Sony Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Compact and XZ2 Premium smartphones - pros and cons

Sony strives to make quality and modern devices that will meet the needs of every customer. It is not always easy to find the right phone that meets all modern requirements. In February 2018, the company delighted fans with the release of the new Xperia XZ2, as well as its compact version, the Xperia Compact.

The announced models surprised loyal fans with a new design (not inherent in the early models) and features worthy of a modern top-end phone. A little later, Sony released a model with a Premium prefix, positioning itself as a smartphone for bloggers, journalists and photographers thanks to its amazing camera features.

All 3 varieties have received good reviews from users, but how do you choose the phone that is right for you? We will consider all the advantages and disadvantages of these models and tell you what is the difference between these three new products from the Japanese company Sony.

Sony Xperia XZ2

Design

The flagship comes in 4 colors: obsidian black, cool silver, dark emerald and ash pink.

Sony phones have always been easy to distinguish from other models due to their angular design. During the development of the XZ2, the design has undergone significant changes, now the phone looks smoother. Even the back cover, which was previously always straight and flat, has become more curved, which allowed the gadget to be more comfortable in the hand, but create some difficulties when placing the phone on a flat surface. The lid is made of Gorilla Glass with an oleophobic coating, however, even in spite of such material, the smartphone does not slip out of the hands and lies in the hand confidently. It contains a camera and flash window, as well as a logo.

The smartphone came out pretty weighty. With a thickness of 11 mm, it weighs about 200 grams, which is quite a lot for a pocket device. The device is 153 mm long and 72 mm wide. In general, the XZ2 looks presentable and expensive, the quality of materials and their appearance distinguish the smartphone from other more budget models.
On the front, besides the screen, there are no hardware buttons or a fingerprint scanner (it's on the back). The display takes up almost the entire area of ​​the device. Above is an LED event indicator, which is a significant plus for many users. Here you can also see the earpiece, light and proximity sensors.

The power key, volume rocker and camera key are located on the side of the smartphone. They press well, there is no problem with sticking or accidental pressing. All buttons are smooth and pleasant to the touch.
The microphone is located at the bottom, there is also a USB Type-C socket, there is no mini-jack connector, but you can use the adapter included in the kit without any problems.

The slot for a microSD memory card and a SIM card is also located on the side, opening is possible without using a special paper clip.

Screen

Display size is 5.7 inches, HDR10, Full HD + (2160 by 1080 pixels, aspect ratio 18: 9), IPS Trilminos technologies, X-Reality (to recreate realistic images), DynamicContrast Enchament are supported, ppi is 424ppi, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

The screen supports up to 10 simultaneous clicks and works with gloves. The display has excellent anti-glare capabilities, and the oleophobic coating does a pretty good job of it.

Color settings can be changed thanks to three modes: normal, maximum brightness and professional.

Sound

HighResolution Audio, ClearAudio +, SForce Front Surround technologies allow the device to reproduce high-quality and surround sound without loss. DynamicVibrationSystem allows your phone to vibrate to the beat of the music, so you can literally touch the sound.

Camera

Rear camera equipped with Motion Eye technology, 19 megapixels, ExmorPC (optical parameters 1 / 2.3 inches, 1.22 μm pixels), wide-angle Glens lens, focal length 25 mm, f / 2.0, 8x digital zoom, predictive hybrid autofocus, LED flash, and the ability to record video in slow motion 960 fps with support for 4K quality with HDR support.

Photos are crisp and stylish. Thanks to the settings, you can take photos that will delight even professionals. The camera in XZ2 can simulate a 3D image and create a virtual avatar from your photo.

The front camera has a modest 5-megapixel Exmor R sensor (1/5-inch optical size), 23 mm EGF, f / 2.2 aperture). Selfies taken with the camera are unlikely to surprise photography enthusiasts, but in general, the pictures are quite clear and good.

