Sony Xperia ZL review. Examples of photos taken by Sony Xperia ZL

General characteristics

Type

Deciding on the type of device (phone or smartphone?) is quite simple. If you need a simple and inexpensive device for calls and SMS, it is recommended to choose a telephone. A smartphone is more expensive, but it offers a wide variety of options: games, videos, the Internet, thousands of programs for all occasions. However, its battery life is significantly less than that of a regular phone.

smartphone operating system Android 4.4 Case type classic Control screen buttons Number of SIM cards 1 SIM card type

Modern smartphones can use not only regular SIM cards, but also their more compact versions micro SIM and nano SIM. An eSIM is a SIM card integrated into the phone. It takes up virtually no space and does not require a separate tray for installation. eSIM is not yet supported in Russia. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones

micro SIM Weight 151 g Dimensions (WxHxD) 69.3x131.6x9.8 mm

Screen

Screen type color TFT, 16.78 million colors, touch Touch screen type multi-touch, capacitive Diagonal 5 inches. Image Size 1920x1080 Pixels per inch (PPI) 441 Aspect Ratio 16:9 Automatic screen rotation There is Scratch-resistant glass There is

Multimedia capabilities

Number of main (rear) cameras 1 Main (rear) camera resolution 13 MP Photoflash rear, LED Functions of the main (rear) camera autofocus, digital Zoom 16x Face and smile recognition Recording videos There is Max. video resolution 1920x1080 Geo Tagging yes Front-camera yes, 2.1 MP Audio MP3, FM radio Headphone jack 3.5mm MHL Video Output

Connection

Standard

There are several basic cellular communication standards that are supported by modern phones. In Russia, the GSM standard is used almost everywhere. For high-speed data transmission, 3G and 4G LTE standards are used - the highest speed of the existing standards. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones

GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE LTE bands support model C6503 - 800, 850, 900, 1800, 2100, 2600 MHz; model C6506 - 700, 850, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz Interfaces

Almost all modern smartphones have Wi-Fi and USB interfaces. Bluetooth and IRDA are a little less common. Wi-Fi is used to connect to the Internet. USB is used to connect your phone to a computer. Bluetooth is also found in many phones. It is used to connect wireless headphones, to connect the phone to wireless speakers, as well as for transferring files. A smartphone equipped with an IRDA interface can be used as universal remote control remote control. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones

Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, IRDA, USB, NFC Satellite navigation

Built-in GPS and GLONASS modules allow you to determine the phone's coordinates using signals from satellites. In the absence of GPS, a modern smartphone can determine its own location using signals from cellular operator base stations. However, finding coordinates using satellite signals is usually much more accurate. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones

GPS/GLONASS A-GPS system yes DLNA support yes

Memory and processor

CPU

Modern phones and smartphones usually use special processors - SoC (System on Chip, system on a chip), which, in addition to the processor itself, houses the graphics core, memory controller, input/output device controller, etc. Therefore, the processor largely determines the set of functions and device performance. Glossary of terms for the category Mobile phones

Qualcomm APQ8064, 1500 MHz Number of processor cores 4 Video processor Adreno 320 Built-in memory capacity 16 GB RAM capacity 2 GB Memory card slot Yes, up to 32 GB

Nutrition

Battery capacity 2370 mAh Talk time 10 o'clock Standby time 500 h Operating time while listening to music 2013-01-08

Before purchasing, check the specifications and equipment with the seller.

Due to the fact that the length of the ZL body is noticeably shorter than that of the Xperia Z, the smartphone is much more convenient to use. Still, a large screen is convenient to operate, convenient for web surfing, but such a device does not fit very well in the hand, so downsizing is always useful. And by the way, today the Xperia ZL is the smallest smartphone among five-inch models.

The power key is well located. Although it is a little convex, it does not cling to the pocket. A separate camera button also adds convenience, not only when shooting, but also when turning on the camera from standby mode. This takes about a second. Not a record, but quite a good result. In general, the ergonomics of the smartphone are at the flagship level, and its more compact dimensions can even be considered an advantage.

Screen, built-in camera

The smartphone is equipped with an excellent 5-inch diagonal screen. Exactly the same as the main Sony smartphone of this season, with Full HD resolution. The image density is 441 dpi. This is much higher than that of the iPhone 5. The display is made according to TFT technology, but with branded “chips” called Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. The latter significantly increase contrast and saturation when watching videos and photos. However, colors remain natural, although in terms of black depth it is still far from AMOLED displays.

"Grey Cardinal" at the King's Court

Most readers who follow our publications certainly already know that Sony Mobile, the division of the Japanese corporation responsible for the production of mobile devices, “opened the season” this year by being one of the first to release its new top-end smartphone model called Sony Xperia Z .

The new product turned out to be very noticeable, although it acquired a somewhat scandalous status, thanks to its display, which seemed to many, to put it mildly, not the best solution on the modern market. But no matter how the Xperia Z model is criticized for its “overexposed” screen, we must give Sony its due: the company really did a good job presenting the market with a top-end smartphone that absorbed all the best developments of the Japanese company in recent years in many areas of its activities.

At one time we wrote a lot about the new product and even managed to do a detailed review of the model. Now it’s her “little sister’s” turn to undergo our “examination.” Not everyone knows that, along with the top-end Xperia Z, Sony demonstrated another new product in January called Sony Xperia ZL.

The model is also very noticeable; in terms of its hardware characteristics, it is practically no different from the flagship, and their screens, apparently, are the same. The differences lie primarily in the design. If the Sony Xperia Z was made in a “glamorous” style - all made of glass and with mirror surfaces - then its younger sister in this sense looks a little simpler. Not only is there not such a mass of glass surfaces, but also the case does not have certified protection against dust and water. In all other respects, however, the smartphone also turned out to be quite worthy of the title of top-end, and its price is not much lower than that of a flagship. In any case, this smartphone is quite worthy of its own separate review. So, let's start in order.

	Sony Xperia ZL	Sony Xperia Z	HTC One	Sharp SH930W	LG Optimus G
Screen	5″, IPS	5″, IPS	4.7″, S-LCD3	5″, S-CGS (VA)	4.7″, IPS Plus
Permission	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1920×1080, 469 ppi	1920×1080, 440 ppi	1280×768, 317 ppi
SoC		Qualcomm APQ8064 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 @1.7 GHz (4 Krait 300 cores)	Qualcomm MSM8260A @1.5 GHz (2 cores, ARMv7 Krait)	Qualcomm APQ8064 @1.5 GHz (4 cores, ARMv7 Krait)
RAM	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB	2 GB
Flash memory	16 GB	16 GB	32/64 GB	32 GB	32 GB
Memory card support	microSD	microSD	No	No	No
operating system	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.1	Google Android 4.1
SIM format*	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM	Micro-SIM
Battery	non-removable, 2300 mAh	non-removable, 2330 mAh	non-removable, 2300 mAh	removable, 2100 mAh	non-removable, 2100 mAh
Cameras		rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (4 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (8 MP; video - 1080p), front (2 MP)	rear (13 MP; video - 1080p), front (1.3 MP)
Dimensions	132×69×9.8 mm, 151 g	139×71×7.9 mm, 146 g	137×68×9.3 mm, 143 g	139×72×9.1 mm, 156 g	132×69×8.5 mm, 145 g

* The most common SIM card formats are described in a separate material.

