Tough Guy - Review of the Sony Xperia ZR rugged smartphone

    Over the past few years, secure phones have ceased to be something exotic, but have turned into full-fledged productive devices with flagship features and a stylish design. About smartphones Sony Xperia V and Acro S with protection from dust and water, many have probably heard. Time does not stand still and for these tough guys there was a worthy change. Today we will meet with the new secure smartphone from Sony - Xperia ZR. Meet me!





    Options and appearance


    In a small box with a traditional design, there is the device itself, a USB cable, a high-power charger, a MH750 wired headset with a set of alternative rubber pads for large and small ears, as well as a clothespin for attaching to the lapel or bag strap. It is worth noting that the demo was deprived of the docking station, however, the Xperia ZR comes with it on the Russian market.



    The case is made of nice plastic like soft-touch, has rounded corners and a slightly convex back cover, due to this it fits very comfortably in your hand. Xperia ZR does not strive to be the thinnest and lightest, but it looks solid and reliable.

    In general, the ZR feels very similar to last year's Acro S, so if you are a satisfied owner of this model and are thinking of replacing it, the choice is obvious.

    We tested the black version, but also available in white, pink and turquoise colors.



    The layout is quite familiar, there is a logo, a speaker and a front camera above the screen, an LED strip below (it can change colors depending on the theme or image on the screen, but does not blink to the music, like the Xperia SP), characteristic for the right side This year’s models, a round metal power button located in the center (just exactly under the thumb), under it - the volume control and the camera button. On the left is a combined USB / HDMI connector, covered with a plug, as well as contacts for installation in the dock. Upstairs - hidden under a 3.5mm plug. headphone jack. As you can see - the number of connectors is minimal - only two, a similar trend cannot but rejoice. On the back there is a slightly recessed camera eye (which is good - the glass will not be scratched) and a flash. The surface around the eye is flat, which allows you to install a magnetic ring for attaching additional lenses. At the very bottom is a speaker protected from the inside by a membrane. To install MicroSIM and an SD card, you need to remove the back cover, remove the battery and not mix up the slots that are located one above the other, however, the pictogram pictured there will not make a mistake: the SIM card is inserted into the lower slot using a special tray, and the flash drive into the upper . The back cover is easy to install and fits snugly, while a rubber seal protects the inside of the smartphone from water and dust. the pictogram drawn there will not make a mistake: the SIM card is inserted into the lower slot using a special tray, and the flash drive into the upper one. The back cover is easy to install and fits snugly, while a rubber seal protects the inside of the smartphone from water and dust. the pictogram drawn there will not make a mistake: the SIM card is inserted into the lower slot using a special tray, and the flash drive into the upper one. The back cover is easy to install and fits snugly, while a rubber seal protects the inside of the smartphone from water and dust.







    Screen

    The display, by today's standards, is small - 4.55-inches and not Full HD, as in the Xperia Z, but just HD (1280x720). Given the equally powerful hardware platform, ZR performance in some situations, for example in games, is higher, and by ten percent, and this has a positive effect on energy consumption. The screen is quite bright and contrasting with very decent viewing angles - even when viewed at an angle of 85 degrees, the image is clearly distinguishable, except that the colors fade slightly, in addition, the OptiContrast anti-glare technology is used in the manufacture of the screen, so the screen behaves very well in the sun. The picture can also be improved programmatically - Mobile Bravia Engine 2 increases the contrast and saturation of photos and videos, and also removes noise when watching videos with low image quality. Moreover, if you don’t like the default color rendering, you can configure it using a special calibration utility. Like other Sony models, the screen is covered with a protective film, which absolutely does not interfere, does not get dirty and provides excellent gliding of the fingers. By the way, ZR also responds well to wet fingers.

    Camera

    The 13-megapixel Exmor RS module is installed here - the same as in the Z and ZL models. In the Superior Auto mode, the camera correctly recognizes the shooting conditions (for example, it quickly turns on the macro mode or increases the sensitivity for twilight shooting), and in the normal mode, it acquires a lot of settings such as exposure adjustment, choosing the focus mode, setting the white balance and ISO, choosing the point measurements, as well as an image stabilizer, HDR, the possibility of burst and panoramic shooting, real-time filters (including very psychedelic ones), predefined options for shooting, for example, food (hello Instagram and Foursquare), pets, or fireworks. Here you can also enable smile recognition, geo-tagging, shutter sound, automatic or manual focus, etc. It is also worth noting the customizable hardware button, with which you can start the camera and take a snapshot, which is necessary, including for underwater shooting, because under water the screen will not respond to touch. The volume control, in this case, can be used to control the zoom. Photos with examples of the camera’s operation are located below, although there were unfortunately no coral reefs nearby, so we won’t show you underwater beauties (but at the end of the review you will find an interesting video).















    Battery

    This is certainly one of the strengths of the current Sony line. Of course, taking a charge with you is worthwhile, but rather, to calm you and unforeseen situations. With quite intensive everyday use (screen brightness around 90%, music, video, 3G, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, etc.), the batteries last for 12-14 hours, and turning on the Stamina mode and disabling all energy-intensive services can phone live standby five to six days. Do not forget that the battery is removable, therefore, going to where difficulties may arise with charging, you can take a couple of spare batteries with you.



