| Phone | Plan | Minutes | Data | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Click 'Get Plan' to view price |  Verizon myPlan Unlimited Welcome No Contract
| Unlimited Minutes + Unlimited Texts | Unlimited 4G/5G LTE Data (may be slowed during network congestion) | $ 65 /mo + $30 Upfront Get Plan |
| General Info | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sony |
| Technology | GSM |
| Data Type | 4G |
| Device Type | Smartphone |
| Operating System | Android |
| Physical Specifications | |
| Height | 5.69 Inches |
| Thickness | 0.34 Inches |
| Weight | 5.64 Ounces |
| Keyboard | Touch Only |
| Phone Form | Open-Faced |
| Display Specifications | |
| Display Size | 5.20 Inches |
| Touchscreen Size | 5.20 Inches |
| Audio/Video Specifications | |
| Front Camera | 5.00 Megapixels |
| Rear Camera | 20.70 Megapixels |
| Video | HD |
| Hearing Aid Compatibility | M3/T3 |
| Battery Specifications | |
| Standby Time | 0 Hours |
| Talk Time | 0 Minutes |
| Battery Type | 3000 mAh |
| Memory Specifications | |
| Internal Memory | 32.00 GB |
| Expandable Memory | 128.00 GB |
Sony is finally bringing the Xperia Z4 to the United States, and officially releasing it this summer of 2015. The smartphone was first released and sold in Japan this April, but now, with a few adjustments, it will be marketed in the U.S. as the Sony Xperia Z4V. Sony has designed the phone for use in Verizon Wireless phone plans, though it could potentially be used with any number of cell phone service providers. As we review the Sony Xperia Z4v below, we will cover all of the important features of this new smartphone, see how it differs from the Japanese Xperia Z4, and then look at how it compares to other popular smartphones.
The Xperia Z4V uses an Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor. It gives you 3GB of RAM and a microSD card with 32GB of internal storage memory. The device is 144 mm long, 72 mm wide, and 9 mm thick. Its total weight is 5.6 ounces, and it is available in two colors- black and white.
The display screen will be 5.2 inches and cover over 70 percent of the top surface. The phone is a touchscreen with 10-finger multi-touch ability. The glass plating is highly scratch-resistant and has an oleophobic protective coating, meaning that it repels oil and grease. The resolution is 1440 pixels by 2560 with a 565 pixel density.
The Sony Xperia Z4V comes with a 21MP rear camera with 4K video capability. This is the primary camera, and it offers LED flash, auto-focus, and a pixel count of 5248 by 3936. It also has touch-focus, face-detection, and geo-tagging features. The front camera is 5MP and comes with a helpful Steady Shot feature. After using the camera, you can perfect the results with a built-in photo and video editor.
The Z4V brings you loudspeakers, stereo speakers, auto-compensation for headset usage, 3.5 mm headset jacks, ClearAudio+, numerous audio alerts, vibration alerts, WAV ringtones, and MP3 capabilities. It does not, however, include a radio. You also get active noise cancellation with a dedicated microphone.
The Xperia Z4V's battery is a non-removable Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. This type of battery can recharge your smartphone at more than four times the rate of many conventional phone batteries- reaching 60 percent charged in only half an hour. The battery also is Qi and PMA enabled for wireless charging. Furthermore, your battery will give you plenty of usage before running low: 17 hours of talk time, 95 hours of music, or 590 hours of stand-by time.
The Sony Xperia Z4V is certainly a well connected smartphone. It brings you dual-band Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, a micro-USB port, an HTML-5 browser, and much more. Its SIM card is a certified IP-68 Nano-SIM, which is dust-proof and water-resistant at up to 1.5 meters deep for 30 minutes straight. It also comes with a built-in barometer, compass, and accelerometer. The one drawback is that it does not come with Java.
While most of the features on the Z4 and Z4V are identical, there are a few differences that need to be pointed out. The American model is a bit thicker and weightier than the Japanese one, but it has some improved features. The new model has a wider screen with better resolution, a slightly larger but more powerful battery, and new, wireless charge-up abilities.
