[Sony Xperia Z Ultra] E90 Commie:
Here comes some of my initial impressions and pictures including photo and video samples from the Sony Xperia Ultra.

Build quality and impression

The device feels extremely solid and luxurious - in fact even better than the Xperia Z. The aluminum sides makes a noticeable difference and the lids feels more sturdy and reliable. Sony improved the design, which is good since there has been reports about leaks on the Z (like wet SIM card despite closed lids). Another interesting thing is that the weight is perfectly balanced, which makes the device easy to hold without showing any tendency to tip in any direction. The 212 grams feels light because of the large size so there's never any impression of heaviness either.

I am completely satisfied with the build and design of it. The Sony omnibalance design is just great.

Screen quality

The screen is absolutely magnificent. It offers a very realistic color reproduction with a warm and natural color balance. It is an improvement over the Z even if I am perfectly happy with that screen (I just don't get the complaints about it even if I made comparisons with the HTC One and Galaxy S 4). Nevertheless, the Ultra is an improvement with a more natural, warm color balance and great whites (white backgrounds are really white without getting any blueish hue). The size of the screen also makes it great for reading books, magazines and documents. Portrait mode is useable with this screen estate, unlike smaller devices where landscape is must in order to get an adequate text size.

Camera quality

The new 471 firmware is an improvement when it comes to picture quality. I notice sharper, more detailed pictures compared to the older 461 version. Before I bought the Ultra, I was skeptical about the camera but it has been satisfactory to me. The Xperia Z takes better pictures with the latest ROMs, especially with the leaked Honami camera apk but the Ultra still hold its own well (from now on, the Z will be my main camera and the Ultra takes care of the rest). The Superior Auto mode seems to work good on the new device and can take some pretty nice pictures even if I think that manual is even better when the settings are adjusted for a better result.

The only thing I noticed is that it can be tricky to compensate for the sunlight, the pictures has a tendency of becoming to dark at times when attempting to get the blue rather than white sky in place. My impression is that the Z handles that part better, it is easier to compose pictures with a clear sky without ending up with everything else being very dark.

Having a huge screen is very nice when photographing and it makes it easier to get the composition in place.

Sound quality

I have tested the sound quality with Grado PS1000 direct connected to the Ultra and later with RS-2 through the SBH20. It sounds very good in both cases and can drive those headphones well. The sound is clear with good detailing and balanced frequencies. PowerAMP sounds great with different kind of music.

My general impression is that it sounds similar to the Xperia Z in most cases.

Battery life

Since I got the device three days ago, the battery isn't run in yet but my initial impression is pretty good. I managed to get 1 hour and 23 minutes out of it when it showed 20% two days ago. Exact measurements hasn't been taken yet since I want to put it through some charge cycles before making any judgments but I think it holds up well for now. I was afraid that it would suffer from short life but I think it copes well with high demands like downloads over WiFi, browsing etc.

The Stamina mode seems to work well too. It has been sitting with 67% for two hours and 18 minutes now and is absolutely cool. The heat problem that affects the Z (that I avoided on my device through UV) seems to be solved. The Z Ultra doesn't heat up that much even with prolonged use. I guess that the aluminum sides etc improves the situation and helps to dissipate some of the heat. I don't feel an acute need for undervolting yet even if I will do it when custom kernels become available.

Software

Personally, I prefer to use custom ROMs (especially PAC) so I don't go into detail when it comes to stock ROMs, especially not with the phone mode. I look forward to the day when I can put the Ultra into phablet mode with apps in tablet mode - that will be the day when I feel that it is ready for prime time. Now, the screen estate is wasted by the phone mode.

Beside that, the Sony apps (Album, Walkman, dialer etc) is great and nice additions.

The stock ROM seems to be very stable, which is promising but it isn't exciting compared to PAC, a ROM which I think is absolutely great with decent customization options that make the device much more efficient.

I am not very much into reviewing stock ROMs, it is necessary to get root and Xposed Framework with App Settings before I feel that I want to judge it.

Where I bought it

I bought my C6802 at AtGSM, Bowery Street, New York. It is the store that provided me with the Xperia Z back in March.

Unpacking pictures

The package.

The back of the package.

Open box.

Charger, cable, headset. I expected the SBH52 here.;)

The device itself. I think the white version is better in the case of the omnibalance but the black one fits my black cases I usually have (wallet or flip) and was in stock so I got it rather than waited for the other one. I think it looks great in black too.

The Ultra seen from the rear.

Device comparisons and photo samples with the 461 ROM

Side by side view of the Xperia Z and Xperia Z Ultra.

They run my usual configuration based on Nova Launcher, Beautiful Widgets etc. The Z runs the PAC ROM, 0726 build.

A side shot that shows the viewing angles.

Xperia Z Ultra compared with Xperia Z, Xperia X1, P910i and HD2.

A comparison of the thickness between those devices. Even if the Ultra is thin, I think it is easy to hold it with a safe and steady grip.

Visiting Android Central. I think the Ultra works perfect with my hand size.

Here are some photo samples taken with the old 461 ROM.

Those pictures are taken at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, NYC.

Two street views.

A small picture comparison between the Xperia Z (PAC) and Z Ultra (461) is here.

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This picture of the Commodore PET 2001 is taken with the Ultra.

This picture of the PET 2001 is taken with the Xperia Z with PAC 0726 ROM.