, having
several different gallery apps and various music and movie players could
easily be avoided. You can forgive Sony for preloading its own tablet
with homegrown services -- of which there are many -- like Video
Unlimited, the Lifelog activity tracker and the PlayStation app. I'm
less magnanimous, however, when it comes to more obvious bloatware like
the OfficeSuite, AVG antivirus, Kobo, QR code reader and Garmin
navigation apps. Thankfully, these are all uninstallable, so they can be
easily purged if they're of no use.
Beyond the general verdict that Sony's Android skin is at
least intuitive to use, there are a couple of nifty features that also
deserve a mention. The baked-in screen-recording function that's
accessed via the "shutdown menu" (which pops up after holding down the
power key for a second) is neat, even if you don't see yourself using
it. Also, the Z3 Tablet Compact supports PS4 Remote Play, meaning you
can use it as a wireless screen for your home console as long as both
devices are connected to the same WiFi network. Both smartphones in the
Z3 series are also capable of this, but it makes way more sense on the
tablet due to its significantly larger display.
Camera
Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet plays host to a pretty
underwhelming pair of cameras, and unfortunately for those hoping for
better this time around, the Z3 Tablet Compact is kitted out
identically. I doubt you'll care much that Sony hasn't bothered
upgrading the 2.2-megapixel front-facing shooter. I've made many a Skype
call on the device with no complaints regarding picture quality from
the other end, and I guess if you absolutely have to take that
opportunistic selfie, you'll just be glad to have a shooter on hand. I
understand that cameras just aren't a priority for tablet makers. The
smartphone photographer is a much more demanding breed of user, whereas a
tablet camera is more of a functional asset -- it's there for when you
need it. Still, the quality of the 8.1-megapixel camera with its Exmor
RS backside-illuminated sensor on the Z3 Tablet Compact is almost
inexcusable, especially as Sony expects you to spend the better part of
500 bucks for the privilege.
Whether you're using the manual or "Superior auto"
setting, which, incidentally, restricts image resolution to six
megapixels, photos rarely come out how you want them to. All cameras
typically do their best work in situations with plenty of natural light,
but even under these conditions, images from the Tablet Compact are
frequently washed out, overexposed and lacking realistic color
representation. Every now and again, you'll be surprised by the quality
of a picture, but only because the previous five have been a
disappointment. If there's one compliment you can bestow on the Z2
Tablet's camera, it's that it isn't as bad as the one on the Z3 Tablet
Compact. Since they use the same hardware, I can only conclude that the
sensor hasn't been calibrated properly in the newer slate.
It simply can't deal with artificial light, with the
auto-white balance setting struggling the most. Low-light performance is
a little better. Sometimes images are knowingly overexposed to jack the
brightness up a tad at the expense of contrast and color, which isn't
unusual in mobile devices. When this doesn't occur, though, you're left
with a dark, grainy image -- the kind you won't care to share unless
filtered and hashtagged accordingly. As you'd expect, video performance
isn't markedly different, with 1080p clips suffering in the same way
stills do. The autoexposure setting tends to be commendably consistent,
but focus often stutters and the quality of the video itself is lacking.
And that's when you're framing a static shot; start panning around and
it's like watching a flipbook your eyes can't keep up with.
I'm certain I could've achieved better quality photos more
consistently had I begun digging into the endless menus of Sony's
camera app, but that's just not my style. Out of all camera software,
that's why I prefer the stock Android app. It takes care of everything
for you, and though you could argue Sony's "Superior auto" mode is
comparable, the fact that I have the option to tweak settings
means I'm always mindful I could be squeezing something better out of
the lens. I flat-out dislike Sony's take on the camera app due to the
infinite number of settings available. I imagine even a pro photographer
would quickly tire of the cumbersome, disjointed menu system,
regardless of the deep level of control it seems to offer.
Alongside the manual and "Superior auto" modes, there are
various other camera "apps" available on the device and to download.
Some are potentially useful, like the YouTube live-broadcasting mode,
Evernote plug-in and "Timeshift burst" feature, which lets you select
from a set of images taken before and after you hit the shutter release.
Others are there to inject a little fun into the proceedings, such as
the augmented reality camera apps that overlay virtual objects and
critters onto your images. And some of your photos are bound to be so
bad that you'll want to hide them behind dinosaurs and ninjas.
Performance and battery life
The Z3 Tablet Compact might look starkly different compared to last year's 10.1-inch Z2 Tablet,
but hardly anything has changed when it comes to the key specs. You're
still looking at 3GB of RAM and a quad-core Snapdragon 801 chipset with
Adreno 330 GPU, albeit clocked at a slightly higher speed of 2.5GHz.
There are a couple of reasons the core internals are nigh on identical.
For one, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801 SoC is basically as good as they
come; and secondly, it's got more power than you realistically need in a
tablet. Games like Asphalt 8: Airborne run dreamily on the
highest graphics settings, so if you're partial to the odd session of
[insert game of choice here], know that it'll run as well on the Tablet
Compact as it would on any other top-tier device.
It should go without saying, since the tablet handles
processor-intensive 3D games without a hiccup, but if you need
confirmation: The general user experience is super-slick, too. Whether
you're swiping furiously through the home screen or app drawer panels,
or taking care of the basics like checking email and browsing the web,
the Tablet Compact never misses a beat. It's a high-end device with a
price to match, and that's most certainly reflected in the performance
stakes.
