…or does the Sony Xperia ZR commercial look awfully familiar.

Surely the similarities are more than just a coincidence =)

What do you think?

In the Xperia Z, Sony has a winning formula — a capable phone stylishly wrapped in a chassis that is both water and dust resistant. And it looks like Sony is taking the successful mixture of style, performance and function downmarket with the Xperia ZR.

The Xperia ZR sits in Sony’s mid-range Xperia line with LTE and enhanced water-resistance capability of up to 1.5 meters for up to 30 minutes (Xperia Z was rated up to 1 meter). Officially, the device is rated IP55 and IP58 for dust and water resistance.

Vital specs include Android 4.1, a 4.6-inch 1280×720 Reality Display (319ppi), 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 8GB of on-board storage (expandable with microSD up to 32GB) while a 13MP Exmor RS main camera. Speaking of cameras, unlike the Xperia Z, the Xperia ZR comes with a dedicated camera button making is possible for you to take pictures and videos underwater. Many will appreciate this feature.

No official word on when the Xperia ZR will hit Malaysia but Sony says that the device is scheduled to hit “various global markets” in Q2 so you can expect the ZR to make its debut here around June/July.

Head on over to after the jump for a video on the Xperia ZR.

Full details on the Sony Xperia Z here.

[via]

Before we compare the Galaxy S4‘s camera capabilities, here’s the final leg of the camera shootout between the HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5 and Sony Xperia Z. We have dropped the Xperia ZL from the comparison as it produces identical results as the Xperia Z.

To recap, the iPhone 5 and BlackBerry Z10 shoots a maximum of 8MP while the Sony Xperia Z/Zl shoots at 13MP. The Nokia Lumia 920′s shooter is rated at 8.7MP but captures images at 7.9MP as its maximum size in 4:3 aspect ratio. For HTC, its Ultrapixel camera which boasts bigger pixels shoots at a smaller 4MP resolution.

You can catch up our previous comparisons of the devices here:
Day time – Video
Night time – Video
Night time – Photo

This time around, we’ve compared the HDR capabilities of the devices in the Suria KLCC and KLCC Twin Tower shots. Strangely for the Xperia Z, the HDR mode doesn’t seem to have any effect at all.

Head after the break for the comparison.

Suria KLCC

Standard

HDR Mode

iPhone 5 (non-HDR)

iPhone 5 (HDR)

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One (non-HDR)

HTC One (HDR)

Sony-Xperia-Z (non-HDR)

Sony-Xperia-Z (HDR)

KLCC Twin Towers

Standard

HDR Mode

iPhone 5 (non-HDR)

iPhone 5 (HDR)

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

HTC One (HDR)

Sony-Xperia-Z (non-HDR)

Sony-Xperia-Z (HDR)

KLCC Park

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony-Xperia-Z

Ixora

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony-Xperia-Z

Fire Hydrant

iPhone 5

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony-Xperia-Z

For night shots, check out our previous camera comparison post here.

Just when other smart phone maker has been churning out new flagship models that shadows their Xperia Z/ZL models, Sony is seems to be working hard on their next upcoming model. Coming in 2nd half of 2013, Sony is rumoured to be releasing 2 new models with the codename Togari and Honami.

The Togari model is rumoured to be a large form factor device which comes with a massive 6.44″ 1080p HD display while the Honami boasts as a “One Sony” model which combines the best of Sony. Although that sounds very cliche, the Honami seems to be a very special model especially when it comes to camera. It is rumoured that it will come with a 16MP or possible 20MP shooter with a larger sensor size of 1/1.6″. In comparison, that sensor size is right between the Nokia N8 (1/1.83″) and the Nokia 808 PureView (1/1.2″).

In terms of design, it is said to be slim just like the Xperia Z and Xperia Tablet Z. Processing wise, the Honami is said to be running on a newer quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 clocked at 2.3GHz and comes with a non-removable battery between 2700mAh to 3000mAh capacity. If the rumours are true, this would be an interesting phone which might give Samsung and HTC a run for their money.

[ SOURCE, 2 ]

Following our previous Camera Shootout for Videos, we have done some sample shots during the day. This time we tested the HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5 & Sony Xperia Z. The Sony Xperia ZL was dropped this time as it produces the same result as its water resistant sibling.

Among the smart phones we have tested, only HTC One and Sony Xperia Z offers native HDR Video recording. It is worth pointing out that the Nokia Lumia 920 is rather steady thanks to its optical image stabiliser.

