Sony Xperia xz. Review of Sony Xperia XZ1: the first smartphone on Android Oreo. Technical characteristics of Sony Xperia XZ

Having received the latest version of Android 8.0 Oreo OS, this smartphone in a metal case has joined the flagship line. In addition to a powerful processor, its advantages include a bright HDR display, high-quality sound, a unique Motion Eye camera with super slow-motion and predictive shooting, as well as a 3D scanning function. Vesti.Hi-tech figured out all the details of Sony Xperia XZ1

As part of the IFA 2017 exhibition, Sony announced the Xperia XZ1 smartphone and its compact version Xperia XZ1 Compact, which worked out of the box on the new version of Android 8.0 Oreo. As in the flagship, one of the main features of the new models is the Motion Eye camera with built-in buffer memory, thanks to which it is possible to shoot video in super slow motion and predictive photography.

Sony developers with enviable tenacity are implementing their vision of top-end devices, which, generally speaking, is characterized by a certain conservatism. How such a “vision” correlates with modern trends in smartphone manufacturing, let’s look at the example of the Xperia XZ1.

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: technical specifications

• Model: G8342
• OS: Android 8.0 (Oreo) with Xperia proprietary shell
• Processor: 8-core 64-bit Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 835 (MSM8998), ARMv8-A architecture, 4 Kryo 280 cores (2.45 GHz) + 4 Kryo 280 cores (1.9 GHz), Hexagon 682 DSP coprocessor
• Graphics subsystem: Adreno 540 (710 MHz)
• RAM: 2-channel 32-bit (x64), 4 GB
• Storage memory: 64 GB, UFS, microSD/HC/XC memory card support (up to 256 GB)
• Screen: 5.2 inches, HDR IPS Triluminos (1920x1080 pixels), X-Reality, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement, pixel density per inch 424 ppi, color gamut 138% sRGB, protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5
• Main camera Motion Eye: 19 MP, Exmor RS (1/2.3-inch optical size, 1.22 µm pixel), wide-angle G Lens, 25 mm EGF, f/2.0 aperture, 8x digital zoom, predictive hybrid autofocus , LED flash, super slow-motion HD video 960 fps, 4K video
• Front camera 13 MP, Exmor RS, (optical size 1/3.06 inches), wide-angle lens, EGF 22 mm, f/2.0 aperture
• Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS HSPA+, LTE Cat.16 (up to 1024/150 Mbit/s)
• Interfaces: Bluetooth 5.0 (aptX HD), Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz), Miracast, Google Cast, DLNA, NFC, USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen. 1, OTG)
• SIM card format: nanoSIM (4FF)
• First slot: nanoSIM
• Second slot: nanoSIM (Dual SIM Dual Stand-by), or microSD/HD/XC
• Sound: LDAC, DSEE HX, High-Resolution Audio, Clear Audio+, S-Force Front Surround
• Navigation: GPS/GLONASS, A-GPS
• Sensors: accelerometer, light and proximity sensors, gyroscope, compass (Hall sensor), fingerprint scanner
• Battery: non-removable, lithium-polymer, 2,700 mAh, supports Quick Charge 3.0 and adaptive Qnovo, Battery Care
• Features: dustproof and waterproof (IP65/IP68)
• Dimensions: 148x73x7.4 mm
• Weight: 156 grams
• Color: Black, Moon Blue, Warm Silver, Pink Dawn

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: design, ergonomics

The neat “building block” of the top-end Xperia smartphone is easily recognizable even from afar. Although the corporate design changes somewhat over time, its overall style remains unchanged. The Xperia XZ1 model developed the Loop Surface concept, which was also tested on the main flagship of the line -. As is known, it contains the idea of ​​a continuous surface. Only now glass and polycarbonate have been replaced with metal.

The fact is that back panel The device forms a single whole together with the side ribs, as it is made of a single sheet of aluminum alloy. The body colors for the Xperia XZ1 were chosen as follows: black, moon blue, warm silver and pink dawn (we received the device in this color for testing). Unlike a glass surface, fingerprints are practically invisible on matte metal.

