Samsung Galaxy Note 2 VS Sony Xperia Z!
Game For The Throne!
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Everyone
seems to be very excited upon the upcoming war of 2013. Sony made its first
appearance early this year and it has garnered much love and hate. With all the
hype surrounding 2013, most people tend to forget last year’s flagships, namely
the Samsung Galaxy Note, which was arguably the best phone of 2012. Before we
go gaga over comparing Xperia Z to Galaxy SIV and HTC One let’s take a look
back six months ago and pit today’s to yesterday’s best.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 was released
September of Last year with significant improvement over its Predecessors Note
1 and S3. Improvements can be seen with the increased clock speed, new pentile
matrix, better camera and LTE. On the other hand, Sony Xperia Z was released
last February and it was a giant leap from last year’s Xperia S boasting a
1080p HD Display with Dust and water resistance, More processor, more powerful
GPU, additional microSD slot and a better camera. Comparing them both, they do
not have much difference with respect to their spec sheets but upon further
inspection you can see how much a few months technology can improve and some
points on the Note 2 you wish was on the Xperia Z out of the box. So without
further ado, Let’s Get Ready to Rumblee!!
Well, technically, this match will
probably result in a draw as each has their own flaws, if you are planning to
buy either; I suggest you weigh in what is more important to you.
1. THE PACKAGE
Both phones have nothing extra on
their respective boxes. Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a 2A Charger, USB Cable, and
a very good quality headset. Sony Xperia Z has the same package.
2. PHONE SUPERFICIALITY (9.5 out of
10)
Phones today tend to be bigger whilst
tablets tend to shrink, Sony Xperia Z has a 5 Inch Screen, the Volume rocker
and Power button is on the right side which is pretty much the only hard
buttons on the device. Its sides also houses Micro SD slot, Simcard slot,
microUSB port and 3.5mm jack. Each of the aforementioned has their respective
covers to achieve beauty and its water resistant qualities. The front houses a
2.2Mp Camera capable of 1080p recording @30fps. The back houses the 13Mp Camera.
The whole phone is enclosed in a shatterproof and scratch resistant glass.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has a 5.5 Inch Screen;
a hard button on the front along with a 1.9Mp Camera, the sides houses the
volume rocker and the power button with microUSB port and a 3.5mm jack on the
bottom and top respectively. The back protection is plastic and can be remove
for sim and microSD insertion.
Comparing both, they both look and
feel good on your hand, undoubtedly Note 2’s bigger size hints the user the use
of both hands. Xperia Z is slightly thinner and its all-glass body certainly
looks sexy. I have to raise that due to its glass build, fingerprint smudges
are highly visible especially on the Black Xperia Z. In terms of material used,
Xperia Z looks and feels much more expensive.
WINNER: Xperia Z –
Note 2’s Plastic Build is nowhere near Xperia Z’s Glass Build
3. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Xperia
Z sports a 5 Inch 1080x1920 Screen whereas Note 2 offers a 5.5 Inch 720x1080
Screen. . I was amazed at the Note 2 when I first got it, that 720p display was
the best there was partner with the AMOLED Screen’s nice touch of saturation, I
honestly thought this was the best there will ever be. I actually thought
display could not have been better but Xperia Z is just mind blowing. There is no doubt display is much better on
the Xperia Z, couple that amazing 1080 display with Sony’s Bravia Engine, and
you get yourself one hell of a screen, a minor issue I had with the Xperia Z is
its poor viewing angles. A few inches away from the standard viewpoint and the
colors change from visible to poor to rubbish. Setting that aforementioned
issue aside, booting and using the Xperia Z the first time will amaze most if
not everyone out there.
WINNER:
Xperia Z – 1080p with a 441ppi is better than 720p with a 267ppi
3.2 Multimedia
MUSIC
Sony and Samsung both have great history when
it comes to multimedia as both offer not only smartphones but other appliances
as well. Of all the Sony and Samsung Phones I had, none of them have
disappointed me especially in terms of audio quality. The Note 2 and Xperia Z
both offer great audio output. Xperia Z loses in terms of loudspeaker but it is
slightly a better performer than the Note 2 when earplugs are attached. I have
tested them both using the same headset (Bolts Griffin) with the same music (XGF
by Spongecola) and the same music player (TTPod and their respective stock players),
the test showed Z’s superiority over Note 2.
WINNER: Xperia Z – Xperia Z may lose
in terms of loudspeaker but I highly doubt anyone will continuously use their
smartphone in loudspeaker.
VIDEO PLAYBACK
 |
| 700MB AVI File |
 |
| 720p Big Bang Theory |
As for
Video Playback, Z and Note 2 also does not disappoint but I do have to raise
that Note 2 has better video codec and its stock Video Player can play almost
every file type out there. Sadly, for the Xperia Z, its stock Movie app, though
looks amazing, is not able to detect wmv and mkv videos. Both are able to play
any video without slowdowns, stuttering or lag. This includes 1080p videos over
2GB. With the aforementioned problem of Xperia Z, MX Player Pro fixes the
problem as it will play other file types that could not be covered by the stock
app.
