Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact were first presented at MWC 2018 at the end of February. Innovative technologies are seamlessly combined with an all-new Ambient Flow design that reflects the evolution of Sony's design solutions. A vibrant Full HD+ HDR display, powerful stereo speakers and the new Dynamic Vibration System 2, along with an advanced Motion Eye camera capable of 4K HDR and 960fps Super Slow Motion video recording in Full HD resolution, have been added top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, providing high performance and energy efficiency. Read more about all this in our new review of the flagship smartphone Sony Xperia XZ2.
Key Features of Sony Xperia XZ2 (Model H8266)
- SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 8 cores (4 × Kryo 385 @ 2.8 GHz + 4 × Kryo 385 @ 1.8 GHz)
- GPU Adreno 630
- Operating system Android 8.0
- 5.7″ IPS touch display, 2160×1080 (18:9), 423 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 4 GB, internal memory 64 GB
- Support Nano-SIM (2 pcs.)
- microSD support (up to 400 GB)
- GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
- WCDMA/HSPA+ networks (850/900/1900/2100 MHz)
- LTE Cat.18 FDD, TD networks
- Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 and 5 GHz), Miracast, DLNA
- bluetooth 5.0
- GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS, Galileo
- USB Type-C 3.1, USB OTG
- Main camera 19 MP, f/2.0, 4K video
- Front camera 5 MP, f/2.2
- Proximity and light sensors, magnetic field, accelerometer, gyroscope
- The fingerprint scanner
- Protection IP65/68
- Battery 3180 mAh, Quick Charge 3.0
- Dimensions 153×72×11.1 mm
- Weight 198 g
Appearance and usability
For the first time in a long time, Sony has really changed something in the design of its smartphones: the company has been talking about a change in image for many years, but the design as a whole has hardly changed. Now suddenly disappeared, finally, sharp corners and a flat back, the case of the new mobile flagships suddenly became sloping and pot-bellied, like brand new pieces of soap, just taken out of the package. Sony itself is talking about "a completely new Ambient Flow design."
Supporters of the "classic" design of the Sony Xperia cried, lovers of progress rejoiced. Now Japanese smartphones look completely different: here is the gloss of glass backs, and their very large rounding, which allows new products to slide from the table to the floor on their own and without any help. It is almost impossible to keep them on a flat smooth surface; it is just right to start some kind of special rubberized mat.
However, it is better to wear a protective case, although the body of the Sony Xperia XZ2 is so thick (more than 11 mm) that you don’t want to thicken it even more. Finishing the conversation about ergonomics, we can add that the smartphone, for all its smoothness and roundness, is also very heavy - almost 200 g, which is really a lot for a pocket device. Especially when you consider that the battery here is not at all a record one, and it is unlikely that it is the reason for the severity of the novelty.
It impresses that Sony did not follow the fashion and did not make the notorious “bangs” copied by most manufacturers from Apple. The frame segments around the screen have become a little thinner compared to the past, but they are still wider than most modern devices on the market, although I don’t want to write this down as a minus, the Sony Xperia XZ2 looks quite organic in terms of screen to front panel ratio. Above the screen, they did not forget to embed an LED event indicator.
Below the screen there is no row of hardware buttons, no fingerprint scanner - you can barely make out only a thin slot for sound to exit from the main speaker. By the way, it works in a stereo pair with a top (conversational) speaker for sounding music, movies and games, this is not new for Sony flagships.
All side keys are installed on the right side, the buttons are smooth, the same to the touch, widely separated from each other. The move is quite elastic and clear. The camera control button is in its place.
The card slot (two Nano-SIM and one microSD) was suddenly made hybrid. This is unexpected and annoying. Some began to praise this solution for the convenience of opening, however, in order to transfer the SIM card, you also need to turn off the memory card in the Sony Xperia XZ2. Previously, you didn’t have to touch the memory, the slots were spaced apart, this added reliability and protected against unexpected data loss. Now it's like everyone else...
The card tray, by the way, can still be pulled out without the help of a paper clip, thanks for that. On the top end, you can also find a small hole for the auxiliary microphone.
The main microphone is brought to the bottom end, there is also a hole for the USB Type-C connector. And since we see USB Type-C, it's easy to guess that there is no 3.5 mm headphone jack in the smartphone. However, the package includes an adapter, so any headphones can be connected to the smartphone right out of the box.
Sony named the XZ2's 4 colorways as follows: Obsidian Black (black), Cool Silver (grey), Dark Emerald (dark green) and Ash Pink (grey pink). All colors are not bright, not catchy, they look solid and serious. The front panel under the glass is painted in a color that matches the overall color of the case.
Xperia XZ2 is protected from water and dust, so it is not afraid of rain or washing under the tap (however, the device must not be completely submerged under water).
Screen
The Sony Xperia XZ2 smartphone is equipped with an IPS display covered with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 with sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the screen are 65×129 mm with a diagonal of 5.7 inches, aspect ratio 18:9. At the same time, the screen resolution is 2160 × 1080 with a dot density of about 423 ppi. The frame around the screen has a thickness of 3.5 mm on the sides, 11 mm on the top, and 12 mm on the bottom.
It is possible to use automatic brightness adjustment based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. Multi-touch tests diagnose support for 10 simultaneous touches. Work with the screen in gloves is supported.
A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the sections "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface, resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia XZ2, as you can easily determine, on the right, then they can be distinguished by size):
The Sony screen is noticeably darker (its brightness in the photo is 105 versus 115 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects on the Sony Xperia XZ2 screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (it is also a touch sensor) and the matrix surface (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of borders (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense external illumination, but their repair in case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, even better than the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much easier, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.
