The Sony Xperia Z launched at a Czech T-Mobile store last Thursday. Bikini-clad models were on hand to test the phone's waterproof functionality inside of a custom-built shower display at the store.
The models browsed the Web, made phone calls and sent text messages from the Jelly Bean-powered Xperia Z, all while standing under running water. The 5-inch, 1080p, quad core smartphone suffered nary a glitch — proving that the handset is indeed not squeamish when it comes to a little bit of water.
A male model was also present, offering the same demonstration wearing a pair of swim trunks.
It's still unclear when the phone will have its U.S. rollout, but based on hands-on reviews with its international cousins, the Xperia Z is shaping up to be the Android release of the year.
The phone's most striking feature is arguably the fact that it's waterproof. While many might argue that this is more of a gimmick, the phone definitely has a solid build with quality components that should silence the naysayers.
The Xperia Z will ship with 2GB RAM, a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 13-mega-pixel rear-facing camera and a 2.2 mega-pixel camera on the front. It will support LTE and has a 5-inch touchscreen display with pixel density of 440 PPI.
The handset will run Android Jelly Bean 4.1.2 and has Sony's custom UI skin layered on top. Sony's Walkman media application is of course included and NFC-technology seems set to be a tentpole feature across several Sony handsets, including the Xperia Z.
So far, it's received fairly glowing reviews from technology reporters. Damien McFerren of CNET rated the device 4.5/5 and stated," The Sony Xperia Z combines looks, power and connectivity to supply one of the most impressive Android experiences we've seen in quite some time."
