Sony launched the Xperia Z tablet at MWC 2013

Sony unveiled Xperia Z at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona taking off where it left with Xperia S, which was pulled off the market due to water logging issues. Xperia Z puts the Japanese conglomerate at par with the likes of Apple iPad 4 and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1.

Weighing at 495 grams, Xperia Z has been claimed by Sony to be the world’s thinnest tablet and will be available to consumers globally starting in the Q2 of this year according to Sony Mobile Communications chief, Kunimasa Suzuki. The 16GB model is slated to retail for $499, while a larger 32 GB model will sell for $599 in the US.

Sony’s latest offering in the tablet market is comprises of a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, clocked at 1.5GHz with 2GB RAM. The tablet comes in two storage sizes, 16GB and 32GB. The tablet from Sony follows the same line of thinking on the design and attributes of the Xperia Z smartphone.

The tablet is a waterproof slate and can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. The display will also respond to touch even if your fingers are wet. Xperia Tablet Z arrives with a full HD 1,920 x 1,080 panel. Sony has included the Mobile Bravia Engine 2 technology from the Sony TV series to enhance the video experience of the users’.

Xperia Z also comes with a infrared port along with TV Sideview, a universal remote application that also provides guide information for local programming. Sony has also provided a new gallery application, which allows users to view geo-tagged photos. Talking about the future, Suzuki said, “Sony I am confident that 2013 will be a breakthrough year for Sony in mobile.”