SpecEagle
SpecEagle review · Sony

Xperia Z Ultra review: The original 6.4" waterproof phablet — a 2013 giant.

SpecEagle Editorial·Jul 2013·$650
Overall
50/100
Class rank
#52 of 87
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

The original giant phablet.

Xperia Z Ultra packed a 6.4" display into a slim 6.5 mm waterproof body in 2013 — a phablet ahead of its time, usable with any pencil as a stylus.

01Display

64/100

64/100 trails the 68-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2013.

TypeIPS LCD (Triluminos), 60 Hz
Size6.4 inches
Resolution1,920 × 1,080 px
InputWorks with pencil / stylus

02Camera

46/100

46/100 is one of the weaker camera results among flagship phones of 2013 — 15 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

Main8 MP Exmor RS, f/2.4 (no LED flash)
Selfie2 MP

03Performance

52/100

52/100 trails the 56-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2013.

ChipsetSnapdragon 800 (28 nm)
RAM2 GB
Storage16 GB + microSD

04Battery

58/100

58/100 trails the 62-point cohort average for flagship phones of 2013.

Capacity3,050 mAh
Wired7.5 W

05Build

70/100

70/100 puts it above the 64-point average for flagship phones of 2013.

06Value

52/100

52/100 — right at the average for flagship phones of 2013.

What works
  • Huge 6.4" display in 2013.
  • IP58 waterproof + 6.5 mm slim.
  • Stylus/pencil input.
  • microSD.
What doesn't
  • 8 MP cam, no flash.
  • Massive 212 g.
  • Slow charging.
  • Support long ended.
Cross-shop it against
Nexus 5 (LG)
$349 · score 84/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 87-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .