According to Sony’s director for business management Izzat Kittaneh, the model targets ‘tech mature people’ looking for the latest and greatest devices in the market.
Sony says it believes its new model will catch the market with its superior brand which is both dust and waterproof with a high dynamic camera range not available in the market.
Kittaneh says the Xperia Z is a culmination of research by the electronics maker that showed customers buy devices based on the operating system, screen size, battery life, processor speed, sound and brand.
To this end the Xperia Z runs on the Android operating system, which has proved popular in Kenya. The phone has a Snapdragon S4 pro quad-core processor to support the evolving complexity of apps being released into the market.
“Software is growing much faster than hardware of course,” he says. “Although the processor might seem quite fast for now I believe there are enough apps that had been shelved waiting for such a processor and that will soon find their way into the market.”
Under battery life another major concern for Smartphone users the device has a 2330mAh battery to run the full HD 5’ screen with a battery stamina feature that can improve standby duration by four or more times by shutting down apps that drain the battery.
Other features include superior 13 megapixel camera, easy connectivity and social sharing features that Sony says matter a lot when it comes to differentiating between different brands.
“Our research shows that when differentiating between different brands in the market customers look at the device design, the camera and the social sharing features leading to our new model,” says Kittaneh.
The Xperia Z model anti shattering and waterproof features have been informed by the company’s study of the main reasons of failures of various smartphones in the market.
According to the research Sony says 66 per cent of devices fail as a result of constant dropping, while 25 per cent are as a result of contact with water, hence the new modifications.
To allow the device to become totally waterproof and durable the device has a double glass front and back while the use of a docking station to charge allows the modifications to work.
The new features are also expected to be added to the tablet that is scheduled to be released in mid-May according to the company.
The phone will retail at US$700 (approx Ksh 59,500) and will be available in Krishna stores countrywide.