Key Features of Sony Xperia ZL

• SoC Qualcomm APQ8064, 1.5 GHz, 4 cores
• GPU Adreno 320
• Operating system Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Touch display IPS, 5″, 1920×1080
• Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, inner memory 16 GB
• MicroSD card slot up to 32 GB
• Communication GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
• Communication 3G UMTS HSPA+ 850, 900, 2100 MHz
• LTE Band I, III, V, VII, VIII, XX (2600/800 FDD are used in the Russian Federation)
• HSPA+ 21 Mbps
• Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Infrared
• Support DLNA, MHL, OTG, Media Go, MTP
• Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n (2 bands)
• GPS/Glonass
• Exmor RS 13 MP camera with HDR video support
• Exmor R camera, 2 MP (front)
• Lithium-ion battery 2300 mAh
• Dimensions 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm
• Weight 151 g

Equipment

The smartphone comes with in-ear headphones that are interesting in all respects (MH-EX300AP), naturally coming with a set of additional ear pads. The set also includes an advanced charger (1.5 A) and USB cable for charging and communication with a computer. All this is packed into a very small flat box made of soft cardboard, which clearly hints at the environmental friendliness of the packaging.

The waterproof Sony Xperia Z also comes with a charging dock, designed to avoid loosening the rubber waterproof plugs during each charging. Since the Sony Xperia ZL is not a protected model, the company didn’t bother with an additional docking station this time, which is a pity.

Appearance and ease of use

The design of the Sony Xperia ZL is quite unusual and distinctive. Front part, together with protective glass display and mirrored side inserts on the edges, the smartphone inherited from its “big brother”. According to Sony representatives, the older model, Xperia Z, is the first of the new design concepts called OmniBalance. Its essence is the complete symmetry of all parts, rounded edges and smooth reflective surfaces on all sides. The same rounded edges, absence of sharp corners and edges, and the presence of mirror polyamide inserts on the side edges characterize the Sony Xperia ZL model.

However, when it comes to the rear, things are completely different. The back surface is made in the style of a “practical” design, in which the surfaces do not have gloss, but, on the contrary, are equipped with a soft-touch rubberized coating. Thus, the plastic ribbed matte back cover of the Sony Xperia ZL looks as if it is “not from here.” Matte practical plastic does not fit well in appearance with sophisticated mirrored side inserts, in which you can even see your reflection. These two parts are from different worlds, and it is obvious that ordinary plastic sides made of the same material as the back cover would suit the Sony Xperia ZL model more than these glamorous mirrors that came here from a completely different model.

As for the dimensions, the smartphone is slightly smaller in size than the flagship, but at the same time thicker and heavier. To tell the truth, the thin glass “plate” of the Sony Xperia Z, for all its external beauty and glamor, was not very comfortable to hold in your hands. Slippery and cold glass surfaces, thin edges and thin body thickness did their job. Things are completely different with the Sony Xperia ZL: a solid thick body comfortably fills the entire palm, the edges do not cut into the fingers, the rubberized plastic fits perfectly in the hand, does not reflect in the sun and does not get dirty at all. All this suggests that the Sony Xperia ZL smartphone is more convenient in its ergonomics than the flagship model, and this is its undoubted advantage.

• Sony Xperia ZL: 131.6 x 69.3 x 9.8 mm, 151 g
• Sony Xperia Z: 139×71×7.9 mm, 146 g

What else catches your eye when you first look at the Sony Xperia ZL is the extremely thin bezels around the screen. From a distance it seems as if they are not there at all, and there is only one display in your hand. The screen, by the way, is rather large - five inches, but due to these thin frames the smartphone does not look like a “shovel”, as large phones are now commonly called.

There are now no dedicated buttons on the front panel at all - they have moved to the screen in the form soft keys, and this makes the frames around the screen even smaller. By the way, a study was even conducted on this topic. Thus, according to Strategy Analytics, the display of the new product occupies 76% of the front panel, which is a record figure and makes the Xperia ZL the most compact smartphone with a five-inch display.

Another interesting thing: the front camera module on the front panel is not located on top, like everyone else, but on the bottom - in the lower right corner under the screen. Here, half a centimeter from the camera eye, is the microphone hole. Obviously, the developers, after thinking carefully, finally decided that these two elements should still be nearby during a video call, which is very logical.

The other module - the main, rear camera - is located, as it should be, on the rear surface, in its upper part. Its organization is also quite well thought out: although the module itself protrudes slightly from the body, the glass covering the lens is, however, protected from contact with other surfaces by a small rim. Because of this, wiping the glass may not be so convenient, but it will not be scratched. By the way, due to the camera module protruding from the back cover, the surface of the smartphone is raised above the table, which allows sound to freely exit the external speaker hole. This way, the sound is not muffled by the table surface if the phone is lying face up. Here, next to the camera and speaker grille, the camera’s LED flash and an additional second microphone are located. In other words, all the elements on the back surface are clustered this time at the top of the back surface of the smartphone.

However, not all. At the bottom there is a barely noticeable hatch - a lid cut directly into the plastic and closing in the manner of ordinary side plugs. But, unfortunately, this plug is not waterproof, which automatically deprives the Sony Xperia ZL of the status of a protected device. It's a pity. However, many of our regular readers note that it is much more tiring for them to tinker every day with opening and closing these rubber plugs that cover the side connectors of the device from water and dust, rather than occasionally taking advantage of such an additional advantage as the waterproof properties of the device. Well, we cannot but agree with this. Thus, it turns out that the lack of dust/moisture resistance on the Sony Xperia ZL smartphone also results in a certain advantage: there is no need to regularly open and close various side and end caps on the smartphone. The Sony Xperia ZL doesn't have any of them.

Returning to the cover on the rear surface: under this hatch there are only two standard slots: Micro-SIM SIM cards and microSD memory cards. In their organization, these elements resemble the legendary line of HTC smartphones: Hero/Legend. For those, too, not the entire back cover was removed, but only the lower part, which provided access to the card slots. True, unlike them, there is no way to remove the battery. The battery here is non-removable, and this is a definite minus. No matter what they say, removable battery allows you to revive a frozen device, and sometimes these elements swell. Then you can’t do without a trip to the service center. However, this is what manufacturers are trying to achieve, isn’t it?

As for the rest of the interface elements, they are all located along the edges of the device, and, as mentioned above, they are all open. Everything is in order with the connectors: Micro-USB is embedded in the upper part of the left side, and the 3.5 mm audio output for headphones is traditionally located at the top.

The location of the two-position volume rocker is a little unusual: it is located on the right side, just above the round metal power button. It is impossible to see anything negative in this, only advantages: the user is deprived of the opportunity to get into a situation where, by pressing one button, he automatically runs into another one - on the opposite edge. Unfortunately, most smartphones bristling with an excessive number of buttons are guilty of this.

The Sony Xperia ZL is fine with this. The keys are large, soft, have a smooth deep stroke and a clear response. They feel great to the touch - everything is fine with that. As for the round power button emblem on the side, it has already been seen this year on at least four devices, so we can consider it a kind of metal emblem Sony smartphones new generation. The generation that replaced devices with a green circle from Sony Ericsson.

And the last element that I would like to note are the nice holes in the lower left corner of the case. This is nothing more than a hook for attaching a cord to your hand or a bauble-keychain. An elegant and sometimes very useful solution.

On this, in principle, we can finish the description of the appearance of the Sony Xperia ZL smartphone. Of course, the smartphone turned out to be very, very high quality; there is practically nothing to complain about in its technical performance. The materials are expensive, all the details fit neatly, no cracks or flaws were noticed, as well as awkward and ugly parts and protruding elements. This is an expensive, high-quality smartphone from the top category, and it will cost accordingly. However, it is still very different from its older brother Xperia Z - precisely in the absence of a touch of expensive glamor. In other words, this phone is not for those who like to show off and show off their height. social status- for those, the “mirror” Xperia Z is more likely to be suitable.

