We knew Audi’s 4G-enabled rides were coming, but not exactly when. That changes now, as the company has announced that the S3 Sportback is hitting dealer lots in Europe starting today. Us Yanks will have to wait until next spring to use long term evolution speeds with the Audi Connect infotainment system, and even then it’ll be in the A3 sedan, not its sportier cousin. According to GigaOM, Europeans can access LTE from any carrier they choose, whereas domestic options remain ambiguous. The German automaker said that stateside, 4G connectivity will most likely be tied to a specific operator, similar to how smartphones are optimized for each carrier. Negotiations as to which “carrier or carriers” will supply mobile broadband are still up in the air too, with an announcement promised for a later date. We’d like to have pricing info then, too.
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EE’s exclusivity on 4G data in the UK will be quickly coming to a close. O2, and now Vodafone, will be launching their 4G networks on August 29. O2 announced last week that they would launching on August 29, and today, Vodafone is turning up the competitive heat and announced an August 29 launch date […]
Vodafone UK has just announced its 4G network rollout will begin on August 29th, with London to be the first city to go live. Twelve more locations will get switched on before the end of the year, including Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds and Sheffield (full list after the break). Price plans will begin at £26 a month (SIM only, for 2GB of data) and the operator already has a choice of compatible hardware to choose from — such as the Nokia 925, Galaxy S4 or BlackBerry Z10. Although the official turn-on won’t be until the end of the month, those eager to get the service will be able to sign-up from the 12th in store or online. Existing customers with an LTE handset can upgrade their plan for an extra £5 a month. As a sweetener, Vodafone is throwing in unlimited data for the first three months, along with a choice of Spotify premium or Premiership football content bundles. While the UK has had LTE services for a while now, until recently, choice was very limited. Now, with O2 coming soon, and EE already up and running, the UK market is set to enjoy the benefits of proper competition.
Soon enough, the UK will have more than one choice for 4G data. Come August 29th, O2 will offer LTE in London, Leeds and Bradford, with expansion plans for an additional 13 cities by year’s end. Rates start a £26 per month — current provider EE’s cheapest is £21 — and you get a 30 day “Happiness Guarantee” when ordering directly from O2. If that isn’t enough of an incentive to buy direct (and pay a higher monthly price), the service provider is throwing in 12 months of free music content too. Keeping with the music theme, the telco is hosting a launch concert at its Sheperd’s Bush Empire venue, and will stream it to billboards across London. Who’s headlining the event is anyone’s guess at this point, as are full details on data package speeds, bandwidth caps and other pricing tiers.
Update: In case you were wondering, those who use O2’s network via Tesco Mobile or Giffgaff will also get the option of LTE, according to CNET, although it’s apparently too early to say when or for how much.
O2 UK has revealed its 4G LTE plans, giving carrier EE some competition for high-speed data. The new O2 4G service will go live on August 29, initially in London, Leeds, and Bradford, the FT reports, with the three cities being followed by a further ten before the end of 2013, the carrier has promised. […]
We’ve already seen a wealth of different Galaxy S 4 variants pop up throughout the summer, but Samsung is continuing the trend with new models of the Galaxy S 4 and Galaxy S 4 mini by adding dual-mode LTE. Samsung says these phones are the world’s first handsets to support both TDD-LTE and FDD-LTE, but
Google unveiled the new Nexus 7 today, complete with faster internals, as well as an impressive 1920×1200 7-inch display. Another addition to the tablet is 4G LTE, and it’ll be coming to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile when the tablet releases the US. The best part is, all three carriers will use the same SKU.
The 4G LTE version will only come in a 32GB flavor, while the WiFi-only models will be available in 16GB and 32GB versions. The LTE-ified variant will cost $349 on any of the carriers. This is compared to the $269 32GB version for WiFi only. That’s $80 more, on top of a data plan you’ll be paying for every month.
However, while the tablet has a launch date of July 30, the LTE version will be arriving “in the coming weeks.” We’re guessing that Google is putting the release date into the hands of the carriers, so we should be hearing from AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile at some point in the near future about availability.
We’re also not sure if AT&T or Verizon will subsidize the new tablet. They probably won’t, seeing as how the Nexus 7 is already at a really low price point to begin with, but at least that means users won’t be binded to a contract when they get service for their new Nexus 7. Be sure to keep an out on SlashGear for carrier announcements regarding the new slate.
Microsoft’s Surface team has taken on development of the company’s upcoming smartwatch, it’s reported, with the wrist-worn gadget supposedly running a modified version of Windows 8. The Surface smartwatch is being built on an original design by the Xbox team, The Verge‘s sources claim, which had been tinkering with a “Joule” heart-rate monitor prototype for the Xbox 360.