The radio-transparent areas for the antennas are externally designed as elegant thin inserts on the sides (in addition, judging by the location of the antennas in the description, the ends of the case are also radio-transparent). Looks good new flagship excellent, and it fits very comfortably in the palm of your hand, one might say, confidently, which is largely facilitated by the “classic” screen size (5.2 inches) and the shape of the case with rounded edges. The Xperia XZ1 measures 148x73x7.4 mm and weighs 156 grams. The new flagship, like the , was certified to IP65/IP68 standards, which promises complete dust resistance (IP6x), protection from low-pressure water jets (IPx5) and even operation in immersed mode (IPx8). However, the manufacturer guarantees protection only from rain and washing under the tap, but for some reason prohibits completely immersing the device in water.

The entire front panel is covered with protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass 5, but contrary to the fashionable trend of an “unlimited” screen, the frames around it on the Xperia XZ1 are noticeably wide. However, they allow you to comfortably hold your smartphone in both portrait and landscape orientations without touching the screen.

In addition, the lower and upper plates house stereo speakers, one of which is used as a “talk speaker”. The Sony logo was applied just below its decorative grille. On the left are the front camera lens and LED charging/notification indicator, and on the right are proximity and light sensors.

The "triangle", "circle" and "square" icons, which occupy a place at the bottom of the screen, are associated with the control panel touch buttons ("Back", "Home" and "Recent Applications").

The hole for the “conversational” microphone and the USB Type-C connector for charging/synchronization (supports the USB 3.1 Gen. 1 interface) occupied the bottom end of the case.

But the 3.5 mm connector (CTIA) for an audio headset and the hole for the second microphone (noise reduction) predictably ended up on the top end.

According to good tradition, on the right edge, between the volume rocker and the dedicated shooting key, there is an oblong-shaped power/lock button, which has an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner built into it.

The button is located in a small niche, which does not prevent you from easily finding it by touch. It is worth noting that this is perhaps one of the most convenient fingerprint scanner locations from the point of view of unlocking a smartphone.

The left edge goes to a slot covered with a sealed lid, which, however, is easy to pry off with a fingernail. On the lid there is a tray designed for alternative installation of a second subscriber identification module (nanoSIM format) or a microSD memory card. The other tray, not connected to the lid, is intended exclusively for the first nanoSIM card. Even after accidentally opening the slot cover, the smartphone reboots.

The central part of the rear panel is decorated with the Xperia logo,

and in its upper left corner was placed the main camera lens, slightly to the right of which was a module consisting of a laser rangefinder, an infrared RGB color correction sensor, an LED flash and an NFC antenna area marked with the corresponding logo.

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: screen

There have also been no changes to the hardware parameters of the front camera. It has a 13-megapixel Exmor RS sensor (optical size 1/3.06 inches), and a wide-angle lens with 22 mm EGF boasts an f/2.0 aperture. For selfies, it is suggested to activate the “soft skin” cosmetic effect. Among additional applications Various filters ("Artistic") and augmented reality effects ("AR effect") are offered, for example.

Full HD video quality is available for both cameras, while the main photo module provides a frame rate of not only 30 fps, but also 60 fps.

But the selection of the UHD 4K (3820x2160 pixels) @ 30 fps shooting mode for the main camera from a separate application has now moved to the settings. At the same time, as an alternative to the H.264/AVC codec, you can use the more advanced one - H.265/HEVC. In a nutshell, with the same picture quality, H.265/HEVC requires only half the bitrate of H.264/AVC, which is important not only for transmission, but also for efficient storage of video content. In other words, videos in H.265/HEVC significantly save memory space.

In the "Video" mode, next to the record button there is an icon that is used to activate super slow motion (960 fps) or just slow motion (120 fps) shooting with HD quality (1280x720 pixels). You can see what a fragment of such a recording looks like, for example.

The 3D Model Maker app uses Sony's proprietary algorithm and offers four scanning modes (head, face, food and freeform).

The scanning process itself is reminiscent of creating circular panoramas (360 degrees). The resulting images can be shared and also printed on a 3D printer.