Head after the break to view the samples. Don’t forget to change the resolution to HD to watch it in higher quality.

BlackBerry Z10

iPhone 5

Nokia Lumia 920

Sony Xperia Z (Normal)

Sony Xperia Z (HDR Mode)

HTC One (Normal)

HTC One (HDR Mode)

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our previous comparison for photos and videos.

Almost immediately after it was announced, the Sony Xperia E is now being offered by Celcom on contract from as low as RM208. Priced at RM499, the Sony Xperia E is an entry level device which comes with audio cancellation capabilities. The one they are offering is the single SIM version.

The bundled pricing of the Xperia E as follows:

Celcom First Prime + 1GB/3GB data (12 months) – RM388
Celcom First Prime + 1GB/3GB data (24 months) – RM288
Celcom First Premier + 1GB/3GB data (12 months) – RM288
Celcom First Premier + 1GB/3GB data (24 months) – RM208

For more information, head over to Celcom.

[ SOURCE ]

Sony Mobile has announced the arrival of its new Xperia models in Malaysia with the Xperia SP and Xperia E. The Xperia SP is a mid-spec smart phone with a 4.6″ HD 720p display that’s priced at RM1,299. On the entry level front, there’s the Xperia E which is priced at RM499 for Single SIM and RM559 for Dual SIM variant.

To recap on the specs, the Xperia SP is powered with a dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro Processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of Storage. In terms of design, it comes with an all aluminium frame and a customisable illuminated transparent belt at the bottom. You can read more on the Xperia SP in our earlier post here. In terms of battery, it comes with a rather decent 2,370mAh capacity. At the moment, the Xperia SP is available in Black and White colours, while the Red colour version would be available shortly.

Meanwhile, the Xperia E is an affordable entry level smart phone which boasts HD voice and noise cancellation features. Powering the device is a 1GHz Qualcomm processor with 512MB of RAM and it comes bundled with 4GB of storage. In terms of display, it comes with a 3.5″ screen that does 480×320 pixels resolution. Powering the device is a 1,500mAh which is rather generous for this segment. The Xperia E comes in Black, White & Red for the single SIM version while the E dual is available in Black and Gold colours.

Availability wise, the Xperia SP will go on sale starting tomorrow 26th of April while the Xperia E is now available.

After comparing photos taken with the 6 devices – HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5 & Sony Xperia Z/ZL, it is time to compare its Full HD 1080p video capabilities. For this test, we recorded in both indoors and outdoors. Don’t forget to change the resolution to 1080p to watch the sample video in its full glory.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the photo comparison of the 6 devices over here.

Head after the break for the video comparison.

Indoor

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

Outdoor Night

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

We have 6 smart phones from 4 different operating systems on the table. It’s time for another round of camera shootout with the new HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5, Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL.

The HTC One uses 4MP effective Ultrapixel camera while the iPhone 5 and BlackBerry Z10 comes with a 8MP shooter. Stepping up the game is the Nokia Lumia 920 which its 8.7MP PureView camera with optical image stabiliser. While the Lumia 920 camera is rated at 8.7MP, it shoots a maximum of 7.9MP in 4:3 aspect ratio as the additional pixels are used to accommodate 16:9 shots at 7.1MP resolution. Last but not least, we have the Sony Xperia Z/ZL with the highest megapixel count of 13MP.

So which is the better performer? We let you be the judge and you can check out our sample photos after the break.

KLCC

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

Scribble Board

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

Parkamaya Doll

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

Bukit Bintang

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

Pavilion

iPhone 5

BlackBerry Z10

Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One

Sony Xperia Z

Sony Xperia ZL

Drop your thoughts in the comment section below.

With Sony’s new Xperia lineup, they have been banging on the seamless connectivity of its family of products through multiple screens. Now it seems that they have taken a step further to integrate with their gaming console, the PlayStation 3 with the upcoming Sony Xperia SP is seen to have native support for its DUALSHOCK 3 controller.

According to the source, you would need to pair the controller with the phone using a OTG (USB On The Go) cable and once that’s done, the controller can be connected wirelessly. Not a bad feature for that console like gaming experience on a mobile phone. So far this hasn’t been announced officially but when it does, it is expected to be available with the current crop of Sony Xperia devices.

Check out the video after the break.

[ SOURCE ]