With manual brightness control and with a white field displayed in full screen, its maximum value was about 600 cd/m², and the minimum was 6 cd/m². The maximum value is very high, and given the excellent anti-reflective properties, in bright daylight and even in direct sunlight, the image on the screen should be clearly distinguishable. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness control, with which the user can try to set the desired brightness level under the current conditions. If nothing is changed, then in complete darkness, the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 6 cd / m² (dark), in an artificially lit office (approximately 550 lux) sets it to 160 cd / m² (normal), in a very bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more) increases to 600 cd / m² (to the maximum, it should be). In the dark, we moved the adjustment slider to the right a little and for the three conditions indicated above we got 12, 165 and 600 cd/m², this combination suited us. It turns out that the auto-brightness function works adequately and allows the user to customize their work to individual requirements. Significant backlight modulation appears only at a very low brightness level, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so there is no visible screen flicker and can hardly be detected in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect.
This screen uses an IPS type matrix. Micrographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without hue inversion and without significant color shift even at large deviations of the gaze from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia XZ2 screens, while the brightness of the screens is initially set to about 200 cd / m² (on a white field in full screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K .
Perpendicular to the plane of the screens is a white field:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.
And a test picture:
Colors on the Sony Xperia XZ2 screen are oversaturated, skin tones are heavily shifted to the red, and the color balance is noticeably different from the standard. Of course, it is necessary to evaluate the color reproduction of the screen from a photograph with great care, but the trend is conveyed correctly.
Now at an angle of about 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, but on the Sony Xperia XZ2, the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to more black highlighting.
And the white box:
The brightness at an angle on both screens noticeably decreased, but in the case of the Sony Xperia XZ2, the drop in brightness is less. The black field, when deviated diagonally, is highlighted to an average degree and acquires a purple hue. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):
And from another angle:
With a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is average:
Contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 1300:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 26 ms (15 ms on + 11 ms off). The transition between grayscale 25% and 75% (according to the numerical value of the color) and back in total takes 38 ms. The gamma curve constructed from 32 points with an equal interval according to the numerical value of the shade of gray did not reveal a blockage either in the highlights or in the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.17, which is close to the standard value of 2.20, while the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:
We did not find the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.
The color gamut is noticeably wider than sRGB and approaches DCI-P3:
Let's look at the spectra:
They are typical for top Sony mobile devices (and not only). Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and a green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix light filters, allows you to get a wide color gamut. Yes, and in the red phosphor, apparently, the so-called quantum dots are used. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and the vast majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photos above.
The balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable, since the color temperature is noticeably higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device (data signed as Without corr. on the charts below). At the same time, the variation in color temperature and ΔE is not very large - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of the color balance. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since the color balance does not matter much there, and the measurement error of color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
This smartphone has the ability to correct the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors:
What we tried to do: the result is data signed as Corr. on the charts above. As a result, we adjusted the color temperature and ΔE remained low. At the same time, the maximum brightness decreased to 490 cd / m², which is still tolerable. Additionally, the user can select one of the display modes:
Selected by default Standard Mode. If enable Extreme brightness mode, then this is the result:
The saturation of colors is further increased, as well as the sharpness of contours, luminance contrast and color contrast. The color gamut in this mode also increases slightly:
And spectra:
It can be seen that the cross-mixing of the components is very small, due to this and a good separation of the components, a wide coverage is achieved. Unfortunately, the possible benefit from this is greatly reduced by inappropriate overestimation of color contrast, etc. Here is from the mode Professional there is definitely a benefit. This is what the test image looks like after enabling this mode:
The color saturation has returned to normal, the image looks natural (adjusted for what the camera transmits). Color gamut for this mode:
It can be seen that the coverage is close to sRGB. The triangle is slightly crooked, that is, the correction is not entirely accurate, but these are already trifles. And the corresponding spectrum:
Components are already significantly mixed with each other.
Thus, in order to obtain the correct colors in the case of commonly encountered images, it is necessary to select the mode Professional and correct the color balance.
There is a setting that allows you to reduce the intensity of the blue component.
In this case, the wording about harm to health is not extreme, which, however, still does not add to the usefulness of this function. Recall that, in principle, bright light can lead to disruption of the daily (circadian) rhythm (see the article about the iPad Pro with a 9.7-inch display), but this problem is solved by adjusting the brightness to a comfortable level, and distorting the color balance by reducing the contribution of blue, there is absolutely no point.
Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is very wide, the anti-glare properties are excellent, which allows you to comfortably use your smartphone both on a sunny day and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. Also, the advantages include a very effective oleophobic coating, the absence of an air gap in the layers of the screen and flicker, high contrast, which does not decrease much when viewed at an angle to the screen plane, and the ability to get close to standard color balance and sRGB coverage. Perhaps there are no significant shortcomings, the screen quality is very high.
Camera
Front camera Sony Xperia XZ2 received a sensor with a resolution of 5 megapixels. The lens has an f/2.2 aperture and a fixed focus. There is no flash of its own, its role is performed by a bright backlight of the screen that flashes at the moment of shooting. There is the possibility of manual settings, and in general, in daylight, the quality of the camera is decent, but indoors, with a lack of light, the quality drops noticeably. This front camera clearly cannot compete with the 24-megapixel front camera of the new flagship Huawei P20 Pro.
The main camera on the Sony Xperia XZ2 is also not as unique as the unusual Leica triple camera on the Huawei P20 Pro. Here the camera has only one sensor, it is a 1/2.3-inch 19-megapixel Exmor RS sensor with a 1.22 micron pixel size for mobile memory, and a G Lens with f/2.0 aperture. From previous models, all the advanced technologies that a Sony mobile camera can boast of migrated here. The predictive shooting feature automatically detects smiles and movements, and starts shooting before you even press the capture button.
