The Sony Xperia Z smartphone is now available in Europe, and the first unboxing videos are hitting YouTube.
British site Clove meticulously unwraps Sony's latest smartphone offering.
The have a black version of the Xperia Z. The initial examination of the box shows the logo denoting that the phone is waterproof, a first for such a sleek and powerful phone.
Small rubberized flaps seal off every port on the phone, preventing water and dust from entering.
The Xperia Z is thin and shiny, its edges broken only by the silver machined power button, though that's oddly located -- slightly above the midpoint of the right edge.
The screen is large and bright, and the touchscreen responsive, as seen.
The video clicks through Sony's custom Android user interface, browsing through the settings, including Stamina Mode.
To preserve battery life, the Xperia Z can shit off nonessential functions and apps -- basically everything except the phone and text functions -- when the screen shuts off. When you turn the screen back on, all the apps come to life again. Sony says this feature can push standby time on the Xperia Z to several days, though it will take some longer-term testing to determine if this is accurate.
The Xperia Z sports the usual multiple homepages and tiled apps of most Android phones. Videos look impressive on the huge display.
But perhaps a more interesting video is the "real-world" test of the water resistance of the Xperia Z.
OCWorkbench actually dunks a brand new phone in a real toilet. Some brave and intrepid reporter begins playing a video on the phone before dropping it into a toilet. The Xperia Z seems no worse for wear when plucked from the "bowels" of the commode, and keep running even during a flush.
Fortunately, it's too large to be swallowed by the plumbing.