By the way, this is confirmed by the choice of colors of the new product. Unlike the Xperia Z, which has, among others, an unusual purple color, everything here is much more prosaic: only black or white options are available to the user who wants to purchase the Sony Xperia ZL.

Screen

The screen of the Sony Xperia ZL is just as strange as that of the Xperia Z. With any, even slight deviation of the view from the normal, the screen instantly turns gray and fades. Perhaps this is its main drawback. Otherwise, the Sony Xperia ZL display is good: no grain is visible, the pixel density is high, the colors are calm, and the responsiveness is excellent.

In numbers, the physical parameters of the Sony Xperia ZL screen are as follows: screen dimensions - 62x110 mm, diagonal - 127 mm (5 inches), resolution - Full HD 1080p (1920x1080 pixels), PPI pixel density is more than 440 dpi, which is now an outstanding, although not a record, figure. The latest “loner” from Taiwanese HTC set a record in this sense - the HTC One model has a pixel density of 469 ppi. Brightness has both manual and automatic adjustment, the latter based on the operation of the light sensor. Multi-touch technology allows you to simultaneously process up to ten touches, which is confirmed by tests. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. By the way, in this particular model I would like to note one irritating point: it is quite unpleasant, and sometimes even painful, to press the sharp upper edge of the smartphone with a very hard rim protruding above the glass to your ear. Feeling this, I immediately tried all the test smartphones available in the editorial office, but did not receive similar unpleasant sensations from any other model.

Sony representatives themselves in official sources call the Sony Xperia ZL display “Reality Display with Mobile Bravia Engine 2,” thus not forgetting to emphasize the presence of the Mobile Bravia Engine technology used in the smartphone. However, this name has no direct relation to the matrix itself: this technology is software, and it only works when viewing photos and videos in media players and photo galleries. In other words, software improves any photo and video images in terms of sharpness, contrast and color saturation. Well, the number 2 in the name is, rather, a purely marketing ploy: for an ordinary person, the difference when using the first or second version of the Mobile Bravia Engine is almost invisible. As for the physical properties of the display, it is not always known for certain what technology is used to produce the screen of a particular Sony smartphone model. Representatives of the company, answering this question, tactfully but firmly avoid this topic, mentioning only that suppliers of screens in different deliveries may be different, and therefore, screen production technologies may also differ slightly. Yes, all of these screens are manufactured using technologies developed by Sony, but the manufacturing factories themselves are owned by several different manufacturing companies.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion about the Sony Xperia ZL screen.

The smartphone screen is covered with a glass plate, onto which a plastic mirror-smooth protective film is factory-glued, which is relatively scratch-resistant, but still less hard than inorganic glass. Protective film has oleophobic (grease-repellent) properties, so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a lower speed than with regular glass. Judging by the reflection of bright light sources, there is a very effective anti-glare filter that reduces the brightness of reflected objects.

When manually controlling the brightness, its maximum value was 540 cd/m², the minimum was 36 cd/m². As a result, at maximum brightness in bright daylight you can use your smartphone without any inconvenience, and at minimum brightness you will be able to comfortably work with this mobile device even in complete darkness. There is automatic brightness adjustment based on the light sensor (apparently it is located in the right top corner). The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness adjustment slider: if it is 100%, then in complete darkness the automatic brightness adjustment function reduces the brightness to at least 30 cd/m² (normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light it sets it to 90 cd/m² (acceptable ), in a very bright environment increases to a maximum of 540 cd/m² (as it should be). If the brightness slider is set to 50%, the values ​​are as follows: 20, 55 and 540 cd/m², if at 0% - 15, 25 and 540 cd/m². IN automatic mode When external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. On reduced brightness There is no backlight modulation at all, so there is no backlight flickering.

In the technical specifications, Sony, like many other manufacturers, indicates that a TFT type matrix is ​​used, without specifying its specific type. Apparently, if necessary, change the matrix to at least TN. It's a joke. Based on external features - viewing angles, behavior of the black field and color changes when viewed at an angle - the matrix here is either IPS, or something very similar. However, microphotographs of the matrix tend to suggest that it’s just “something.” For example, this is what the pixels of a typical IPS matrix of a mobile device look like:

And this is the pixels of the Sony Xperia ZL screen:

These photographs are arranged in order of decreasing brightness of the output hue, from white to dark gray. It can be seen that the ZL subpixels differ in outline from the IPS subpixels. You can also notice that as the hue brightness decreases, the dark spot in the center of each subpixel increases in size. Perhaps in this smartphone a matrix of type is installed:

But we will not insist on this version. The dark rectangle with a tail present on some of the blue sub-pixels may be part of the capacitive sensor integrated into the LCD panel. Interestingly, to compensate for the decrease in brightness, the area of ​​​​such subpixels is slightly increased. The photo below shows how these subpixels alternate:

However, from a practical point of view, it makes absolutely no difference what pixels the screen has. The main thing is how it shows. Let's return to this issue.

The screen of this smartphone has good viewing angles without inverting shades and without significant color shifts, even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is greatly brightened, but remains close to neutral gray color. When viewed strictly perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is very good. The black-white-black response time is 10.4 ms (5.9 ms on + 4.5 ms off). The transition between halftones 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 21 ms. The matrix of this smartphone is clearly faster than is usually the case with similar devices. The contrast is quite high - 900:1. The gamma curve constructed using 32 points did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is 1.97, which is lower than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates slightly from the power-law dependence:

The color gamut is slightly wider than sRGB:

Apparently, the components are well separated, and the spectra confirm this:

Note that color saturation is moderate, visually the colors are a little more vibrant, but not yet so oversaturated that color images appear distorted. On the significant part of the gray scale (dark areas can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the measurement error at low brightness is large), delta E is less than 4 and the color temperature is not much higher than the standard 6500 K:

In general, there are no special complaints about the color balance, but you can try to improve it, since this smartphone has the ability to adjust the balance of shades of gray using two sliders that change the color of the additional hue and its saturation:

The result of this correction is shown on the gray scale on the left side of the screen, and by touching this area with your finger, you can see the original version of the shades without correction. The change in shades is visible visually, but it is not visible in the “software” screenshots above, since the original color values ​​are read from the buffer.

What does it do with flowers? proprietary feature Mobile Bravia Engine 2, we reviewed in a previous article about Sony Xperia Z. Comparing the screens of the Sony Xperia Z and ZL, we can come to the conclusion that the second screen is even slightly better, since it is brighter, more contrasty and initially has a slightly better balance of gray shades.

Additionally, the MHL interface was tested. To test it, we used an LG IPS237L monitor that supports direct MHL connection using a passive adapter cable from Micro-USB to HDMI. In this case, output via MHL is carried out in a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels with a frequency of 30 frames/s. With an active MHL connection, regardless of the actual orientation of the smartphone, the image is displayed on the smartphone and monitor screens only in landscape orientation. The actual resolution is equal to the smartphone screen resolution - 1920 by 1080 pixels. Sound via MHL is output (in in this case sounds were heard through headphones connected to the monitor, since there are no speakers in the monitor itself) and is of good quality. At the same time, at least multimedia sounds are not output through the loudspeaker of the smartphone itself, and the volume is not adjusted using the buttons on the smartphone body, but the sound is turned off at the minimum position of the volume slider. The smartphone connected via MHL is charging.

