Sony Xperia ZR Hands On: My Likes and Dislikes

I spotted a live demo unit of Sony Xperia ZR so I decided to do a hands on review. The Sony Xperia ZR is a mid-range device that is water resistant. Even if its a mid-range device, specs are top of the line.

Sony Xperia ZR specs:

• 1.5GHz Quad Core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• Adreno 320 GPU
• 2GB RAM
• 8GB ROM, expandable via MicroSD up to 32GB
• 4.5 inch TFT HD display with Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 (1280 x 720 pixels) 323 ppi
• Shatter proof and scratch resistant glass
• IP58 certified, Water resistant over 1 meter
• 13.1 megapixel rear facing camera with autofocus and LED flash
• VGA front facing camera
• LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA, WiFi Direct, WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0
• 2,300 mAh battery
• Android 4.1 Jellybean

Likes:

• Build quality – Sony really makes the best hardware. It feels so sturdy and solid.
• Above average camera
• Simple UI – I personally find Sony UI simple and not cluttered unlike Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.
• 2GB RAM – Perfect for intense gaming
• Quad Core processor – Honestly, no lags and stutters during my time with the phone.
• Water resistant – There are still few smartphones in the market that is water resistant. Samsung has only 1 – Galaxy S4 Active. Good thing Sony has released a barrage of water resistant phones already.

Dislikes:

• So-So display – It has slightly poor viewing angles compared to other smartphones from Samsung and HTC. But for me the screen is generally OK but not great.
• Damn its EXPENSIVE P25,990 – Yes, I wasn’t mistaken when I said its mid-range. I admit, I don’t know why is this phone too expensive. On Sony stores its P25,990 but on Kimstore, an online store it is only P19,400. Don’t worry, Kimstore is a legit online store and phones have 1 year warranty.