Sony has chosen an aggressive strategy of releasing a new flagship phone every 6 months which they believe will help them catch up with rivals Apple and Samsung. Most recently, the company announced the Xperia Z2 which is beginning to make its debut throughout the world. Sony has seen the most success with their products in Europe and Asia but it seems like one country might be missing out on the launch of the smartphone that’s capable of recording 4K video.
Sony has been on a bit of roll with accessories like the Stereo Microphone STM10 and Bluetooth Speaker with Magnetic Charging Pad BSC10 which are meant to compliment the company’s recently-announced Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet. Now, the Sony BRH10 Bluetooth Remote with Handset Function will be joining the companies growing array of accessories with some unique features HD Voice and speakerphone function for easy calling. Let’s talk details.
Following the announcement of the Xperia Z2, Sony also unveiled the Stereo Microphone STM10. The new accessory is designed to slip into the headphone jack and bring with it superior audio recording with a 90 degree tilt function, perfect for the Xperia Z2 which is capable of recording video in 4K. While we’d speculated from the information that Sony had released at the time about the accessories compatibility, Sony has now confirmed which devices can utilize the new mic as well as pricing which is far more wallet friendly than we’d anticipated.
Ever since the official announcement of the Sony Xperia Z2, the company’s latest flagship smartphone, there’s been some debate about exactly which chipset the phone would utilize. Up until the unveiling, most benchmarks and leaks pointed towards a Snapdragon 800 processor, specifically the Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8974-AB. These results lined up perfectly with benchmark results that pointed towards a 2.36GHz quad-core processor. That is, until shortly after, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 with the MSM8974-AC chipset was announced.
Sony has proven itself once again in design terms, with no less than 26 of its products earning the seal of approval from the iF Design group, with three products earning a gold award. In individual company achievements, Sony ranked the third highest awarded company, ahead of rivals Apple and LG.
iF is an international group that recognises excellence in product design. It is their aim to “strengthen public awareness of design” and their logo has been an illustrious global standard of design for over sixty years. This year’s event took place on February 28th in Munich, Germany.
It probably surprises few that Sony would do well with awards for design. The company has always raised the bar with iconic and effortless designs with current class-leaders in the Xperia Z2, the PlayStation 4 and the luxury X9000A Bravia TV line to name but a few.
Read on to find out which Sony products earned gold and which two awards come at a bittersweet time.
Consistency is a great thing for a company. Take the Apple iPhone. Since its inception, Apple has stuck to one design and continued to hone it in each generation with tweaks to its size, material and curves. This approach, along side the iconic design of the iPhone gives Apple a presence in all areas as their devices quickly stand out. Since the rebirth of Sony Mobile, the Japanese giant has also used the same philosophy in its Xperia line of smartphones. This can be seen in the Xperia Z1, Xperia M2, Xperia Z2, and Xperia Z1 Compact to name a few which use what the company calls an “OmniBalance” design. One difference between the two companies approach however is the number of phones offered. Till this past Fall, Apple has traditionally offered only one new phone a year (while also selling the years prior device) while Sony’s line of smartphone spans many different designs. Now, Sony is looking to move away from design philosophy.
For better or for worse, Sony plans to stick to their aggressive smartphone strategy which has seen the company release three flagship phones, the Xperia Z, Xperia Z1, and Xperia Z2 in 18 months. Sony believes that by sticking to such an ambitious product cycle, that they will be able to catch up to Apple and Samsung. Now Sony Mobile’s Creative Director Kurozumi Yoshiro has all but confirmed that we can expect to see a new flagship phone from them in Summer, likely the Xperia Z3. More after the jump.