Video output using the standard player deserves a special description. To begin with, using a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”), we checked how video is displayed on the screen of the smartphone itself. Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p) and 1920 by 1080 (1080p) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 frames/ With). The results of this test (block entitled “Screen”) and subsequent ones are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
Screen
watch-1920×1080-60p.mp4	did not play
watch-1920×1080-50p.mp4	did not play
watch-1920×1080-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920×1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920×1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-60p.mp4	Fine	few
watch-1280×720-50p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-30p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-24p.mp4	Fine	No
MHL (monitor)
watch-1920×1080-60p.mp4	did not play
watch-1920×1080-50p.mp4	did not play
watch-1920×1080-30p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1920×1080-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1920×1080-24p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-60p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280×720-50p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280×720-30p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280×720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-24p.mp4	Fine	No
MHL (adapter)
watch-1280×720-60p.mp4	Badly	a lot of
watch-1280×720-50p.mp4	Fine	few
watch-1280×720-30p.mp4	Great	No
watch-1280×720-25p.mp4	Fine	No
watch-1280×720-24p.mp4	Fine	No

Note: If both the Uniformity and Dropout columns are rated green, this means that when watching movies, there will most likely be no or no amount of artifacts caused by frame spacing or dropouts visible. will not affect viewing comfort. "Red" marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

It turns out that none of the files play back perfectly - the intervals between frames alternate unevenly, in one case a small part of the frames is skipped, and 1080p files at 50 and 60 fps actually do not play back. However, except for these two cases, it is quite difficult to visually notice artifacts.

With a monitor connected via MHL, when playing video with a standard player, an exact copy of the smartphone screen is displayed on the connected monitor. When playing video files with Full HD resolution (1920 by 1080 pixels) on the monitor screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed one-on-one, exactly along the border of the screen in true Full HD resolution. The brightness range displayed on the monitor slightly does not correspond to the original one - in the shadows the range is 14 shades, in the highlights - by 16, while on the smartphone screen all gradations of shades are displayed in the highlights and shadows (for video in the range of 16-235). The results of monitor output tests are shown in the table above in the “ MHL (monitor)" It can be seen that only files with a frame rate of 30 fps are ideally reproduced, which corresponds to the monitor output mode - 1080p at 30 fps. 1080p files at 50 and 60 fps are not actually played back, all other file types are at least played back with uneven alternating intervals between frames. However, the remark is the same as when discussing the display of the smartphone itself - with the exception of video files with 50 and 60 fps, artifacts may not be visible on fragments of other real films.

Additionally, video output (with a standard player) via MHL using an MHL adapter was tested. When using this adapter, output to the monitor was carried out in 720p mode at 60 fps, which determined the maximum actual image resolution. With the exception of resolution and frame rate, everything else - the nature of the interface output, charging, audio output and gray scale - did not differ from a direct connection via MHL. The test results are shown in the table above in the “ MHL (adapter)" It can be seen that up to 720p files at 50 fps, the output quality is quite good.

In general, despite the discovered “peculiarities”, an MHL connection can be used for games, watching movies, displaying web pages and other activities that benefit from multiplying the screen size.

Note that this smartphone implements several more functions related to working together with a TV, for example, the screen mirroring function, implemented using NFC and Wi-Fi technologies, as well as remote control. Apparently, these functions only work in conjunction with Sony Bravia TVs (and even then not with all models), so we did not have the opportunity to test or at least check their functionality.

Sound

There are no complaints at all about the sound of the Sony Xperia ZL speakers. It even seemed to me that the smartphone sounds better in some ways than its older brother. By the way, there may be objective reasons for this, related to the different materials used to make the cases. In other words, even if the built-in speakers of both models are the same, the sound can still be affected by the materials from which smartphones are made, just as, for example, wood or plastic can affect the sound of sound speakers. The glass Xperia Z has a more ringing sound than the Xperia ZL. There is also an opinion that the Xperia Z's speakers, protected from moisture, sound muffled than the Xperia ZL's uncovered speakers. Here, the sound of the external speaker is simply excellent: clear, smooth throughout the entire volume range, fully saturated with low frequencies, and there is enough volume for any environment. The speaker hole here, by the way, is not on the side, like the Xperia Z, but on the back. However, the rim around the camera glass, which raises the body above the surface, does not allow the speaker grille to overlap, and the sound, accordingly, is practically not muffled. The sound of the external speaker is additionally processed using proprietary xLoud technology. This technology, developed by Sony, enhances the volume of the main speaker without introducing (if possible) distortion into the sound. The interlocutor's speech is easily recognized, auditory speaker clearly conveys all the intonations and timbre of the voice, the auditory speaker also provides a wide range of frequencies, including low ones.

The standard audio player, traditionally called a Walkman, is rich in settings and additional software sound improvements, such as a built-in equalizer with ten preset values ​​to choose from (you can set your own), ClearBass, Clear Phase, xLoud technologies or virtual surround sound. Control of most settings is available if the ClearAudio+ function is turned off, otherwise all settings are left to the machine. By the way, the visualization of Sony players is excellent: everything is very beautifully drawn, there are many tabs, settings, improvements, it is not only convenient to use, but also aesthetically pleasing. Here you can edit tags and work with covers.

There is an FM radio in the smartphone, but traditionally it only works when you connect headphones that act as an external antenna. There are many radio settings. The Sony Xperia ZL has a voice recorder as standard software, but it is not called up in the usual way. You can't find it on the list installed applications, but in the so-called small applications menu, which can be called up at any time by pressing the rightmost on-screen button. If you start the voice recorder during a telephone conversation, it will only record your voice - the voice of the interlocutor will not be heard. The resulting voice files are saved in the notes section; you should look for recordings from the voice recorder there.

The main, rear 13-megapixel camera is even more unusual. The developers say that the Sony Xperia ZL has been used for the first time new sensor Exmor RS, based on BSI back-illuminated technology. Most of all, the developers praise the HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology here, which is used to create photographs in brightly lit environments. An HDR camera takes multiple shots of the same image at different shutter speeds and then overlays them to create a photo with best quality. But the most amazing thing is that HDR technology in Xperia smartphone ZL can also be used when recording videos.

By default, the camera operates in the so-called super auto mode (iauto), and maximum resolution, which can be set in this case, is equal to 12 megapixels with an aspect ratio of 4: 3, then the photographs are obtained in size 3920 × 2940. The maximum resolution of camera images is 13 megapixels, but this can only be achieved if you independently switch the shooting mode to normal. Then the resulting photos will have a size of 4128 × 3096, that is, in terms of those same 13 megapixels. Both the camera and the resulting photos are all exactly the same as the Xperia Z. Therefore, we will not repeat ourselves, we will only present comparative test images taken directly with the Sony Xperia ZL camera.

Photos taken in Normal mode with 4:3 (13 MP) and 16:9 (9 MP) aspect ratios:

Thanks to the built-in auto focus function, close objects, as well as text from paper or the monitor screen, can be captured on camera.

And a few more pictures taken with default settings, that is, those that the user will receive immediately after purchase “out of the box” (9 MP, 3920x2204, “super auto” mode).

The camera can shoot video in Full HD resolution 1080p, the quality is excellent, it can be used for home recording. Below are several videos taken during maximum settings with a frequency of 30 frames per second. Videos are saved in MP4 (video - MPEG-4 AVC ( [email protected]), sound - AAC LC, 128 Kbps, 48 ​​kHz, 2 channels) and have a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels (16:9). For visual comparison, we shot another video in a resolution of 1280x720 (720p).