Speculation as to the capabilities of the watch have varied, though Microsoft is believed to be making its wearable more functional than some of the existing designs we’ve seen. A modified version of Windows 8 is an ambitious strategy, where existing alternatives like Pebble are more accurately remote displays for the user’s phone.
According to the leaks, the Surface smartwatch is intended to be integrated with other Windows-powered devices, which presumably means both Windows 8 on desktops, notebooks, and tablets, and Windows Phone on handsets. Already suggested is a 1.5-inch display, making the watch bigger than Pebble and other options.
Meanwhile, there’s also talk of customization support with different colored watchbands. AmongTech claimed last week that Microsoft would offer red, blue, yellow, black, white, and grey straps, something The Verge says it has independently confirmed.
Still in the air are other suggestions from the site’s sources, which include a casing made of Oxynitride Aluminum that, as well as being tougher than glass, is also transparent, and both 6GB of storage and integrated LTE. The latter seems a tall order, given the power consumption of 4G radios and the minimal space for batteries in smartwatches, though it’s said to be part of Microsoft’s attempt to integrate the Surface watch with its various cloud services.
One workaround to the power issue is Microsoft making the smartwatch particularly easy to recharge, something implied by rumors back in April that it would use the magnetic Surface connector already used on the detachable keyboards.
Most frequently rumored, however, is the Apple iWatch, which is believed to be the Cupertino firm’s attempt to bring iOS to the wrist. That, however, isn’t expected to launch until sometime in 2014.
Sony’s Xperia Z has been a sleeper agent of sorts: launched to great fanfare at CES in January, overshadowed by the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One at launch, and yet grabbing upgrade sales from under Samsung’s nose in Europe. Not bad for a company once written off in smartphones, and now Sony is hoping to repeat that success in the US, with a launch on T-Mobile USA. Does the waterproof Xperia Z do enough to distract from the heated US mobile market? Read on for the full SlashGear review.
Hardware
We’ve already reviewed the original European version of the Xperia Z, and so we’d recommend reading that beforehand. The phone borrows plenty from Sony’s Japanese handsets, with a beautiful 5-inch, LCD TFT 1920 x 1080 display powered by the company’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, a slimline waterproof case with inset toughened glass panels, and a 13-megapixel camera with an Exmor RS Mobile sensor.
It’s a discrete design compared to the HTC One and iPhone 5′s metal chassis, but the plastics (actually glass-fiber polyamide) and glass feel far less like a compromise than Samsung’s plastics on the Galaxy S 4. On the Xperia Z, there’s the feeling that Sony actively selected them, rather than just going for what would be easiest to push off the manufacturing lines. The black version is a fingerprint and lint magnet, while the purple does a better job of hiding them, albeit while also being more distinctive overall.
Physical controls are limited to a volume rocker on the side and a strikingly oversized, somewhat over-engineered power/lock button. At first glance the attention Sony paid to the button seems somehow questionable, but it makes more and more sense the more you use the Xperia Z. For a start, it’s perfectly placed: it falls under a finger no matter whether you’re holding the phone in your right or left hand, and it feels tough enough to outlive Android 4.1.2 as comes preloaded (not, sadly, Android 4.2).
Inside the 139 x 71 x 7.9 mm, 146g chassis there’s Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz S4 Pro quadcore, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of storage (11.73GB of which is user-available). Connectivity includes LTE and HSPA+ for T-Mobile USA’s networks, along with quadband GSM/EDGE; there’s also WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Miracast support, and MHL-HDMI output from the microUSB port, with the right adapter. A 2-megapixel front-facing camera is above the display.
For the waterproofing to work, you’ll need to make sure all the ports and flaps are closed. The Xperia Z covers its microSD, microUSB, and microSIM slots with flaps, as well as the headphone socket; we wish Sony had done what Samsung did, and use gaskets to leave the headphone jack flap-free. Once they’re all tightly closed, the Xperia Z meets IP55 and IP57 standards for dust and water resistance.
It’s no gimmick, either. On paper, the Sony can handle a dip in up to 1m of water, or alternatively being sprayed with pressurized water jets, or being dumped in dust or sand. That means you can use it in the pool, at the beach, in the shower, or just reach for it without concern when the phone rings while you’re washing dishes, or have your kids in the tub, or are caught out in the rain. The touchscreen gets glitchy under running water, but works properly underwater, unlike the Galaxy S4 Active.
What’s interesting is how quickly you get used to it. In the pool, we were able to keep an eye on children playing while also maintaining an IM conversation on Google Hangouts, for instance. The resilience came into its own when babysitting, leaving us unconcerned if the Xperia Z got knocked off the table or dunked in a cereal bowl. The fact it does it without even the minimal extra bulk that Samsung applied to the Galaxy S4 Active is impressive.
