Is this the new one?

Coming just six months after the Xperia Z1, the Z2 can be easily confused for its predecessor. Its screen is larger at 5.2 inches instead of 5 and it now has a second front speaker, but those changes have been accommodated by a reduction in the bezel. You’re basically looking at the same device. Glass covers both the front and the back, a single-piece aluminum frame provides rigidity, and waterproofing flaps cover up the microSD and USB ports.

Without a significant change in design, the Xperia Z2 carries over both the strengths and weaknesses of the Z1

It's still awkwardly large and lacks the ergonomically curved back of something like the HTC One. The uncompromisingly blocky shape that Sony prefers for its phones is attractive and masculine, but it doesn’t make for a comfortable feel in the hand. Then again, now that the One and Samsung's Galaxy S5 have both grown in size — to the detriment of their own usability — Sony is essentially moving forward by just standing still.

The Xperia Z2 occupies the middle ground between the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S5, with the front-facing stereo speakers and premium materials of the former and the water resistance and hardiness of the latter. In fact, Sony’s phone is certified to the higher IP58 standard, making it waterproof rather than just splash-proof (and no, you still can’t use the touchscreen underwater). From among the three phones, the Z2 is the one I'd trust to last longest and look best after a few months of intensive use. The glass back may pick up a few scratches over that time, but those tend to be imperceptible and Sony’s OmniBalance design has now proven its durability over multiple generations.

The Z2’s angular shape actually works much better on the larger Z2 Tablet, which isn’t meant to nestle into the palm in the same way. I also prefer the tablet’s soft-touch plastic back to the colder feel of the phone’s glass. What’s truly noteworthy about the Z2 Tablet, however, is how astonishingly thin and light it is. At 6.4 millimeters, it’s nearly 15 percent thinner than the iPad Air and it weighs a tiny bit less too. Everything that's good about the Air's ergonomics — the casual ease of use that comes from an aggressively svelte device — is present in Sony's Z2 Tablet. You can pick it up by just one corner, hold it up for long periods of time without fatiguing, and use it in most of the same ways you would a much smaller device. One-handed operation may still be unfeasible, but the Z2 Tablet crosses that intangible threshold where its larger screen size no longer demands a compromise in ergonomics.

With a set of front-facing speakers and the same waterproof protection as the Z2, The Z2 Tablet also adds some things that Apple's tablet can't offer. Devices like the Nexus 7, Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX, and even Nokia's underrated Lumia 2520 offer a diversity of choice, but in terms of pure industrial design, the Z2 Tablet is the best one so far.

Making attractive hardware has always been one of Sony's strengths

Not since the current MacBook Air design was introduced in 2010 have I felt this disarmed of ammunition for criticism. Sure, you can quibble about the USB port being covered up and the large screen bezel (about the same size as on a 27-inch iMac), but Sony has gotten almost everything right here. Like a racing car engineered for pure speed, the Z2 Tablet is stripped down to its barest essentials, and instead of feeling like a compromise, that approach actually makes for much greater comfort and usability. The literal burden of technology has been reduced to the point where it really is just the user and the user experience.