Only the last frame in this series was taken after pressing the shutter button
Bionz proprietary technology is responsible for image processing. There is the possibility of continuous shooting with tracking autofocus. The 3D model builder is now available not only for the main camera, but also for the front camera. Naturally, there is an advanced manual mode in which you can choose your own ISO sensitivity (up to ISO 12800), shutter speed, focus method and white balance. There is only a standard possibility of shooting in RAW.
On Xperia XZ2 you can shoot video in 4K HDR format, there is a shooting mode in 1080p at 60 fps. Super slow motion at 960 fps, the advanced Motion Eye camera can now not only shoot in HD, as before, but also in Full HD, which no one else has yet (also implemented regular slow motion at 120 fps). SteadyShot proprietary video stabilization technology with smart active mode (5-axis stabilization) is in place.
The shooting quality is high, the picture is bright and clear, fast autofocus works adequately, the sharpness across the frame is uniform, the detail is high. The sound is also recorded cleanly, the noise reduction system works adequately, does not give distortion.
- Movie #1 (25 MB, 1920×1080, slo-mo, H.264, AAC)
- Video #2 (66 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.265, AAC)
- Video #3 (52 MB, 3840× [email protected] fps, H.265, AAC)
- Clip #4 (73 MB, 1920× [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
If the camera has enough light, the sharpness in the center of the frame is simply excellent. Unfortunately, the sharpness at the edges of the frame is always noticeably lower than in the center. If shooting takes place in the shade or in the evening, the picture quality drops noticeably. Noise reduction, in principle, works neatly, trying to eliminate noise only on homogeneous surfaces, leaving a small untouched area around the contrasting borders, so that even in full size, the pictures look decent. However, this distinction only works well for very contrasting borders (such as wires against the sky), but the interweaving of bare branches of trees, noise reduction, often smears into a mess. When shooting macro, the camera manages to focus on foreground objects and blur the background, macro is also quite decent. The dynamic range of the pictures is clearly not enough. It’s hard to talk seriously about the quality of night shots, but the camera tries to raise the ISO and reduce the exposure time, so if you shoot any illuminated objects, you can “pull out” a 2-3-megapixel “postcard” from the picture.
Summing up: the camera shoots very well in the light, while shooting in the shade and in the evening deserves only an “average” rating, such pictures look normal only after reducing (conditionally) to 5-7 megapixels. Night shots of illuminated objects should be reduced even more, to about the resolution of a smartphone screen. "Scenes from daytime city life" smartphone will transmit normally, such photos are not ashamed to be shared with friends, but everything that was taken out of the light can only be shown from the screen of the smartphone itself.
Telephone part and communications
The Sony Xperia XZ2 platform supports high-speed LTE (4G) Cat.18 networks with data rates up to 1.2 Gbps. All three LTE FDD bands used in Russia (Band 3, 7, 20) are supported. In practice, within the city limits of the Moscow region, the device demonstrates reliable work in wireless networks, does not lose connection, and quickly restores connection after a forced break.
The device works adequately in both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz), there are no complaints about the Wi-Fi module. You can organize a wireless access point via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth channels. There is also an NFC module that works great with Troika travel cards and the My travel card application.
The navigation module works with both GPS (with A-GPS), domestic Glonass, and Chinese Beidou (Galileo and QZSS support is also announced). The first satellites, even with a cold start, are detected quickly, within the very first seconds, the positioning accuracy does not cause claims. The magnetic compass required for navigation programs is also in place.
The phone application supports Smart Dial, that is, while dialing a phone number, a search is immediately carried out by the first letters in contacts. Methods for setting up sorting and displaying contacts are standard for the Android interface, there is a blacklist for unwanted contacts. VoLTE supported. Vibrating alert is average in terms of power.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 platform is one of the very few that allows a smartphone to support both SIM-cards in 4G mode simultaneously in active standby mode, which has never been seen in mobile devices before (4G + 3G at best). Smartphones based on Kirin 970 (for example, Huawei P20 Pro) can do this now, but perhaps no one else. The SIM card will work on 4G standby for voice even if another card is assigned for 4G data. The cards work in Dual SIM Dual Standby mode, there is only one radio modem.
Software and multimedia
As a software platform, Sony Xperia XZ2 uses Google Android version 8.0 with its own shell. Design, organization, a set of pre-installed applications - everything here is exactly the same as it was before, a regular user of Sony mobile technology will not find anything new here.
To play music, a familiar branded player is used with a familiar set of settings to optimize the sound of ClearAudio + and Clear Bass. The sound is quite loud and bright, it is organized with the help of two front speakers and S-Force Front Surround technology.
In headphones, the sound is also decent, the set of settings is so wide that you can adjust everything to your taste. There is a five-band equalizer with presets. Bluetooth 5.0 aptX/aptX HD audio/A2DPE profiles are supported. LDAC enhances Bluetooth data transmission to provide near-Hi-Res Audio quality. There is no built-in FM radio here, and there is no voice recorder application in Sony smartphones either.
Performance
The Sony Xperia XZ2 runs on Qualcomm's most advanced mobile platform, the Snapdragon 845 single-chip system. The chip is made using a 10-nanometer process technology. The SoC configuration includes two clusters of four processor cores: Kryo 385 with a maximum frequency of up to 2.8 GHz (custom Cortex-A75) and Kryo 385 with a frequency of up to 1.8 GHz (custom Cortex-A55). The amount of RAM is 4 GB, the amount of storage is 64 GB. Of these, about 48.5 GB of flash memory is initially free.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 is the flagship platform of the market leader in mobile SoCs, one of the most powerful platforms for smartphones. Judging by the tests, it not only traditionally leads in graphics tests, but also overtakes other top solutions in complex and browser-specific tests. The Adreno 630 GPU supports the OpenGL ES 3.2 and Vulkan APIs.