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: sound

The Xperia XZ1's stereo speakers sound flagship loud and with acceptable quality, while surround sound support is provided by the S Force Front Surround function. According to the manufacturer, it provides half the sound power of previous Xperia models. DSEE HX algorithms will help restore cut frequencies of MP3 files with low bitrates. But the ClearAudio+ option in manual mode is replaced by a 5-band equalizer with presets. In turn, the dynamic normalizer equalizes the volume of different audio tracks or video recordings. Hi-Res Audio technology provides support for lossless formats such as FLAC.

Fortunately, Xperia flagships are conservative enough to ditch the 3.5mm audio headset jack today. At the same time, the sound of wired headphones (including those with noise reduction function) is proposed to be automatically optimized. But for wireless accessories paired via Bluetooth, LDAC and aptX HD codecs are available.

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: hardware, performance

Like the older model in the line, the new product is based on the most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, made according to 10 nm design standards. Let us recall that its eight computing cores are divided into two clusters of Kryo 280 cores, with the first quartet clocked at a frequency of up to 2.45 GHz, and the second at a frequency of up to 1.9 GHz. The Adreno 540 graphics accelerator supports DirectX 12, OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0. The built-in X16 LTE modem with carrier frequency aggregation allows you to receive data at speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s (Cat. 16). In addition, the new chip includes Bluetooth modules 5.0 and Wi-Fi (including 802.11ad and 802.11ac Wave-2). The basic configuration of the Xperia XZ1 is complemented by 4 GB of RAM.

TestingSonyXperiaXZ1 . Results in the AnTuTu benchmark

TestingSony Xperia XZ1. Results in the GeekBench benchmark

TestingSony Xperia XZ1 . Visual test results EpicCitadel

Judging by the results presented above, there are simply no questions about the performance of the new flagship.

The amount of fast built-in UFS memory reaches 64 GB, while approximately 50.9 GB is available, and even less is free. You can expand the storage with a microSD/HC/XC memory card up to 256 GB, for which space is provided on the combo tray. In addition, USB-OTG technology allows you to connect regular flash drives to the device.

The new flagship in fourth generation networks operates in the LTE-FDD frequency ranges that are important for Russia - b3 (1,800 MHz), b7 (2,600 MHz) and b20 (800 MHz). Support for high-speed mobile Internet gives the Xperia XZ1 another plus, which in domestic realities is only significant for Moscow subscribers of Megafon, which recently launched a gigabit LTE network (Cat. 16). The wireless communications suite also includes Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n/ (2.4 and 5 GHz), Miracast, Google Cast, DLNA, Bluetooth 5.0 (LDAC, aptX HD) and NFC.

With the application "Moscow Transport Cards" you can read the Troika balance. In addition, the NFC interface is required for the Android Pay service.

Satellite systems, including GPS and GLONASS, can be used for positioning and navigation. Wi-Fi coordination mode is also available and cellular networks(A-GPS).

Capacity non-removable battery the Xperia XZ1 has only 2,700 mAh, which, generally speaking, is somewhat surprising. After all, there is little chance of hoping for good autonomy with such a battery. To some extent, the situation could be saved by Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging, but the corresponding adapter is not included in the standard package (must be purchased separately). Qnovo's adaptive charging technology almost doubles battery life (according to the manufacturer).

The AnTuTu Tester program rated the low energy intensity of the battery at 6,997 points. A test set of videos in MP4 format (hardware decoding) and Full HD quality at full brightness played continuously for about 6.5 hours. The result, frankly speaking, is not impressive.

Proprietary energy saving modes Stamina and Ultra Stamina serve to extend the autonomy of the new smartphone. But, of course, they cannot radically improve the situation.

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: software features

As already noted, the Xperia XZ1 runs directly out of the box. latest version operating system Android 8.0 Oreo. Its interface is replaced by the proprietary Xperia shell, which, however, is largely similar in appearance.

In addition to choosing a wallpaper and theme, in the settings you can easily change the icon grid, as well as decide on the type of transition between screens.

Thanks to the presence of a fingerprint scanner built into the power/lock button, fingerprints are convenient to use for additional protection of the smartphone (together, for example, with entering a PIN code).

