You must have read the comparisons made between the Sony Xperia Z and a host of other leading mobile phones in the market including Samsung’s Galaxy S3 and the upcoming Galaxy S4. When compared with the S3, the Xperia Z came out on top in most cases except for the battery life with which Sony has really let its customers down. But how does it fare against a phone from one of Samsung’s Note Series? In this particular case, how does the Xperia Z match up to the Samsung Galaxy Note II? Read on to find out…
1. Size – The Sony Xperia Z measures 139x71x7.9 mm while the Galaxy Note II measures 151.1×80.5×9.4 mm. Clearly the Note II is much bigger but considering the fact that the Note II is more of a phablet than a Smartphone we don’t think it should matter too much. Since the Note II is so much larger, it is obviously much heavier as well. The Note II weighs in at 183 grams as compared to the Xperia Z which weighs 146 grams. Among other Smartphone’s, the Xperia Z is quite heavy but in comparison to the Note II, it is much lighter.
2. Display – The Note II has a Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen which is leaps and bounds ahead of the TFT touch screen on the Xperia Z. But considering that the 5 inch screen of the Xperia Z gives a maximum resolution of 1080×1920 pixels as compared with the Note II which gives a maximum resolution of 720×1280 pixels from its 5.5 inch screen, we have to say that the Xperia Z will provide a much better display than the Note II. Also, in terms of pixel density, the Note II has 267 ppi whereas the Xperia Z has 441 ppi. Again, a smaller screen with a higher pixel density just strengthens our point that the Xperia Z provides a much better display than the Note II.
3. Memory & Storage – In terms of storage the Note II offers a much wider choice than the Xperia Z. The Note II has a 16, 32 and 64 GB version with memory expansion up to 64 GB. The Xperia Z, on the other hand, only has a 16 GB version even though it does offer expandable memory up to 64 GB as well. In terms of memory both have 2 GB of RAM.
4. Waterproof vs. S-pen – Well, we all know about the S-pen on the Note II which can provide for some very precise work with the device. It is indeed quite a nice little feature. But, the Xperia Z combats this with a very exciting feature of its own. The Xperia Z is waterproof up to 1 metre for half an hour. Yes, waterproof. This is a feature which we feel more Smartphone manufacturers should take up on soon.
5. Camera – There is clearly just one winner when it comes to photography among these two devices. The Xperia Z has a 13MP camera on the back with 1080p recording and HDR as well as 2.2MP camera on the front with 1080p recording. The Note II has an 8MP camera with 1080p recording and just a 1.9MP camera on the front. It’s quite obvious which device takes the points here. The Sony Xperia Z.
6. OS & Performance – The difference here is basically because of the difference in release dates of both these devices. While the Note II was released in September 2012 with Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean) the Xperia Z was released in February 2013 with Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). While you can upgrade the Xperia Z to the latest Android OS 4.2.2. (Jelly Bean) the Note II can only be upgraded to Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean). In terms of processors though the Note II has a Quad core 1.6 GHz processor while the Xperia Z has just a Quad core 1.5 GHz processor. Considering this is Sony’s first real smart phone though we can forgive them for this.
7. Battery – In terms of battery life the Note II is far ahead of the Xperia Z. The Note II has a 3100 mAh battery that offers a standby time of up to 980 hours while the Xperia Z ha a 2330 mAh battery that offers a standby time of up to 550 hours. But, we have heard complaints from many Xperia Z users that the battery drains out very fast.
8. Price – In terms of price the Note II costs around INR 34,000 while the Xperia Z costs around INR 37,000.
Verdict – Samsung Galaxy S2 vs Sony Xperia Z
So when choosing between the two devices it all comes down to what you are looking for. Do you want a Smartphone or a phablet? One major deciding factor here will be the battery on the Xperia Z. Even though the Xperia Z is clearly a much better device than the Note II, the battery is a very important factor in an electronic device and if it can’t last long enough for you to enjoy the features of the phone it really isn’t worth buying.