• Video No. 1 (45.7 MB, 1920×1080)
• Video No. 2 (28.8 MB, 1920×1080)
• Video No. 3 (19.4 MB, 1280×720)

The camera control settings are quite standard, most of them are familiar from other Android smartphones: it is possible to link geotags, add graphic effects, enabling smile detection, panoramic shooting, and, of course, software enhancement can be used here using HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology, including in relation to video shooting. There is image stabilization, and the shutter sound can be turned off.

In modern smartphones, the shutter can usually be released using the volume key - this is now implemented by many manufacturers, but not by Sony. At Sony, this key, in the old fashioned way, is responsible for digital zoom, which most people do not use. Therefore it is enough important point is the fact that the Xperia ZL model has a separate hardware key for controlling the camera. Let us remind you that the flagship model Sony Xperia Z does not have such a key. On the positive side, we can also note the ability to take photos while recording video; this function is already becoming familiar to most new smartphones.

Software

Sony Xperia ZL currently runs on the Google Android software platform version 4.1.2. As usual, the company installed its own shell on top of the standard OS interface, which has already become a classic for modern phones Sony. The shell significantly changes the interface and adds several applications of its own. The desktop consists of five horizontally scrolling screens and a fixed panel of five icons at the bottom. The application menu also has several horizontal screens with a 4x5 matrix of icons, but the control of these icons is moved to the top - it appears there convenient menu for their selection, redistribution, removal and various sorting. You can even organize your own order of distribution of program icons, which is convenient. It is also possible to create folders - both on desktops and inside the application menu.

In general, in terms of the internal arrangement of the interface and pre-installed applications in the Xperia ZL, everything is exactly the same as in the Xperia Z. Therefore, we will not repeat ourselves, we will only note that the model we are considering today has one noticeable difference - the IR port. Can be controlled using an infrared transmitter various devices, from TV to set-top box, and all profiles are already included in the smartphone software, all that remains is to choose your model.

Telephone and communications

Sony Xperia ZL works not only in modern 2G GSM and 3G WCDMA networks, but also has support for fourth generation networks (LTE) in the bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20. Traditionally, this characteristic is marked as “This function is not available in all regions." For domestic user Of interest is band 7, on which the operators Yota and Megafon operate. Thus, Sony Xperia ZL is one of the few devices that officially supports Russian networks 4G, which can be significant competitive advantage for some categories of users. On the other hand, we must understand that compatibility alone is not enough. The real effect of increasing data access speed depends on many external factors, including reception quality, cell load and operator channels. However, it should be noted that in the months that have passed since the first testing, the situation has improved: new devices are appearing, coverage is improving, and speed and quality remain at a high level.

The radio part of the tested Sony Xperia ZL smartphone is stable; no spontaneous signal losses or dropouts from the telecom operator’s network were noticed. The screen is huge, drawing keys, numbers and letters for dialing and the virtual keyboard for typing SMS messages is very convenient. In addition, the virtual keyboard of the Sony Xperia ZL has several options for keyboard layouts, as well as visual shells for them, so that everyone can choose the most convenient and attractive arrangement of keys from the presented options to suit their taste. It is also possible to enter text using sliding gestures from letter to letter.

No freezes or spontaneous reboots/shutdowns were observed during testing. When you bring it to your ear, the screen is blocked by the proximity sensor. The light sensor controls the screen brightness level automatically. Very curious extraordinary led indicator in the lower part of the case under the screen: it can glow red while charging, as well as many other colors during various events. A nice and unconventional solution is another plus in the balance for Sony for its constant search for innovation.

The device is equipped with most modern network interfaces and controllers wireless communication: Bluetooth version 4.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n with support for both frequency bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), NFC, there is support for DLNA, MHL and OTG. It is possible to communicate directly with other devices via Wi-Fi Direct, as well as organize a Wi-Fi access point. To ensure fast wireless data transfer to mobile networks The smartphone supports the HSPA+ standard.

The GPS module is assisted in determining the location by A-GPS technology; with its help, orientation on the terrain is carried out almost instantly. The phone also claims to support the Russian Glonass service. The cold start with the search for satellites took less than a minute.

Sony Xperia ZL easily mounts and recognizes any USB flash drive when connected via the Micro-USB connector. At least the experiment with the 32 GB flash drive was successful. The phone effortlessly reproduced all the file formats familiar to it directly from the flash drive - played videos, music, opened various documents.

The Sony Xperia ZL has support for NFC, a short-range high-frequency wireless communication technology that allows data exchange between devices located at a distance of about 10 centimeters. This technology is aimed primarily at use in mobile phones and payment terminals, and in some countries it is already widely used for contactless payments, payment for travel public transport or even personal identification. In our country, NFC has not yet become widespread, but already now the user of a smartphone that supports this technology can try it out in action. All you need to do is download and install the Yandex.Metro application, which, when you hold a travel ticket to your phone, can show the expiration dates and the number of trips remaining. Another application is offered by the domestic cellular operator MTS, which has organized NFC support for making contactless payments. Included " Mobile wallet» includes a special MTS SIM card with MasterCard PayPass technology, linked to bank card MTS Money. In addition, the kit comes with an NFC antenna, which must be placed in the SIM card slot. That is, for such contactless payments, in any case, just a smartphone is not enough - you also need to obtain and insert a new special SIM card into it, and also open a corresponding account at MTS Bank. But in the case of a phone that supports NFC technology, you won’t also have to install an antenna - but this is not so simple, and in the iPhone, where the SIM card is pushed into the body through a slot, it simply won’t be possible to install it.

Sony has organized advanced support for NFC in its smartphones, setting up the production of NFC accessories and equipping its smartphones with software for working with these accessories. We are talking about so-called SmartTags. Such programmed tags-sensors are hung or pasted in any place in the house or car and serve to control the smartphone when brought to them. To exchange information between devices, short-distance communication technology - NFC - is used. When you bring your smartphone to such a mark, a certain mode or profile is activated, using a set of functions needed at the moment - turning on navigation while driving a car, for example.

Performance

The hardware platform of the Sony Xperia ZL is exactly the same as that of the flagship Xperia Z. The platform is based on the powerful SoC Qualcomm APQ8064 (Snapdragon S4 Pro), with a central quad-core Krait processor (ARMv7) operating at 1.5 GHz. It is supported in graphics processing by a powerful modern Adreno 320 chip. The device has 2 GB of RAM. Storage, accessible to the user for uploading your own files, here is about 11 GB. Nominally system memory The smartphone has 16 GB, but the remaining volume is used only for the system and pre-installed programs.

When you connect your smartphone to your computer, both storage devices are mounted as independent removable drives - provided, of course, that the memory card is inserted into its slot. MicroSD memory cards up to 32 GB are supported, but 64 GB are certainly recognized here.

We compared the hardware performance of the new product in various popular tests with the performance of other top-end devices we had previously tested. modern smartphones. The Sony Xperia ZL, as expected, was in the top ranks, demonstrating very high performance results, but it cannot compete with the most powerful new product - the Samsung Galaxy S4. But the Japanese device can easily compete with another popular model among users, LG Optimus G, and is even ahead of it in some ways. Here are comparative tables made by the AnTuTu program. Our own results differ slightly from these, but the general balance of power is clear.

It remains to be noted that the results obtained when testing the Sony Xperia ZL model were similar to the results of the Xperia Z - the difference is within the margin of error. This is quite logical, because both devices are built on identical platforms.

IN gaming test Epic Citadel, in High Performance mode, the test subject produced excellent result at 56.7 fps.

In the tougher Epic Citadel, High Quality mode, the Sony Xperia ZL showed an equally outstanding result of 55.6 fps - screenshots of both screens are in front of you.

To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it.

