Smartphones Sony Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Compact and XZ2 Premium - advantages and disadvantages

Sony strives to make high-quality and modern devices that will satisfy the needs of every customer. It is not always easy to find a suitable 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 Xperia Compact.

The announced models surprised loyal fans with a new design (not found in earlier models) and features worthy of a modern top 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 to 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 XZ2, the design has undergone significant changes, now the phone looks more fluid. Even the back cover, which was previously always straight and flat, has become more curved, which allows the gadget to lie more comfortably in the hand, but create some difficulties when placing the phone on a flat surface. The cover is made of Gorilla Glass with an oleophobic coating, however, even despite such material, the smartphone does not slip out of the hands and lies confidently in the hand. It has a camera and flash window, as well as a logo.

The smartphone came out quite weighty. With a thickness of 11 mm, it weighs about 200 grams, which is quite a lot for a handheld device. The length of the device is 153 mm, the width is 72. In general, the XZ2 looks presentable and expensive, the quality of materials and their appearance distinguish the smartphone from other more budget models.
In front, in addition to the screen, there are no hardware buttons or a fingerprint scanner (it is located on the rear panel). The display occupies almost the entire area of ​​the device. On top is an LED event indicator, which is a significant plus for many users. Here you can also see the speaker, light and proximity sensors.

The power button, 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 jack, there is no mini-jack connector, but you can easily use the included adapter.

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

The display size is 5.7 inches, HDR10, Full HD + (2160 by 1080 pixels, 18: 9 aspect ratio), IPS Trilminos technologies are supported, X-Reality (to recreate a realistic image), Dynamic Contrast Enchament, the pixel density per inch is 424ppi, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

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

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 lossless surround sound. The DynamicVibrationSystem program allows the phone to vibrate to the rhythm of the music, which allows you to literally touch the sound.

Camera

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

Photos are clear and stylish. Thanks to the settings, you can take photos that will delight even professionals. The camera in the XZ2 is capable of simulating a 3D image and creating a virtual avatar from your photo.

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

Sample photo:

Communications

Sony Xperia ZX2 operates on LTE (4G) Cat 18 network, data transfer rate is 1.2 GB per second. Telephone communication works confidently in the city, 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, no problems with binding were found.

Both SIM cards are capable of working in standby mode in 4G, 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 cores and four 1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver cores) in 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 copes with the load, eliminating the possibility of slowdowns and freezes during the game.

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

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

Battery

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

Smart Stamina mode allows you to work your battery more efficiently, and the Battery care function monitors the level of current, which helps protect your phone from overloads.

Supports Quick Charge 3.0 wireless charging mode

• 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, pink coral.

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 it is guaranteed that fingerprints will not remain on the plastic, which allows you to carry the device without a case.
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 button layout is identical to that of the XZ2, and the fingerprint sensor is located on the back, which some users note as a drawback of the device.

Screen

The smartphone has an IPS display with a 2.5 D-glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on top. The screen dimensions are 57x113 mm with a diagonal of five inches, the aspect ratio is 18:9. The screen resolution is 2160 by 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 abilities are no worse than those of a brother.

Sound

Like the "regular" version, the Compact is equipped with two stereo speakers, which allows you to enjoy surround music, and High-Resolution Audio technology works. nothing worse

Camera

The compact version is equipped with the same features.

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

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

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

Communications

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

Performance and stuffing

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 has the same specs, Adreno 630 GPU supports API OpenGL ES 3.2 and Vulcan.The compact is able to run all the same games with high performance that run on the regular version of the smartphone without any problems. The device copes well with multitasking, 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 the regular version, but this volume is quite enough, given the modest size of the device. All modes and functions are identical, but 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. The length is 158 mm, and the width is 80 mm, the thickness is 11.9 millimeters.
Users note that thanks to the resized, it has become more convenient to use the fingerprint sensor. It is located just under the phalanx of the index finger.

In general, there is not much to talk about the design, since, apart from the size, it is no different from the ZX2.

All 3 devices look good. Sony has done everything to please users with ergonomics and design. All gadgets have dust protection and moisture protection according to the 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 (16:9 aspect ratio), pixel density of 760 ppi. 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5 has an oleophobic coating.

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

All 3 phones performed well in our sunlight tests, and the high brightness makes it easy to use any of these phones indoors or out. The black here is really saturated, and the rest of the colors are bright and juicy.

Sound

The Premium has all the same features and technologies, but the front speakers have been moved to the front panel, resulting in even crisper sound quality and higher volume.

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

Camera

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

The camera has 19 megapixels (f/1.8, 25mm, 1/2.3″, 1.22m) + 12 megapixels (bw) (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).

With amazing performance, the ZX2 Premium is a great choice for photography and selfie enthusiasts. The Dual Motion Eye module is capable of capturing stunning images with the widest dynamic range.
4K video recording with HDR support allows you to make high-quality video recordings, but the lack of optical stabilization is a minus.

Sample photo:

Communication

Full characteristics of communication functions:

• GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS/HSPA+, LTE Cat. eighteen
• 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 (8-core processor, 4 x 2.7 GHz + 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 Android 8.1 operating system.

Battery

3540 mAh 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.

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

Comparison of autonomy parameters for three variations of Xperia XZ2:

Outcome

What can be said in general about the Xperia XZ2 line. 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 the gadgets remain at a high level, allowing them to stand on a par with other flagships released in 2018.

Buyers can choose between the small and handy Compact, the powerful and prestigious Premium with an improved camera, or the compromise of the regular Sony Xperia XZ2.

Not a single device from this line can be called budget. The price for a reduced version is about 50 thousand rubles, for the usual 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, the highest sound quality and high performance make the XZ2 line worthy of attention even for the most picky user.