WINNER: Galaxy Note 2 – With greater Stock
player comes greater out of the box usability. This is in terms of video power
not display.
Android has
come a long way from a laggy browser to today’s browsing powers. Jellybean hits
the spot as browsing on both phones are great. Indubitably, though, Browsing on
the Note 2 is much better, faster and smoother. As great as both phones maybe,
Note 2 just delivers the better experience.
WINNER: Galaxy Note 2 – Faster and smoother is better.
3.3 Camera
*First Images Are
From Samsung Note 2
Wew! Here comes another part which is
very important to a picture snapper like me. Xperia Z offers a 13Mp Camera with
capabilities to shoot VGA, 2Mp, 5Mp, 9Mp and 12Mp shots. Whilst Galaxy Note 2
has an 8Mp Camera which shoots .3Mp, .9Mp, 2.4Mp, 3.2Mp, 6Mp, 8Mp. Both phones
have a lot of options to choose from. Images shot by the phones are one of the
best as of today. You can see that Note 2 images are slightly more saturated
than that of Xperia Z. A weakness apparent on both phones seems to be from their
low light performance. Lastly, Note 2 seems to have the faster shutter and the
better anti-shaking prowess.
If their rear cameras are hard enough
to choose from, both these phones have good front-facing cameras. Note 2 has 1.9Mp front camera which can also
shoot at 720p whereas Xperia Z has a 2.2Mp camera that can shoot 1080p videos. Luckily
for the front cameras, Xperia Z takes this one with no doubt.
Finally, both phones are capable of
shooting up to 1080p quality videos. Both takes exceptional quality of videos
but Xperia Z takes this one with its HDR capability (which enhances the videos’
quality) and the relatively lower file size of the videos.
WINNER: Xperia Z – As minimal as the improvement maybe, Xperia Z
still has the better camera. Xperia Z can also shoot underwater, so, yeah.
3.4 Gaming
Xperia Z and Galaxy Note 2 are
undeniably one of the best smartphones for gaming out there. I had no problems
playing any mainstream games on either phone. Temple Run 2, Pou, Candy Crush
Saga, Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Bad Piggies, the list will go on and on but the
result is the same. Amazing smooth gaming bonanza.
Emulators also run fantastically as
NES, SNES, Gameboy, GBC, GBA, N64 and even PS1 Emulators play their respective
games very smoothly, plug-in a USB Controller and you have one of the best
looking handheld devices.
Of course, Android does have their
own set of HD Games, and to all smartphone gamers out there, HD Games also play
smoothly on both device. Though I have only tested Soulcraft, Dead Trigger, NBA
2k13 and NOVA3. The aforementioned games play smooth and great! Xperia Z may
offer the better display but graphical glitches maybe apparent on games such as
NOVA 3 and NBA 2k13. The graphical glitches are negligible, though.
WINNER: TIE. Both Phones offer great gaming prowess.
3.5 Performance
Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy Note
2 both run 4.1 Jellybean. The former sports the Xperia Launcher whilst the
former has the Touch Wiz UI. Both launchers are user-friendly and customizable
anyone can navigate through both phones easily. In addition, both launchers can
easily be replaced by the hundreds of launchers available as these stock
interfaces are just ‘skins’ of their respective company.
WINNER: TIE. Personal preference.
RAM and Clockspeed
Many of you might wonder, what are
RAM and the Clockspeed for? Should I go for higher RAM, fewer clocks or vice
versa? The answer depends on how you use the phone. Random Access Memory (RAM)
is used to determine how many apps your unit can run simultaneously. So bigger
RAM means you can multi-task much more applications without worrying about
lagging on the system.
Clockspeed is used to determine how
fast your system will run a certain application. Simply put, higher Clockspeed
means faster phone. THIS IS THE GENERAL IDEA ON RAM AND CLOCKSPEED. Factors on
speed are also determined by the chipset architecture, GPU, etc.
.
Xperia Z is powered with a CPU Quad-Core
1.5GHz Krait, GPU Ardeno 320 and Chipset Qualcomm MDM9215M / APQ8064
whilst Samsung Galaxy Note 2 has CPU Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9,
Chipset Exynos 4412 Quad and GPU Mali-400MP. I have to be honest,
I have no idea how they perform, what I do know is both these phones are
powered with technologies’ best today to deliver you a great smartphone
experience. Swiping between screens, switching between apps is flawless. Both
phones carry a 2GB Ram so there is a lot of space to multi-task with without
stuttering or lagging or delay.
WINNER: TIE. It is
painstakingly hard to test their speed as they are both very responsive and
fast.