Software and Performance
Android 4.1.2 is a minor disappointment, given how long Android 4.2 has been around, though Sony hides the older OS version under its own skin. It’s a tasteful UI that has much improved in its latter iterations, reminiscent at times of Sense but without some of the bloat that HTC’s interface can suffer from in places.
The on-screen home, back, and task-switcher keys help, fitting in with Google’s own approach on the Nexus 4, and you access Google Now in the same way, with a swipe up from the home icon. Although our preference is usually for pure Android, Sony’s skin does have its advantages, such as in how it can fit a lot of apps onto one screen rather than demanding you scroll around. It’s a good compromise between stock and a carrier skin.
Xperia Z Walkthrough:
A 1.5GHz quadcore seemed excessive when Sony announced the Xperia Z in January, but it’s no longer enough to make the new T-Mobile phone the fastest. Still, it puts in a solid – if not outstanding – showing in the benchmarks.
In Quadrant, the Xperia Z scores 8,008, while in Qualcomm’s own Vellamo, it manages 2,182 in the HTML5 test and 645 in the Metal test. AnTuTu comes in with a score of 20,826, while the Sony completes the SunSpider browser test of JavaScript performance in a laggardly 2,096.3ms.
If the raw numbers prove anything, though, it’s how little benchmarking actually translates to real-world performance. Although on paper the Xperia Z should be a sluggish mess in comparison to its Samsung and HTC rivals, in the hand we had no issues whatsoever with speed. In fact, the phone feels just as spritely – or at times even swifter – than the Galaxy S 4 and HTC One, and we had no complaints about performance.
Camera
Sony is proud of its 13-megapixel camera on the Xperia Z, the first Exmor R Mobile sensor to show up on one of the company’s smartphones. We’ve seen a few different approaches to mobile photography in the past six months – including oversized pixels at lower overall resolutions, balancing more average megapixel counts with physical stabilization, and chasing an ever-increasing top end of resolution – and Sony ostensibly falls into the latter category.
In our general experience with high-resolution phone cameras, they’ve been great with detail when lighting conditions are ideal, but quickly suffer when it gets darker. Happily, the Xperia Z doesn’t fall into the same trap.
The camera app itself feels more like a Sony Cyber-shot than a phone’s app, with no less than 36 modes – including sports, portrait, and HDR – which can be manually selected or left up to Superior Auto to pick between. There’s also panorama support and the choice of up to 12-megapixel 4:3 aspect images or 9-megapixel 16:9 images; you can also fire off 1-megapixel stills while simultaneously recording up to Full HD video.
The results are impressive. Superior Auto actually does a surprisingly good job of picking the same mode for each scene as we’d choose manually, and the result is clear and accurate colors, good contrast, and minimal noise. Even in low-light situations, where phones like the Galaxy S 4 began to stumble, noise is kept down and the quality is admirable.
Video, too, looks great, especially when you mix the Xperia Z with water. Colors and contrast are again accurate, though a little muted than, say, Samsung’s defaults. The HDR mode – which works for both stills and video – leans more toward boosting the visibility of darker areas, rather than playing up the color saturation. Both of the following demo videos were filmed on the Xperia Z:
Phone and Battery
Voice call performance on T-Mobile’s network was solid, and we didn’t experience any dropped calls. The carrier’s gradually spreading LTE network is also worth hunting out: we saw peak downloads of over 53 Mbps and uploads of over 18 Mbps during our testing. Still, you’re more likely to encounter HSPA+ for the moment, while T-Mobile continues to roll out LTE.
Below: our speed test ran especially quick at the NYC special event for this device and T-Mobile’s new collection of 4G LTE announcements.
Battery life has been good, with the Xperia Z lasting for more than 17hrs of mixed use, with push-email turned on, around an hour of voice calls, photography, multimedia use – including streaming music for an hour over Bluetooth – and internet access (though not with the screen turned on for that entire period). Sony also includes its Battery STAMINA mode, which selectively powers off background data use from most apps while the phone is in standby, only allowing those you’ve whitelisted to go online.
For the most part, it works well, though we did have issues with the length of time it estimated it would extend the Xperia Z’s power for on occasion. Of course, you can always turn it off.
Wrap-Up
The Xperia Z is a surprise. From our original review, we knew it was a solid performer, but even with the Galaxy S 4 and the HTC One on the scene, it’s impressive how well it holds up to – and, in some cases, out-performs – its newer rivals. In fact, with all three flagships having shown their best side, we’re leaning toward judging the Xperia Z as the best all-round Android phone of the moment.
At $99.99 down and then $20 per month – on top of service charges – for the duration of a two-year agreement, the Xperia Z is well priced, too. Great battery life, a highly capable camera, usable durability without the normal addition of heft, and sophisticated, discrete styling add up to a smartphone that rightly deserves the attention Samsung and HTC have been getting.
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