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Sony has returned with another slim and stylish Android tablet that's more than worthy of consideration, but it hasn't improved quite as much as the competition. In particular, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet's Live Colour display might be vibrant, but it lacks the sheer sharpness of Samsung's and Apple's latest efforts.
We liked
Sony's Live Colour display has a lot of potential, with the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet offering some of the most strikingly deep colours this side of Samsung's Super AMOLED.
Similarly striking is the external design of the Xperia Z2 Tablet itself. It's slim, light, and nicer-looking than pretty much every other Android tablet. It's impressive to think that such a slinky tablet could be water and dust resistant.
Meanwhile, Sony's custom UI continues to pay the underlying Android OS greater respect than its rivals, resulting in a slick and intuitive navigation experience.
We disliked
The Xperia Z2 Tablet's 10.1-inch display might be vivid, but it's not as sharp as it really should be given the current Android tablet status quo.
Though it seems to be solidly built, extended time with the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet suggests that it might not withstand the bumps and nicks of every day usage the way it will a dip in the bath.
We're not usually ones for taking pictures with full-sized tablets, but given Sony's photographic pedigree we had hoped for something more from the Xperia Z2 Tablet's underwhelming snapper.
Final Verdict
Sony has kept up the high standards it set with last year's Sony Xperia Tablet Z with a number of fairly minor improvements.
The Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is even slimmer and lighter, while it retains the original's distinctive looks and adds an eye-scorching Live Colour display. Meanwhile an improved processor and more RAM ensure that the tablet is right near the top of the performance tree.
However, with the iPad Air and a whole range of improved Samsung tablets arriving in the interim, the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet simply doesn't impress as much as its predecessor did - but that's not to say it isn't one of, if not the, best Android tablet on the market right now if you're a fan of specs and design married together in an interesting and unique way.
First reviewed: April 2014
