Customer Reviews

Sony Xperia Z 10.1 inch Tablet (Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz Processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB Storage, WiFi, 2x Camera, Integrated Graphics, Android 4.2)

For clarity I have the 16GB 3G/LTE version and purchased direct from Sony as Amazon did not have this version available at the time of ordering.

I was looking for a 10" tablet to replace my Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 which broke (dropped - oops) but did not fancy another Samsung having tried several of their offerings previously. The Sony has some unique features but above all I was taken in by the design and weight, which in my opinion puts this tablet at the very top of the tree in terms of desirability.

I can't emphasise enough just how stunning the hardware is. Sony has really upped their game. Forget their two previous attempts (Sony Tablet S and the Xperia Tablet S) which were poor and do not compare to this new version which has improved in almost every area.

Main pros:
-Superb 1080p HD screen - movies look immense on this probably helped by the clever Bravia stuff going on!
-Premium build, best design around, so thin and light
-The sound quality really surprised me, very good with four speakers.
-Lots of accessories available at launch. I also ordered the Charging Dock which is very stylish and also well made and allows for one-handed removal and attachment. Also works with the Sony case attached.
-It's waterproof - Great but I won't be dunking it in my bath....nice to have
-IR Port-Can be used as a universal remote control. It actually works really well too

Main Cons:
-Not sure about this yet as it's early days however initial observations are a little disappointing. Battery drains rapidly during extended gameplay, more than my previous Samsung by about 10-15% I would say. I will come back on this after a few weeks
-Some lag when switching between home-screens which is surprising, but my system is heavily loaded with widgets so this may be the cause.

I have owned and used many tablets in recent years, but have not experienced as much excitement or enjoyment for a new device since I took delivery of the original 7" Samsung Tablet (P1000) way back in November 2010. Yes, its a premium price but for that you get the best designed, best featured tablet available right now and will not be disappointed.

Update: 24.06.2013
Battery life after two weeks use appears to have settled down. My initial observations have proved to be correct with battery life not as good as equivalent Samsungs I have used. This has to be justified against the fact that the Sony does have a full HD (1080p) screen whereas the Samsung's I have used did not. I have kept it at five stars on the basis that future update may improve battery life and the rest of the tablet is genuinely awesome.

I chose the 16GB Xperia Z over the iPad Air for several reasons 1) Great as the latest iPad is, I just didn't want an iPad as my 1st tablet (I had iPhone 1 & 4, I'm not anti Apple, where would smartphone & tablet design/spec be without Apple) 2) Sony has a great design & product rep 3) the Xperia Z is quite quick enough for what I want to use it for, if mobile gaming had been a priority then I would have bought the iPad Air 4) being able to expand the storage by another 16, 32 or 64GB is hugely useful allowing me to buy the 16GB Xperia at �329 and add a SanDisk Ultra 32GB at �18-20 or the 64GB at �37, a MUCH CHEAPER and more flexible option than buying a fixed iPad option 5) I have a HTC phone & other devices which all require a mini USB charger so it's more convenient if all my devices use the same charger!
The screen is great with rich colours and good definition, the keyboard is very nice to use, the latest software update includes being able to use a 64GB SD card, it is light, well made and looks beautiful.
The waterproofing will be useful to some, who knows how often a tablet has a glass or mug of something spilled over it, yes, it is bit annoying to have to open up ports for charging or headphones etc but I have a Sony RX100 digital camera which also has a sealed charging port so perhaps it's a Sony thing!
I also bought the �9.99 black carbon fibre case which is great VFM and will protect my Xperia Z when I take out of the house.
UPDATE: 20 Jan 2014, still love this Sony tablet, now have 10 films, loads of photos and 20GB of lossless Wav music on the 64GB micro SD card. The Walkman music app plays music very nicely indeed through my brilliant AKG 550 headphones (large, closed, an absolute bargain at approx �130) and also via my folding Sennheiser noise cancelling travel headphones. The Walkman music app has a graphic equaliser allowing full tone adjustment.

This tablet is very well made , .. it looks great , works great and has lots of nice features to make it a pleasure to use. For a full review to help you decide to buy or not i recomend reading the reviews on techradar , or cnet websites. HD films or music videos look great on the Xperia Z Tablet .. they sound great too especially with headphones plugged in and the settings / equalizer tweaked. Websites look really good when browsing , i found the free UC Browser HD from google play store to give the tablet the fastest browsing experience. I recommend this tablet if it fits within your budget .. yes it's quite expensive but it oozes quality and no doubt it will last you a long time. Sony has confirmed software updates for this tablet .. Android 4.3 in December 2013 ,.. and i'm sure KitKat 4.4 after that .. these updates will improve it's running & operation (even more) & add new features and maybe improve battery life , .. brilliant !!!

'The best' is a relative term so I am not even going to go there. I am also not going to compare apples with oranges! Two different operating systems and not to be compared.

So, in terms of Android, 10" tablets, this one is in the top drawer. Very well manufactured. The design will be taste but to me its simply stunning. Weight is a bonus as is the slimness. Holding this tablet one handed is no problem at all.

