The Xperia Z5 Premium’s UHD screen broke my heart
Pro BMX biker Kriss Kyle navigates a complex series of colorful loops and platforms, set against a seemingly endless void of black. With every perfect landing, my heart sinks. I’m watching Kaleidoscope, a gorgeous promotional video made by Red Bull and Sony to highlight the Xperia Z5 Premium, the world’s first 4K phone. The problem is, it’s pretty much the only thing I’ve watched all week.
The Xperia Z5 Premium is the iPhone 6s Plus to the Xperia Z5’s iPhone 6s. By that I mean the two Sony phones are functionally identical, save for the larger, higher-resolution display, and a larger battery, to boot. If you want to know how the regular Z5 stacks up, you can read my colleague’s review of it. Almost everything aside from the screen and battery life is identical.
There’s no denying that the Z5 Premium’s 3,840 x 2,160 display is gorgeous. I needn’t have worried about the reports that most content would only be “displayed in 1080p.” Sony isn’t just pixel-doubling, and whatever software it’s using to upscale works very well. I guess it’s had enough practice with its 4K TVs. Either way, the things I do the most on a phone — read websites, chat to people, endlessly scroll through Twitter — all looked crisp and clear, and appreciably better than competing 1080p displays. A muddier comparison can be had with, say, a Galaxy S6, which has a 1440p screen; I couldn’t really spot a huge difference between the two, at least when it came to browsing and reading.
An on-screen label measuring 6mm across. In short, Sony’s upscaling of 1080p content is great.
With photos and videos, the quality gap was usually easier to discern. Full-resolution photos from my camera were crisper than I’d ever seen before. That’s not hyperbole, either; the monitor I use to edit photos has roughly 100 pixels per inch, while my smartphone and tablet are in the mid-300s. The Z5 Premium, however, is in the 800s. And with an application that makes the most of the 4K display, it’s fantastic. Video is the same. I played the same UHD clip on the Z5 Premium and a few other phones, including a 1440p Samsung, a 1080p HTC and a 1080p OnePlus. Two things were immediately clear: First, that manufacturers really need to work on coordinating their color balance and saturation; and second, that the Z5 Premium had by far the sharpest display.
And this 4K prowess doesn’t come at the expense of battery life or power. Performance is not noticeably different between the Z5 Premium and the Z5; I’d put some benchmarks in here but they’re so close to the Z5 that there’s no point. Battery life is a little longer too, thanks to that larger cell. All told, it lasted a shade under 10 hours on our battery rundown test, about 2.5 hours longer than the Z5. In regular use, Sony’s claim of “up to two day” of battery life meant what it always has: You’ll almost definitely be fine charging the phone once every 24 hours.
So the 4K thing isn’t a total gimmick. I can absolutely perceive the overall effect of the extra pixels, even if I could never pick them out individually. Unfortunately — and this has never been more true for a device than it is for the Z5 Premium — there’s just nothing to watch on it. The phone came with a teaser for the aforementioned Kaleidoscope. It really is a beautifully shot video. It made me want to watch more 4K content. As it happens, I only have a small 1080p TV in my bedroom, and I usually go to sleep watching something, so the Z5 Premium on my nightstand is actually fairly practical.
I did everything in my power to watch 4K content, but I almost entirely failed. All the video apps on Android, other than Sony’s preloaded one, are restricted to lower resolutions. That includes both Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, which both offer 4K on other devices. Bizarrely, that figurative “no 4K content” sign also hangs over PlayStation Video, the phone’s preinstalled movie store. Oh, and YouTube also doesn’t serve ultra-high-res video to mobile. Neither does Vimeo.
It was the same everywhere I turned. Even if you don’t have a Netflix or Prime Video account, it’s not that hard to find 4K movies for your TV. Sure, it’s not very cost-effective, and you’ll be dealing with some restrictive DRM, but it’s not impossible. The only way I was able to view 4K video on the Z5 Premium was either to shoot it with the phone’s camera or to download something to my computer, plug in my phone over USB, and transfer across the file. I did that with the full Kaleidoscope, for testing purposes.
