...okay? So a tech journalist's job is to reiterate on the magnificence and dominance of Samsung and Apple, and leave all these hopeless 'competitors' in the dark, lest they ever actually make a great product that might somehow threaten the current ruling class?
Sony's problem in the mobile space is mainly one of image, marketing and market penetration. They're losing massively due to seeming inability to penentrate the US market. True, their Android skin feels a bit dated, but their previous two generations of phones have beat Samsung, HTC and Apple in major ways (especially battery life). Their tablets are also great, but Samsung owns the high-end of Android tablets, a market that is in decline as well.
If Sony got their phones onto US carriers and launched a large-scale ad campaign alongside (like Samsung does constantly), they would be a very serious competitor in the Android space.
Excuse the rant below, in short: Sony tablets are desired and sell quite well, just not everywhere in the world.
Rant: I'm sorry PC Perv, but I'm guessing your view is a bit narrow and perhaps US-centric? I apologize if I'm jumping to conclusions. This story is relevant, and I appreciate how Anandtech has openly discussed how they try to handle a global audience throughout the years. Since finding Anandtech in the late 90's I have spread the word about the quality I found here in quiet ever since. Unfortunately, I still amend my recommendations to others with a need to filter out some parts that differ from our European ideas. Your comment simply reminded me about this.
It's actually 16:10 (2560x1600). Like Josh said below, we haven't been receiving full spec sheets and so there's some unknowns and some confusion. Sorry about that.
Thinner than the previous generation? No. Just no. I still say the final frontier and key feature should be battery capacity. The Nexus 9 houses 6700mAh battery and this one 6000. And no SD card expansion? That's also a downer. And here I was hoping that this may be the tablet that could replace my now-dead Nexus 7 2013.
I agree, I have a Z2 Tablet and its thin / light enough. I would also have rather they bumped the battery size than shave another few mm or grams. Make it HEAVIER/THICKER for all I care lol if it means awesome battery life.
Never thought I would say it, but it's possible that one day I'll end up with a 10" tablet. I though that my 7" Nexus 7 2012 was great, but my current 8.4" is under 300g and is comfortable to hold while giving me a much better reading screen. Seeing that 10" is dropping below 400g makes me think that I might actually give this form factor a look next time I want to buy a tablet (which will be more than a year from now).
So its know a shi*tty 16:9 for a tablet. 16:10 or FAIL No SD card support. FAIL
GJ Sony, now you have another excuse to leave the mobile market. An they really got phd's on their company, people earning tens of thousands? Is this really a company or some kind of gang ruled by a chimp?
Article has been updated with the correct spec list, which includes MicroSD support, and the correct screen resolution (2560x1600 aka 16:10 aspect ratio).
If it was 300$ i would wonder why the year 2010 bezels but it's Sony so it's won't be reasonably priced. Wish they would just give up or get a board member that lives on this planet not in their imaginary world where Sony still has the reputation they had 20 years ago.
Having used a multitude of droid tablets of varying sizes/quality and wife has always had ipads, I reckon that bezels are important on a tablet as you need something to grip. The Z2 tablet is almost perfect for me, just wish android slates were 4:3 not 16:9 (and no N9 was not out when I bought my Z2 tab, and I still prefer Z2 overall due to build and SD card).
Sony's mobile products of late (since the OG Xperia Z phone basically) have been top notch quality, and their software doesn't approach touchwiz/sense levels of re-skinning - in fact its pretty darned close to stock. And they all have SD card support. But as you note, shame about the price, people aren't going to pay Apple prices.
You've never used a G2 or a G3, have you? I love my G2, but that's the one thing I hate about it - as impressive as near-bezel-less displays LOOK, I'd rather have half an inch round the screen to actually hold the damn thing. Especially on a tablet.
I really want a larger tablet to replace my Nexus 7 2013 for reading, watching videos, and now that office is Android tablets, with a good enough text editor I could forgo laptops in preference for a tablet/desktop combination. I hope its only like $399. I still want to see what Samsung and HTC do with upcoming tablets especially with that new Exynos 7420.
This is a nice tablet, but unfortunately I still can't consider anything but a Nexus when it comes to Android...decent OS updates are mandatory. I don't know why Sony/Samsung/etc. shoot themselves in the foot by not just getting Google to support these things directly the way Microsoft does.
At this point I'd rather have a Windows tablet anyway, BUT there are still some oddball tablet-style programs only available for the tablet OSes.
I wish they had announced the Z4 and Z4 Compact phones, but with this tablet launching in june, they're in no hurry(assuming the phones wil launch alongside it)
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PC Perv - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Please do not write about Android devices that you do not use and will never use. Be honest about it.JatkarP - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Haha...True :-)Valantar - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
...okay? So a tech journalist's job is to reiterate on the magnificence and dominance of Samsung and Apple, and leave all these hopeless 'competitors' in the dark, lest they ever actually make a great product that might somehow threaten the current ruling class?Sony's problem in the mobile space is mainly one of image, marketing and market penetration. They're losing massively due to seeming inability to penentrate the US market. True, their Android skin feels a bit dated, but their previous two generations of phones have beat Samsung, HTC and Apple in major ways (especially battery life). Their tablets are also great, but Samsung owns the high-end of Android tablets, a market that is in decline as well.
