In pictures: Hands on with Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet

Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet goes on sale tomorrow from $599. The new tablet represents a drastic improvement in design, durability and hardware.
Sony claims the Z2 Tablet has "one of the World's fastest processors to date". Inside the thin tablet is a 2.3GHz quad core CPU, 3GB of RAM and up to 32GB of internal memory.
These innards fit in an enclosure just 6mm thin. That's a hair thinner than a pencil. And yet, the tablet is certified against dust and can be dunked in freshwater 1.5 metres for 30 minutes.
The Z2 Tablet has an 8 megapixel camera. The megapixel count is ripe for a tablet, but photos taken at night will suffer due to the omission of an LED flash. Below the camera is a NFC chip, which will streamline pairing with compatible Bluetooth devices.
Sony's tablet features front-facing stereo speakers. These complement a 1920x1200 resolution screen. The near-FullHD resolution bodes well compared to most tablets, asides from Apple's iPad Air and Samsung's NotePro 12.2.
Sony's device ecosystem is populated by home theatre products. The Z2 Tablet is fitted with an IR blaster that enables it to control these devices. The Z2 Tablet's software is also primed for the 'throwing of content' from your tablet to your compatible television.
Flaps cover a microUSB port, a micro-SIM port and an expandable Micro SD slot. The flaps keep water out of the tablet and streamline the look when closed, but they do irritate when in use.
A 3.5mm audio jack is placed on the bottom right of the tablet.
Centred at the bottom of the Z2 Tablet are contacts that enable charging from a dock.
At the top right resides an LED indicator that changes colour when the battery is charged above 90 percent.
Three versions of the Xperia Z2 Tablet will be sold in Australia: a 16GB Wi-Fi only model in black, a 32GB Wi-Fi only version in black, and a 16GB 4G version in black and white. The tablets will be priced $599, $699 and $749 respectively.

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