- Home
- Mobile Phones
- Sony Phone
- Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a high-end mobile phone from Sony which has been known for its excellent performance and maintaining its abilities many years later. The phone has a good following and no real complaints but many compliments about what a good purchase the phone has been.
Sony Xperia Z Ultra
The phone is an excellent phone looking at the specs alone. With all three networks covered the Sony Xperia Z Ultra covers 2G (GSM 850/900/1800/1900 – all versions) as well as 3G (HSDPA 850/900/1700/1900/2100 – all versions) as well as 4G (LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 17(700) – C6806) and LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800) – C6833.
Being that the phone was released in June 2013 the phone today is still very useful. With speeds on HSPA at42.2/5.76 Mbps and LTE Cat4 at 150/50 MbSony Xperia Z Ultraps the connection speeds are very good and will last for many years. The phone is truly a good investment. There is also GPRS as well as EDGE.
The size of the phone is a bit bigger than what you might expect at 179.4 x 92.2 x 6.5 mm. Its is about the same size as the Lumia range of phones. It is a bit heavier as well at 212 g but it comes with a non-removable Li-Ion 3050 mAh battery. There is an additional feature with this phone as it has an IP58 certification – dust proof and water resistant over 1.5 meter and 30 minutes. Most mobile phones damaged today tends to be water damage on the insurance claims. This is an excellent feature on this phone.
As the phone is large is does come with an excellent screen size and features an IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors. The screen is 6.4 inches (~68.3% screen-to-body ratio) in size which is large and it comes with a very high resolution at 1080 x 1920 pixels with ~344 ppi pixel density. This gives you an excellent screen for graphics and video. The screen is a multitouch screen with up to 10 fingers. The screen also offers Shatter proof glass as well as being a triluminos display which makes the images richer and more vivid. There is also the X-Reality Engine which is an image processing technology to enhance your images and videos. This makes the video and pictures look sharper as well as reduces noise and improves the contrast on the video and pictures.
Compare the picture quality
The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is powered by a Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 which is using either the Qualcomm MSM8274 or the MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 chipset. The video and graphics is powered by an Adreno 330 GPU which is a very powerful combination. All of this is running on the Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v5.1 (Lollipop) operating system.
The memory in the phone is 16 GB of space with 2 GB RAM. The space can also be increased using the dedicated USB slot which allows expansion to 32GB of space. This might be needed later if you like multimedia options as the phone comes with a 8 MP camera with autofocus as well as the usual high-end features such as geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR and sweep panorama. Note that HDR means that 
the camera takes 3 different exposures and gives you a blended photo. The video is the same running at an impressive 1080p@30fps. The secondary camera is also very good at 2 MP with video at a yet again impressive 1080p@30fps. Usually the secondary cameras are the cheap low grade cameras but not in this phone.
The ringtones and alert types are the standard vibration; MP3 and WAV ringtones. There is also the usual 3.5mm jack as well as a loudspeaker. Much like other high-end phones there is also an active noise cancellation with dedicated Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic.
Wifi is also available with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band as well as Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA and hotspot. Bluetooth also comes with the phone in the form of Bluetooth v4.0, A2DP as well as aptX. The chipset has A-GPS as well as GLONASS built in. There is also NFC as well as a Stereo FM radio and USB port. In true multimedia phone options it also boasts an MHL TV-out ability.
As for sensors there is the accelerometer, gyro, proximity and compass. In terms of communications there is SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM as well as Push Email. There is no Java on the phone and it comes with an HTML5 browser. The chipset has the following built in as well being – ANT+ support – DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.264/WMV player and MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/Flac player.The Sony Xperia Z Ultra has above average specs as well as a good battery being a non-removable Li-Ion 3050 mAh battery with up to 790 h (2G) standby time as well as up to 14 h (2G) talk time. For a phone with such high specs, that in itself is as impressive as its design, features and reputation amongst users globally. The Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a very good long term investment.
