Sony has unveiled the Xperia Z Ultra, a waterproof Android smartphone with a 6.4-inch screen, positioning it as the slimmest large-screened handset on the market. The device can accept sketches or notes written with a standard pencil or metal-tipped pen, in addition to an optional stylus. Sony aims to challenge Samsung's dominance in the jumbo-sized handset sector, where Samsung accounted for 70% of the 'superphone and phablet' market in 2012, according to Transparency Market Research.
The Xperia Z Ultra was announced at the Mobile Asia Expo in Shanghai and will launch in China, Indonesia, and Singapore in July and August, followed by Europe in September. Calum MacDougall, director of Xperia marketing, noted that Southeast Asia is a key market due to the strong trend towards large-screened devices. He emphasised that Sony will compete on premium features rather than price, against rivals such as Huawei, ZTE, Acer, Asus, and Lenovo.
The device is 6.5mm thick and can be submerged in freshwater up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. It features a 1080p resolution screen with software to upscale lower definition content, 16GB of internal storage (expandable to 64GB via microSD), and a battery offering up to 11 hours of talk time or 120 hours of audio playback. An optional Bluetooth accessory allows users to make calls, view messages, or stream music via NFC pairing.
Industry analysts note that demand for large-screened devices, or 'phablets', remains robust, especially in developing markets where they serve as a primary computing device. Frost & Sullivan's Manoj Menon commented that differentiation will increasingly rely on software and features rather than size, suggesting Sony's strategy is well-timed.