Works on Android 4.2 so all is well there. Very fast CPU and graphics chip. The screen is truly amazing and that was the one point I was concerned about. I also own the Xperia Z mobile and the screen on that is also very good. Now in terms of a phone I have no idea why viewing angles should even come into any review, after all who looks at their phone from a 45degree angle?
With this in mind in terms of a tablet where more than one user can view it viewing angles do matter and the tablet is just great.

Its water resistant to a certain standard and will tolerate the owner using it in damp and even wet conditions. A strong word of caution. PLEASE read the manual, download it online and you will see that although Sony, very unwisely, advertise the table being used in a swimming pool, the tablet will NOT tolerate chemicals such as the ones used in a swimming pool or sea water. So many people think the water resistance is a licence to go diving, take underwater pictures, white water rapids etc. Its not really wise to do such things. I 'suggest' one sees this water resistance as protection against -accidental- contact with water rather than a feature for use under water (BTW the screen will NOT touch function under water in any case)

PLEASE do NOT remove the anti shatter film that is factory fitted. I also suggest one uses a screen saver to protect the anti shatter film from any damage. Ten minuets spent reading the on line manual may save the owner days or weeks of hassle should they make a mistake. This is wonderful technology but nothing is bullet proof.

This is my 6th tablet in two years and I can whole heartedly recommend this tablet.

01 01 2014 Update. Tablet now updated to Android 4.3 and it makes the tablet even better. I still think this is a superb tablet and for once will not be changing it any time soon. Simply a joy to hold and use.

Spent quite a while researching which tablet to get as this is my first. Have had it approx 1 month now and : Graphics are great, touchscreen works better than my iphone did, it has expandable storage, takes lovely pics and videos, sound quality is really good, had no trouble transferring music or pictures from my laptop or from phones prior to the iphone, however I cannot seem to get the music from my iphone onto it (this is Apple's stupid restrictive issues rather than Sony though), I had no problems at all transferring over my contacts, messages, call lists etc from the iphone fortunately. I have now traded my iphone for the Xperia Z compact phone to match :) I will never return to Apple's restrictive products when Sony have produced a quality tablet and phone without the restrictions. My only tiny niggle is the size of the charger socket, it is quite fiddly, but I can live with that. All in all a brilliant product highly recommended.

This tablet is fantastic, i don't own it but my girlfriend does whilst i own the Samsung Note 2014 edition.

I did lots and lots of research (after i purchased mine) and it seems most websites slightly edge the Sony over the Samsung depending on it's use..... These are the pros and cons for the Xperia Z Tablet from my use of it

Pro's
- Fantastic Screen, 1,920 x 1,200 it's crisp vibrant colours, has toughened glass with a smudge resisting coating.
- It's very very light and slim
- Great viewing angles
- Waterproof (though i never feel the need to test this) :-)
- Fast and responsive, it is rated approx 22,000 on atutu benchmark which is higher end. The Samsung was 29,000 but this has 1.9 quad core whereas the Sony is a 1.5 quad core
- I do like Sony's launcher and the icons it has (still annoying the amount of stock apps, as with most tablets)
- Music sound via the speakers is pretty decent.

Con's
- It's a bit square for my liking
- Because of the waterproof features, the ports are hidden behind flaps of plastic which are a bit fiddly
- Though 10.1" it's bigger than my Samsung 10.1 inch.. this is because of the black frame around it, we should be having edge to edge screens by now.
- A small Con but 3GB Ram would have been nice.

Not much to fault really, it's a great tablet and i don't think buyers will be disappointed unless it's DOA :-)

Regards

After extensive research into tablets,I decided to buy the Xperia Z tablet and I am not disappointed.It is a wonderful piece of equipment and totally worth the �350 that I paid for it.

Best on the market!! Forget about iPads as this device is far more better and gives my family a lot of fun.

I’ve been working in the tablet industry since the launch of the original iPad and the first gen Archos tablets (they were truly awful). Now 4 years on I still found tablets have only just successfully filled their niche (sofa surfing device).

After handling and using many tablets (Sony tablet S/ ipad 2 / Google Nexus 7 / Samsung Galaxy note 10.1) this is a lot closer to what I’ve wanted out of a tablet and the first time I've committed to a purchase outside of a professional use.

Though not quite as powerful as the recently launched Galaxy tab pro range, it offers a more than acceptable screen, a very compact and stylish looking design for shy of �300. Its power let me run ps2 emulations and multi task without any noticeable lag and streams HTML 5 videos very smoothly. Sony's UI though not as nice as the LG G Pad or vanilla android, BUT is still clean and accomplished. OH AND HAS AN 'SD CARD SLOT'(don't care what Google and Apple say expandable memory should be standard)!

This tablet would receive 5 stars with ease if it were not for one glaring flaws, 1 and the most important flaw, poor battery life, but more to the point charge time is ridiculous! Took me 4 hours to fully charge, which is insane I WOULD EXPECT A 2 HOUR CHARGE TIME AT MAX! Maybe I expect too much, but battery life should start becoming a priority on smart phones and tablets alike.

If you are sofa surfing tablet user and want a device you can show off to your friends and perform 99% of tablet tasks with charging point at hand, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z is perfect. But don't expect to finish a season of breaking bad on long haul flights with battery to spare.

Beautiful Tablet, absolutely love it to bits. Very elegant yet technical at the same time. Can't wait to see what Sony release next.