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Sony Xperia Z Google Edition with stock Android coming soon: Report

Sony Xperia Z Google Edition with stock Android coming soon: Report

By Gurman Bhatia | Updated: 12 June 2013 13:08 IST

Nexus user experience seems to be the new trend in the Android smartphone market. After the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One, rumours have surfaced that the Nexus experience will be coming to the Sony Xperia Z.

Android Geeks reported that the Google Edition of Sony's flagship device can be expected soon. The website claims that a Sony official who wishes to stay anonymous has confirmed that the Google Edition of the device will be announced sometime in July.

Sony had earlier released the AOSP (Android Open Source Project) version of Android 4.2 for the Xperia Z smartphone. This essentially implied that the phone's software would be open to developers and tech enthusiasts who'll be able to use it on their phone and also contribute to its development. However, these users still wouldn't be receiving the latest Android firmware updates like the members of the Nexus family and Google editions of Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One. Also using an ASOP device isn't exactly user friendly for a regular consumer. Releasing an out of the box stock version of the Xperia Z is a positive initiative for the mass market as well as consumers who happen to be Nexus enthusiasts.

It can be expected that the Google Edition of the water-proof phone will come loaded with Android 4.2.2 unless Google launches the next version of Android before the phone is released. The Google edition of the device like other Nexus devices and Google editions of smartphones, will be the first in line to receive major firmware upgrades. Also, like the Google Edition of Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One with Nexus User Experience, it is expected that the Google Edition of Xperia Z will retail at the Google Play Store for $599.

Whether certain features will be compromised in the Google edition of the device is still unknown. Sony's UI of the Xperia Z as it is close to the stock Vanilla experience. Perhaps the camera app that has certain additional features or Sony's Bravia Engine that reduces noise in the display will be missing the Google edition. But these are certainly not something that most users would miss.

Sony had launched the Xperia Z in India during March. The 5-inch device comes with a full-HD (1080x1920) display and is powered by a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor. Other highlights include a 13-megapixel rear camera, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, Wi-Fi, and the phone runs Android Jelly Bean. The Xperia Z is IP55 and IP57 certified, which means it is dust and water resistant.

Sony Xperia Z

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Brilliant HD screen
Excellent build quality
Dust and Water proof
Great performance
Decent battery back-up

Bad
Gets hot even after limited usage
Screen viewing angles could have been better
Low light photos appear grainy

Read detailed Sony Xperia Z review

Display 5.00-inch

Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064)

Front Camera 2.2-megapixel

Rear Camera 13.1-megapixel

RAM 2GB

Storage 16GB

Battery Capacity 2330mAh

OS Android 4.1

Resolution 1080x1920 pixels

More Sony mobiles Sony mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Mobiles, Android, Google, Jelly Bean, Nexus, Smartphones, Sony Xperia Z, Sony Xperia Z Google edition, Stock Android, Xperia Z, Xperia Z Google edition