If we set aside the alphabet soup that Sony has created with their product line, you’ll notice that the company has been hellbent on releasing new smartphones whenever it can. More specifically, the company has been on an aggressive strategy of releasing a new flagship smartphone every 6 months. This strategy has seen Sony release the Xperia Z, Xperia Z1, and now the Xperia Z2 in under two years’ time. While their most recent products have some of the most cutting edge technology that you could expect in a smartphone like 4K video recording, Sony has no plans to change their pace in the near future as revealed by Sony Mobile’s Creative Director Kurozumi Yoshiro.
Despite the recent surge in interest in PlayStation, thanks to the very successful launch of the PS4, Sony as a company is still facing many challenges due to heavy competition from Apple and Samsung. During the past few years, under new CEO Kaz Hirai, Sony has begun to shut down plants, sell off assets and reduce headcount in order to save some much needed money. A little over a year ago, Sony reduced its workforce by 10,000 employees, and since then, the company has continued to cut staff where it sees fit. While for gamers many of these troubles seemed distant, the most recent layoffs have hit closer to home. Even worse is that more cuts are expected as Sony continues to fix its financial woes.
In addition to announcing the Bluetooth Speaker with Magnetic Charging Pad for their line of Xperia smartphones and tablets, Sony has also revealed the Stereo Microphone STM10. This new accessory, which slides into the device’s headphone jack, allows owners of the Sony Xperia Z2 and Xperia Z2 Tablet to record audio in superior stereo. The STM10 is a high sensitivity stereo condenser microphone with a 90 degree tilt function, allowing you to adjust your area of focus.
Hot on the heels of announcing their next flagship Android smartphone and tablet, the Xperia Z2 and the Xperia Z2 Tablet, Sony has unveiled a new accessory that can accommodate both devices. Dubbed the Magnetic Charging Pad BSC10, this Bluetooth dock is designed as a dual-purpose audio and charging accessory for your Xperia device. As you’d expect from the name, the dock has built in speakers, a feature that allows you to stream audio from you Xperia device, be it music, movies, games, or YouTube videos. Sony has also included NFC for easy pairing, a feature that’s built into most of their new fleet and most definitely in their flagship products. But the Sony Magnetic Charging Pad is capable of more than that.
As predicted though mistakingly referred to as the Xperia G, Sony has also revealed a mid-range smartphone for those of us who cannot afford or don’t need their latest premium flagship smartphone. The Sony Xperia M2 is designed to be the companies mid-range Android phone for those who might get a bit of sticker shock from the Sony Xperia Z2. While lacking the glitz and glamour of the Xpeira Z2, mid-range phones are a crucial part of smartphone manufactures portfolio, especially in developing countries like India, Brazil, and even China.
Despite carrying the mid-range flag, Sony has packed the Xperia M2 with quite a bit of power, ensuring a smooth experience for would be owners. Lets talk specs and details.
In case you missed it, at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Sony unveiled their newest flagship smartphone. The Sony Xperia Z2 offers some of the latest from Sony, including 5.2-inch full HD (1080p) Triluminos display and 4K video recording. All of this will of course come at a price. How much you ask? How about £599 for our friends across the pond in the UK. After the jump, we have more pricing for different European countries.
If you thought that Sony was only going to announce one flagship product today then you need to think again. Along side the Xperia Z2, the companies newest Android flagship smartphone, Sony also announced the Xperia Z2 Tablet. As you’d expect, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is the companies next flagship Android tablet. Following in the footsteps of the Xperia Z2 which built upon the success of the Xperia Z1, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet takes most of its cues from the Xperia Tablet Z though the improvements are quite noticeable for those looking for minimum weight and maximum power.
Lets talk Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet specs, after the jump.
As expected, the Sony Xperia Z2 has been unveiled at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. With the Xperia Z1 now one month old, Sony has followed a pattern set nearly two years ago of releasing a new flagship device every six months. This means that while the Xperia Z2 is built on the groundwork that the Xperia Z and Xperia Z1 have setup, there is still plenty of new things to love.
So what does the Sony Xperia Z2 have to offer? Lets talk specs and details, after the jump.
You must be logged in to post a comment.