When it comes to connection protocols, the Z3 Tablet
Compact supports practically everything you can think of: dual-band WiFi
(up to 802.11ac), Bluetooth 4.0 LE, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, ANT+,
WiFi Direct, Miracast, MHL 3.0, DLNA and various other, more obscure
acronyms. In addition to the two WiFi-only configurations with either
16GB or 32GB of onboard storage, there are two models with nano-SIM
slots for tapping into Cat 4 LTE networks (maximum download speeds of
150 Mbps). I've been testing out the SGP621, which supports LTE Bands 1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 13, 17 and 20. Thus, it's the model most suitable for
European and North American markets (though it won't work on Sprint's
4G network), while SGP641 is the SKU for Asia, with support for LTE
Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 28 and TD LTE Band 40. You're not limited to data
traffic on the LTE variants, by the way, meaning you can use the Z3
Tablet Compact as a comically oversized phone if you're so inclined (or
have no other choice).
Battery life is easily one of the standout features of
both the Xperia Z3 and its miniature counterpart. The Z3 Tablet Compact
is no different. While the slate's 4,500mAh battery isn't oversized for
an 8-inch tablet, it lasted between 13.5 and 14 hours in our standard
looping-video rundown test from a full charge (I ran it a few times to
be sure I was getting an accurate result). To put that into perspective,
that's among the best results any tablet's ever achieved.
In real life, you're looking at more like 10 hours of
continuous use, since you'll be losing efficiency by doing more than
simply watching a locally stored video for over half a day. Battery life
drops dramatically if you're doing more processor-intensive tasks, of
course. I used it frequently over the holiday period to Skype with
relatives and friends, and I estimate you could stay on a call for
around three to four hours from a full charge. If the slate is destined
to sit on your coffee table for the majority of its tenure, though,
it'll turn out to be one of those devices you forget to charge for days
on end, because you simply don't need to.
The competition
Right now, you can pick up a 16GB WiFi-only Xperia Z3
Tablet Compact in the US for $479 on Amazon, or £300 through Amazon's or
Sony's online UK stores. It really isn't worth springing for the 32GB
configuration at $500 or £349 when a 16GB microSD card can be found for
significantly less than the mark-up, but if you require LTE
connectivity, you're looking at roughly $545 or £399. It goes without
saying, then, that this isn't exactly a cheap tablet, and it's hard to
justify the price when you can find perfectly good products like Amazon's Fire HD 6
for $99/£79. The Z3 Tablet Compact is in a completely different league,
of course, especially when it comes to computing power, but then it
depends on what you're going to do with your slate. Plenty of folks
would be better off choosing a much cheaper tablet if browsing, emails
and social networking are their primary concerns.
At the higher end of the spectrum, there haven't been too
many notable releases since the Xperia Z2 Tablet was launched in early
2014. Of the devices that have comparable screen sizes to the 8-inch
Tablet Compact, the strongest competition comes from Google's Nexus 9, Apple's iPad mini 2 or 3 and Samsung's 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab S.
The Nexus 9 is the newest of the trio, and runs Android 5.0 Lollipop
out of the box. It's a tad heavy, but with a high-res display, decent
battery life and excellent performance, it's not a bad device for the
$399 asking price. The iPad mini 3 is also $399 for the 16GB
configuration, and is a great little tablet all-round, though the $299
iPad mini 2 is arguably a much more attractive option if iOS is more
your bag. The 8.4-inch Galaxy Tab S is currently selling for $340 at Expansys, making it the cheapest of the lot. It's thin, light, powerful and carries a gorgeous 2,560 x 1,600 display.
If you haven't noticed the theme here, let me spell it out
for you: The Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is at least $80 more expensive
than its closest competitors. And the real problem is that I wouldn't
consider it to be necessarily better than any of the products
mentioned. Each device has its flaws and killer features, so obviously
personal preference comes into play when you're deciding what tablet's
gonna suit your needs best. But, it's kinda hard to justify the extra
expense when the Z3 Tablet Compact doesn't have an obvious edge.
Wrap-up
Sony's Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact is a lovely piece of
hardware. It's light on flair, has a borderline-terrible camera,
mediocre stereo speakers and a slightly tired Android build. On the
flipside, though, it has a fantastic display (even if it is only a 1080p
panel), outstanding performance and long battery life. Maybe I'm just
boring, but the facet I like most is how thin and light the tablet is. I
haven't really wanted for a new slate since I picked up a
discounted OG iPad mini many moons ago. While I've been using the Z3
Tablet Compact, I've grown to adore how... compliant it is. For me, its
size and weight are the most impactful features, but therein lies the
problem.
There are other thin and light tablets. Some have
higher-resolution screens; others are beautifully designed; and all are
cheaper than the $479 Z3 Tablet Compact. A high waterproof rating
doesn't justify such a high price, and I shouldn't really be complaining
about things like camera performance for that kind of dough, either.
I've had the luxury of using the featherweight tablet for an extended
period of time -- enough to fall in love with its petite profile -- but I
haven't had to drop a cent for the pleasure. While I'd be happy to add
one to my gadget repertoire, I simply can't bring myself to drop nearly
500 bones on a tablet that doesn't stand out enough from the crowd. If
it were cheaper, maybe -- but for now, I'll stick with my two-year-old
iPad mini, thanks.
Source by Engadget.com
0 comments:
Post a Comment