Xperia Z could be Sony's trump card, and your obsession

With this, the Japanese electronics giant finally has a phone in the premium smartphone category. Our review finds it an excellent alternative to HTC and Samsung

Z seems to be the buzzword for smartphone manufacturers in the first quarter of 2013. Research In Motion, while renaming itself as BlackBerry, introduced its long-awaited new generation BlackBerry phones, with its flagship model called the Z10 and now Sony has launched its top-of-the-line model called Xperia Z. The latter is a phone which will raise quite a few eyebrows and will get a lot of appreciative nods from smartphone users. Though it has to be said on the first glance, it doesn't look like a phone. It looks like a "premium" phone instead, but that notion is dispelled soon as you switch the device on.

For someone using a Samsung SIII or even the HTC Butterfly, the Xperia Z will feel similar in size. iPhone users will find it difficult to adjust to the size, but you can come to terms with it relatively quickly. Initially, one does find it a bit difficult to carry the phone around, but once you start using it, well, the size doesn't matter much.

For a phone with a five-inch screen, the Xperia Z is a big phone, yet surprisingly light. At 146 grammes, it comes with a full HD screen and runs on the Android 4.1 Jellybean operating system.

The full HD 1080p display, with a pixel density of 450ppi is far superior to Apple's retina display. And the screen is indeed captivating. Whether you watch videos, which are crystal clear and sharp, or look at photos, it's difficult to take your eyes off the phone. One drawback is you do leave a lot of fingerprints on the screen. This is an area where Sony could have improved on.

The Xperia Z comes with a 13-megapixel camera and while it does boast of more megapixels than the Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia's camera is certainly better.

Sony has several modes for clicking photos, auto being the best, and it does click very good photos, just that you would have expected it to be better, given the superior display. It certainly clicks better photos than the iPhone 5, and among the Xperia range of phones, it does have the best camera.

A USP of the Xperia Z is its water resistance . We were a bit skeptical about dipping a phone that costs Rs 38,990 into water, and avoided doing so, till curiosity kicked in. And guess what? The phone works absolutely fine, even when you dip it into water, but just make sure the various ports are covered.

For a smartphone, the Xperia Z has a pretty good battery. Maybe it was just that particular handset, but even heavy usage doesn't drain the battery, a pleasant surprise. Even gaming doesn't effect the battery too much, something which can't be said about other premium smartphones.

Talking of gaming, it's a great experience, courtesy the great display, and it gives the same experience as that on a Sony PSP (Playstation Portable).

In its category, the Xperia Z is a phone which will give competition a serious run for its money. It's an impressive phone, and ticks almost all the boxes: A good camera, a big screen, more-than-decent battery - all in a phone priced above Rs 35,000. It is the best phone Sony has made in recent memory. Compare it with BB Z 10, priced above Rs 40,000 , and the Xperia Z is better.

Even for Samsung and HTC users, the Xperia Z is an excellent alternative. Is Xperia Z the phone with which Sony needed to make a dent in the premium smartphone category? Certainly.

What works:

• Good battery
• Water-resistant
• Big HD screen
• Good gaming
• Ideal for videos

What doesn't:

• Fingerprint magnet
• Camera could have been better