Even if you’re able to purchase some 4K content, it’ll need to be DRM-free. And it’s obscenely difficult to find anything 4K without DRM. You’re pretty much looking at porn as your sole option for buying 4K content — unless you’re okay with pirating Hollywood movies or TV shows, that’s that. I’m really not. I’ve been weighing up the ethical dilemma of pirating Jessica Jones recently — I pay for Netflix’s “4 screens and Ultra HD” plan, so it’d probably be okay, right? “Maybe I could make sure I played the whole season on my tv, so Netflix and Marvel knew I watched it again,” I thought to myself. I’d much rather Sony just released a 4K phone that could play 4K content. Instead, I’m left with Kaleidoscope. That lovely little clip. So sharp. So vibrant. So heartbreaking.
These are our favorite video games of 2015
Different strokes, different folks — never has this been more true in gaming. And so, it’s with that spirit of varied perspective that we at Engadget bring you our favorite video games of the year. There is no one-size-fits-all winner here. Instead, we’re highlighting the best games to suit specific tastes and who better to make those calls than our very own staff of trusted gaming editors. So if you’re still looking to make that list for Santa, get a gift for someone you know or just dedicate a chunk of holiday vacation to quality play time, consider our selections for 2015’s greatest gaming hits.
Her Story, Sam Barlow (PC, Mac)
Her Story is an FMV game where you’re sat at a police computer. In order to solve a mystery, you have to watch a series of police interviews, but the files are corrupted and split into hundreds of time clips. You can search these clips by the words that are in them, but you have to be specific as your searches can only display a finite number of results. Sitting down for six hours, utterly enthralled, I scrawled names, clip numbers, and clues on a physical piece of paper, slowly unravelling a truly gripping story. It’s a short, unique experience, and the best six hours I’ve spent with a video game this year.
Honorable mention: Nuclear Throne, Vlambeer (PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita)
Until Dawn, Supermassive Games (PlayStation 4)
I never thought a video game would make me feel like Wes Craven. Before I started playing Until Dawn, I was almost positive that Sony’s advertising and marketing teams were ignoring it for a reason. Imagine my delight when I realized I couldn’t have been any more wrong.
Supermassive Games’ PlayStation 4 debut is unlike any big-budget game I’ve played in ages. Rather than sticking a gun in my hand, it sat me down in a director’s chair and essentially told me to craft my own horror movie. It could’ve been disastrous, but Supermassive intrinsically gets what makes for a good horror flick: the unknown, atmosphere, killer writing, and great performances from (mostly) unknown actors.
Sure, I’ve played scarier games (oh hi, Outlast and Dead Space), but those weren’t necessarily “fun” for me; I only made it an hour into the former before NOPE-ing out. Until Dawn expertly balances scares and an atmosphere of unease with genuinely funny bits to lighten the mood. This alone makes it much easier to play for extended periods. But even if I hadn’t needed to pack my play-through into a weekend, I still would have. It didn’t take long for the game’s hooks to dig in and pull me through experiences that I didn’t think were possible in a big-budget video game and I couldn’t wait to see the next one.
My filmmaking talents peaked with a crappy stop-motion short at community college, but my appreciation for movies has done the exact opposite. I don’t know why I’m surprised a video game that lets me live out an altogether different childhood dream had such an impact on me, but here we are. Supermassive Games, you have my undivided attention.
Honorable mention: Fallout 4, Bethesda Game Studios (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
Bloodborne, FromSoftware (PlayStation 4)
If you know me, you know that, on paper, a game like Bloodborne pretty much ticks all my boxes for what not to play: It’s hyperviolent; it’s scary; it refuses to hold the player’s hand; it’s unforgiving. And yet, after avoiding FromSoftware’s spiritual successor to its Demon’s Souls/Dark Souls series for most of 2015, I made a Black Friday impulse buy (the disc was $20 on Amazon) and I’ve been screaming at my television in frustration (and occasional delight) ever since.