Specs
Network
| 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Network | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G Network |
LTE band 1(2100), 2(1900), 4(1700/2100), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 17(700) - C6806 |
| SIM <strong>SIM</strong> (Subscriber Identity Module) is a small card that contains mobile network subscriber's account information. This allows the phone using the card to attach to a mobile network. The SIM card is most commonly associated with GSM and UMTS mobile networks. Moving a SIM card from one phone to another allows a subscriber to switch mobile phones without having to contact their mobile network carrier. SIM cards can also be used by a phone to store limited amounts of data, such as phone numbers and text messages. | Micro SIM |
| Dual SIM | No |
Data
| GPRS <strong>GPRS</strong> (General Packet Radio Service) is a packet oriented mobile data service on the 2G and 3G cellular communication system's global system for mobile communications (GSM), Generally, GPRS is used for the purpose of wireless data transfer, such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the Internet via a mobile phone connection. | |
| EDGE <strong>EDGE</strong> (Enhanced Data GSM Environment) is a wireless network technology generally considered the next step in the 2G network offers data transfer rates up to four times faster than ordinary GSM networks, Generally, EDGE is used for the purpose of wireless data transfer, such as sharing pictures and videos or browsing the Internet via a mobile phone connection. | |
| Speed | GPRS: Up to 85.6 kbps / EDGE: Up to 236.8 kbps |
| Web Browser <strong>Web Browser => </strong> a web browser is a software application used to locate, retrieve and display content on the World Wide Web, including Web pages, images, video and other files, The primary function of a web browser is to render HTML, the code used to design or markup webpages. | HTML5 |
Display
| Display Type <strong>Display Technology => </strong> A number of display technologies and types used in mobile phones => TFT (Thin Film Transistor), IPS (In-Place Switching), OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode), AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode), Super AMOLED (an even advanced version of AMOLED), Resistive Touchscreen (Resistive touchscreens contain two layer of conductive material with a very small gap between them which acts as a resistance), Capacitive Touchsceen (Capacitive touchscreen technology consists of a layer of glass coated with a transparent conductor) | IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen |
| Size | 6.4 inches (~68.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Display Colors <strong>Display Colors</strong> is refers to the number of different shades of colors that the screen is capable of displaying => 64K colors, 256K colors and 16 million colors, Obviously 16M is highest available range of colors and better than others. | 16M colors |
| Pixel Density <strong>Pixel Density (PPI)</strong> is refers to the concentration of pixels on a particular display, measured in pixels per inch (ppi). Pixel density is calculated by dividing the diagonal pixel resolution of a display by its diagonal size, higher pixel density better display quality. | ~344 ppi pixel density |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| Display Protection <strong>Display Protection => </strong> Gorilla Glass is a special alkali-aluminosilicate glass shield with exceptional damage resistance that helps protect mobile displays from scratches, drops, and bumps of everyday use, It is always better to go for a smartphone with Gorilla Glass for that added protection and peace of mind. | Scratch-resistant glass |
| Features |
- Triluminos display - X-Reality Engine |
Camera
| Primary <strong>Camera</strong> is able to capture photographs and usually videos, The most important characteristics of a camera are the resolution (measured in megapixels), lens focus type (fixed or automatic), higher megapixel cameras are known to capture higher quality photos, but not always a good measurement of the photos quality. | 8 MP |
| Video | 1080p@30fps |
| Camera Features |
f/2.4, autofocus Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, HDR, sweep panorama |
| Flash <strong>Flash Light => </strong> There is commonly two types of flash lights are used in camera mobile phones, LED Flash (LED flash offers lower power consumption with drive circuitry that takes up very little room, LEDs can be strobed faster than any other light source), Xenon Flash (xenon flash produces an extremely intense full-spectrum white light for a very short duration) | Yes |
| Secondary | 2 MP, 1080p@30fps |
Connectivity
| Bluetooth <strong>Bluetooth</strong> is a wireless communications technology for exchanging data between mobile phones, headsets, computers and other network devices over short distances without wires, Bluetooth technology was primarily designed to support simple wireless networking of personal consumer devices. | v4.0, A2DP, aptX |
| Wi-fi <strong>Wi-Fi</strong> is a popular wireless networking technology using radio waves to provide high-speed network connections that allows devices to communicate without cords or cables, Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming the preferred mode of internet connectivity all over the world. | Yes |
| Wi-fi Hotspot | |
| USB | microUSB v2.0 (MHL TV-out), USB Host |
| GPS <strong>GPS</strong> The Global Positioning System is a satellite-based radio navigation system, GPS permits users to determine their position, velocity and the time 24 hours a day, in all weather, anywhere in the world, In order to locate your position, your device or GPS receiver must have a clear view of the sky. | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC <strong>NFC</strong> (Near field communication) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish peer-to-peer radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into proximity, usually no more than a few inches. | |
| HDMI <strong>HDMI</strong> (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a compact audio/video interface for transferring uncompressed video data and compressed or uncompressed digital audio data from a HDMI-compliant source device to a compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital audio device. | |
| Headphone Jack |
Hardware
