Live: Sony Xperia Z2 launched in India for Rs 49,990; comes with Sony Smartband

Watch the live stream of the Sony Xperia Z2 launch below and follow past the video for all the announcements you missed.   13:30 pm  - That’s it, folks So what do you guys think about the price? Lots to debate. Will the lack of LTE hurt Sony’s chances, because we know that more phones will be coming with support for 4G. Does the Xperia Z2 impress you over the S5 or the HTC One M8.   13:20 pm - The all-important price Sony Xperia Z2 will be available from May 12 with an MRP os Rs 49,990. That’s a major coup by Sony, who have outpriced both the S5 and the HTC One M8 and we have not even counted the price of the Smartband, which is being thrown into the box for free, along with high-quality Sony earphones.

13:18 pm - Xscape and other value-added content All Sony Xperia phones will have exclusive access to the new Michael Jackson album Xscape. Users can download and stream the album for free through the Sony Jive app. As usual Sony is throwing in a lot of content packages for the buyers.  Through the Sony LIV app, users can download six high-res movies for free and also get access to three months of Bigflix access and a free cricket game from Indiagames.

13:15 pm - Sony SmartBand also launched As suspected, Sony has launched the fitness-centric SmartBand, that’s being positioned as a life logger. The wearable device is a fitness tracker that bears resemblance to most trackers out there in the market currently, including FitBit and Nike FuelBand. Sony’s SmartBand will help you log daily activities using the device and will be fed into Sony’s Lifelog application. It can also track your sleep patterns and alert you for any smartphone notifications. More importantly, it’s compatible with any Android device with Bluetooth 4.0 support. [caption id=“attachment_223304” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] SmartBand also launched[/caption]   The SmartBand has been priced at Rs 5,990, but those buying the Xperia Z2 will get it for free with the package. Sony says that India has shown great appetite for smartwatches and wearables. The package also includes a Sony-designed flip case.

13:10 pm - The all-important camera, display and design The Z2 has the same 20.7-MP camera that we have seen in the Z1 and Z1 compact. The Z2 can shoot videos in 4K format, to be played on 4K TVs. The camera features Sony’s HandyCam features for shake-free, smooth recording. Sony has opened up the camera API for third-party app makers. The Z2 will launch with more than 20 apps built for the high-res camera. One of them is Background Defocus, which is already available for most Android devices, including the T2 Ultra . [caption id=“attachment_223299” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] 4K recording[/caption]   Sony’s signature Omni-Balance design is seen in the Xperia Z2 again. It’s built of a single piece of aluminium sandwiched between scratch-proof glass. It has all the necessary certifications for a water-proof and dust-proof body. [caption id=“attachment_223296” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sony’s signature design[/caption]   Sony has gone with an IPS display in the Xperia Z2. This after generations of using a TFT LCD.   13:00 pm - And it begins finally And we are underway. We start with a video talking about Sony’s technology legacy, which is summed up by a picture of the Xperia Z2. [caption id=“attachment_223293” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Take it for a swim[/caption] To starts us off, Sony tells us about how it has been doing in India. It talks about the mid-range models and of course the flagships launched last year. And now we are right in the thick of it, with a really casual introduction to the Xperia Z2. Sony is also talking about the Smartband fitness wearable, which will be launched along side the phone.   12:50 pm - Price is the big mystery As with most smartphone launches in India, we already know a lot about the phone, except for the crucial pricing bit. We expect Sony to follow HTC’s lead and price the Z2 under the Rs 50,000 mark to better compete with the Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8. It would be a surprise if Sony announces a higher price tag than the Rs 51,500 that the Galaxy S5 launched for.   We got one answer in our Twitter poll. Prem thinks Sony may price it at Rs 40,000.  That seems highly unlikely to us, Prem, though it doesn’t hurt to dream.   12:35 pm  - Delayed start Looks like the event is slightly delayed, but there’s a fair bit of chatter on Twitter about the Z2. Sony has earned itself quite a few fans for the camera and the waterproof design of its high-end phones, but this time around the Z2 comes with a better display too. Can this one finally be the high-end blockbuster that Sony is waiting for?   12:18 pm - Launch minutes away Sony will launch its Xperia Z2 flagship in India in just a few moments. It joins the list of flagships unveiled in India earlier this year and will take on the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 .  Sony has gone about changing its entire smartphone philosophy in the last two years, going for a standardised design language, a solid set of features and good hardware.   The Z2 is the refresh to the Xperia Z1 launched in India earlier this year. It’s part of Sony’s commitment of a six-month refresh cycle for its high-end devices. Sony could also launch the Smartband in India along side the Xperia Z2 , so we will find out more about the fitness band as well.