Thin, light and tough, the Xperia Z is one of the best designed tablets ever made by Sony.

Despite weighing in at just 495 grams and only 6.9mm thick, the tablet is dust and water proof. And Sony has managed to squeeze in a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor coupled with an Adreno 320 graphics processor and 2GB of RAM. The 1920 x 1200 TFT display uses Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology to enhance the picture clarity and richness.

The premium look of the tablet is tarnished by the rubberised back and the hard plastic edges. The only metal element on the tablet is the start button.

The 10.1-inch full high-definition tablet runs on an older version Jelly Bean, but Sony expects to update it with the latest version of Android at a later stage. Sony has customized the software and the top bar contains Google search, the voice command shortcut and the apps launcher button.

At the bottom, there is a small apps quick launcher, which includes a pre-installed calculator, notepad, timer, recorder and browser. Users can add more apps if needed. There is also a remote control.

The remote control app uses an infrared emitter to control televisions, home theater systems and DVD players. It works with any make - as long as it supports the Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), Bluetooth or WiFi - and takes only a few minutes to set up. The contents on the tablet can be mirrored on a television, which Sony calls “throwing”.

Sony is using the same user interface all its products, whether it is a smartphone, tablet or television. The common apps are Walkman, album, movies and Sony Select (Sony’s appstore). The Video Unlimited, Music Unlimited, PlayStation Mobile and Play Memories Online features are not supported in the region.

The drawback is that the downloaded apps are stored on the internal memory and not on the SD card. The device comes with in 16 and 32GB with an option to expand it to 64GB using a microSD slot. It is always better to opt for 32GB.

The Xperia can easily pair with the PlayStation 3 DualShock3 controller and playing games on the tablet is a breeze. I played Real Racing 3, a graphically intensive game, and it was ran smoothly due to the Adreno 320 graphics processor.

The tablet has three ports – microUSB, 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD slot. These ports are covered by tight flaps to make it waterproof.

I immersed the tablet, which can be operated underwater, in a bucket for more than 20 minutes. Sony says it can be in water for 30 minutes but I did not want to take the chance. You can take pictures underwater, the same as you would usually do.

Tablet Z is one of the few tablets to come with four speaker grills – two at the bottom and two on the sides – and gives a 3D surround sound. The volume is not that loud, but it is crisp. You can really enjoy the quality of music with a headphone.

The 8MP rear camera uses Sony’s Exmor R technology which technically allows you to take pictures in low light. But, even coupled with High-dynamic-range (HDR) imaging, the pictures are grainy and washed out. And, as there is not LED flash, taking pictures in very low light is effectively ruled out. Pictures taken in decent lighting conditions are bright and detailed.

The 2MP front camera is good for video chatting and both can record in full high-definition. The video playback is superb.

The tablet has Bluetooth 4.0 and WiFi to connect to the internet and other devices, as well as the typical gyroscope, accelerometer and FM radio.

In my battery test, the 6,000mAh power pack, which is not the best in market, lasted close to eight hours witj heavy use. There is also “stamina mode” to increase the life of the battery. Charging the battery through the microUSB slot takes longer to charge than other tablets in the market.

Though awash with features, the prices start at Dh1,999. The price of the 4G LTE version is Dh2,499 while 3G version is Dh2,399. The tablet will soon be available in the UAE.