Format	Container, video, sound	MX Video Player	Standard video player
DVDRip	AVI, XviD 720×400 2200 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL SD	AVI, XviD 720×400 1400 Kbps, MP3+AC3	plays normally	plays normally
Web-DL HD	MKV, H.264 1280×720 3000 Kbps, AC3
BDRip 720p	MKV, H.264 1280×720 4000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays normally, the sound is only software¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹
BDRip 1080p	MKV, H.264 1920×1080 8000 Kbps, AC3	The video plays normally, the sound is only software¹	The video plays fine, but there is no sound¹

¹ sound in MX Video Player was played only after switching to software decoding; The standard player does not have this setting

Battery life

The capacity of the lithium-ion battery installed in the Sony Xperia ZL is 2300 mAh. The battery is non-removable, so you won’t be able to remove it and replace it with a new one yourself.

To save energy, the Sony Xperia ZL has new mode battery life - Stamina. It provides better battery management and increases the phone's standby time. If your phone has this mode enabled, when the screen turns off, the phone automatically closes unused applications that use a lot of energy, and launches them only when the screen turns on again. Wi-Fi by location also serves to save money: in this mode, the smartphone activates the wireless module only when it recognizes the presence of a familiar network, rather than keeping it turned on all the time.

We carefully measured the battery life in reading, gaming and video modes twice: with stamina enabled and without. The results, as expected, showed that the energy-saving mode does not have any effect on the duration of continuous operation in such artificially created conditions. Which is understandable: the system turns off some modules and applications when the screen goes dark, but in our tests it is always on, so the results were absolutely identical.

The Sony Xperia ZL is fully charged in exactly 2 hours.

Prices

The average retail price of the device in rubles in Moscow at the time of reading the article can be found by moving the mouse to the price tag.

Bottom line

The Sony Xperia ZL turned out to be very interesting due to the combination of its advanced characteristics, a strong hardware platform and some unique features. The differences from the flagship are minimal, and it’s not a fact that all of them are negative: for example, the presence of an IR transmitter or more compact dimensions with a similar screen cannot be listed as disadvantages. At the same time, the price for the Xperia ZL is several thousand lower than the flagship: our stores are now asking about 27 thousand for a certified device, and even less for an uncertified device. But even at this price, the Sony Xperia ZL has very powerful competitors. The closest of them seems to be HTC One, a new device from a Taiwanese company, the pre-order price for which is 27,990 rubles, which may not work in Sony’s favor. After all, the HTC device has a lot of interesting additional “goodies”, for example, an all-metal body and an unusual camera with a large matrix. Perhaps, in the price fight against HTC in our market, Sony will have to make room a little, because at the same price, the HTC model looks preferable.

At the beginning of the year, Sony introduced two flagship solutions at once - Xperia Z (review) and Xperia ZL. The differences between them are not very many, but they are significant and can have a big impact on the final choice of the consumer. If the Xperia Z focuses on design, materials and water resistance, then the Xperia ZL takes the cake with its compactness (for such a diagonal it is really small) and practicality (there are no plugs, the materials are more durable). The company decided that giving customers the right to choose was the right thing to do. And I couldn't agree more. The Xperia Z will be the favorite for most, but the Xperia ZL is also an excellent choice. Why - read below.

Technical Sony specifications Xperia ZL:

• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz), WCDMA/HSPA+ (850/900/2100 MHz), LTE (Band I, Band III, Band V, Band VII)
• Platform (at time of announcement): Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Display: capacitive, 5", 1920 x 1080 pixels, 16 million colors, OptiContrast, Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, 443 ppi, tempered glass, up to 10 multi-touch clicks
• Camera: 13 MP, flash, autofocus, f/2.4, video recording 1080p@30fps, HDR, Exmor RS
• Front camera: 2 MP, 1080p video recording, Exmor R
• Processor: 4 cores, 1.5 GHz, Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 + MSM9215M (Krait)
• Graphics chip: Adreno 320
• RAM: 2 GB
• Internal memory: 16 GB (~12 GB available)
• Memory card: microSD
• A-GPS, GLONASS
• Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), DLNA
• FM radio
• Bluetooth 4.0
• IR port
• MHL (USB, HDMI)
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• Light, distance and position sensors, digital compass, gyroscope
• Battery: 2370 mAh
• Talk time: up to 10 hours on 2G networks, up to 13 hours on 3G networks
• Standby time: up to 500 hours on 2G networks, up to 500 hours on 3G networks, up to 490 hours on 4G networks
• Operating time in audio player mode: up to 40 hours
• Operating time in video player mode: up to 5.5 hours
• Dimensions: 131.7 x 69.8 x 9.8 mm
• Weight: 151 g
• Form factor: monoblock with touchscreen
• Type: smartphone
• Contents: microUSB cable, charger, MH-EX300AP headset, documentation
• Announcement date: January 7, 2013
• Release date: 1st quarter 2013

Video review and unboxing

Design, construction and equipment

Sony Xperia ZL comes in a compact box, where the smartphone is accompanied by an EP880 charger (1500 mAh), a microUSB cable, an MH-EX300AP headset (perhaps the best complete headset at the moment) and documentation.

The first thing you notice when you pick up the phone is the screen, which occupies almost the entire front side. According to Sony, the display occupies 75.8% of the entire front panel area, while in most cases this figure varies between 60 and 68%.

Above the screen there are light and distance sensors, a speaker, and below it there is a place for a 2-megapixel Exmor R camera (an unusual location, but convenient once you get used to it), a microphone and an LED indicator strip that notifies the user about missed events.

The top end has a 3.5 mm jack, the bottom has the first hole for a rope, the left has a second hole for it and an MHL port (microUSB and HDMI), the right has a volume rocker, an aluminum power button, a camera key (with quick launch function) and an infrared port for controlling equipment, hiding half a centimeter below the power key (very difficult to see, but possible in the light).

On the reverse side there is a 13-megapixel camera, an LED flash, a loudspeaker, an additional microphone, the XPERIA logo with metal letters (or metallic paint) and a “hood” (or “trunk”, since it is located at the back), where the slots for micro- SIM and microSD.

The 5" TFT screen of the Xperia ZL operates at 1080p resolution, which provides a high pixel density per inch (443 ppi) - it is simply unrealistic to see the dots with the naked eye. The display supports Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology, which makes the picture contrasty and rich, but only works when viewing photos and videos (it has no effect in games or on the desktop). As for me, it makes sense to activate MBE2 only when watching cartoons, since it makes the picture too unrealistic (people's skin turns red). Overall, the Xperia ZL has a good screen, although there is some brightening when tilted. But he is worthy of displaying bright and rich shades, black and white flowers, he behaves excellently in the sun and is not inclined to misinterpret the color palette. Balance white screen can be adjusted in the settings - be sure to try this tool. The light sensor changes brightness smoothly and works correctly. It is also worth noting the reliable factory film.

The back cover of the phone in black has a textured pattern in the form of diamonds, while the white and red variations have a matte cover. I only used black Xperia ZL, so I can only talk about it. So, this cover is very pleasant to the touch and will not allow the device to slip out of your hand. The material feels like rubberized plastic, and at first it smells like rubber (rubber).

The Xperia ZL, like the Xperia Z, is made within the framework of the OmniBalance design concept, which implies balance and symmetry in all directions. Of course, the ZL does not look as symmetrical as the Z, but the transparent plastic inserts on the sides look impressive and create the necessary impression. By the way, the ZL frame is also made of glass-filled polyamide.

