MOB TECHH

Phablet segment is ruled by Samsung and their Note devices, with the delivery of Note 2 they managed to additionally improve their position on this market. Until now we did not have a real opponent that could jeopardize their position but it seams that Sony Xperia Z Ultra is a quite capable of doing this. As a result we are delivering comparison of Sony Xperia Z Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Note 2.

The Galaxy Note 2 is a 5.5-inch smartphone with a capacitive stylus, Super AMOLED display and a quad-core Exynos processor. It’s fast, has a long battery life and puts out nice visuals on a sizable panel of glass.

But now Samsung might have cause for concern, as Sony’s stepped up to the plate with a pretty fearsome handset in the form of the Xperia Z Ultra, a 6.44-inch monster with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and some pretty innovative display technology.

Samsung Galaxy Note 2:
I might as well start with the most prominent feature of the Galaxy Note 2, or indeed any device in the ‘phablet’ category: the display.

The standard display size for most flagships has risen to between 4.7-inches and 5-inches, so by comparison this no longer seems quite so colossal as it did when the average smartphone was about 4.3-inches at most, but even so, it’s pretty darn big.

That fact alone makes it highly suitable as a multimedia consumption platform, whether you’re into gaming, streaming films, thumbing through picture feed sites such as Pinterest, Flipboard or Tumblr, or browsing the web on the go.

The display uses Samsung’s Super AMOLED technology that gives good brightness levels and rich colours, plus great contrast and black depth. With a 1280×720 pixel resolution at 267 pixels-per-inch the Note 2’s screen was not the sharpest display on the market when it landed.

But, even though 1080p Full HD displays are becoming increasingly prominent the Galaxy Note 2 still gives good account of itself in this department, falling just shy of that magical 300ppi threshold means there may be some discernible pixels when eyeballing close-up, but generally speaking it’s a rewarding device to use with a relatively clear and punchy picture.

All but the most ardent display tech enthusiasts should be quite happy here.

The Galaxy Note 2’s second big party trick is hinted at in the name, it’s that capacitive S-Pen stylus which is hidden away in a dedicated slot on the bodywork. This has been engineered using Wacom’s digitiser technology and as a result it offers remarkably sensitive and accurate input.

Operation is smooth and the hardware and software combo will happily adjust the thickness of a drawn line according to how much pressure you apply. The first Galaxy Note was hampered by some lag but Samsung clearly went back and tweaked things as there’s none of that here on its successor. Samsung’s native S-Pen apps also offer some nifty features such as a very accurate handwriting-recognition tool.

On the subject of things performing smoothly, a big part of that is of course down to the processor hardware. The Galaxy Note 2 is fitted with a quad-core Exynos 4412 chip clocked at 1.6GHz and carrying 2GB of RAM, plus a Mali-400MP quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU).

While no longer top of the pile this is still more than capable of running things at a speedy pace – Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and Samsung’s TouchWiz interface are well-optimised here and operation is quite fluid. You’ll also have no problems running any apps, games or other content from Google Play and the Galaxy Note 2 is a dab hand at multitasking too.

The Galaxy Note 2 is well-equipped when it comes to storage and connectivity options. There are variants with 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of onboard capacity and each has microSD capability for cards up to 64GB, plus there is now also a 4G LTE variant if you’re with EE or are future-proofing for when other UK networks roll out the high-speed data service later in 2013.

Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Hotspot, DLNA, GPS, MHL, microUSB connectivity and even an FM radio are all onboard, which means you’ll likely be catered for in pretty much any scenario.

Another point well worth mentioning and something I hear a lot about from happy Galaxy Note 2 owners is the huge 3,100mAh battery pack nestling inside, which provides a very long lifespan on a single charge. This is also removable, meaning you can carry a spare or two if you’re going to be away from a charger for an extended period.

The camera hardware is the same 8-megapixel back-illuminated sensor (BSI) setup on the Galaxy S3, which is decent thanks to some pretty good digital stabilisation. It delivers reasonably good quality stills and video at 1080p and can capture both at the same time. A 1.9-megpaixel front-facing camera is on-hand for video calls.

Sony Xperia Z Ultra:
With the Xperia Z Ultra Sony appears to be following the idea that bigger is better. Again, the display is the main attraction here and it is without doubt one of the largest smartphone touchscreens ever produced at 6.44-inches.

As well as the sheer scale though, the Xperia Z Ultra has some pretty interesting tech to further contribute to the display’s appeal. It uses Triluminos screen technology that is designed to offer more natural colour reproduction, alongside Sony’s X-Reality Engine – an evolution of the Mobile Bravia Engine 2 seen on previous models.

Like the Bravia Engine 2, the X-Reality Engine does a great deal to enhance colour and overall picture quality to produce some of the most vivid imagery I’ve ever seen on a mobile device. Sony’s TV pedigree is being put to good use here.

The display sports a Full HD 1080p resolution at 1920×1080 pixels and around 342 pixels-per-inch (ppi), meaning things are nicely sharp and clear. As usual with Sony displays, contrast, black depth, brightness and white purity are all top-notch too.

Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra doesn’t come with a stylus but it does accept input from third party offerings, though if buying an Xperia Z really does empty your coffers there’s no need to worry, a pencil or pen, or indeed anything with a stylus-like point, will work in a pinch. I’ll go into the Xperia Z Ultra’s stylus capabilities in more detail in the ‘Points to consider: Practical use’ section.

Design-wise the Xperia Z Ultra is a very impressive bit of kit, as I’ve come to expect from Sony’s recent offerings. It carries on much of the Xperia Z’s slick styling and, indeed, if you see a picture of the Xperia ZU with nothing in-shot to give a sense of scale you might be forgiven for thinking it was the Xperia Z.

