The Sony Xperia Tablet Z has emerged as techies' favourite, with the device topping the list of tablets recommended for people who are considering purchasing one.

In its take on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z, the Australian Financial Review (AFR) first commented on the device being waterproofed, which makes it more useful in other environments outside the office, bedroom, living room or dining room.

With that added feature, the user could read magazines in the pool, watch videos in the shower and surf as well while in the tub or in the pool.

Good Gear Guide described the $539 10-inch tablet as a head-turner and found its design impressive, the screen excellent and battery life good. However, like AFR, the Web site found its water-resistant capabilities the strongest point against other tablet competitors.

Despite the crowded tablet market, Good Gear Guide said that Sony proved there is enough room for improvement in terms of design, admitting that the Xperia Z tablet is the first it has seen in a long while the immediately impressed the reviewer.

It said the 6.9mm thickness and 495g weight of the table makes it extremely thin and light for its size and weight perfectly balanced, making it more attractive than the 4th generation iPad and the Google Nexus 10.

In spite of its sharp corners, the reviewer said the tablet is very comfortable to use whether it is held by one or two hands, and it doesn't slip out of the fingers.

Among the classy design touches that Good Gear Guide noticed were the small but well-positioned aluminium power button and smooth reflective surfaces on all sides which were borrowed from the Xperia Z smartphone, but welcome additions.

The device features an LED-backlit LCD with a resolution of 1920x1200, yielding a pixel density of 224ppi. It runs on 4.1 Jelly Bean version of Google's Android OS, but is skinned with Sony's own UI overlay that is largely minimalist and maintains a clean look and feel.

Xperia Z is Sony's tablet flagship to which a growing number of UK users are shifting to from Samsung devices.

Rounding up AFR's list of recommended tablets are:

  • Apple iPad with Retina Display - Considered the grand old dame of the tablet world about to get a facelift via a major revamp of its iOS operating system by September. The revamp will make this tablet better at multi-tasking, Web browsing, mail, notification, music service and file sharing.
  • Apple iPad Mini - AFR recommends waiting until the persistent speculation that the iPad mini would get a Retina display is addressed.
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 8 - For people who prefer a tablet with a stylus, a marginally sharper screen and a nice split-screen mode.
  • Asus Google Nexus 7 - For buyers looking for a lower-priced tablet, clean lines and unadulterated software. But for others who could wait, reports said a new model of the Nexus 7 would roll out this July.
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