Let’s be clear: I’m nowhere near even halfway through my hunter’s bloody quest in the chiaroscuro-heavy, Lovecraftian land of Yharnam, but I won’t stop; I won’t give up. No matter how many times I die and have to replay an entire section, slaughtering the zombified and supernaturally nightmarish residents at a methodically deliberate pace over and over, I’ll do so with pleasure. Bloodborne’s storyline may be vague, the mechanics largely unexplained and punishing (one-hit death blows, anyone?), the save points scarce, the overworld map entirely missing, my character’s purpose opaque at best and the game’s UI chock full of systems I have to go online to understand (what even is ‘bloodtinge’?), but I love all of it. I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I finally outsmart and eviscerate a boss, and get to save.
I love a game that won’t let you press pause by design.
Honorable mention: Splatoon, Nintendo (Wii U)
Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, The Chinese Room (PlayStation 4)
Sometimes a game can show more by showing nothing at all. In Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture, there are no character models to watch, only shimmering outlines constructed from a strange golden dust. The world is now abandoned, lost to an otherworldly phenomenon, and you’re left to walk through a quaint village in leafy England. Occasionally, you’ll trigger a story sequence which shows a brief moment during the crisis. You can hear the dialogue perfectly, but the faint silhouettes that move back and forth require you to use your imagination. How Stephen, Katherine and the other residents look in my head will be completely different to you. But like a brilliant audiobook, none of that really matters. If anything, it made me care about the characters and their problems more. There are no second-rate models or weird animations to pull you out of the experience. Only top-notch dialogue, delivered by a sensational set of voice actors.
Then there’s the environment. Yaughton, a fictional town in Shropshire, England, is a beautiful place to explore. The village hall. The local pub. A church perched at the top of a hill. All of these places have been constructed with an astonishing level of detail. Whether it’s a cluttered desk in someone’s spare bedroom, or a garden with laundry flapping in the wind, every object helps to build a sense of place. Ultimately, Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a static sandbox — nothing really moves or changes, save for the shimmering story sequences. But that only makes the game more impressive. The characters are flawed and their personal relationships are fragile, complex affairs. Piecing them together and ultimately experiencing the residents’ final moments create some truly heartbreaking crescendos.
Months after finishing the storyline, I still find myself replaying some of the more emotional scenes in my head. For me, that’s the sign of a great game and one I would heartily recommend to players that prioritize narrative above everything else.
Honorable mention: Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection, Bluepoint Games/Naughty Dog (PlayStation 4)
Undertale, Toby Fox (PC, Mac)
2015 was filled with AAA games I’d spent years waiting for: Fallout 4, Star Wars: Battlefront, Batman: Arkham Knight and many, many more. But when it came time to pick my favorite game of the year, none of them made the cut. Don’t misunderstand me. Those are all great games and you should absolutely play each and every one of them, but none of them affected me the way Undertale did.
Undertale, if you’re not familiar, is an independent adventure game best known for being “the friendly RPG where nobody has to die.” It’s a game where every battle is its own mini-game and, if you choose to, you can talk your way out of a fight. On the surface, it looks like an homage to classic SNES games like Earthbound (and on some level, it is), but it’s more than that. Undertale unpacks the common RPG tropes of save points, random battles and multiple endings, and exploits them to create an emotionally manipulative experience that sticks with you through multiple playthroughs. Talking too much about the game’s conceit would be a massive spoiler, but here’s a taste: What would happen if your character remembered every death they experience? In Undertale, they do, and it gets weird, creepy and kind of hilarious.
Undertale’s irreverent humor, nostalgic style and bold disregard for my expectations left an impression on me that no AAA game could match. It’s not always subtle, but it’s effective — by the end of my time with it, Undertale had guilted me into never playing it again. A do-over would ruin the perfect experience I had. Considering how much I loved the game, I almost hate to agree. It’s right. I’m probably not going to play Undertale again — but you should.
Honorable mention: Splatoon, Nintendo (Wii U)
Life is Strange, Dontnod Entertainment (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4)
I didn’t expect to love Life is Strange. As I sat through its first demo at Gamescom 2014, I had a feeling I’d like it — but love? No one ever sees love coming. On the surface, Life is Strange is my kind of game: a narrative-driven, point-and-click adventure featuring high school drama, supernatural powers and two young women who remind me of myself, just a few years ago. Those are the elements that convinced me to play Life is Strange, but the writing was what kept me going. The main characters are richly portrayed, with complicated histories, powerful personalities and unique traits that make their manufactured actions and decisions feel real, even when their stories involve traveling through time (and even weirder events).
Life is Strange wasn’t developed by a team of teenage girls, but it easily could have been — and I mean that as the highest compliment. Some of the scenes feel as if they’re pulled directly from my own past: The main young women, Chloe and Max, lounge in a bedroom plastered in posters and graffiti, discussing potential love interests and overbearing parents, and the deja vu is real. When the story eventually diverges from paths well worn by American suburbia, these realistic roots keep it grounded. The characters never feel fake and the situations seem plausible, even at their strangest.
The game’s main draw is its choose-your-own-adventure design that puts each player directly in the world, deciding where the characters go, what they say, and even who lives and who dies. Point-and-click adventures often get flak for not offering truly unique experiences for each player, but Life is Strange’s story is twisted enough to nullify those complaints.
Honorable mention: Gravity Ghost, Ivy Games (PC, Mac)
Fallout 4, Bethesda Game Studios (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4)
This is actually my first Fallout game, and I was surprised at how quickly I got sucked into it. And this, despite the hours upon hours of confusion at the start, the muddled menus, and a ridiculously hands-off approach to showing you how to play the damn game. There’s just so much to do in here. I have no idea how far am into the primary game because the sidequests are so richly fleshed out and entertaining. I know I should be looking for my lost baby son, but look there’s a giant crab that needs to be fought in the middle of some castle ruins. Not to mention all the vignettes and nuggets hidden outside of these diversions.
I wouldn’t say the game has a severe learning curve — because you can play through so much of Fallout 4 whilst happily oblivious of so many obfuscated (or even hidden) features regarding major parts of the game, like settlements. Then again, maybe those frustrations are what kept me playing. Reading other gamers’ impressions and how they forged their own paths through the game gave me even more ways to play Fallout 4. And once I’ve satisfyingly hoarded all the materials I need for my settlement, I will get to work building my architectural masterpiece. (Or at least put a roof over some of my residents’ heads. Terrible landlord here.)
I love playing Fallout 4 because it’s packed with so many things to do, see, and steal. It pitches somewhere between Grand Theft Auto V (and the seemingly endless diversions found there) and the characters, choices and gameplay styles found in the Deus Ex games, all surrounded in the unpretty atmosphere of a post-apocalyptic Boston, Massachusetts.
Honorable mention: Bravely Second, Square Enix/Silicon Studio (3DS)
Image credit: Shutterstock (top image)
Hideo Kojima’s first independent game is a PS4 exclusive
Konami’s loss is PlayStation’s gain: Tonight Sony announced an exclusive collaboration with legendary game developer Hideo Kojima, the auteur responsible for the Metal Gear and Zone of the Enders franchises. In the announcement video from PlayStation below, Kojima says that he’s making a new franchise that’ll be console-exclusive to the PlayStation 4. Sitting alongside him, PlayStation president Andrew House said that Sony will offer its “full support” on Kojima’s new project. And really, aside from the shiny new Kojima Productions logo, that’s about it in terms of details.
Considering that Kojima’s been a free agent for all of approximately five minutes at this point, the lack of information shouldn’t be much of a surprise following the very public departure from his last employer, Konami. Why Sony instead of Microsoft? Well, Kojima and the company go pretty far back. Metal Gear Solid was exclusive to the first PlayStation. Its sequel, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, had the same deal on the PlayStation 2 and most recently, P.T. was only available on PlayStation 4.
Now the guessing games begin: Just what is this new project going to be like? Hit the comments below for your best idea.
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) December 16, 2015
Source: PlayStation (YouTube)
PlayStation Vue’s Chromecast support is here….. for iOS devices
Sony might be a longtime manufacturer of Android devices, but the company is focusing on another mobile operating system when it comes to using its video streaming service. Along with Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Sony announced in November that PlayStation Vue would be accessible on a Chromecast. Support for those two Amazon devices started right away while a wait was put in place for the service’s availability on Google’s little media player. The wait is finally over, but the structure of PlayStation Vue’s Chromecast support is a bit.. limited.
People with Android devices are still unable to use PlayStation Vue on a Chromecast. Happen to own a device with iOS on it? You’re good to go.
Sony is limiting PlayStation Vue’s use on Chromecast to only allow people with iOS devices to stream anything. If you’re scratching your head, I’m nearly as confused as you are. Sony is a company with struggling mobile division that can’t seem to get a single thing right. And so they decide to not even allow their own devices to use PlayStation Vue with a Chromecast. Aside from releasing an absurd amount of devices annually, Sony now has the problem of supporting the competition before it supports its own customers.
For a service that costs $49-$64 per month, Sony is welcoming a very small amount of people to try PlayStation Vue with limited support.
Source: PlayStation (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: PlayStation Vue’s Chromecast support is here….. for iOS devices
Sony’s PlayStation Vue internet TV gets Chromecast support
Back in November, Sony said PlayStation Vue would soon start working on the Chromecast. Now, having teased that over a month ago, the electronic company’s finally making its internet TV service friendly with Google’s $35 dongle. The only caveat is that this feature’s only for iOS users right now, since Sony doesn’t have a PlayStation Vue app available on Android. There’s no word on when, or if, that’s going to change, which means you have to own a compatible device if you want to get a subscription.
Chromecast support for #PSVue available today; access content via the PS Vue Mobile app from compatible iOS devices: https://t.co/GV1ms8yl00
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) December 15, 2015
Source: PlayStation (Twitter)
Sony extends testing period for Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on Concept for Android
Sony’s equivalent of a soak testing program, Concept for Android, has been receiving positive reviews from the company’s development folks, so it is being extended into 2016. At the same time that Sony revealed they were not shutting down the program this week as originally planned, Sony also released an update for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact to start testing Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on those devices.
With regard to the larger Concept for Android program, which gives a group of up to 10,000 users the ability to test builds of upcoming releases, the developers noted that testing is “going in a good way and think it would be a pity to end it already.” At this time, no official or even projected date to end the program has been suggested. Likewise, Sony has not set a date for the official release of their Android 6.0 Marshmallow updates, though the Concept for Android beta testing would presumably end when that point is reached.
Meanwhile, the new release for the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact move the Android version up to Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and has been labeled MR1 for Maintenance Release 1. Sources familiar with the release indicate the only unique item they noted as changing has been the removal of an icon pack. The ability to customize the look via an “Icon appearance” setting is still present, but no optional icon packs are present.
sources: XperiaBlog 1, XperiaBlog 2
Come comment on this article: Sony extends testing period for Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow on Concept for Android
‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5’ quietly comes to PS3 and Xbox 360
The previous-gen versions of Activision’s poorly received Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5 are quietly launching this week. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games were due out November 13th, but have only hit the US today. Physical and digital versions are available in the US, while the UK launch appears to be digital only.
It’s fair to say that Pro Skater 5 isn’t the strongest entry in the series. Despite its adequate presentation and gameplay, the game’s launch on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One was marred by game-breaking glitches and bugs. The result of the inexcusably botched launch was twofold. First, the game was panned by critics and fans alike. Second, the previous-gen versions were delayed while Activision focused on putting things right for those that had already paid money for the game.
For what it’s worth, Activision did just that: a couple of weeks ago it released a massive (7.8GB) update, 1.03, that significantly improved stability issues. Let’s hope the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 ports are based on 1.03, otherwise, you’ll be seeing a lot of this:
Source: Eurogamer
Lumsing and AndroidGuys are giving away 10 four-port intelligent wall chargers
- INTELLIGENT QUICK CHARGE TECHNOLOGY: Detects and automatically switches to the right charging mode of the connected digital device for full speed charging of up to 4.2 overall amps.