Some have leveled the charge at the Z4V that it is less "sleek and elegant" than the Z4, but this is overstated. After all, two extra millimeters of thickness and barely half an ounce of additional weight will not even be noticed except on a spec sheet. The better screen and battery are well worth a small concession like that.
Finally, the biggest difference in the Z4V compared to the Z4 is actually connection with Verizon. It was Sony's partnership with Verizon that drove it to include wireless battery recharging, for example. The new Z4V also will act as a companion device with the Play Station 4, allowing games to be streamed to the phone from the gaming console whenever both machines use the same Wi-Fi connection. Both the team-up with Verizon and with Play Station have been done with past Sony smartphones as well, but this time, it appears that the cooperative effort will be far more streamlined and effective.
Since no other smartphone seems to be endued with the iconic status of the Apple iPhone, we can profitably gauge the Sony Xperia Z4V against the iPhone 6. Both, of course, are excellent pieces of machinery, but there are reasons to think the new Sony phone has won the day.
First of all, the Z4V easily wins the screen size and resolution contest. Sony offers a 5.2 inch screen against a 4.7 inch one and a far better pixel count and density. Sony also wins on the camera front, its 21MP and 5.1MP rear and front cameras besting Apple's 8MP and 1.2MP offerings. Apple's iSight apparatus, however, does make up some ground here since it adds to the performance and reliability of its snapshots.
The Xperia Z4V's Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 runs at 1.5 GHz, beating the 1.4 GHz speed of Apple's Cortex A57 processor. Apple fans, on the other hand, can point out that the Qualcomm has been known to generate more heat as well. It is not that this extra heat is likely to be a problem, but the Sony phone might feel a little warmer in your hands sometimes.
The Sony Xperia Z4V wins again on memory, with 3GB RAM against iPhone's 1GB and 32GB storage memory versus 16GB. There is a 128GB iPhone 6 option, but there is also a 128GB Z4V memory card available. In the final analysis, then, it is the 3GB RAM that makes the big difference.
Both battery systems have about the same lifespan, though the Z4V's enlarged screen might drain the battery a tiny bit faster than the iPhone. Xperia Z4V wins on water-resistance, even having IP-68 certification. The one area that, to many, is a victory for Apple is the sleeker, lighter design. The Z4V is a bit more "boxlike" and a little heftier. Many, however, prefer a larger phone these days, and few will be bothered by Xperia Z4V's size except those particularly insistent on keeping their smartphone as small as possible.
Both Xperia Z4V and Galaxy S6 have the same processor speed, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal memory. Only the Xperia, however, can expand its memory with a microSD card. Sony's 21MP rear cameras easily bests Samsung's 16MP camera, and the Z4V's 5.1MP front camera eeks out a victory over S6's 5.0MP capability. Both use Android 5.0, the exact same Wi-Fi standards, have GPS and Bluetooth, and use a both Nano-SIM card. The Japanese Z4 did not have a barometer, but Z4V does, so this is no longer a Samsung advantage. Again, Xperia Z4V is the most waterproof smartphone on the modern market, so it wins that category hands down. All in all, the Z4V is the superior phone, despite the Galaxy S6 being up to par in the majority of categories.
The Xperia Z4V improves on the Z4 and on the Z3. In fact, it has a more impressive spec sheet than all previous Sony phones. The exceptionally high memory, the powerful battery that can, in Battery Stamina Mode, run for a week straight, and the wireless charging ability are among its most notable improvements. The port cover that once dangled in front of the USB plug has been dropped. Automatic audio adjustments to headsets is another innovative feature. The most stand-out improvement of all, however, is achieving the highest water-resistance rating of any smartphone in history (IP 65 to 68).
Besides the superior phone features themselves, other factors that may influence some to choose the Sony Xperia Z4V include its connection with Verizon and its interesting gaming capabilities. There will always be those who put a premium on compactness and sleek design, and for them, an iPhone or other major smartphone model may be more appealing. For those who are more focused on the actual performance of their phone, however, Sony Xperia Z4V will be very hard to beat.
