Android tablets have always lagged behind the iPad series. They just never seem to compete with Apple’s tablet giant. Why is that? The Galaxy Tab series is close, but it still lacks a lot of the premium polish, despite having a better screen. The Nexus 9 may perform much better, but it too lacks the premium aluminum finish compared to the iPad 2. Enter the Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet (the tablet, not the phone of the same name). It has a sleek design, a great interface, and delivers a powerful performance. It may be the tablet that finally beats out the iPad, if anyone ever knows it actually exists.
Xperia Z4 Tablet – Design and Features
The first thing you will notice about the Xperia Z4 tablet is its spacious screen and lightweight design. Despite being marginally larger than the iPad Air 2, it is actually lighter. That makes it one of the thinnest and lightest tablets in the world. The display for the 10″ device is also really nice. Though it isn’t quite as good as the Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy Tab Note 2014, it is still a beautiful display.
Users will also notice that, like the Sony Xperia Z4 phone, the Xperia Z4 tablet is water and dust resistant. I can’t emphasize the word resistant over proof enough. The Xperia Z4 tablet does not have covers for its USB port and headphone jack. This means that, while it can handle water being poured directly onto it, the ports are still susceptible to water damage, so you can totally ruin the device if water gets into them. While it isn’t a huge deal, it would have been nice for Sony to go all the way for water and dust resistance.
The Xperia Z4 tablet runs on the latest version of Android 5.0 with the Xperia overlay. The great thing about the new interface is its customizable features. Unlike the iPad, Windows tablets, and even other Android tablets, the Xperia Z4 can customize literally anything about the interface. From changing the background color to playing music when you plug in headphones, you can customize the Xperia Z4 tablet to do exactly what you need it to.
Specs, Camera, and Battery Life
The specs for the Xperia Z4 tablet are also pretty impressive. It is running the latest Snapdragon 810 processor, so it is fast and responsive. It also comes with the Adreno 430 GPU, which makes it one of the premier tablets for gaming. It also comes equipped with 32 GB of internal storage and 3 GB of RAM. In terms of performance it sits right between the iPad Air 2 and Google Nexus 9. The difference is minor though and most common users won’t notice any major differences. If you want more than 32 GB, the Xperia Z4 does have expandable storage up to 128 GB.
The cameras on the Xperia Z4 tablet are decent, it is however, the one component where the iPad Air 2 beats it out. The rear facing camera is 8 MP, and the front facing is 5.1 MP. That’s pretty standard for tablets these days, but the Z4 images often come out grainy and washed out. It does have some cool photo editing features that are fun to play with though… and there is always Snapseed to give that extra kick if anything goes amiss by the Xperia Z4’s camera.
The 6,000 mAh battery is pretty impressive, but not as grand as Nexus 9’s. But with up to 17 hours of video playback. That’s pretty stellar considering the average playback for most mobile devices is around 10 – 11 hours, even iPad Air 2 is lagging on this front.
The Verdict
The Xperia Z4 tablet is an impressive tablet, and it is certainly one of the best Android tablets to be released. Unfortunately, Sony doesn’t have the sales that its competitors Samsung and Apple have, but hopefully people will catch wind and give this tablet a try. Otherwise, they’ll be missing out. The Wi-Fi only version of the Xperia Z4 tablet comes in at $699, which is comparable to the iPad Air 2 price. The LTE version is available for $735. If you have the money and are looking for a premier Android experience, the Xperia Z4 tablet is definitely for you.