In real use cases, there are no barriers for this SoC, it confidently copes with any tasks assigned to it. In particular, there are no problems with games: all the games we tested, including Modern Combat 3, Mortal Kombat X, Injustice 2, confidently run at maximum settings without the slightest slowdown. The Sony Xperia XZ2 is one of the most powerful smartphones available today, with plenty of headroom for future upgrades.
Testing in comprehensive AnTuTu and GeekBench tests:
For convenience, we have summarized all the results obtained by us when testing a smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks in tables. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
Testing the graphics subsystem in 3DMark gaming tests, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark for the highest performing smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (due to which the speed can rise above 60 fps).
| Sony Xperia XZ2 (Qualcomm Snapdragon 845) |
Huawei P20 Pro (HiSilicon Kirin 970) |
Meizu Pro 7 Plus (MediaTek Helio X30) |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 3DMark Ice Storm Sling Shot ES 3.1 (more is better) |
3814 | 2963 | 1826 |
| 3DMark Sling Shot Ex Vulkan (more is better) |
3011 | 2918 | 1217 |
(onscreen, fps) |
54 | 39 | 14 |
| GFXBenchmark Manhattan ES 3.1 (1080p Offscreen, fps) |
55 | 39 | 22 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (onscreen, fps) |
60 | 60 | 52 |
| GFXBenchmark T-Rex (1080p Offscreen, fps) |
139 | 108 | — |
Testing in browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them depend significantly on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
AndroBench memory performance test results:
thermal images
Below is a thermal image rear surface obtained after 10 minutes of running a battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:
Heating is clearly localized in the upper right part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 38 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is not very much.
Video playback
To test the "omnivorous" when playing video (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, you should not expect everything from a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a table.
Further testing of video playback performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.
This unit does not appear to support DisplayPort Alt Mode for USB Type-C - outputting image and sound to an external device when connected to a USB port - as determined by (company). Therefore, we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see ""). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output frames of video files with different parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In tests, we used the MX Player video player in Hardware mode. The test results are summarized in the table:
Note: If both columns Uniformity and Passes green ratings are set, this means that, most likely, when watching movies, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and dropping frames will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems with the playback of the respective files.
According to the criterion for displaying frames, the quality of playing video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is very good, since frames or groups of frames can (but are not required) to be displayed with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without gaps. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly at the height of the screen (in landscape orientation), one to one in pixels, that is, in its original resolution. The range of brightness displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: in the shadows, only a couple of shades of gray do not differ in brightness from black, and in the highlights, all gradations of shades are displayed. Note that this smartphone has support for hardware decoding of H.265 files with a color depth of 10 bits per color, while the display is also carried out in 10-bit mode (at least with fewer visible gradients than in the case of 8- bit output). This, as well as a wide color gamut, suggests that the manufacturer's claims about an "HDR display" are justified.
Battery Life
The Sony Xperia XZ2 demonstrates a very high level of autonomy, although its battery capacity is less than that of most modern flagships. In real conditions of use, with a normal average mode of operation, the hero of the review confidently survives until the evening charge.
Testing has traditionally been carried out at the usual level of power consumption without using the power saving functions, although there are such in the device. Standard for Sony, there are two modes - Stamina and Ultra Stamina. Battery performance is monitored by Smart Stamina and Battery Care technologies. Familiar Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology regulates the current level and continuously monitors the battery during charging to protect it from overload, which helps extend battery life.
| Battery capacity | Reading mode | Video mode | 3D game mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sony Xperia XZ2 | 3180 mAh | 20h 30m | 12:30 pm | 6 a.m. |
| Huawei P20 Pro | 4000 mAh | 18:00 | 12:00 p.m. | 3 a.m. |
| Meizu Pro 7 Plus | 3500 mAh | 14h 10m | 10:00 a.m. | 3h 20m |
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | 3300 mAh | 15:00 | 12:00 p.m. | 4h 20m |
| Meizu Pro 6 Plus | 3400 mAh | 5:30 p.m. | 12:30 pm | 4h 20m |
Continuous reading in the FBReader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd / m²) lasted about 20.5 hours until the battery was completely discharged, and with continuous viewing of video in high quality (1080p) with the same brightness level through the home Wi-Fi network, the device operates for more than 12 hours. In 3D game mode, the smartphone can work up to 6 hours, depending on the specific game.
Fast charging is supported, from its own network adapter, the smartphone is fully charged in a little faster than 2 hours. Charging begins with a current of 1.3 A at a voltage of 8.5 V, then the current and voltage values \u200b\u200bare regulated by Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology. Wireless charging is supported, but the WCH20 wireless charging dock is not included and must be purchased separately.
Outcome
Sony Xperia XZ2 is already on the Russian market. The price is high: for the Sony flagship in the official Russian retail they ask for 60 thousand rubles, this is the maximum figure, for this or even less money you can buy the flagship devices of Apple and Huawei. And the hero of the review is quite capable of competing with them, in terms of the most powerful and advanced hardware platform, the Xperia XZ2 is definitely not inferior to any of the competitors in anything. The screen, autonomy, sound - everything is at a very high level, there is nothing to complain about. But in terms of the camera, the Japanese flagship does not bypass either the iPhone X, or, even more so, the Huawei P20 Pro, which has taken the lead with its unique triple camera, which is incredible in its capabilities. And yet, there are probably still a lot of true fans of the Japanese brand, and even such an expensive smartphone as the Sony Xperia XZ2 will find its buyer.