- COMPACT POWERFUL CHARGER: Via 4 ports, the half palm-sized mini Cube charger delivers 21 watts of high-power to simultaneously to charge 4 devices, at top speed.
- SAFETY & LOW HEAT PROTECTION: Multi-protection system ensures complete safety for you and your devices. The built-in heat sink prevents the charger from getting too hot while charging.
- WELL-MADE TEXTURED SURFACE: Lumsing Unique Surface Treatment provides a textured grip to minimize the risk of dropping the charger, and the little, colored specks provide a unique feel.
The rules are simple.
- Like Lumsing’s Facebook fan page (https://www.facebook.com/LumsingFans/).
- Share this post on Facebook.
- Leave a comment below in the comments section.
- Enter the giveaway from now until Sunday December 20 11:59PM PST. Winners will be contacted on Monday December 21. Just provide a shipping address and Lumsing will mail you the product direct.
All entrants will be able to receive one product at %50 off from the Lumsing Amazon store. Lumsing has over 16k ratings on Amazon.com, with over 97% overwhelming positive. They have a wide range of products from portable power banks, to wall chargers to accessory cables. We have positively reviewed its products on AndroidGuys.com, and use the products ourselves. In no way is Lumsing or AndroidGuys using this giveaway as an attempt to collect any personal information such as your phone number or credit card information.
From the team at AndroidGuys.com and Lumsing, we want to wish you a happy holiday season!
To learn more about Lumsing products head on over to the Lumsing Amazon.com storefront – LINK
Terms and Conditions
- Winners must live in the United States.
- We are not responsible for lost shipments.
- Only one winner per household.
- We reserve all rights to make any changes to this giveaway.
- Your email address will be given to Lumsing so they can contact you to send you a free prize
Lumsing Grand A1 accessory review
The post Lumsing and AndroidGuys are giving away 10 four-port intelligent wall chargers appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Rumor: Sony to have two Xperia Snapdragon 820 flagships for 2016
Sony’s Xperia line has been around for some time, though in recent years hit a bit of a snag as its flagship line has failed to produce a bankable hit. This has, in turn, resulted in rumors the Japanese OEM would shed its skin, similar to what happened with VAIO. Rumors have surfaced in the past few weeks suggesting there would be no less than five Xperia Z6 variants. Today, a new rumor makes five specific claims:
- There will be only two flagship Xperia devices in 2016.
- No flagship will be announced at CES 2016.
- The first flagship will launch in July, and the second in October.
- The devices will make extensive use of metal.
- The devices will both sport the Snapdragon 820 SoC.
We want to caution readers that this information should not be taken as fact. The very idea that Sony will “only” release 2 flagships in 2016 seemingly isn’t even news in-and-of-itself. Rather, it has become such due to wild speculation the company would produce a handful of Z6 devices. In truth, either claim could be “logical” given Sony’s recent releases.
Much to do about…nothing?
The claim of 5 devices stems from reports that 2016 will see a more familiar Z6, a Z6 Premium, and a Z6 Compact, but also a Z6 Mini and a Z6 Ultra. While the latter two are at odds with current trends from the OEM, the past few months has seen Z5-variants of the first three. Putting aside the logic of releasing a flagship Mini when there would already be a flagship Compact, Sony has not released a flagship “Ultra” since the very first Z series, the Z Ultra.
With that said, giant phablet devices do still hit the market these days, however they tend to be of a decidedly lower-spec affair. Sony itself has the 6-inch Xperia C5 Ultra, Huawei has the 6.8-inch P8max, Lenovo has its 7-inch PHAB Plus. Yesterday footage of Samsung’s upcoming 6-inch Galaxy A9 leaked.
None of these devices might be considered a top-tier flagship however, and save for last year’s Motorola Nexus 6, this is arguably the industry trend. For Sony to buck this pattern and release an Xperia Z6 Ultra would arguably result in questionable sales potential, however it is now a commonly circulating belief that Samsung will in fact, have two 6-inch Galaxy S7 devices.
