Key difference: The Sony Xperia ZR is essentially a smaller version of the flagship Xperia Z that offers much of the same features. Like the Xperia Z, the new Xperia ZR is water and dust resistant. However, the phone can also be used underwater and can sustain being submerged under water for up to 30 minutes, unlike the Z. The Xperia ZR runs on Android OS, v4.1 Jelly Bean, which is powered by a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064 processor with 2 GB of RAM. Samsung announced that it has added a new phone to its lineup that combines the ruggedness of the older Samsung Xcover with the features and oomph of the new Galaxy S4. S4 Active is dust and water-proof. The phone comes with a 5-inch Full HD TFT capacitive touchscreen that differs from the AMOLED used in the S4.

Sony is a prominent technology company and is known best for its electronics such as phones, TVs, gaming systems, etc. Xperia is a well known brand of smartphones that are a part of the Sony Mobile. The Xperia brand was initially a collaboration with Ericsson but has since then been dissolved. Now, Sony has single handedly taken it upon itself to ship out new phones, while maintaining the level of quality and design of the older versions.

One of the most popular phones recently has been the Xperia Z, which is a dust-proof and water-proof phone. It was the flagship phone for Sony. Sony has since announced smaller and cheaper variants of the phone: the Sony Xperia ZL and the Sony Xperia ZR. The Sony Xperia ZR is essentially a smaller version of the flagship Xperia Z that offers much of the same features.

Like the Xperia Z, the new Xperia ZR is water and dust resistant. However, the phone can also be used underwater and can sustain being submerged under water for up to 30 minutes, unlike the Z. Nonetheless, the ZR cannot be submerged under salt water, fresh water only! The device has a dedicated camera key which allows the user to shoot images and HD video underwater.

The Xperia ZR runs on Android OS, v4.1 Jelly Bean, which is powered by a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064 processor with 2 GB of RAM. The phone has 8 GB of internal memory which is expandable by up to 32 GB via a microSD card.

The phone features a 4.55 inches TFT screen which is “as impressive as HDTV – HD Reality Display,’ according to Xperia ZR’s website. The screen is enhanced by the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 and has a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The phone also has a 13 megapixel fast-capture camera with Exmor RS, which enhances low lighting images. The device also has a secondary front-facing VGA camera.

Samsung announced that it has added a new phone to its lineup that combines the ruggedness of the older Samsung Xcover with the features and oomph of the new Galaxy S4. S4 Active is dust and water-proof and aims to provide direct competition to the Sony Xperia Z. The phone is aimed at the users that require their phone to be durable as well as provide extra features. According to the CEO and President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics, JK Shin, the phone is designed for the people who love the outdoors.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active shares many features with the S4, but differs in terms of design and aesthetics. The S4 Active is thicker and heavier at 151 grams; the weight is mostly because of the added water and dust proof. The phone has a diamond-pattern textured back that makes it easier to hold the device. The company has also removed the capacitive buttons and replaced them with hardware buttons. The top of the phone houses the 3.5mm headphone jack and has the words waterproof etched next to it. The top also houses the secondary mic and the IR emitter. The volume rocker is on the left side of the phone, while the right side has the power/lock key. The bottom of the phone has the microUSB / MHL 2.0 port that is sealed with a plastic flap. The proximity sensor, light sensor and the IR motion detector are placed on the front above the screen near the speaker. The back of the screen houses the camera and the LED flash.

The phone comes with a 5-inch Full HD TFT capacitive touchscreen that differs from the AMOLED used in the S4. It has ~441 ppi pixel density and is protected by corning gorilla glass 3. The phone is powered by 1.9 GHz Krait 300 Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, has Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The TouchWiz UI changes certain Jelly Bean features offering users with more options. The lockscreen features new widgets such as displaying personal messages overlaid on photos from the TripAdvisor. The water ripples effect has been replaced by the lens flare effect, but can be switched or disabled completely. The lockscreen also offers multiple screen on which users can add widget. Another cool feature is the Quick Glance feature that uses a proximity sensor to detect nearby movement and automatically lights up to display time and notifications.

The company has replaced the 13 MP camera with an 8MP rear camera that as a capability to work underwater. The volume rocker can be changed into a temporary camera shutter button that allows users to click photos and record videos underwater. The hardware buttons are also provided for the same purpose. The phone offers 16 GB internal storage capacity of which around 11 GB is available to the user. However, the storage can be expanded by 64 GB using a microSD card.

The same amazing features that were offered in Galaxy S4 is available in the S4 Active; including gestures, hovering, air wave, smart play, smart scroll and many other fun features. The phone also comes with an Aqua Mode that can be applied to increase visual quality and clarity for enhanced underwater images. The company has also added certain helpful Samsung Apps including Samsung Hub, S Travel (Trip Advisor), S Health and S Translator that can translate as well as pronounce many different kinds of language. The camera also comes with many different features such as Drama Shot, Sound&Shot, Story Album and Group Play. However, it is unsure if the phone offers Dual Shot or Dual recording. The phone also comes with a IR blaster that can covert the phone into a remote.

The information for the detailed table about the two phones has been taken from the Sony Xperia website, Samsung Press website and GSMArena.com.

Image Courtesy: sonymobile.com, samsung.com