In monitor high-impedance (60 Ohm) headphones, low frequencies are worked out perfectly, but they always work in moderation and legibly - it doesn’t even come to “farting”, sorry, even at maximum volume. The volume is excellent, the “middle” is densely spread over it, and the high frequencies are drumming with accents. That is, they do not whistle into the ears on an ongoing basis, but are divorced from the rest of the range. But they work much more clearly than in the usual flagships based on Snapdragon (Xiaomi Mi 6, OnePlus 3), and this is enough.
Although for those who like to reconfigure everything in their own way, there are also plenty of options:
DSEE HX- an analogue of Samsung's UHQ Upscaler, a cunning algorithm that completes the audio stream of lossy (mp3, ogg vorbis) audio files, if not to lossless formats, then to a slightly higher level than "hardwired" in the file itself. In MP3 files with an initially high-quality spectrum, it “squeezes” low frequencies, slightly adds volume and clarity.
ClearAudio+- Brings high frequencies to the fore and makes them clearer. Moreover, it does it quite competently - it does not introduce any metallic shades or other nonsense pornography into the sound. Without it, it’s also not bad, but as a recipe for “boyish” mastering (when music was recorded with an eye to “pump the bottoms”), a very good option.
Surround sound (VPT)- function "for an amateur". It distorts the sound in different ways and introduces an artificial "concert" echo.
There is also a 6-band equalizer that can be turned on. instead of DSEE HX or ClearAudio+. Unremarkable, except for a separate bass control clear bass- "bubnelka" is very smart and thinks "bottoms" differently than if you just lift up the frequency response graph in Poweramp, for example.
It's in monitors. And in the “plugs” of the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD (32 Ohm) level, low frequencies are most often a little lacking, and clarity seems excessive - after 15 minutes you will either get used to it or get ringing in your ears. And this is strange, because Sony claims that the smartphone determines the type of headphones on its own, using the AHO system. But de facto, with ClearAudio +, the sound becomes caustic, it is impossible to listen, and DSEE HX makes the scene “dense”, but ringing high frequencies still annoy, and there is no longer access to the equalizer with the option activated. The output is a slight "boost" in Clear Bass and a reduction in detail in the "twist" range of 16 kHz. The beauty!
As an option “I want cool sound at the touch of a button”, the LG G6 with Quad DAC looks brighter (the Koreans finally taught their flagship to properly adjust the sound to the type of headphones without additional questions), but Samsung in the Galaxy S8 upset with a “dirty” sound for a flagship and “ damage” to the sound at the slightest intervention in the equalizer. Now the Galaxy S8 sounds on par with the Xperia XZ Premium only with the additional activation of the UHQ Upscaler, and with the use of “improvers”, Sony takes the lead. Surprisingly, this seems to be the victory of the standard WCD9341 DAC in the Snapdragon 835 over the more prestigious Cirrus Logis in the Exynos 8895.
Iron
Last year, the description of smartphones based on the top Snapdragon was given easier. Like, look - another mobile phone running the fastest chipset, and no more explanation is needed. In 2017, the stars are slightly different, so you have to start from afar.
Qualcomm is a proud bird, until you motivate you kick it, it won't fly. After the hot guys in California disgraced themselves with the hot Chinese Snapdragon 810 in 2015, and Samsung with its more advanced factories and the Galaxy S6 turned all competitors on benchmarks, the American chipmaker did his best to make the next generation processor a masterpiece.
Sony / Sony is a leading Japanese manufacturer of smartphones. At the same time, the company's success is far from the success of Korean brands. For example, in Japan, Sony accounted for 13.7% of the smartphone market share in 2017, which is second place by a huge margin from (47.5%). For comparison, the South Korean market is dominated by the Korean brand (57%), and the share of another Korean brand LG is almost the same as that of Sony in Japan - 12.9%. In the world market, the situation is even more not in favor of Sony. For example, in the first quarter of 2018, Samsung sold 73 million smartphones, LG - 13.5 million, and Sony only 2.2 million. At the same time, no one denies the high quality of Sony products: the company is one of the largest suppliers of photo modules for smartphones in the market, even Samsung uses their products.
In Russia, the Sony brand is traditionally popular. According to w3bsit3-dns.com, in terms of the number of smartphone users, Sony is in 7th place in Russia, ahead of LG.
For those who want to choose a suitable smartphone for themselves from the catalog of Sony models, this rating is intended, which presents the best smartphones of the Japanese manufacturer in terms of technical characteristics, price-quality ratio and reviews in Yandex Market for June 2018.
Sony Xperia L2
The average price in Russia is 13,110 rubles. The Sony model, which went on sale on January 26, 2018, scored 67% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market and 86% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, Android 7.1 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3300 mAh. 4-core processor MediaTek MT6737T. There is a fingerprint scanner.
Main camera 13 MP, front camera 8 MP.
7th place.
Sony Xperia XA2 Dual
The average price in Russia is 23,000 rubles. The smartphone, which went on sale on February 11, 2018, scored 48% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market and 63% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3300 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Dual 32GB - Sony's most popular smartphone
The average price in Russia is 18,500 rubles. The smartphone, which went on sale in the fall of 2017, scored 60% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market and 75% of purchase recommendations. According to Yandex-Market, this is Sony's most popular model today.Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3430 mAh. 8-core processor MediaTek Helio P20. There is a fingerprint scanner.
Main camera 23 MP, front camera 8 MP.
Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
The average price in Russia is 23,500 rubles. The smartphone, which went on sale on February 11, 2018, scored 71% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market and 92% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 6-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3580 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.
The main camera is 23 MP, the front camera is dual 16 + 8 MP.
Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
The average price in Russia is 35,100 rubles. A smaller version of last year's autumn Sony flagship scored 77% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 83% of recommendations for purchase. This model is one of the three most popular Sony smartphones today.
Specifications: 4.6-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. One sim. Battery capacity - 2700 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.
Main camera 19 MP, front camera 8 MP.
Sony Xperia XZ2
The average price in Russia is 40,000 rubles. Sony's new flagship, which went on sale on April 12, 2018, scored 50% of fives in Yandex Market reviews and 73% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5.7-inch narrow-frame screen with a resolution of 2160x1080 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 400 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3180 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.
The smartphone is equipped with a main camera with a Sony IMX400 sensor at 19 megapixels and a 5-megapixel front camera. The Motion Eye camera is capable of recording 4K HDR video, as well as shooting in Super slow motion at 960 frames per second in Full HD resolution.
2nd place.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
The average price is 35,000 rubles. Sony's flagship, which appeared in February 2017, scored 62% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 79% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, Android 7.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. 4G LTE support. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3230 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner. Waterproof body.
The Xperia XZ Premium is the first smartphone to feature a 4K HDR display based on the same technology as Sony's Bravia TVs. On this smartphone, 4K HDR content will be incredibly bright, clear and contrasty.
The Xperia XZs features the latest 19MP Motion Eye camera, capturing motion in super slow motion (up to 960fps) that the human eye can't normally capture. The Motion Eye camera uses revolutionary intelligent capture technology. It detects motion in the frame and starts buffering the image as you prepare to take the shot. If you release the shutter too late, all you have to do is rewind time a little and choose one of the four frames that were taken before the button was pressed. Xperia XZs has larger pixels than previous models to capture more light and capture more detailed images. Intelligent exposure adjustment adapts the exposure to the level of ambient light, so even shots taken at night look clear and crisp. SteadyShot technology with 5-axis image stabilization allows you to shoot video without frame shake.
The 13MP front camera has a 22mm wide-angle lens.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
The average price in Russia is 38,900 rubles. A smaller version of Sony's flagship, which went on sale on April 12, 2018, scored 59% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 78% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5-inch screen with a resolution of 2160x1080 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 400 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 2870 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.
The cameras are the same as in the Xperia XZ2: the main camera is 19 MP, the front camera is 5 MP.
As we can see, the differences from the Xperia XZ2 in the Compact version are only in screen size and battery capacity, but given that the smaller screen consumes less power, both smartphones will run about the same time, so the battery capacity can be ignored. At the same time, the price of the compact version is less, so that in terms of price-quality ratio it surpasses the flagship version.
The current update of the Sony smartphone line could be called boring and frankly nondescript: almost nothing has changed in the appearance of the devices, and inside it is exactly the same as we saw a little earlier, in. But instead of another enumeration of technical specifications and focusing on gigabytes, megapixels and gigahertz, the company decided to focus on the capabilities of the built-in camera. It is unlikely that sofa analysts and network experts-on-all-issues approve of this approach, but the market always perceives it positively. Nobody knows exactly what frequency the processor is running at, but everyone knows that this smartphone can be unlocked with your face, and you can also send an animated chicken to your friend. So Sony wants the Xperia XZ1 to be perceived as a phone that allows you to create 3D copies of objects using the built-in camera. How interesting and important this is in general - time will tell, and we'll just figure out how it all works.
Along with the release of Xperia XZ1, the company has also updated the compact version of the flagship. It is called the Xperia XZ1 Compact and still remains a unique device due to the combination of flagship filling and compact size. So, the options for alternative use of the built-in camera in both new products are similar, but we will tell you about them separately.
Specifications
| Sony Xperia XZ1 | Huawei P10 Plus | ||||
| Screen | 5.2 inches, IPS, 1080 × 1920, 424 ppi, capacitive multi-touch | 5.2" IPS 1080 × 1920 dots, 424 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
5.8 inches, Super AMOLED, 1440 × 2960 pixels, 570 ppi, capacitive multi-touch | 5.5" IPS 1440 × 2560 dots, 540 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
5.5" IPS 1440 × 2560 dots, 534 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
| Protective glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820: four cores (2×2.15GHz + 2×1.6GHz) | Samsung Exynos 8895: eight cores (4×2.5GHz + 4×1.69GHz) | Hisilicon Kirin 960: eight cores (4×2.4GHz + 4×1.8GHz) | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835: eight cores (4×2.4GHz + 4×1.9GHz) | |
| Graphics controller | Adreno 540 | Adreno 530 | Mali-G71 MP20 | Mali-G71 MP8 | Adreno 540 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 3 GB | 4 GB | 4/6 GB | 4/6 GB |
| Flash memory | 64 GB | 32/64 GB | 64 GB | 64/128 GB | 64/128 GB |
| Connectors | 1 x USB Type-C | 1 x USB Type-C | 1 x USB Type-C | 1 x USB Type-C | 1 x USB Type-C |
| 1 × 3.5mm headset jack; | 1 × 3.5mm headset jack | 1 x nano-SIM | |||
| 1 x nano-SIM | 1 x nano-SIM | 1 x nano-SIM | 1 x nano-SIM | 1 x microSD | |
| 1 x microSD | 1 x microSD | 1 × microSD/nano-SIM | 1 × microSD/nano-SIM | ||
