Sony took to the CES 2013 platform to take the wraps off its flagship for 2013 — the Xperia Z, which is looking to lock horns with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2.
Here's a look at how two Android-powered flagships, the Xperia Z and Galaxy Note 2, measure up against each other:
Processor
The Xperia Z features a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor with Adreno 320GPU, which is asynchronous. This means that each core is "powered independently" and does not waste power.
On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 2 has a slightly faster 1.6Ghz quad-core Exynos processor.
Display
The Xperia Z sports a 5-inch full HD Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. The Galaxy Note 2 sports a bigger 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display).
However, the Sony offering has a higher pixel resolution of 1920 x 1080 vis-à-vis the Samsung phone's 1280 x 720. Moreover, the Xperia Z edges out the Note 2 when it comes to pixel density: 443ppi versus 267 ppi.
Form Factor
The Xperia Z measures 5.47 x 2.79 x 0.31 inches versus 5.95 x 3.17 x 0.37 inches of the Galaxy Note2, making the latter taller, wider and thicker than the former.
The Xperia Z weighs 146gms, making it much lighter than the 186gms of the Galaxy Note 2.
Storage and Memory
Galaxy Note 2 offers 16/32/64GB of on-board storage which can be expanded to an additional 64GB using a microSD card. The Xperia Z, on the other hand, is available only in 16GB with an expandable memory option (of up to 32GB) via a microSD card.
Both devices offer 2GB of RAM.
Software
Both the Xperia Z and the Galaxy Note 2 come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box, respectively, but Sony mentioned at the launch that its offering would soon be upgraded to Android 4.2 after release. The Galaxy Note 2 has received the update to Android 4.1.2 in several regions.
Camera
The Xperia Z has a 13.1-megapixel rear-facing Fast Capture camera with Exmor RS, which is capable of shooting HDR videos. The Note 2, on the other hand, features an 8-megapixel primary camera which pales in front of the Sony one.
Moreover, the Xperia Z's 2.2-megapixel front-facing camera has a marginally higher resolution than the 1.9-megapixel one on the Galaxy Note 2.
Battery
Battery performance-wise, the Galaxy Note 2 is the clear winner. The Galaxy Note 2 features a powerful removable 3100mAh battery, which offers users 16 hours of talk time and 890 hours of standby time on a 3G network. The Xperia Z packs in a non-removable 2330mAh battery that features a Battery STAMINA mode, which saves battery drain. It supports up to 11 hours of talk time and 550 hours of standby time.
USP
The Sony offering is water- and dust-resistant, unlike the Samsung smartphone. However, the Galaxy Note 2 touts the S Pen stylus, which sets the smartphone apart from the crowd.
Availability
The Galaxy Note 2 hit shelves in October and has gone on to sell an incredible 5 million units worldwide: a testimony of its immense popularity. The Xperia Z hit the international shelves in February. The unlocked version of the Galaxy Note 2 will set users back $600, whereas the unlocked Xperia Z costs $849.
The Xperia Z is available in three colors — black, white and purple. The Galaxy Note 2 is available in four hues: Ruby Wine, Amber Brown, Marble White and Titanium Gray.
With both the Xperia Z and Galaxy Note 2 evenly matched, it remains to be seen which smartphone will strike a chord with the consumers.