The panelled detailing along the edges is still there, as is the overall highly angular profile that is only 6.5mm thick. Reinforced glass still sits on both front and back sides and the rest of the bodywork is made from high-quality polycarbonates with a matte finish and eye-catching silver trim. The design looks just as good as it did on the Xperia Z in the Xperia Z Ultra’s larger form-factor.

Also of note is the same IP58 water and dust proofing certification, which also extends to allowing the phone to be submerged in up to one metre of water where you can even take pictures using the camera. This time it also doesn’t need fiddly little covers over the ports, which is nice.

Another major pulling point of the Xperia Z Ultra is its processor and internal hardware. The handset is the first to hit the market running Qualcomm’s much-anticipated Snapdragon 800 quad-core chipset clocked at a hefty 2.2GHz with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 330 GPU.

To say the Xperia Z Ultra is a powerhouse would be an understatement, as benchmarks leaked ahead of its launch show it to be the fastest mobile device on the planet at time of writing. Needless to say it will be gliding through Android 4.2 Jelly Bean with Sony’s customised interface without breaking a sweat.

Internal storage is 16GB and there’s a microSD slot for cards up to 64GB. The handset supports 4G LTE connectivity and has Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi Hotspot, Bluetooth, NFC, microUSB, FM radio, MHL and GPS connection options.

The Xperia Z Ultra promises to meet the Xperia Z’s low battery life issues head-on with a massive 3,050mAh battery pack which should provide plenty of juice.

I should make quick mention of the fact that Sony has tailored its custom Android interface to the Xperia Z Ultra’s extra-large display, so you get extra rows and columns for app shortcuts, amongst other things.

The camera setup is a similar scenario to the Galaxy Note 2. It’s an 8-megapixel Sony Exmor RS BSI sensor with HDR, panoramic capture and stabilisation, plus 1080p video capture. Again, I expect this to offer decent image and video quality that should please most users but it’s by no means a stand-out feature of the device. The front-facing camera is rated at 2-megapixels and has 1080p video capture.

Points to consider: Practical use
A key feature of both devices is the stylus input capabilities but there are a few differences to mention.

Unlike the Galaxy Note 2 the Xperia Z Ultra doesn’t use a digitiser, which means it doesn’t have levels of pressure sensitivity and varying line-weights as a result. In some ways this is a good thing, as it means you can keep things clean and consistent on the page. This is particularly useful for simple diagrams and notes.

But as any graphics tablet-using designer will tell you, there are some advantages to the pressure sensitivity true digitisers bring and you will be missing out on those aspects here. Not too much of a big deal for note-taking, but if you’re the artsy type and imagined using the Xperia Z Ultra in this way it’s something to bear in mind and you may find you’re better off with the Galaxy Note 2.

The subject of design is quite an important point for both these devices. Regular readers will no doubt be familiar with my opinions on Samsung’s build quality. It is good enough in terms of durability – there’s no creaking and the plastic will take a fair beating without complaint, but in terms of visual design and the feel of the plastic finish it does not have that premium edge.

Conversely, Sony continues to deliver excellent design with the Xperia Z Ultra, both in terms of fit and finish and the overall aesthetic looks sharp too. However, the Xperia Z Ultra’s massive size, while providing the advantage of a huge display, could well make it a bit unwieldy for some users.

There’s also the issue of whether you’re happy holding the phone up to your face to make calls, although Sony does produce a Bluetooth handset accessory which pairs with the phone via NFC with a simple swipe – meaning you can make calls while the handset itself is in your other hand or tucked away in a bag.

Generally though, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is a much more convenient size for general use as a phone and will likely be manageable by all but the smallest of hands.

In terms of performance the Galaxy Note 2 is no slouch and is still a competitive offering in the market place – it’ll still handle virtually any content you could bring down from Google Play. But, the Xperia Z Ultra is carrying much more high-powered kit which will not only deliver flawless performance now but will do so for some considerable time to come as more advanced apps and services emerge.

The Galaxy Note 3 has a greater range of storage options including 32GB and 64GB variants, which is good for a device with an emphasis on multimedia consumption.

The Xperia Z Ultra doesn’t come out quite so well here, 16GB is adequate but not as good, again considering this is an ideal device for viewing films and games – you may find you run out of room for your collections, but then there’s always microSD.

For battery life both handsets are handsomely equipped with 3,000mAh+ setups. Although I should point out that the Galaxy Note 2’s has a higher milliamp rating and I’m also a bit suspicious of how much drain the Xperia Z Ultra’s fancy screen tech will put on the battery considering that was a major issue with the Xperia Z.

I think it will be better, but still could lag behind the Galaxy Note 2, emphasis on could – The Know Your Mobile team will be keeping an eye on that when we get a review unit.

The other thing is the Galaxy Note 2’s battery is removable so you can jam a spare in there when the excrement really hits the turbine and the same can’t be said for the Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

The Sony Xperia Z Ultra’s display easily swats aside the Galaxy Note 2’s offering with much more up-to-date tech. It’s bigger, sharper, brighter, more colourful and generally ticks all the right boxes.

Conclusion
Aside from the above points these handsets are on a more or less even footing, both do the big phone thing and do it very well indeed.

I suspect for most people the deciding factor will be one of visual design, the feel of the materials and, most importantly, which handset feels more comfortable to use in terms of size.

The Xperia Z Ultra seems like a great handset with a fantastic display and plenty of power in the engine room, but I’m not sure whether it’s near 7-inch tablet sized chassis could be its undoing. Naturally, Know Your Mobile will have more solid opinions on this when we actually get to test-drive the Xperia Z Ultra for a longer period.

With stylus use being something not everyone is crazy about the differences between the two setups may be more significant for some than others. Personally I’d opt for the capacitive digitiser setup on the Galaxy Note 2 as I’m fond of the odd doodle.