| Cellular 2G | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM/GPRS/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | |
| Cellular 3G | HSDPA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100 | UMTS/HSPA+/DC-HSDPA 800/850/900/1700/1900/2100 | DC-HSPA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz | ||
| Cellular 4G | LTE Cat.16 (1024 Mbps, 150 Mbps), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 32 , 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 | LTE Cat. 4 (150 Mbps, 50 Mbps), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 26, 28, 29, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41 | LTE Cat.16 (1024 Mbps, 150 Mbps), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 17, 20, 28 | LTE Cat.16 (1024 Mbps, 150 Mbps), bands 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41 | |
| WiFi | 802.11 /b/g/n/ac | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5 GHz | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5 GHz | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac 2.4/5 GHz | 802.11 /b/g/n/ac |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| NFC | There is | There is | There is | There is | There is |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS | |
| Sensors | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | Light, proximity, accelerometer / gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), Hall sensor | Illumination, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass) | ||
| The fingerprint scanner | Yes, on the side | Yes, on the side | Yes, behind | Yes, front | Yes, front |
| Main camera | 19 MP, ƒ/2.0 OIS, laser autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording | 23 MP, ƒ/2.0, laser autofocus, LED flash, 4K video recording | 12 MP, ƒ/1.7, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash | 12 MP, ƒ/1.8, + 20 MP, ƒ/1.8, Leica optics, phase detection autofocus, OIS, LED flash | 12 MP, ƒ/1.7, OIS, LED flash, 4K video recording |
| Front-camera | 13 MP, ƒ/2.0, contrast autofocus, no flash | 13 MP, ƒ/2.0, contrast autofocus, Full HD video recording | 8 MP, ƒ/1.7, autofocus, no separate flash | 8 MP, no autofocus, no separate flash | 16 MP, contrast autofocus, no flash |
| Nutrition | Non-removable battery: 10.26 Wh (2700 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery: 11 Wh (2900 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery: 11.4 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery: 14.6 Wh (3700 mAh, 3.8 V) | Non-removable battery: 12.6 Wh (3000 mAh, 3.8 V) |
| The size | 148×73×7.4mm | 146×72×8.1mm | 148.9×68.1×8mm | 154×74.2×7mm | 153.9×75.9×7.9mm |
| Weight | 156 g | 161 g | 155 g | 165 g | 169 g |
| Water and dust protection | IP65/IP68 | IP68 | IP68 | IP67 | IP67 |
| Operating system | Android 8.0 Oreo | Android 6.0 Marshmallow (upgrade to Android 7.0 Nougat) | Android 7.0 Nougat, Grace UX skin | Android 7.0 Nougat, EMUI | Android 7.1 Nougat |
| Current price | 49 990 rubles | 38 990 rubles | 54 990 rubles | 36 990 rubles | 44 990 rubles |
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Appearance, ergonomics and software
In the case of the Xperia XZ1, I would like to note some demonstrative ignorance of global trends. Seriously though, Sony remains pretty much the only manufacturer that doesn't use stretched 18:9 screens, dual cameras, or facial recognition. It may not be too great in the long run, but at the moment the XZ1 does not suffer from this at all and looks very neat and pretty. The smartphone is offered in four colors: pink, black, silver and blue. In my opinion, the last two are especially good, but black looks a bit boring.
The screen diagonal is small by the standards of the flagships of 2017 - only 5.2 inches, so there are no problems with one-handed operation. The case profile has an elongated elliptical shape, the side edges are perfectly rounded, and all this, of course, is made of glass and metal. Plastic is used only for some buttons and a plug on the SIM card compartment. By the way, the plug fits very tightly, there is a special rubber gasket around the perimeter - the smartphone is protected from dust and moisture according to IP65/IP68 standards. It can be submerged in fresh water, however, soaked smartphones are not covered by the warranty - keep this in mind. However, the main thing to remember: in no case do not connect the headphones and charger until the ports are dry.
The layout of buttons and controls is standard for Sony smartphones. USB-C is located at the bottom center, on the left side there is a tray for a SIM card and microSD. In our case, the smartphone has only one slot for an operator card, but there is also a Dual SIM version, it has a second slot combined. On the right side is a dual volume button, as well as a power key with a built-in fingerprint scanner and a dedicated button for launching the camera and releasing the shutter.
On top is a standard 3.5mm audio jack - thanks for that, it's still relevant. I will add that inserts are visible on the side faces to ensure the operation of wireless modules through a metal case, they do not stand out much, but perform their function in the best possible way. I was not too lazy and compared: Xperia XZ1 "holds" the network and the Wi-Fi signal much better than the iPhone 7 Plus.
Returning to the topic of great similarity between the Xperia XZ1 and Xperia, it is worth noting that the LED flash and the laser that assists auto focus are now installed behind the horizontal insert, in the previous model this unit was located vertically. The built-in camera lens has slightly increased in size and has become more protruding beyond the rear panel. But for now, nothing can be done about it - optics with stabilization require a fairly thick body.
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The Sony Xperia XZ1 was originally announced with Android 8.0 Oreo and is eventually shipped with it. Formally, by the way, this is the first smartphone based on the eighth version of the operating system along with the Xperia XZ1 Compact. Visually, the new OS does not differ much from version 7.0 Nougat, but updating to the current OS is a problem for many Android devices, and Sony immediately took care of a fresh system for its flagship in this regard. All the chips from other devices are in place: power saving modes, work optimization, and so on.
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The list of pre-installed applications looks the same: Movie Creator, PlayStation, Xperia Lounge plus a file manager and all the standard Google applications. There is exactly one new application - 3D Creator, which I will discuss in more detail below.
Display and sound
Previously, in the case of Sony smartphones, we often had to complain about insufficiently accurate screen settings, overly (even when compared with the “average temperature in the hospital”, and not with reference values) overestimated color temperature and insufficiently high contrast. But the Xperia XZ1 shows clear progress in this area.
