What’s with SONY and waterproofing their gadgets? I’m not exactly sure where they’re headed with this, but I like it! SONY has been actively churning out waterproof gadgets across the board — from their tablets to projector-handycams and smartphones. Say hello to their newest releast, the SONY XPERIA ZR, a NFC-enabled Android phone that can survive swimming pool depths.
By waterproof, SONY stresses that the ZR is best for freshwater use and not saltwater. This is because, when opening the device we didn’t notice an o-ring slot and what’s actually protecting the phone is a layer of rubber that compresses when pressure is exerted by the columns of water. You absolutely **can** dunk this in saltwater but like any gadget today, make sure you rinse it in warm freshwater afterwards while depressing all the hardware buttons.
SONY figured out the problem with pressure — you can’t use the touch screen underwater because the pressure depresses the entire screen. That’s what happened when my buddy took the Samsung Note on a diving trip. Touch screen devices need an external way to tap on the screen while maintaining the atmosphere on land. SONY has done a wonderful job with their T-series Cybershot cameras by offering “artificial fingers” with their underwater case. They have different case options for the T-series and W-series Cybershot models.
In terms of specs, the ZR’s main feature apart from the waterproofing is the NFC chip that allows you to do things like play music from a NFC-compatible speaker system such as the iLuv Syren which we’ve featured here.
Other salient specs:
NFC (near field communications) compatible chip
Google Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
1.5 GHz Qualcomm Quad Core
13 megapixel fast-capture camera with Exmor RS
16x digital zoom with auto focus
Dust-proof and water-resistant (IP55 / IP58) [*]
Shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass
4.55 inches TFT
16 millions colours, 1280×720 pixels
Price: PHP 25,990
Verdict
If you’re going to buy an Android phone, I’d highly suggest getting something that’s waterproof — not because you’re going to use it while filming in the rain. But at least, if it does fall into the toilet by accident or you need to brave a flood in this rainy season, there’s that extra layer of insurance with a waterproof phone.