    Multimedia

    Traditional for Sony smartphones, high-quality clear sound and impressive bass, a transparent middle and distinctive high frequencies. The supplied headset, despite its modest appearance, provides excellent sound quality, and the volume margin is even somewhat redundant. When exceeding a certain limit, the player honestly warns that listening to excessively loud music is not too useful for the ears). The standard Walkman player allows you to improve the sound in automatic mode (ClearAudio + works like a moderate compressor, stereo base expander and makes the higher frequencies even more distinct), in addition, you can independently adjust the bass gain, use the five-band equalizer, and also enable volume equalization for all songs. There are also several reverb options (club, studio, concert hall), ClearPhase mono-compatibility optimizer for listening to music through an external speaker and xLoud function to increase its volume. The speaker, by the way, is very sonorous, despite the fact that it is covered with a protective membrane.

    The speaker has a good volume margin, the interlocutor also cannot complain that you are hard to hear, in addition, you can turn on noise cancellation for the microphone in the call settings, and the speaker has its own equalizer and even a speech slowdown function.

    The location of the SD card slot inside the device does not allow hot swapping, so for file operations it is more convenient to connect the phone via USB, after transferring it to drive mode - then the phone acts as a card reader and allows you to manage files on a flash drive from a computer. In normal mode, Windows defines it as a phone, and for Mac OS Sony Bridge is required, through which, by the way, you can also upload music or copy photos.

    Protection

    Let's move on to the most interesting part - to field testing. We decided that it was worthless to cowardly water such a seriously protected device with water from an office cooler or wash it under the tap, so the Xperia ZR passed a real severe forest test, which it passed with dignity. To begin with, we left the phone on in the rain, nothing bad happened to him in ten minutes. Under the ice water from the spring, he also felt great, except that the screen reacted to the water a couple of times as if it were pressing, and the camera, after being removed, briefly misted outside. Immersion in a forest stream also turned out to be on this guy's shoulder, as well as underwater shooting and digging in the wet sand. You can see the results of all these monstrous experiments in this video:



    Officially, the ZR does not have shockproof properties, but the massive rugged case and robust design allows it to withstand falls from a height of human growth on not too hard surfaces, though no one promises that with such treatment it will always remain waterproof.

    Iron and performance

    In terms of hardware, the Xperia ZR is identical to the Z model, and due to the not-so-large screen, as mentioned above, it even outperforms it in terms of performance. In the standard version of 3DMark Ice Storm, we managed to get a record 70+ FPS in ordinary scenes, and below 20 the counter never dropped. During testing, there was a slight heating in the upper left part of the device, but it did not deliver any discomfort and passed quickly. You can safely run any modern games on the Xperia ZR - there is enough performance with a margin and you will not notice any brakes. You can see the results of complex testing in the screenshots.











    Communication

    You can see the results of testing the connection speed via 3G and WiFi in the screenshots. During the week of use, no communication problems were observed, the network was not lost and the calls did not disappear. Navigation works great - the location is determined accurately, and the record of the ten-kilometer route went without errors, despite the rainy weather and water procedures.





    Software

    By default, the Xperia ZR is running Android 4.1.2, which will soon upgrade to 4.2. Downloading a smartphone takes 24 seconds, the lock screen allows you to control the player and start the camera, unlocking occurs the same way as with other models of this year - vertically, with a nice blinds effect. The shell will also seem familiar. By default, Google Chrome and Opera Mini browsers are already installed, Socialife client for social networks, McAfee Security antivirus, Evernote online organizer, Office Suite office suite, Adobe Reader, video editing software, file manager, email client, applications for purchase on Google Play books and films, a navigator, a QR-code scanner and other software, which, if necessary, can be removed without any damage. Car mode allows you to display several large buttons,



    Summary

    A powerful smartphone with an excellent camera and very serious protection that really works, and is not an advertising gimmick. With this device, you can not only walk in the rain or lie in the bath, but also take photos and record videos under water or, for example, in an aqua park. We add here a powerful replaceable battery, rich opportunities for optimizing energy consumption, a simple functional design and get an excellent device for lovers of hiking in wild places, fishing and traveling on water.

    Specifications

    Processor : quad-core Qualcomm APQ8064, 1500 MHz
    Memory : 2 GB RAM, 8 MB internal, support for SD cards
    Video : Adreno 320
    Display : 4.55 ”, TFT, 1280x720, 16 mil. colors, scratch resistant.
    Communication : GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/2100, LTE 800/850/900/1800/2100/260
    Navigation : GPS, GLONASS
    Main camera : Exmor RS 13 megapixels
    Front camera : 0.3 megapixels
    Battery : 2400 mAh, removable
    OS : Android 4.1.2
    Protection : IP55 / IP58
    Dimensions : 67.4x131x10.4 mm
    Weight : 138 g

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