Thanks to the rounded back and “compact” dimensions (131.7 x 69.8 x 9.8 mm), the Xperia ZL fits perfectly in the hand, and all its keys can be reached without problems. If we compare the dimensions with competitors' products, this is what we get: the ZL is half a centimeter lower than the Galaxy S 4, but slightly thicker and the same in width (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm); half a centimeter lower than the 4.7” HTC One (137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm); almost the same size as the 4.7” LG Optimus G (131.9 x 68.9 x 8.45 mm). You can go further and compare the Xperia ZL with other Xperia models: the ZL is 7 mm lower and slightly narrower and wider than the Z with a similar screen (139 x 71 x 7.9 mm); slightly taller, wider, but thinner than the Xperia SP with a 4.6” screen (130.6 x 67.1 x 9.98 mm); three millimeters taller, half a centimeter wider, but a millimeter thinner than the Xperia V with 4.3” display (129 x 65 x 10.7 mm). The conclusion is very simple - you don’t need to judge the convenience of the phone by diagonal, you need to look at the dimensions and be sure to feel it with your hands.

The device is non-separable, but the door at the back is a little annoying. I bet that if you look in there often, it will begin to bulge and not close tightly. Therefore, advice to future owners - insert a SIM and memory card there and forget it. However, there is no negative from the back side, since on the front it is negated by a stylish stripe.

Software

The Xperia ZL is based on Android version 4.1.2 Jelly Bean with the proprietary Xperia Home shell. The software is almost identical to the Xperia Z. Widgets and applications are traditionally placed on desktops. The user can adjust the number of tables and assign any of them as the main one. The notification menu contains shortcut keys to the sound profile, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, data transfer and settings. When you hold the Home key, a pop-up window appears where you can turn off the phone or put it in airplane mode, take a screenshot and select audio mode. The lock screen has a cool shutter-type animation, displays the date and time, and also allows you to activate the camera and switch music tracks.

If you pressed a key recently running applications, then a list of programs will appear, and in the bottom row there will be icons of mini-applications. They float on top of the current task without interrupting it. Thus, you can listen to music and at the same time calculate something on a calculator, transfer currency, turn on a timer and much more (there are almost three dozen such programs in the Market). It's a pity that you can only run one such application at a time. LG Optimus G (review) also has similar programs.

In Settings everything is standard, except for the White Balance function.

There we adjust saturation and hue, choosing the optimal color rendition of the screen. This option will soon come to the Xperia Z with an update and is already present in the Xperia SP.

In the Memory section, you can see that out of 16 GB, about 12 GB are allocated to the user. Install applications on microSD card It’s impossible without root, but the available volume, in principle, should be enough for programs and powerful toys (provided that music, videos and photos are stored on the memory card).

I do not recommend ignoring the Power Management section. STAMINA mode saves charge very efficiently in standby mode (it drains about 1% per night). Energy saving is activated automatically when a certain battery charge level is reached (adjustable with a slider with an accuracy of 1%), controlling various functions. The usefulness of Wi-Fi by location should also not be underestimated, since it simplifies interaction with the phone according to this principle: the Wi-Fi module only works in those places where you have successfully connected to the access point. That is, when leaving home, you don’t need to poke your smartphone again, turning off Wi-Fi manually. For successful work For this function, it is enough to activate the location from Google (detection via Wi-Fi and mobile networks).

The Xperia ZL's keyboard is very flexible and functional. There is autocorrect, Swype gesture input, several layouts and covers (light, dark-light and dark). There is absolutely no desire to change it to an alternative one from the Market.

Now I’ll tell you about some programs “out of the box”. The application screen, by the way, is also flexible. The user can sort programs, create folders here, search and delete unwanted content (some pre-installed applications can also be deleted).

NeoReader is used to read barcodes from the camera.

OfficeSuite 7 lets you work with office documents– read and edit them.

Play Music is one of two music players on your phone. To be honest, I like it less than the Walkman, but that doesn't mean it's bad. Support for formats is not very wide, but the device plays FLAC. Play Music does not have its own equalizer - all libraries are taken from Walkman. That is, there is no difference in sound between the branded Walkman and Google Play Music - choose the player that is more convenient for you.

This is what the Walkman interface looks like. Is the Xperia ZL good for enjoying your favorite songs? Definitely. But keep in mind that the volume headroom is small, but the overall playback quality is very decent. In the sound settings, I advise you to check the boxes for Clear Phase and xLOUD, as they will noticeably increase the volume of the external speaker.

Smart Connect makes it easier to interact with your phone by enabling default actions when pairing with various accessories. For example, you connected headphones, and the program turned on the music player. We put the device on charge and Wi-Fi turned on.

Socialife is an aggregator of your social activity. Unfortunately, the service still does not work perfectly and, for example, does not download updates from VKontakte. I would like to believe that the company will finish it.

TrackID is a useful program for identifying music playing somewhere nearby.

Sony car is a special phone mode for drivers. In it, program icons become large, which is very convenient.

The album is a Sony branded gallery. The scale of previews can be adjusted with two fingers. There is an editor (common for Android) and display of images on the map according to GPS data.

The Clock contains an alarm, world time, stopwatch and timer.

The infrared port in the Xperia ZL is used exclusively to control equipment - you won’t be able to return to the past, where files were transferred through it. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to evaluate the work of the ZL as a control panel, but I poked around the corresponding application and figured that everything was quite simple there. You need to select a type managed device, specify the manufacturer, then configure the virtual remote control. Since the IR port is on the right side, the remote control is oriented horizontally, which is somewhat inconvenient.

Sketch contains tools for creating notes and simple drawings.

Movies have a cool feature for getting information about content. The phone will try to automatically load information about the movie based on the file name. If that doesn’t work, you can conduct a manual search by selecting the desired movie. The series are grouped by season, which is also convenient. The ZL has enough performance to play Full HD video. The video player, unfortunately, cannot boast of being omnivorous, but it opens popular formats.

Those who are used to keeping themselves up to date with Hi-tech news have long appreciated the capabilities of one of the best flagship models released by the famous company Sony - Xperia Z.

Despite some criticism (many users thought the flagship's screen was overexposed), the success of the Xperia Z was guaranteed. The smartphone really turned out to be worthwhile, as it combined the best ideas and developments of the Japanese company over the past few years. But then something strange followed the release of the Xperia Z. As if not satisfied with the achieved result, the manufacturer releases another device that almost completely copies the characteristics of the flagship.

The model following the Xperia Z even received a similar name; L was added to the letter Z, so that the “double” of the top Japanese model began to be called Sony Xperia ZL. Various guesses followed, but it seems to us that the most reasonable explanation for this phenomenon was Sony’s desire to play in another price segment, since the price of Xperia Z was not affordable for everyone. Now let’s look at the main characteristics of this model, and at the same time try to find out whether the manufacturer’s maneuver brought the expected results.

Appearance

It’s worth saying right away that the hardware characteristics of the Xperia ZL are actually no different from the Xperia Z. If there is anything different between them besides price, it’s in the design and materials of the case. Overall, compared to the glamorous Xperia Z, its “younger brother” Xperia ZL looks simpler and more ordinary. At the same time, it is neater, more convenient and, so to speak, softer.

The back of the smartphone has a characteristic curve that copies the shape of the human palm, making the device feel good in the hand. Here you will not find the angular shapes that the Xperia Z has; the edges of the ZL are slightly rounded, which gives it elegance.

The main difference between the younger model is the back cover, and this is the first thing that catches your eye when comparing the two models. It is made not of glass as in the Xperia Z, but of plastic. But this is not some ordinary “gloss”, this is high-quality rubberized plastic with a textured surface. Thanks to the soft touch coating, the surface feels soft and tender. Moreover, the smartphone does not slip in your hands and does not collect fingerprints.