As on, the new flagship received a set of pre-installed applications, including “Album”, “Video”, “Music”, “Files”, a photo slideshow maker Movie Creator, an entertainment content aggregator Xperia Lounge, etc.

Sony Xperia XZ1 review: purchase, conclusions

The flagship Xperia XZ1, while maintaining the traditional style of top-end Sony smartphones in its design, boasts a body made of a solid sheet of metal. The distinctive features of this device include high performance, a bright HDR display, a fast LTE modem, high-quality sound and stereo speakers, as well as protection of the case from water and dust. In addition, the camera with super slow-motion and predictive shooting, but which never received a mate, is now complemented by a 3D scanning function.

Contrary to modern trends, the Xperia XZ1 has fairly wide bezels around the display. Besides, in The smartphone does not come with a fast charging adapter, and when installing a second subscriber identification module, you have to sacrifice a card to expand the memory (and vice versa). However, the most significant drawback was the low autonomy of the Xperia XZ1.

At the same time, the new flagship differs from not only the size and resolution of the HDR screen, but also the price (in better side, of course). So, at the time of testing in large retail networks for Xperia XZ1 they asked 49,990 rubles (versus 54,990 rubles for). But even within this amount, Sony’s new product has many competitors. For example, for exactly the same money (49,990 rubles) they offer a “galactic” premium model, which is famous for its “limitless” screen, high-quality camera and excellent battery life. Or, for example, a smartphone with top-end “minced meat”, where a more than decent camera and sound deserve mention, which was priced 10 thousand cheaper (39,990 rubles). So it won’t be so easy to hook buyers who are not Xperia fans with the next flagship new product.

Review results of the Sony Xperia XZ1 smartphone

Pros:

• Solid sheet metal body
• Flagship Performance
• Vibrant HDR display
• Camera with super slow motion, predictive shooting and 3D scanning
• Fast LTE modem
• High quality sound and stereo speakers
• Protection of the housing from water and dust

Minuses:

• Low autonomy
• Wide display frames
• Mandatory choice between a second SIM card and memory expansion
• No fast charging adapter included

In this review of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, we will find out why a smartphone needs a 4K HDR screen, and whether such a display, as well as super slow-motion video from a unique camera and an expensive “mirror” design (glass, glass all around!) justifies the price of the device of 50 - 55,000 rubles ( for this money you can buy a Sony Xperia XZ Premium with a manufacturer’s warranty in large retail chains).

The Sony G Lens wide-angle lens with an equivalent focal length (EFL) of 25 mm has an f/2.0 aperture. The photo module also includes an LED flash and digital 5-axis image stabilization (SteadyShot). So they still decided to do without optical stabilization.

Hybrid autofocus, combining phase, contrast and laser methods, provides fast focusing in various lighting conditions. The focus tracking function will help when shooting, for example, fidgets such as small children and dogs.

The maximum image resolution for classic (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) aspect ratios is 5056x3792 pixels (19 MP) and 5504x3096 pixels (17 MP, default), respectively. Algorithms (accelerated image processing, motion recognition in the frame) BIONZ for mobile migrated to the smartphone from professional Sony cameras.

In turn, the front camera of the Xperia XZ Premium has a 13-megapixel Exmor RS sensor (optical size 1/3.06 inches). At the same time, the wide-angle lens with EGF 22 mm boasts an f/2.0 aperture. The maximum image resolution for the classic (4:3) and widescreen (16:9) aspect ratios here are 4160x3120 pixels (13 MP) and 4192x2358 pixels (10 MP), respectively. Fans of crossbow shots can use the “cosmetic” option to smooth out the skin in the photo.

Both cameras can shoot videos in Full HD quality, while the main photo module provides a frame rate of not only 30 fps, but also 60 fps. In addition, the additional application "4K Video" allows you to record video with a resolution of (3820x2160 pixels)@30 fps.