TELEPHONY
 |
| Note 2 |
 |
| Note 2 |
 |
| Xperia Z |
Being the texting capital of the
world is something to brag about so messaging and telephony is obviously
something to look at. Since both phones are android which feature 4.1
Jellybean, their stock keyboards are relatively similar with the capability to
adapt to your texting style and learn over time for a more extensive predictive
texting. Both also offers offline voice recognition but it cannot recognize
Filipino Words. A plus which might be attributed to Note 2 is the additional
numbers above the keyboard which comes in handy more often than you will
expect. The Phonebook and contacts are almost the same and are equally easy to
navigate. If you do not like the stock keyboard, there are hundreds of other
free keyboards on the market
WINNER: Galaxy Note 2 - it was close but I have to credit Note 2’s
addition of the numbers above. As mentioned it does come in handy more often
than you might expect.
Looking at Antutu and Quadrant Scores
Xperia Z and Galaxy Note 2 both gave very high scores. Granted both of these
are not accurate, it’s still interesting to see. Higher is better for both
Quadrant and Antutu.
WINNER: Xperia Z - As much as these scores maybe inaccurate, three
trials result in Xperia Z having higher values.
3.6 Battery
Battery
is Android’s Achilles’ heel. Sadly for Paris, he will not be able to shoot
either’s heel for both phones have a relatively good battery life. Xperia Z
carries a non-removable 2330mah battery whilst the Note 2 has a 3100mah
battery. In standby and idle, both phones can last over two days with Note 2
definitely lasting a week. On light usage, text and calls, both phones will get
you through a day with Note 2 lasting a full two days. But who would use a
high-end phone for pure text and call? Seriously, Nokia101 will outlive both if
used only for text and calls. On heavy usage, expect Xperia Z to hit the red
mark much earlier than Note 2. I have used Note 2 for almost 5 months now and
its battery is still as amazing as ever definitely lasting me a day. With Note
2’s battery removable, you can extend your phone’s life more. Lastly, as of
now, there are lots of external battery cases available for the Note 2 which
can further increase its battery life.
WINNER: Galaxy Note 2 – This is a no-brainer.
3.6 Miscellaneous
A plus factor for the Note 2 is its S-Voice, Multi-Window
capability and the S-Pen. Granted most will never use these function often, it’s
definitely better than just having an IP57 Water and Dust Resistant Protection
which most likely targets a niche audience. The aforementioned protection is
not even as innovative as it was present on other 2012 Xperia phones. The S-Pen
is a nifty pen which automatically opens a new window when pulled out and features
such as the S Note maybe useful every now and then. The handwriting recognition
on the Note 2 is simply amazing, I have always been the one on the class with
the worst penmanship and as bad as my penmanship maybe, print or cursive, Note
2 was able to recognize most, if not all, of it! The Multi-window may also be
useful sometimes, personally I use it to browse the web when something intruiging
comes up when I am watching a movie. S-Voice is an application which activates
certain app’s feature depending on your voice and it is calibrated to your
voice. Another feature or pinch of Note 2 is the aforementioned keyboard.
Having those numbers above the letters is definitely a time saver. Netizens and
Android geeks will probably flame, hate and tell me that Xperia Z maybe capable
of those if you flash custom rom. News Flash boys and girls, this review is
based out of the box. Also, not everyone can and would want to install custom
roms.
WINNER: Galaxy Note 2 – Xperia Z offers nothing special beyond what
is offered by current smartphones. NOTHING.
CONCLUSION
…. ….. …..
Ok this is
it. The Verdict. With a score of 5-5, I myself was surprised with this scoring,
I honestly just scored individually without tallying, I don’t care if you don’t
believe it but I was amazed and had a few laugh when the final score became a
tie. As with all the comparison I had, I will be a douche and tell you
whichever you choose you will be the winner.
Undoubtedly,
Xperia Z offers you the more advanced technology than that of the Note 2 but
the latter has quirks of its own which makes it stand out and hold its ground
against the newer Xperia Z. If you are choosing between both let us summarize
their own pros here:
Samsung Galaxy Note 2:
- Bigger
Screen
- S-Pen,
S-Voice, Multi-Window
- Better
Stock Keyboard
- Better
Stock Video Player
- Better and
Removable Battery
- Better
Browsing
- Gorilla
Glass 2 AMOLED Glass
- Better
Viewing Angles
- Cheaper
Sony Xperia Z:
- Smaller
Screen
- 1920x1080
HD Display
- SLIGHTLY
Better Audio Quality
- Better
Camera
- Glass-Build
- Water and
Dust Resistant
- Scratch
Resistant Glass
- Higher
Benchmark Score
As much as
Sony Xperia has improved, I have to admit it does not have enough oomph to
actually make me want to abandon my Note 2 for it. The choice will come down to
the user’s personal preference as either phone you choose will give you a
refreshing and arguably the best smartphone experience today. Xperia Z is undoubtedly
superior to majority of the more important factor and may very well have the
crown today; but with its lacklustre innovations, this crown will soon be relinquished
back to either Samsung, or finally, after a long time, to HTC. The war is
imminent, Sony Xperia Z may have the Throne today but we know another will take
it from him.
