Sony has launched its “premium” Xperia Tablet Z at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, billing it as the thinnest Android tablet to ever appear on the market.
The device uses the same “OmniBalance” design elements seen in the waterproof Xperia Z smartphone, which is due to launch on 28 February.
The Xperia Tablet Z will appear on European shelves in the second quarter of the year, priced at $499(£330) for the 16 GB version, and $599 (£396) for the 32 GB version. It has already been released in Japan last month.
It’s not just the glass-covered exterior that the Tablet Z shares with its five-inch sibling. The technical specs are also similar to Sony’s flagship smartphone, albeit served in a different form-factor.
The device is 6.9 mm thin, weighs less than half a kilogram, and, in the best traditions of Japanese smartphone making, can be submerged in water for up to 30 minutes with absolutely no consequences. Sony says these are the highest levels of water-resistance ever seen in a tablet.
“Xperia Tablet Z reinforces our intention to be a leading player in the premium Android device market, by building on the principles established by Xperia Z and perfectly optimizing them for the tablet form factor,” said Kaz Tajima, corporate VP and head of UX creative design at Sony Mobile Communications.
Inside, users will find a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU, 2GB of RAM and either 16 or 32 GB of regular memory, expanded by up to 64GB with microSD. The tablet will run Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean on the release date, upgradable to 4.2 as soon as Google launches the next version of its mobile OS.
As for the camera, the tablet is equipped with 8.1 megapixel ‘Exmor-R’ mobile sensor on the back, along with a 2MP front-facing snapper. The two stereo speakers on the front feature Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D technology, and should output a decent sound.
Despite its petite size, the device packs a solid 6,000mAh battery with STAMINA mode, Sony’s battery management technology that promises to improve standby time.
In Europe and the US, Xperia Tablet Z will offer Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth connectivity, and there’s even an infrared sensor to enable remote control of various electronic devices in the house. However, LTE support will not be available to customers outside of Japan.
Sony’s new tablet will go on sale in black or white in the beginning of summer.
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