At the top of the viewfinder screen there are icons for changing the camera (main - front), going to the additional applications screen, as well as the “Video”, “Manual” (M) or “Super Auto” (default) modes. The flash, in addition to automatic, has a fill, red-eye reduction and flashlight mode. You can forcefully enable the HDR option only in manual mode, where you are asked to decide on the focus, as well as shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation levels and white balance presets. By the way, thanks to the infrared RGB color correction sensor, generally speaking, you don’t have to worry about the correct white balance, although such a possibility is provided. Among the additional applications, along with "4K Video", there are also

various filters ("Artistic")

and augmented reality effects (“AR effect”).

The volume rocker is easy to adjust to zoom in or start shooting. Long-pressing the dedicated camera control button will activate the function. quick launch application of the same name (with the ability to subsequently take photos or videos). You can see examples of photos from the main camera.

In the "Video" mode, next to the record button there is an icon that is used for super slow-motion (960 fps) shooting with HD quality (1280x720 pixels). Recording one such fragment lasts less than 0.2 seconds, which during normal playback (30 fps) stretches to 6 seconds. The next fragment of slow-motion recording can be done only after a couple of seconds, since it takes time to free the filled buffer, from where the data is sent to the main memory of the smartphone. Note that no other flagship on the market has the possibility of super slow-motion (960 fps) shooting.

This is what the video looks like with slow motion fragments:

spinner rotation

and boiling water in a kettle.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium review: sound

With sound, the new Sony flagship, as usual, is on par. Hi-Res Audio technology provides support for formats without loss of quality, and can be used to restore cut frequencies of MP3 files with low bitrates. useful function DSEE HX. The ClearAudio+ option in manual mode is replaced by a 5-band equalizer with presets. In turn, the dynamic normalizer equalizes the volume of different audio tracks or video recordings. To support surround sound through the speakers, the S Force Front Surround function is designed. By the way, in general, there are no special complaints about the built-in emitters that support stereo mode. They sound quite good, although they could be louder.

Since the 3.5 mm connector on this smartphone (unlike some “more advanced” brothers) has not gone away, the wired headphones, the sound of which, if the corresponding option is activated, is proposed to be automatically optimized. By the way, the 3.5 mm connector can accept a mini-jack with five contacts - TRRRS. Compared to conventional TRRS (microphone, common, left and right channels), the additional contact can be used for a second microphone or external power supply.

Review of Sony Xperia XZ Premium: hardware, performance

In general, there are no questions about the performance of the Xperia XZ Premium, because under its hood is hidden, made taking into account 10 nm design standards.

Eight computing cores are divided into two clusters of Kryo 280 cores, with the first quartet clocked at a frequency of up to 2.45 GHz, and the second at a frequency of up to 1.9 GHz. The Adreno 540 graphics accelerator supports DirectX 12, OpenGL ES 3.2, OpenCL 2.0. The built-in X16 LTE modem with carrier frequency aggregation allows you to receive data at speeds of up to 1 Gbit/s (Cat. 16). In addition, the new chip includes Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi modules (including 802.11ad and 802.11ac Wave-2). The basic configuration of Sony's flagship is complemented by 4 GB of RAM.

The results of the tests leave no doubt about the highest performance of the smartphone. It is possible to run the most demanding games.

The Xperia XZ Premium has 64 GB of fast flash memory (UFS 2.1). As already noted, to expand this storage with a microSD/HC/XC memory card up to 256 GB, space is provided in the combo slot. In addition, USB-OTG technology allows you to connect USB flash drives to the device.

In 4G networks new smartphone supports a fair amount frequency ranges, but, most importantly, the “three” LTE-FDD - b3 (1,800 MHz), b7 (2,600 MHz) and b20 (800 MHz). In addition, the set of wireless communications includes Wi-Fi 802.11 ac/b/g/n/ (2.4 and 5 GHz), Miracast, Google Cast, DLNA, Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC.

With the NFC interface on your smartphone, the capabilities of the Android Pay service open up. In addition, together with the Moscow Transport Maps application, it is possible to read the Troika balance.

GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellite systems can be used for positioning and navigation. Coordination mode over Wi-Fi and cellular networks (A-GPS) is also available.

