Huawei Ascend D2 vs Sony Xperia Z

Sony's Xperia Z has been in the spotlight for some time but can Huawei deliver an equally competitive product with the Ascend D2? We find out

We see if Huawei's Ascend D2 flagship has what it takes to compete with Sony's similarly-specced Xperia Z.

Form

Huawei Ascend D2 - 140x71x9.4mm, 170g

Sony Xperia Z - 139x71x7.9mm, 146g

At first glance you might be forgiven for thinking Huawei’s Ascend D2 is some kind of 5-inch iPhone prototype. The overall shape is quite angular but the corners have that iPhone-like curvature to them which combines with the metal surround, dotted mesh grilles, an even expanse of bodywork above and below the display and a very narrow bezel to make you double-take every time.

The curved plastic back panel and the rather attention-grabbing camera ‘porthole’ are really the only two elements which detract from that quasi-Apple aesthetic – and the Huawei logo, of course.

Sony’s Xperia Z is much less derivative, creating a style which is all Sony’s own. It is perhaps one of the more squared-off designs from the company of late, but there are still a few touches which ensure this doesn’t create a boring handset.

Notably the trim along the sides works very well and compliments the snazzy button design and slightly contoured shape of the edges, the corners are also contoured in much the same way to give an almost chiselled shape.

Here too the bezel is thin and screen surround evenly spaced to give a clean appearance. The whole device is flat and thin at a mere 7.9mm.

It’s worth mentioning both handsets are dust and water resistant, while the Xperia Z is also waterproof. The Xperia Z’s display and the glass rear panel are made from reinforced shaterproof Dragontrail glass.

While we like the Ascend D2 enough that we can say we wish Apple would follow this aesthetic with the real iPhone, it’s not as compelling as Sony’s Xperia Z.

Winner – Sony Xperia Z

Storage

The Huawei Ascend D2 has 32GB of onboard storage space but no card capability for expansion. While the Sony Xperia Z only has 16GB built-in it can accept microSD cards up to 32GB for a bit of a boost.

Which is better depends largely on whether you have a particular need for large onboard storage over microSD flexibility.

We’d tend to lean towards the latter.

Winner - Sony Xperia Z

Display

Both displays are quite impressive 5-inch LCDs with 1920x1080 pixel resolutions at around 440 pixels-per-inch (ppi) delivering extremely sharp visuals on a large scale.

The Ascend D2’s screen uses Gorilla Glass reinforcement and IPS display technology.

Sony’s display produces incredibly pure whites and very deep blacks thanks to OptiContrast technology but is also layered with the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine 2 for excellent colours, saturation and brightness.

Clarity is on a par here and they’re both excellent screens.

However, Sony just has an edge because its colours, brightness and contrast create a more rewarding experience with punchier visuals.

Winner – Sony Xperia Z

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by via Know Your Mobile