Sample photo:

Communications

Sony Xperia ZX2 works in LTE (4G) Cat 18 network, data transfer 1.2 GB per second. Telephone communication works confidently in city conditions, the interlocutor can be heard clearly, there are no complaints about the quality of communication.

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules work without failures, it is possible to organize a wireless point.

The NFC module works with contactless cards in the Google Pay application, there were no problems with binding.

Both SIM cards are capable of working in 4G standby mode, which is a significant advantage of the model.

Performance and stuffing

The 8-core 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor (four 2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold and four 1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) in the Sony Experia XZ2 allows even avid gamers to use a smartphone, as the performance of this platform remains at a high level. Even at the highest settings, the phone can handle the load, eliminating the possibility of slowdowns and freezes during the game.

The operating system Android 8.0 (Oreo) is a pure version of Android that has long earned user recognition due to its simplicity and intuitive interface.

The phone is equipped with 4 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes of total memory. This is enough to store all the necessary files and documents.

Battery

Despite the modest size of the battery (3180 mAh), the Sony Experia XZ2 demonstrates a good battery life.

Smart Stamina mode improves battery efficiency and Battery care monitors current levels to help protect your phone from overload

Quick Charge 3.0 wireless charging supported

• Interesting design;
• Excellent color reproduction in 4K video;
• Fast processor.

• The fingerprint scanner is too low;
• Price.

Sony XZ2 Compact

Design

The compact is also available in 4 colors: black, white silver, smoky green, coral pink.

The compact version of the smartphone was equipped with a rough plastic cover instead of a smooth glass one, which makes it not so prestigious in appearance, but on the other hand, there are guaranteed no fingerprints on the plastic, which allows you to carry the device without a cover.
The smartphone weighs about 168 grams with a thickness of 12.1 millimeters, it is even more comfortable in the hand than its big brother, but typing can be difficult due to the small screen and the same small virtual keyboard.

The layout of the buttons is identical to that of the XZ2, with the fingerprint sensor on the back, which some users point to as a flaw in the device.

Screen

The smartphone has an IPS display, 2.5 D-glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 placed on top. The screen dimensions are 57x113 millimeters with a diagonal of five inches, the aspect ratio is 18: 9. The screen resolution is 2160 x 1080 with a pixel density of 483 ppi.

The compact version is also equipped with three color settings (standard, professional, extreme brightness), oleophobic coating and anti-glare capabilities are not worse than the brother.

Sound

Like the "regular" version, the Compact is equipped with two stereo speakers, which allows you to enjoy surround music, and the High-Resolution Audio technology works. no worse

Camera

The compact version has the same features.

• Main: 19 megapixels, with automatic focus, f / 2.0, 1 / 2.3 ”sensor, pixel size 1.22 microns, video recording 3840x2160 (30 fps), 1920x1080 (960 fps);
• front camera: 5 megapixels, with auto focus, f / 2.2, sensor 1 / 1.5 "

Motion Eye, 4K HDR video recording, the ability to create a virtual avatar - all this is also here.

However, the photos still look a little paler, and the color rendition fails in a dark room, which, however, does not interfere with taking high-quality pictures in good lighting:

Communications

The device works in the same networks, the quality of communication and operation of additional modules does not raise questions.

Performance and stuffing

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has the same specifications, Adreno 630 GPU supports OpenGL ES 3.2 Api and Vulcan. The compact is capable of running with high performance all the same games that run without problems on the regular version of the smartphone. The device copes well in multitasking mode, working with a large number of windows will not cause difficulties. The RAM capacity is 4 gigabytes, the total capacity is 64 gigabytes.

Operating system Android 8 (Oreo).

Battery

The battery in the "compact" has a capacity of 2870 mAh, which is slightly less than that of the regular version, but this volume is quite enough, given the modest dimensions of the device. All modes and functions are identical, however wireless charging is not supported.

• Fits well in the palm of your hand;
• Compact size.

