Sony Xperia Z2 vs Xperia Z1 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3: specs comparison

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Sony Xperia Z2 vs Xperia Z1 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3: specs comparison
The Sony Xperia Z2 has just arrived featuring that typical, refined Sony style, but don’t let its looks fool you - under the hood, it packs some impressive silicon muscle. And as Sony is pushing to release its top-shelf smartphones faster than any other company on the market (it’s at 6-month product cycles right now), it should have the edge over competitors.

Is that really so? Nothing would tell better than a quick fact check - only specs and nothing else. That’s how we compare the Xperia Z2 to see whether it’s any better than the preceding Xperia Z1 and the top dog on the Android market right now, the Galaxy Note 3.

We ought to warn you first, though, that the difference is in the detail. The Xperia Z2 does not feature any fancy new features like the Quad HD (2560 x 1440-pixel) displays that we were all hoping for - instead it’s a gradual improvement.

Take a look and let us know what you think - is the Xperia Z2 worth buying, and would you prefer it over the Samsung Galaxy Note 3?

Sony Xperia Z2 Sony Xperia Z1 Samsung Galaxy Note3

Design

Dimensions
5.78 x 2.89 x 0.32 inches
146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm
5.69 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches
144.4 x 73.9 x 8.5 mm
5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches
151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm
Weight
5.75 oz (163.0 g) 6.00 oz (170.0 g) 5.93 oz (168.0 g)
Materials
Back: Glass
Resistance
Water, Dust; IP58 Water, Dust; IP58
Features
Stylus, Interchangeable covers
Keys
Right: Volume control, Camera shutter, Lock/Unlock key Right: Volume control, Camera shutter, Lock/Unlock key Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key
Colors
Black, Purple, White Black, Purple, White Black, Pink, White

Display

Size
5.2-inch 5.0-inch 5.7-inch
Resolution
1920x1080px, 424 PPI 1920x1080px, 441 PPI 1920x1080px, 386 PPI
Technology
IPS LCD TFT Super AMOLED
Screen-to-body
69.17 % 64.52 % 74.78 %
Colors
16 777 216 16 777 216
Features
Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Scratch-resistant glass, Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor Scratch-resistant glass (Corning Gorilla Glass 3), Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor

Hardware

System chip
Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AB Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Processor
Quad-core
2300 MHz
Krait 400
Quad-core
2200 MHz
Krait 400
Quad-core
2300 MHz
Krait 400
GPU
Adreno 330 Adreno 330 Adreno 330
RAM
3GB (LPDDR3) 2GB (LPDDR3) 3GB (LPDDR3)
Internal storage
16GB 16GB 64GB
Storage expansion
microSDXC up to 128 GB microSDXC up to 64 GB microSDHC up to 64 GB
OS
Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2) Android (5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3, 4.2.2) Android (5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4, 4.3)

Battery

Capacity
3200 mAh 3000 mAh 3200 mAh
Type
Li - Ion Li - Ion Li - Ion

Camera

Rear
Single camera Single camera Single camera
Main camera
20.7 MP (Autofocus, CMOS image sensor)
Aperture size: F2.0
Sensor size: 1/2.3"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
20.7 MP (Autofocus, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.0
Focal length: 27 mm
Sensor size: 1/2.3"
13 MP (Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, BSI sensor)
Aperture size: F2.2
Focal length: 31 mm
Sensor size: 1/3.06"
Pixel size: 1.12 μm
Flash
LED LED LED
Video recording
3840x2160 (4K UHD)
HDR
1920x1080 (Full HD)
HDR, Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS
3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)
Continuous autofocus, Video light, EIS, Video calling
Front
2.2 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 2 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD) 2 MP, Video capture: 1920x1080 (Full HD)

Connectivity & Features

Bluetooth
4.0 4.0 4.0
WLAN
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct
802.11 a,b,g,n,ac,dual-band
Wi-Fi Direct, Hotspot
USB
microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 2.0 microUSB, USB 3.0
Hearing aid compatible
T3
HDMI
Yes
Location
GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Barometer Accelerometer, Compass Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Thermometer, Gesture, Humidity, Barometer
Other
NFC, ANT+, SyncML, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, ANT+, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync NFC, ANT+, Infrared, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync

Multimedia

Headphones
3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack 3.5mm jack
Speakers
Earpiece, Multiple speakers Earpiece, Loudspeaker Earpiece, Loudspeaker
Features
Album art cover, Background playback, Music recognition Album art cover, Background playback, Music recognition, Custom equalizer Album art cover, Background playback, Preset equalizer
Screen mirroring
DLNA,Wireless screen share,MHL,MirrorLink DLNA,MHL,MirrorLink,TV-out DLNA,MHL
Radio
FM, RDS FM, Stereo, RDS
Additional microphone(s)
Noise cancellation

Cellular

4G (FDD)
Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 13(700 c), 17(700 b), 20(800 DD) Bands 1(2100), 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 7(2600), 8(900), 20(800 DD) Bands 2(1900), 3(1800), 4(AWS-1), 5(850), 8(900), 17(700 b), 18(800 Lower)
3G
Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 1(2100) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 4(1700/2100), 2(1900), 1(2100) Bands 5(850), 8(900), 2(1900), 1(2100)
Data Speed
LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS
SIM type
Micro SIM Micro SIM
VoLTE
Yes Yes

Phone Features

Notifications
Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone Haptic feedback, Music ringtones (MP3), Polyphonic ringtones, Vibration, Flight mode, Silent mode, Speakerphone
Other features
Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording Voice dialing, Voice commands, Voice recording

Regulatory Approval

FCC approval
Date approved: Jul 23, 2014
FCC ID value: PY7PM-0745
Date approved: Sep 30, 2013
FCC ID value: PY7PM-0450
Date approved: Nov 07, 2013
FCC ID value: A3LSMN9005
Measured SAR
Head: 0.94 W/kg
Body: 0.87 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.59 W/kg
Wireless Router: 0.89 W/kg
Head: 0.75 W/kg
Body: 0.77 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.33 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.15 W/kg
Head: 0.24 W/kg
Body: 0.72 W/kg
Simultaneous Transmission: 1.07 W/kg
Wireless Router: 1.04 W/kg
EU SAR
Head: 0.29 W/kg

Buyers information

In The Box
Charger, microUSB cable, User documentation

Availability

Officially announced
Feb 24, 2014 Sep 04, 2013 Sep 04, 2013


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