| Chipset <strong>Chipset</strong> is a group of integrated circuits designed to perform one or a more dedicated functions, often with real time computing constraints, Popular smartphones are equipped with more advanced embedded chipsets that can do many different tasks depending on their programming. | Qualcomm MSM8274 or MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 |
| CPU <strong>CPU</strong> (Central Processing Unit) mostly known as processors, CPU processes instructions in order to carry out certain functions that make your device operate properly. Processors are often described as the brain of computers, smartphones and tablets, Smartphones and tablets rely on processors to carry out their every task, Processors are an incredibly important factor in selecting any type of computing device, including your smartphone. | Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 |
| GPU <strong>GPU</strong> (Graphics Processing Unit) is a single-chip processor designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display, This includes things such as lighting effects, object transformations, and 3D motion. | Adreno 330 |
| RAM (Memory) <strong>RAM</strong> (Random Access Memory) is a type of computer memory that can be accessed randomly, any byte of memory can be accessed without touching the preceding bytes that allows information to be stored and accessed quickly from random locations. RAM is the most common type of memory found in computer systems, smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices. | 16 GB, 2 GB RAM |
| Internal Storage <strong>Internal Storage</strong> is a data storage space (flash memory) mostly used in smartphones, tablets and other electronic devices where operating system, apps, music, photos, videos, files and other user data Is stored. | 16 GB, 2 GB RAM |
| Card Slot <strong>Memory Card Slot</strong> is a special slot for inserting a memory card. Memory cards allow you to expand the phone's built-in memory, A memory card (sometimes called a flash memory card or a storage card) is a small storage medium used to store data such as text, pictures, audio, and video, for use on small, portable or remote computing devices such as mobile phones, mp3 players, digital cameras. | Yes |
| Sensors <strong>Sensors</strong> are electronic components that detects and responds to some type of input from the physical environment. The specific input could be light, heat, motion, moisture, pressure and location, The output is generally a signal that is converted to use in computing systems, a location sensor, such as a GPS receiver is able to detect current location of your electronic device. | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
Media
| Audio Playback | Yes |
| Video Playback | Yes |
| FM Radio | Stereo FM radio |
| Ring Tones | Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
Messaging
| SMS <strong>SMS</strong> (Short Messaging Service) is a text messaging service component of phone, Web, or mobile communication systems. It uses standardized communications protocols to allow mobile phone devices to exchange short text messages over the networks. | Yes (threaded view) |
| MMS <strong>MMS</strong> (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a standard way to send messages that include multimedia content (audio clips, video clips and images) to and from mobile phones over wireless networks using the WAP protocol. | |
| Email <strong>Email</strong> (Electronic Mail) is a system for receiving, sending, and storing electronic messages, Similar to a letter, email is text messages that may contain files, images, or other attachments sent via the internet to a recipient by using applications and software prograps. An email address is required to receive email, and that address is unique to the user. | Yes |
| IM <strong>IM</strong> (Instant Messaging) is an exchange of text messages through a software application, it enable you to create a kind of private chat room with another individual in order to communicate in real time over the Internet. | Yes |
Software
| Operating System <strong>OS => </strong> Every computer system run on a base software called Operating System (OS). Operating System controls all basic operations of the computer (such as smartphone, PDAs, tablet computers and other handheld devices). The Operating System allows the user to install and run third party applications (apps), apps are used to add new functionality to the device. | Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v5.1 (Lollipop) |
| Java Support <strong>Java</strong> for Mobile Devices is a set of technologies that let developers deliver applications and services to all types of mobile handsets, ranging from price efficient feature-phones to the latest smartphones. Java is currently running on over 3 billion phones worldwide, and growing. It offers unrivaled potential for the distribution and monetization of mobile applications. | No |
| Features |
- ANT+ support - DivX/Xvid/MP4/H.264/WMV player - MP3/eAAC+/WMA/WAV/Flac player - Document viewer - Photo viewer/editor - Voice memo/dial |
Power
| Battery Type <strong>Battery Type => </strong> Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium. | Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) |
| Battery Life | Up to 790 h (2G) / Up to 820 h (3G) |
| Batteries Included | Yes |
Battery
| Battery Type <strong>Battery Type => </strong> Cell phones run on various kinds of batteries depending on the manufacturer, phone size or shape and features. There are basically four types of cell phone batteries => Lithium Polymer, Lithium Ion, Nickel Metal Hydride and Nickel Cadmium. | Li-Ion (Lithium Ion) |
| Capacity <strong>Battery Capacity</strong> is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined by the mass of active material contained in the battery. The battery capacity represents the maximum amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery under certain conditions. | Non-removable Li-Ion 3050 mAh battery |
| Placement | Rear |
| Standby <strong>Standby Time</strong> is the total amount of time that you can leave your is fully charged, turned on and ready to send and receive calls or data transmissions before completely discharging the battery. | Up to 790 h (2G) / Up to 820 h (3G) |
| Talk Time <strong>Talk Time</strong> is the longest time that a single battery charge will last when you are constantly talking on the phone under perfect conditions, Ambient temperature and highly dependent on the cellular network environment such as the distance to the closest cell network tower. | Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 16 h (3G) |
| Music Play | Up to 120 h |