The capacity of the non-removable lithium-polymer battery in the Xperia XZ Premium, compared to , has decreased slightly - from 3,430 mAh to 3,230 mAh. The flagship also uses Qnovo's adaptive charging technology, which allows you to preserve battery life when recharging, which almost doubles the battery life. Although the smartphone supports Quick Charge 3.0, it does not come with a fast charger (such as UCH12). Strange savings (1.5-2 thousand rubles) for a flagship. By the way, the USB 3.1 cable (with dedicated fast reception and transmission lines) is also not included in the standard package.

The AnTuTu Tester program assessed the result achieved on the battery test at 6,978 points. A test set of videos in MP4 format (hardware decoding) and Full HD quality at full brightness played continuously for about 5 hours.

To extend battery life, use proprietary energy saving modes Stamina and Ultra Stamina.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium review: software features

The Xperia XZ Premium smartphone runs on the Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) operating system with the proprietary Xperia shell. In its interface design, much has been preserved from the stock OS, including the quick settings panel, which has also not undergone significant changes. By the way, the screen with applications recommended for installation can be opened by swiping down from the center of the screen.

The fingerprint scanner built into the power/lock key is designed for additional protection of the smartphone, which can be used together, for example, with a PIN code after a reboot.

Along with the standard set of programs from Google, the smartphone comes pre-installed with proprietary applications from Sony, including “Album”, “Video”, “Music”, a photo slide show maker Movie Creator, an entertainment content aggregator Xperia Lounge, etc.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium review: purchase, conclusions

New Sony flagship Xperia XZ Premium seems to have incorporated the best technologies that the company had mastered at the time of its creation. The signature “mirror” appearance of this device immediately catches your eye, the body of which is protected from water and dust. Among the software and hardware "chips", including most powerful processor, fast LTE modem and audio processing, most notably the innovative 4K HDR display and super slow motion capabilities.

Not deprived Xperia XZ Premium and shortcomings, among which the fragile glass body and wide frames on the sides of the display may not seem too significant. It was not possible to avoid the mandatory choice between a second SIM card and memory expansion in the new smartphone. Along with the lack of a fast charging adapter in the kit, the low autonomy when watching videos was also disappointing .

Playing in the top league of smartphones, the Xperia XZ Premium will certainly have to compete with flagship devices from other manufacturers. However, the main rival with which it will most often be compared is, of course, the Samsung Galaxy S8. In addition, at the time of testing, in large retail chains, both of these devices were priced the same - at 54,990 rubles. However, the choice between them will most likely come down to taste preferences, taking into account the specific brand. So, for example, some will find the appearance of a curved frameless WQHD+ display more interesting, but for others, 4K resolution for HDR content is more important. Although the main camera of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is still, subjectively, better, it does not have a super slow motion function, etc.

Review results of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone:

Pros:

• Premium "mirror" appearance
• Very high performance
• Vibrant 4K HDR display
• Possibility of super slow-motion video shooting
• Fast LTE modem
• Stereo sound through speakers
• Water and dust protection

Minuses:

• Stainless glass case
• Low battery life when watching videos
• No fast charging adapter included
• Mandatory choice between a second SIM card and memory expansion
• Wide frames on the sides of the display

The new design of the Xperia XZ looks controversial. All this is not much different from what has already been in the Z line. And most importantly: the metal on the back panel feels like ordinary plastic. Our small focus group of ten people confirmed this.

Sony is trying its best to convince us that the XZ is not a boring plastic rectangle, but a new design concept. In my opinion, the gadget does not look like a flagship.

Alexey Vedernikov

Editor of the “Smartphones” section of the website

But it turned out to be comfortable to hold the Xperia XZ in your hands: the edges slide a little, but are grippy. The smooth top and bottom edges fit perfectly into the palm when the phone is used in landscape orientation - while playing games or watching videos.

But the volume keys are located inconveniently. They are not above, but below the power button. Reaching for them with your thumb is a test for the most patient and dexterous.

The Japanese have built a fingerprint scanner into the power key on the right side. It is slightly recessed into the body and is easy to touch. The recognition speed is fast, the accuracy is also excellent, the finger can be applied at any angle.