At the back there is the main camera, flash, speaker and another very interesting thing - a small panel under which the SIM card and microSD memory card are hidden.

Honestly, not very much good decision from a design point of view. Firstly, this hatch is somehow too conspicuous, and secondly, due to its presence, the feeling of integrity and solidity of the body is lost. But this is, so to speak, only one side of the coin; as for the front panel of the smartphone, there is really something to pay attention to.

The Xperia ZL screen occupies almost 80% of the entire front surface, which gives the Xperia ZL the right to be called the smallest smartphone (if you compare the overall dimensions) with a 5-inch display. The display itself is covered with tempered Asahi Glass Dragontrail glass, which protects against minor damage. The oleophobic coating is present, the finger glides well, if any fingerprints remain, then in very small quantities.

There is a front camera on the front side, only it is located not at the top, but at the bottom. In the middle, at the very bottom of the front panel, you can see an interesting feature - a small oblong indicator that glows in different colors (depending on the operating mode of the smartphone). On the right edge there is a power/lock button, a volume rocker and a quick launch key for the camera; on the left there is an infrared port and a microUSB connector.

A standard headset jack is located on the top edge. The model is available in two colors – white and black. The height of the device is 131.6 mm, width 69.3 mm, and thickness 9.8 mm. Sony Xperia ZL weighs 151 grams. So, there are no special complaints about ergonomics, let's move on to considering the characteristics of the display and camera.

Display

The size of the Xperia ZL touch display is exactly 5 inches, resolution 1920x1080 pixels, pixel density 440 ppi. Supports up to ten simultaneous touches. The display itself is made using TFT technology, but using Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2. Brightness at maximum value is 540 cd/m². The picture is of high quality, the colors look natural, but still not as deep as in AMOLED screens.

This is especially clearly seen in the example of black. And now about the sad thing. Unfortunately, the picture only looks normal when looked at point-blank. As soon as you turn the display a little, all the charm immediately dissipates. When viewed at an angle, the image becomes faded, as if faded. And this is perhaps the most serious drawback of the Xperia ZL; however, the flagship Xperia Z cannot boast of ideal viewing angles.

Camera

Sony Xperia ZL received two cameras. The resolution of the front camera is 2.2 megapixels, there are no special complaints about the quality of shooting, it will be just right for making private video calls. The only problem is that it is located, to put it mildly, in the wrong place. Due to the unusual location of the front camera, the image may shift and, as a result, the interlocutor at the other end of the “wire” will look not into the speaker’s eyes, but into the area of ​​the nose or chin.

Agree, when talking with another person on the web, it is quite difficult to focus your gaze solely on the camera lens, since during a conversation everyone is accustomed to looking at the interlocutor himself. In addition, during a conversation, it is possible that one of the fingers of the right hand gets into the frame.

The solution to the first problem can be to position the smartphone horizontally during a conversation, but you can prevent your fingers from getting into the lens by moving the device to left hand. To be honest, all these manipulations are a little annoying, well, how can one not scold the manufacturer for such an “oversight.” The main camera is located at the back, as expected, at the top of the body. The camera module is no different from the one that can be seen in the Xperia Z. From the point of view of design and lens protection, the location of the camera module is quite well thought out and does not raise any complaints. The only drawback is that wiping the glass protecting the camera lens is not very convenient due to the small rim located between the lens itself and the protective glass.

The device is equipped with a 13.1-megapixel camera, supports face recognition, geotargeting, burst, landscape and macro photography, HDR, as well as other features. The maximum photo resolution is 4128x3096 (if you switch to normal shooting mode).

With an aspect ratio of 4:3, the maximum image resolution will be 3920x2940 pixels. The photo quality is not bad if you only look at it on a smartphone display, although with such a number of megapixels it could be better. When viewed on a computer monitor, the disadvantages become obvious. The most noticeable flaw is the lack of sharpness.

As for night photography, the Sony Xperia ZL camera is also not up to par - noise is a common occurrence for such night photos. The built-in utility for suppressing noise pollution is of little use. It really eliminates noise, but along with it, the sharpness that still remains disappears, and it, as we have already said, is small.

The video also does not shine with any special quality. Full HD recording is supported at 30 frames per second, but the camera does not have enough shutter speed, so record good video It won't work with fast moving objects. There are other minor shortcomings as well. You don’t even need to mention the delay when capturing a frame - this drawback is common to many smartphones.

Performance and equipment

The hardware characteristics of the Sony Xperia ZL are the same as those of the Sony Xperia Z. Inside, a quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064 (ARMv7 Krait) processor with a clock frequency of 1.5 GHz is installed. The graphics chip is Adreno 320, there is 2 GB of RAM. There were no problems with playing games or videos.

In short, in terms of performance capabilities, the smartphone can be ranked among the leading flagship models. The Xperia ZL has 16 GB of its own memory, plus it can be expanded up to 64 GB using removable memory cards. You can see the performance test results below.

Among other characteristics of the smartphone, we note the presence of Bluetooth 4.0, infrared, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n with support for the 2.4 and 5 GHz frequency bands, there is support for DLNA, MHL, OTG, Media Go, MTP. There are GPS, A-GPS modules, and Glonass service. GSM GPRS/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900), 3G UMTS HSPA+ (850, 900, 2100) and LTE Band I, III, V, VII, VIII, XX communication standards are supported. Support for fast data transfer in mobile networks is provided by the HSPA+ standard.

Autonomous operating time

The Xperia ZL has a 2300 mAh battery. Unfortunately, the smartphone's battery is far from the best; it drains quickly. If you use the device in gentle mode, the charge will last for about a day. Watching high-quality videos and running resource-demanding games can “eat up” your energy reserves in less than three hours of work.

The smartphone has a special Stamina energy-saving mode. According to Sony representatives, the use of this mode can extend the battery life of the device, and this is true, but if we are talking about artificially created operating conditions of the device. In standby mode, Xperia ZL automatically closes unused applications and launches them again when the screen turns on.

The truth remains unclear, what is the point of keeping applications running in standby mode? As for the “natural” conditions, that is, the operation of the smartphone with the screen on and active mode Stamina, the last one is of no use.

Software

Sony Xperia ZL running under operating system Android systems version 4.1.2. In terms of shell and software, the Xperia ZL is no different from the older model. Standard set The software is represented by a convenient phone book, a gallery with sorting support, an organizer and other “classic” Android applications. There is a radio with an automatic station search function, Evernote, programs for communicating on social networks, Google Talk chat, OfficeSuite 6, a client for YouTube viewing, Chrome is installed as the browser.

The video player in the Xperia ZL is separate from the . This simple, user-friendly application can play 3GP, MP4, AVI, MKV, MOV and XVID files. The audio player works with popular formats MP3, eAAC+, WMA, WAV and FLAC.

Speaker sound

The undoubted advantages of the Sony Xperia ZL include the sound of the speakers. It is moderately loud, clean and smooth, low frequencies are audible well. The question is, of course, controversial, but it seems to us that the sound of the Xperia ZL is richer than that of the Xperia Z, although the hardware responsible for the sound is the same in both models.

Most likely, the high-quality sound of the Xperia ZL is due to the materials of the case, and most importantly, the absence of plugs that provide the Xperia Z with water resistance. By the way, it would be nice to note that the sound of the external speaker of the Xperia ZL undergoes special processing using xLoud technology, which serves to enhance the volume without distortion.

With similar hardware characteristics, the smartphone is cheaper than its “big brother”, which gives the Xperia ZL a significant advantage in the eyes of those who, when choosing any electronic device I’m used to being guided not by fleeting feelings, but by common sense.