Sony’s water-proof Xperia Z2 tablet launches for $500

Sony’s Xperia Z2 Tablet, a 10-inch Android device with a waterproof case, measures just a quarter of an inch thick and weighs approximately 15 ounces. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 801 processor and offers up to 10 hours of battery life.

 Additional features include a 10.1-inch 1920 x 1200 pixel display, 16/32 GB of storage, 3GB of RAM, a microSD card slot, WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, 8.1MP rear camera, a 2MP front-facing camera, FM radio and IR blaster.

After years of extensive testing, I have determined the perfect screen size for watching YouTube videos in bed. It’s just over 5 inches. Anything larger and you have to hold the device too far from that ideal chest-perching point, anything smaller and you might as well not bother. Obligingly, Sony has released a new phone designed specifically for my needs. The Xperia Z2 has a 5.2-inch screen, a fast processor, a long-lasting battery, and front-facing stereo speakers. That is, of course, hardly unique in the highly specced world of Android smartphones, and Sony itself will sell you a 10-inch version with the Z2 Tablet — should your screen-size needs be bigger than mine. So why should I make the Z2 my new go-to device for kicking back with Dota 2 VODs? And can a 10-inch Android tablet finally match the usability of smaller devices? The challenge that Sony is tackling with its new products is twofold: it wants to close one gap, that between smartphone and tablet, while opening up another, between its own hardware and the plethora of alternatives you can buy today.