• Inconvenient use of the keyboard;
• Small screen.

Sony XZ2 Premium

Design

There are 2 colors on the market: black and silver.
In terms of design, the Premium strongly resembles its "regular" brother, however, it is wider and heavier. The weight of the gadget is 236 grams. Length - 158 mm, width - 80 mm, thickness - 11.9 mm.
Users note that thanks to the resized dimensions, it became more convenient to use the fingerprint sensor. It is located just under the phalanx of the index finger.

In general, there is nothing special to talk about the design, since apart from the size it is no different from the ZX2.

All 3 devices look good. Sony did everything to please users with ergonomics and design. All gadgets have dust and moisture protection according to IP65 / 68 standard. It can be safely immersed in water to a depth of 2 meters for up to 30 minutes.

Screen

The smartphone received a diagonal of 5.8 inches with a Quad HD display resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels (aspect ratio 16: 9), a pixel density of 760 ppi. 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 is coated with an oleophobic coating.

The screen here is no worse than previous models from Sony. The color reproduction quality is simply excellent, the colors are rich, the picture is clear and detailed.

All 3 phones performed well in the sunlight tests, and the high brightness allows you to use any of these smartphones, both indoors and out. Black is really rich here, while other colors are bright and juicy.

Sound

The Premium comes with all the same features and technologies, but the front-facing speakers have been moved to the front panel for even cooler sound quality and higher volume.

The lack of a mini-jack may push users to buy wireless (Bluetooth) headphones from the same Sony.Thanks to the proprietary HD LDAC codec, you can listen to music through them without loss of quality and signal interruption.

Camera

The main camera in the Premium is dual, which is a new feature found in today's top flagships.

The camera has 19 megapixels (f / 1.8, 25mm, 1 / 2.3 ″, 1.22m) + 12 megapixels (in bw format) (f / 1.6, 1 / 2.3 ″, 1.55m), there is electronic stabilization

The front camera is better than in previous models, 13 megapixels (f / 2.0, 22mm, 1/3 ″, 1.12m).

Its stunning features make the ZX2 Premium a great choice for photography and selfies. The Dual Motion Eye module is capable of capturing stunning images with the widest dynamic range.
4K video recording with HDR support allows for high-quality videos, but the lack of OIS is a drawback.

Sample photo:

Communication

Full characteristics of communication functions:

• GSM / GPRS / EDGE, UMTS / HSPA +, LTE Cat. 18
• GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, QZSS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5 LE, NFC.

Communication is clean and high quality, all modules work the same as in previous models.

Performance and stuffing

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 6 gigabytes of RAM and 64 gigabytes (processor 8 cores, 4 x 2.7 gigahertz + 4 x 1.7 GHz, 10 nm, Adreno 630) internal allows the smartphone to delight users with fast and high-quality work even under heavy loads.

The device runs on the Android 8.1 operating axis.

Battery

3540 mAh battery allows the device to hold a charge for quite a long time, there is support for Qi wireless charging, ultra-fast Quick Charge 3.0, Adaptive Charging.

• Camera.

• Large weight;
• Price;
• No optical stabilization.

Comparison of autonomy parameters for three variations of the Xperia XZ2:

Outcome

So what about the Xperia XZ2 line in general? All three models received an updated and interesting design that many users liked. The devices have a good processor, and in general, the characteristics of gadgets remain at a high level, allowing them to stand on a par with other flagships released in 2018.

Buyers have the option of choosing a compact and handy compact, a powerful and prestigious Premium with an improved camera, or a compromise in the form of the usual Sony Xperia XZ2.

None of the devices from this line can be called budget. The price for the reduced version is about 50 thousand rubles, for the regular one - 60,000 rubles, the premium one costs from 70 thousand rubles.
Despite the high price, the characteristics and functions of the phones fully justify it. The latest photo and video technologies, superior sound quality and high performance make the XZ2 range worthy of the attention of even the most demanding user.