I recently had an opportunity to spend some time with the Sony Xperia Z2, a device I really enjoyed. While I was reviewing the phone, I was contacted by Yianni from Gadgets 4 Geeks, to see if I wanted to try out some accessories. I agreed and he sent me two new toys to play with; a magnetic charging dock and the Sonivo Fusion bumper case.
Magnetic Charging Dock
One of Sony’s big innovations over the past few years has been making all their phones waterproof. This is all well and good, but anyone who has actually used one of these devices knows that it’s not without it’s flaws. In order to keep the water out, all the ports need to have removable plastic covers placed over them. This means that the micro USB port, which I use every day to charge the phone, is hidden behind this cover. Maybe it’s just cos I’m not used to it, but having to flip open the little cover every night drove me nuts, not to mention I was paranoid about breaking it off, making it no longer waterproof. Luckily the magnetic charging dock is the answer. The dock uses Sony’s proprietary magnetic accessory port on the left side of the device. You just need to pop the phone onto the dock, and the magnets help lock it into place. Then it’s just a matter of plugging the dock into a powered USB port or powerpoint.
This dock made life much easier once I didn’t have to worry about opening and closing the protective cover on the side of the phone any more. Every night I could easily pop the phone onto the dock and forget about it. I’d never had any experience with wireless charging before now, but it really is a godsend. No more hunting around behind the bed looking for the right charger cable, no more wondering whether the cable is around the right way or not, no more accidentally ripping the USB cable out of your phone as you walk off because you forgot it was plugged in. You just drop it on the dock and it’s sorted. Simple! The dock also comes in handy when watching movies. You can sit your phone in the dock for hands-free viewing.
Overall, I liked this dock. If I had one complaint, it would be that the dock is too light. This makes it harder to remove the phone from the dock due to the magnets; if you grab your phone, sometimes the dock comes with it! A slightly heavier base would have improved this greatly. Still, it’s not a big complaint, and if I were buying an Xperia Z2 I would definitely grab one of these as well.
The magnetic charging dock is available now for $25.95.
Sonivo Fusion Bumper Case
If you’ve read my review of the Xperia Z2, you’ll know I had some problems with the size and weight of the device. I found it quite unwieldy, and difficult to hold. Not only that, it also felt quite flimsy, as evidenced by the fact that it cracked while in my pocket. Luckily, the Sonivo Fusion bumper case went a long way to solving these issues.
Firstly, the hard rubber sides of the case completely changed how it felt in my hand. It’s much grippier, so I was able to hold onto it much easier, without it feeling like it could slip out at any moment. Also, the back wall of the case is made from a hard clear plastic, a few millimetres wide. This helped to brace the phone a bit, making it feel more sturdy. Even though it wasn’t a lot, just having the extra few millimetres on the device made all the difference. The case also had cut-outs on the side for easy access to the buttons, the waterproof covers and the magnetic charging port.
This case really came along at the right time, as I was just about ready to discount the phone altogether. It felt uncomfortable in my hand, I was paranoid that I was going to drop it and it just didn’t feel structurally solid. Putting it in the case changed all that around almost instantly. It completely improved the feel of the device to the point that I could stop feeling like I was going to break it, and start enjoying it for what it was. If you do get an Xperia Z2, I highly recommend you get a case for it, and you really can’t go past the Sonivo Fusion.
The Sonivo Fusion bumper case is available now for $20.85.
A big thank you to Yianni at Gadgets 4 Geeks for supplying these devices for review.
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