If Sony got their phones onto US carriers and launched a large-scale ad campaign alongside (like Samsung does constantly), they would be a very serious competitor in the Android space.
name99 - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Hey, if you want to watch movies in the shower, it's one of the few viable options these days...henrik - Thursday, March 5, 2015 - link
Excuse the rant below, in short:Sony tablets are desired and sell quite well, just not everywhere in the world.
Rant:
I'm sorry PC Perv, but I'm guessing your view is a bit narrow and perhaps US-centric? I apologize if I'm jumping to conclusions. This story is relevant, and I appreciate how Anandtech has openly discussed how they try to handle a global audience throughout the years. Since finding Anandtech in the late 90's I have spread the word about the quality I found here in quiet ever since. Unfortunately, I still amend my recommendations to others with a need to filter out some parts that differ from our European ideas. Your comment simply reminded me about this.
piroroadkill - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
A smaller screen and no microSD. Hm, failing to see the compelling "improvements" here.Raniz - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Both screens are 10.1" and the Z4 and 2560x1440, how is that smaller?Also, the article here doesn't list the full memory specifications (check the source link).
piroroadkill - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
2560×1440 - 1.77 AR1920×1200 - 1.6 AR
The old one has an area of 45.85 square inches. The new one is only 43.59 square inches
Brandon Chester - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
It's actually 16:10 (2560x1600). Like Josh said below, we haven't been receiving full spec sheets and so there's some unknowns and some confusion. Sorry about that.Raniz - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
You should update the table with memory specifications. According to the source link the tablet has 3GB RAM and a MicroSD slot.JoshHo - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Apologies, we did not receive a spec sheet until after launch. The article has been updated.keitaro - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Thinner than the previous generation? No. Just no. I still say the final frontier and key feature should be battery capacity. The Nexus 9 houses 6700mAh battery and this one 6000. And no SD card expansion? That's also a downer. And here I was hoping that this may be the tablet that could replace my now-dead Nexus 7 2013.wintermute000 - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
I agree, I have a Z2 Tablet and its thin / light enough. I would also have rather they bumped the battery size than shave another few mm or grams. Make it HEAVIER/THICKER for all I care lol if it means awesome battery life.phoenix_rizzen - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Article has been updated with correct spec list, which include microSD slot.ET - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Never thought I would say it, but it's possible that one day I'll end up with a 10" tablet. I though that my 7" Nexus 7 2012 was great, but my current 8.4" is under 300g and is comfortable to hold while giving me a much better reading screen. Seeing that 10" is dropping below 400g makes me think that I might actually give this form factor a look next time I want to buy a tablet (which will be more than a year from now).Lolimaster - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
So its know a shi*tty 16:9 for a tablet. 16:10 or FAILNo SD card support. FAIL
GJ Sony, now you have another excuse to leave the mobile market. An they really got phd's on their company, people earning tens of thousands? Is this really a company or some kind of gang ruled by a chimp?
kyuu - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
There is SD card support.phoenix_rizzen - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Article has been updated with the correct spec list, which includes MicroSD support, and the correct screen resolution (2560x1600 aka 16:10 aspect ratio).jjj - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
If it was 300$ i would wonder why the year 2010 bezels but it's Sony so it's won't be reasonably priced.Wish they would just give up or get a board member that lives on this planet not in their imaginary world where Sony still has the reputation they had 20 years ago.
wintermute000 - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Having used a multitude of droid tablets of varying sizes/quality and wife has always had ipads, I reckon that bezels are important on a tablet as you need something to grip. The Z2 tablet is almost perfect for me, just wish android slates were 4:3 not 16:9 (and no N9 was not out when I bought my Z2 tab, and I still prefer Z2 overall due to build and SD card).Sony's mobile products of late (since the OG Xperia Z phone basically) have been top notch quality, and their software doesn't approach touchwiz/sense levels of re-skinning - in fact its pretty darned close to stock. And they all have SD card support. But as you note, shame about the price, people aren't going to pay Apple prices.
phoenix_rizzen - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Sony tablets have been 16:10 for several years now.Azurael - Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - link
You've never used a G2 or a G3, have you? I love my G2, but that's the one thing I hate about it - as impressive as near-bezel-less displays LOOK, I'd rather have half an inch round the screen to actually hold the damn thing. Especially on a tablet.ayejay_nz - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
I hope they're about to announce a Z4 compact as well :Oayejay_nz - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
Tablet that is ...TheFlyingSquirrel - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
I really want a larger tablet to replace my Nexus 7 2013 for reading, watching videos, and now that office is Android tablets, with a good enough text editor I could forgo laptops in preference for a tablet/desktop combination. I hope its only like $399. I still want to see what Samsung and HTC do with upcoming tablets especially with that new Exynos 7420.Wolfpup - Monday, March 2, 2015 - link
This is a nice tablet, but unfortunately I still can't consider anything but a Nexus when it comes to Android...decent OS updates are mandatory. I don't know why Sony/Samsung/etc. shoot themselves in the foot by not just getting Google to support these things directly the way Microsoft does.At this point I'd rather have a Windows tablet anyway, BUT there are still some oddball tablet-style programs only available for the tablet OSes.
squidsurprise - Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - link
Anyone else notice that the camera has decreased in quality from the z2? Wonder why?Montago - Wednesday, March 4, 2015 - link
http://thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=padhol...Laxaa - Tuesday, March 3, 2015 - link
I wish they had announced the Z4 and Z4 Compact phones, but with this tablet launching in june, they're in no hurry(assuming the phones wil launch alongside it)