The SIM tray can be removed without the help of a paperclip, simply by picking it up with your fingernail. This is good. But at the same time, the smartphone will immediately reboot. This is bad.

The smartphone is convenient, the fingerprint scanner is fast, but the volume buttons are located extremely poorly.

There is protection against water according to the IP68 standard. The smartphone can be submerged to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. But it’s not necessary: ​​if water flows inside, the case will not be considered under warranty. Samsung and Apple do the same, and rightly so: additional protection is good, but the phone should not be confused with a bathyscaphe.

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Sony Xperia XZ is a very powerful smartphone: it effortlessly swallows any applications and games. However, from Snapdragon processor 820 in combination with 3 GB of RAM, no one expected anything else. But the heating of the rear panel after 20-30 minutes of mobile games was an unpleasant surprise.

The stereo speakers in the Xperia XZ are fire! They are very loud, and the sound even pretends to have some volume and does not wheeze if you turn it up to maximum. The grilles are located on the front panel; you can only close them with your hands on purpose. In headphones, the audio quality is only pleasing: although the XZ does not have a separate amplifier, the music sounds more than decent.

The speaker is also loud, calls and alarms at maximum are very invigorating. The microphones are good - the interlocutors did not complain about voice transmission even in noisy places.

Sony Xperia XZ performance compared to today's most powerful flagships. The higher the number, the better.

Sony Xperia XZ is a very powerful device with pleasant sound: both with and without headphones.

With the screen, everything is not as smooth as we would like. On the one hand, it’s great that the Japanese are not chasing Quad HD resolution, but limit themselves to reasonable Full HD. For 5.2 inches this is enough, especially since the difference in details is almost invisible and the battery is not burned out so much. It’s cool that the brightness of the Xperia XZ display is one of the highest in its class, and the picture on the screen is visible even under the scorching sun.

But color rendition is far from ideal: on a smartphone screen there are some shades, but on a calibrated monitor they are completely different. This is due to a clear bias towards the blue spectrum. However, there is a function here that allows you to correct the shortcoming manually: the color balance of the screen can be easily changed in the menu.

I personally like the picture on the AMOLED matrices of the Samsung Galaxy and Nexus 6P better, but they also have their own characteristics. For example, excessive saturation of colors. But the black color is beautiful and the AMOLED “eats” less energy than the IPS in Sony.

The screen is good, but not perfect. Like for brightness, viewing angles and Full HD resolution. Dislike for color rendition.

Everything is sad with the cameras in Sony's flagships. Ever since the Japanese decided that a resolution of more than 20 megapixels was incredibly cool. Not really. And don’t believe store consultants who say that.

If you look at a 23-megapixel photo from the Xperia XZ in its original size, it’s easy to see how the picture literally crumbles into small grains. It's noise. It is in every frame, and it doesn’t matter when it was taken - during the day “in greenhouse conditions” or at night.

Due to the huge resolution, photos are saved for a very long time - almost a second, so immediately forget about the speed of the camera at maximum quality. And when viewing, each frame in the gallery is also loaded in two stages: first, a blurry preview, which only after a few seconds becomes sharp.

A resolution of 23 megapixels is overkill. This leads to a lot of problems: noise is visible in all photos, pictures are saved for a long time and are slowly loaded in the gallery.

Why does Sony continue to use 23 megapixel matrices when much better Galaxy S7 and iPhone 7 photographers have only 12 of them? I directly asked this question to Japanese top managers at IFA 2016. There was no answer. At all. Company representatives only suggested switching to shooting mode in 8-megapixel resolution, but there is little point in this. And why then the remaining 15 megapixels?

We continue the list of problems. The Xperia XZ lens has a very wide viewing angle - this helps to shoot landscapes and create pleasant panoramas. However, the edges of the picture are always blurry. And this makes it difficult to take macro photographs: it is impossible to bring the camera really close to the subject - it simply cannot focus.