First, Sony simply stopped imposing an unswitchable enhanced display mode, leaving the choice to the user. Now in the display settings menu, we have three modes available: professional, standard and extreme brightness mode.
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If we focus on subjective feelings, then the latter is the most impressive, but the color accuracy “flies” into the abyss. By default, the standard mode is enabled, and for the most accurate display there is a professional one, so we took all the measurements in these two modes.
The maximum brightness and contrast values do not change when switching modes, and they turn out to be very good in comparison with competitors. The XZ1's display shines brighter than the iPhone 8's, which means it's more comfortable to use on sunny days - you can even read the screen painlessly on the beach.
Standard screen mode Sony Xperia XZ1, color temperature. Blue line - Sony Xperia XZ1 coverage in standard mode, dotted line - reference temperature (6500 K)
As you can see, in the professional mode, the color gamut almost coincides with the sRGB color space, and in the standard it becomes much wider. But this is not the case when more is better. The color temperature curve varies slightly in different modes, but the average value remains the same - about 7400 K. This is higher than the reference temperature, but the difference of 900 K is almost not felt.
Gamma differs slightly: we have 2.11 in professional mode and 2.05 in standard. Both are not out of the norm. The average DeltaE deviation for the extended ColorChecker palette is 3.36, and for the primary colors it is 1.78. And that's a really great indicator. But it applies only to the professional mode, in the standard this indicator worsens somewhat and reaches 4.81 for the extended ColorChecker palette and 4.11 for the primary colors.
Sound is in order. Firstly, the smartphone is equipped with two speakers and plays sound in stereo mode, and quite loudly. And secondly, he did not lose the standard mini-jack, so you can use absolutely any headphones without restrictions. The sound is loud and high-quality, even high-impedance monitor models work normally.
For half of 2017, Sony Mobile managed to release a whole bunch of smartphones. But which ones are the most relevant to buy? And is it worth choosing only from new products, maybe the “oldies” from 2016 are still good for something? Find out in this post!
This top was created solely in the opinion of the author and the main criteria are the price / quality / relevance of the gadget. All prices are current as of 06/19/2017.
TOP 5 current Sony Xperia phones in 2017
5. Sony Xperia XZ Premium
The technology flagship introduced this year will be a great purchase for all Sony lovers and not only. The smartphone has become the heir to the Z5 Premium, has the most top-end features and will receive fast Android updates for at least 24 months.
XZ Premium received a 4K screen, HDR support, Hi-Res Audio, a Motion Eye camera that can shoot video at 960fps, Snapdragon 835.
The smartphone also has other features, for example: USB Type-C 3.1, IP65 / 68 water and dust protection, the “Xperia Actions” function, which gives useful tips, and others.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium will be an actual smartphone for at least 2 years, and the performance will be enough for all 4 years.
Price: 55000 rubles, sales in Russia have already begun.
The closest competitors from other manufacturers are:
- Galaxy S8 (55,000 rubles),
- LG G6 (52,000 rubles),
- HTC U11 (45,000 rubles, a great price for a flagship from an A-brand),
- iPhone 7 plus (63,000 rubles).
Each of them has its own characteristics and disadvantages, but the Xperia XZ Premium stands out with its distinctive design and innovative camera.
4. Sony Xperia XZ
Yes, yes, it is Xperia XZ (). It also has a fancy camera with its own “chips” - an Exmor RS ™ matrix, a BIONZ image processor and an RGBC-IR sensor. All this allows you to get good photos in any conditions.
The Xperia XZ is based on the Snapdragon 820, which will last for a couple more years. The smartphone must be updated to Android 8.0 update.
And all this splendor can be bought for 39000 rubles.
3. Sony Xperia X Compact
Xperia X Compact () is a very nice smartphone. It was created specifically for those who love compact and powerful devices. It has the same camera as the Xperia XZ, 3 GB of RAM and Snapdragon 650, 4.6 inch HD screen.
The smartphone runs all the games at high settings, gaining more than 70 thousand “parrots” in AnTuTu. The 2700 mAh battery makes it possible to use the smartphone for up to two days with a moderate load. The X Compact will also receive updates to Android 8.0.
And the best part is the price: 25000 rubles.
2. Sony Xperia XA1
The mid-range Xperia phone presented this year has good specifications: 23 megapixel camera from Xperia Z5, MediaTek Helio P20, 3 GB of RAM.
B can confuse MediaTek (application optimization and stuff), but everything works smoothly, energy efficiency is also good.
Antutu Xperia XA1 scores a little over 60 thousand points. It is worth mentioning that the screen is HD, for 5 inches it is normal, but there are people for whom this may not be enough.
Using the smartphone with one hand is easy, and the bezel-less design will appeal to many.
The Xperia XA1 runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and should be upgraded to android 8.0 in the future.
Price: 22000 rubles.
1. Sony Xperia X Performance
Sony Xperia X Performance became the winner of this TOP for several reasons:
- Snapdragon 820
- good camera
- good autonomy and
- High quality FHD screen
- Guaranteed update to Android
- Excellent price: about 29,000 rubles.
If you love Sony smartphones, then the most rational thing to do would be to buy the Xperia X Performance.
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It is worth mentioning IFA 2017, where Sony Mobile will show a new flagship and a number of more affordable phones. If that happens, Xperia XZ and X Performance prices will drop even lower, so think before you buy.
Also, we must not forget about the second-hand world and gray shops. You can always find much cheaper, but be careful - on Avito not only the prices are sweet, but the scammers are skilled. 😉