Ultimately only time will tell what Sony actually plans to do. For now however, industry sources are seeking to indicate there will be only two flagship Z devices next year.
Sony’s sore spot
The canceled Sony Xperia Z4v for Verizon would have had a QHD display.
While the promise of a new, metallic pair of products in 2016 has a lot of potential, the more fundamental question is one of logic: While the Xperia brand may be relatively successful in some markets, in others – such as the United States – it is nearly invisible to mainstream consumers. Sony’s fundamental problem is typically cited as being a lack of marketing, a lack of appropriate marketing, and a lack of availability. Even unique variants such as the Verizon Xperia Z4v, which was set to be the only Sony smartphone with a QHD display, have met an unfavorable demise thus further limiting potential exposure.
This trifecta of tribulation is in direct contrast to the high-end flagship devices the company actually produces. The Z series’ camera, for example, is often praised in reviews as having one of the best in the industry. The Z series is made of premium materials, packs top-tier specs, and with the latest entry has even adopted a fingerprint sensor embedded in the side-mounted power button. Here in Japan it, along with other Xperia devices, it can be seen everywhere, but that is hardly the case elsewhere.
Framed in metal?
LG is also expected to use metal on its 2016 flagship, the LG G5.
Critics of the Z-series also list the design as another sore spot. It has remained relatively unchanged since the first model released years ago. In the case of the Z4 specifically, the design and specs were so similar that it was branded as the Z3+ for international markets. The potential of a metal body for the Z6, at the very least, offers a new hope and sufficient excitement that Sony will truly rethink the way its flagship smartphone looks.
Less is more
In addition to the aforementioned topics, Sony’s frequency of hardware refreshes is also deemed problematic for any singular success. The Z4, which released in July, was replaced by the Z5 just three months later. While this was extremely fast even for Japan, at the very least it made some sense here given new product release cycles. Overseas however, Sony clearly knew a problem was at hand hence the Z3+ branding.
Unfortunately today’s rumor ultimately does very little to reassure potential buyers of any deviation from this pattern. Were the purported plan to suggest two different flagships would be released, it might lend some reassurance to longer singular product lifespans. For example, the Z6 releasing in the Spring and then a Z6 Ultra releasing in the fall. Instead, there is seemingly no reason Sony wouldn’t put out a Z6 and Z7 next year, and indeed the report itself cites July and October as launch targets for the new pair of products.
Wrap up
In the coming months, more specific rumors and leaks will begin to flow from their sources and Sony’s plans for the new year will become more apparent. For now however, it is too early to say anything specific. We are very interested in what you have to say, however: Sony is often a rather contentious topic with some being loyal fans and others having less favorable things to say.
Would you consider a Z6 next year if it is made of metal? Would the possibility of a newer flagship releasing just three months later dissuade you? Please feel free to take our quick survey below and then leave your candid comments!
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Amazon is giving away a Sony a6000 Mirrorless Camera – head here for your chance to win
It’s the season of giving, and many fine retailers around the globe have done their part to make sure we’re getting the best deals on the hottest products. Amazon is one of those retailers. They’ve brought us numerous deals on tablets, smartphones and more this holiday season, and now they’re kicking it up a notch.
Over the next two weeks Amazon will be hosting a few giveaways, where users will be able to enter and win a gadget featured in Amazon’s Electronics Gift Guide. All you need to do is head to the link attached below, click on the bouncing box, and it will tell you if you’ve won or not. First up on the giveaway list is a doozy – Amazon is giving away the Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera, complete with a 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens. This camera would normally cost you almost $550, but if you’re lucky, you may be able to score it for free!
The camera will be awarded to the 6,500th eligible entrant. The contest just started today, and ends on Friday, December 18th at 11:59 p.m. PST, or whenever the prize has been awarded.
Well, darn.
If you suffered the same fate as me, you can always check out the camera on Amazon to see if it’s right for you.
AIVAnet 