Sony is here at the Mobile World Conference in Barcelona of course, and the company has decided to show off its Xperia Z tablet again. You may remember that the Japanese electronics giant initially revealed the Xperia Z tablet alongside its stable mate, the Xperia Z smartphone at CES back in January. Of course the Xperia Z phone has been released and is faring well with consumers and critics, so Sony has taken the opportunity to showcase the Xperia Z tablet again.
This time the great news is that the company has finally attached a release date to the Xperia Z, meaning we now know when we get our hand on this slate and see if it can live up to some of its competitors. Just like the smartphone version, the Xperia Z is waterproof and drop-proof, but what is underneath will determine whether the tablet can compete with the like of iPad, iPad Mini, Samsung 10.1 Note, and other high-end slates.
When it was announced last month we were more than a little disappointed that Sony only officially committed to a Japan release for the Xperia Z. We suspected the company would roll-out to other regions and it is nice to see at MWC that Sony is telling us roughly when we will see the tablet land. Sony says the Xperia Z will be available sometime in the second quarter, meaning it could hit sometime during April, May, or June.
Sony has confirmed both European and United States releases, and has even offered some price points. A Wi-Fi only model will cost $499 while a 32GB model will run for $599, and that places it as direct competition to some of the big boys, so we are wondering if the admittedly good specs are enough to entice consumers to the Xperia Z.
The Xperia Z has a 10.1-inch 1920 X 1200 full HD display, quad-core processor, a back-side illuminated rear 8-megapixel camera sensor, while at just 6.9mm it is easily one of the thinnest tabs available.