The smartphones showcased at CES 2013, while not many, made the visitors take their eyes off the numerous UHDTVs and tablets, for more than a split second. Despite not looking like a rugged phone, Sony Xperia Z can handle both liquids and dirt equally well.
The Japanese manufacturer prides itself in having built a waterproof Android phone that looks incredibly stylish, nothing like the typical dirt-proof/waterproof devices that come in rugged bodies (think Samsung Galaxy X Cover). OK, OK! Motorola’s Defy series, which was IP67 certified (unlike Sony’s smartphone, which has a IP57 certification), looked pretty sleek, too, but not even close to Xperia Z.
According to Sony’s statistics, 1 in 10 people drops his smartphone in the toilet at some point in his life. It is preferable not to discuss the context, nor if it happened before or after number 2, even though Sony claims that any dirt the Xperia Z has made contact with can easily be washed off. Dropping it in the toilet does not pose any threats to the phone’s functionality or looks.
The capability of the new Sony Xperia Z to resist impact with water and dirt is not its only strong point. The specs are rather impressive too, since it packs a 5-inch Full HD display, a 13MP camera, 2GB of RAM and a quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait CPU. With such numbers on the table, it will be easier for Sony to compete against Samsung’s Galaxy S III and Apple’s iPhone 5. The only problem Sony has is that announced this phone a bit too late, since Samsung prepares a May-launch for its new flagship and Apple isn’t resting, either.
I have a scenario in mind now that might take people’s minds off the awesomeness of Sony Xperia Z. There are people out there who forget about their gadgets when doing their laundry. As a result, the precious devices end up in the washing machine and before people remember about misplacing them, the smartphones are pronounced dead. Of course, in this scenario the water depth isn’t among the device’s biggest problems, and neither should the physical shocks be. The issue is what happens if the washing cycle takes more than 30 minutes to complete. This is the period the device is safe underwater, according to the manufacturer.
If you liked this post, please check the Kyocera waterproof Android smartphone and this post on how to save your phone when you dropped it in the toilet, in case you don’t own a waterproof device.
