Introduction
It is a known fact that Sony struggles to sell its Android devices. Although they have stayed true to themselves regarding the design of their devices, there has always been that one thing that was a “deal breaker”. Usually, they make a complete package, but for example, the last generation of the flagship Xperia XZ had only 3GB of RAM, which Samsung has in their middle class devices. This time – Sony places a safe bet, and presents the Xperia XZ Premium. This device brings everything that the premium Android market can offer: the last generation of Qualcomm chipsets, new generation camera with SuperSlowMotion video capturing capability, great display and water resistance. In the box we have: a Sony quick charging adapter, a USB Type-C cable, user manuals, a warranty card and 3.5mm Sony headphones with spare earbuds. Available color options are: Luminous Chrome, Bronze Pink and Deepsea Black, which we have for our review. Whether this is a Sony device which will return the company to its former glory, feel free to read in the rest of the text.
Unboxing
Display
The thing that is definitely a giant plus and the main thing in the Xperia XZ Premium it its – display. As in the previous “Premium” device (Z5 Premium), this time also we have an excellent 4K resolution display. The news compared to the previous model is – HDR10 support. This mean that we have 4K resolution supported by HDR – great, props to Sony! There’s also the Sony X-Reality Engine which is used to improve photo and video material. The diagonal of the screen measures 5.5”, the display is manufactured in IPS-LCD technology, and it can show up to 16 million colors. Everything about this display is great. Color reproduction is great, with no oversaturation, the sharpness is great as well as the lowest and highest brightness. Visibility on the sunlight is more than just good, and it’s on par with flagships of other premium manufacturers. You must be wondering, however, about the battery life with the 4K panel – Sony’s got you covered. Basically, most of the time FullHD resolution is used, and 4K resolution only activates if you play a video, or view a photo. Number of PPI is very impressive – 806! This amazing display is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Hardware and OS
Other important things in the XZ Premium are its hardware and software. Sony has reached for the fastest and strongest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset. It is a very well-known Qualcomm chipset reserved for the highest class of smartphones (S8, OnePlus 5, Xiaomi Mi 6). It is consisted of 8 cores divided into 2 quad core clusters. Four faster cores are clocked at 2.45 GHz, while four slower cores are clocked at 1.9 GHz. Adreno 540 GPU is in charge of the graphics, and it represents a perfect choice to power up the 4K display of the XZ Premium. All tasks are executed almost instantly with no signs of stuttering or lagging. The device performed excellently in our gaming test, and scored 175.000 on the AnTuTu benchmark. Same as the Galaxy S8, the Xperia is also available only in 64GB storage, 4GB RAM version. A microSD card is supported, and it offers expansions up to 256GB. The device runs of the newest Android v7.1.1 version, with amazing Sony launcher. The fingerprint scanner is located on the right side of the phone, and it’s built into the power button.
Camera
This camera represents the best that mobile industry can currently provide. On the back of the device we can find the newly-developed 19MP sensor which is capable of capturing SuperSlowMotion videos at 960fps. We also have Phase Detection Auto Focus, Laser Auto Focus and Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS). The shutter speed is great, and there’s no lag between two photos. Some other camera options are: Geo-Tagging, Touch Focus, Face Detection, HDR and Panorama. The interface is good as usual, and the only flaw would be that the FullHD video is a default setting, while 4K recording is a separate option. But this flaw sinks under the water as soon as you see the quality of photos and videos captured with the camera of the Xperia XZ Premium. Photos are perfectly clear, without the classic Xperia error where the edges of photos get blurred. Colors are great, as well as contrast. Video is captured in the aforementioned 4K resolution, and one of the key points is the 960fps video in HD resolution. The maximum framerate up-to-date was 240fps in HD resolution, but this was taken a step further by Sony. They implemented a memory buffer next to the main camera sensor, which enables a part of the video to be captured at incredible 960fps. You can see some of these 960fps videos on our YouTube channel. The front facing camera is also very good, and it offers pictures in 13MP resolution as well as Auto-Focus for perfectly sharp photos with plenty of details. The shutter speed is also very good on the front facing camera. The video is captured in FullHD at 30fps with an addition of the auto focus system.
Connectivity
This device comes in two versions, SingleSIM (G8141) and DualSIM (G8142). We have a SingleSIM version. Next to 2G, 3G and 4G networks, VoLTE is also supported. Reversible USB Type-C is used for charging and data transfer. USB version is 3.1. OTG is supported. When it comes to wireless connections, we have:
- WiFi 802.11
- NFC
- DLNA
- BlueTooth v5.0
- A-GPS
Battery
The battery of the Xperia XZ Premium is non-removable, and it can only be removed by a trained professional. It is a Lithium-Ion battery with the capacity of 3230 mAh. Quick charging is realized through the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 system, and it will provide you around 42% charge in half an hour. Sony Battery Care system and UltraStamina mode are also present, and they will come in very handy in situations where you don’t have access to a PowerBank or a plug.
Final words
Sony has, this time, placed a fully rounded device on the market, with no illnesses whatsoever. An excellent camera with impressive 960fps SuperSlowMotion video is here, the newest Qualcomm chipset is here, as well as an excellent design. An area that could have been improved is the battery, which really could have bigger capacity. Another flaw is that beauty does hurt. Great design combined with glass is simply a fingerprint magnet and your Xperia will be perfectly clean only while it is still in the factory box – unopened. The price is on par with the competitors, but is the XZ Premium head to head with the competitors regarding capabilities? In the areas of camera and display, we even think it’s beyond competition. This means, photography and design enthusiasts – go for it!
Do you like the Sony Xperia XZ Premium? We’d like to see your opinion in the comment section below. If you have any ideas or you would like to see a specific device being reviewed soon, feel free to let us know here or on our Facebook page. If you liked this review, subscribe to our Youtube channel, like us on Facebook, and sit back and relax while we make more of the same for you.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Full Specifications