Well, and the most important thing for the mass user: simplicity. She's gone. A 50,000-ruble flagship should take good shots on its own in “point and shoot” mode. Apple and Samsung can do this, Huawei and LG are close to it. Sony either overexposes the scene or makes it dark - you always have to tighten things up manually in the far from most convenient manual mode.

You can’t just pick it up, press a button and get a good shot on the Xperia XZ. The automation regularly makes mistakes; the settings have to be adjusted manually.

But there are also advantages - excellent stabilization, pleasant colors and good selfies during the day. With a lack of lighting, a high resolution (13 megapixels) begins to play the same cruel joke on self-portraits: noise appears, the picture seems to crumble into pixels. And for some reason it becomes blurry.

I really liked Sony's approach to smartphone charging. The adapter not only supplies the Xperia XZ battery with high voltage, but gently charges it to 90% in 2 hours. Then the remaining 10% is reached in 40 minutes. Yes, it’s not an hour from 0 to 100% like the LG G5, but the speed is still high, and most importantly, the battery will last longer.

If you use the smartphone regularly throughout the day (a few games, calls, emails, a lot of instant messengers and web surfing), then a full charge will last for 10-12 hours, of which the screen will be active for 3.5 hours.

The gadget can play Full HD video at maximum brightness for 6 hours; if you jump on cars in the Subway Surfers arcade without stopping, the Xperia XZ will run out of power in 4 hours and 40 minutes. Average result.

Operating time of Sony Zperia XZ in video and gaming mode in comparison with standards and other flagships. The result is given in minutes.

The battery lasts for 10-12 hours, charging time from 0 to 90% is 2 hours. Not a record, but fast. But the battery will last longer.

Opinion site

The Sony Xperia XZ has a lot of good things (see list of pros below), but there are two serious caveats. My complaints about the design can easily be called a matter of taste, but you can’t argue with the facts about the camera: it really takes pictures so-so. And this is perhaps the most important attribute of a flagship.

Samsung Galaxy S7 for the same 50,000 rubles offers much more advantages: from the best camera in the class, to a more durable battery and an AMOLED screen. If Koreans really paid me for these words (as many readers suggest in the comments), then I would have moved to San Francisco a long time ago.

By the way, there is a worthy alternative and cheaper - Huawei P9 for 40,000 rubles. Or its enlarged version P9 Plus for 50,000. Well, there’s no difference from the Xperia X Performance. Why release identical flagships every six months is the same unanswered mystery as the story with 23-megapixel matrices.

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Pros:

• Water protection IP68
• Decent selfie camera
• High performance
• Loud stereo speakers
• Pleasant sound in headphones
• Comfortable to hold
• Charge up to 90% in 2 hours

Minuses:

• Boring design
• Not best quality premium shooting
• Inconvenient volume buttons

Sony quite often updates its range of smartphones, so some models can be tested before the presentation of the new generation. This is what happened with the XZ2. But what we tested was not a simple XZ2, but one running absolutely pure Android P (Beta).

Specifications

Display size and type	5.7 inches, LCD (IPS), 1080*2160(FullHD+)
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 8 cores (4*2.8 GHz+4*1.8 GHz)
Graphics accelerator	Adreno 630
Built-in memory, GB	64 (46.91 GB available to user)
RAM, GB	6
Memory expansion	microSD (up to 400 GB)
Number of SIM cards	2
2G communication standards	GSM GPRS/EDGE
3G communication standards	UMTS HSPA+
4G communication standards	LTE Cat18 with data transfer rates up to 1.2 Gbps
WiFi	Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n/ac, 2.4/5 GHz
Bluetooth	v5.0
NFC	Eat
IrDA	No
USB connector	USB Type-C (USB 3.1 Gen1)
Audio jack	USB Type-C to TRRS adapter (mini-jack 3.5 mm)
FM radio	No
Fingerprint's scanner	Eat
Navigation	A-GPS, A-Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, QZSS
Built-in sensors	Accelerometer, proximity/light sensor, gyroscope, Hall sensor
Rear camera	19 MP, f/2.0
Front-camera	5 MP, f/2.2
operating system	Android 9.0
Protection class	IP65/68
Battery	3180 mAh
Dimensions, mm	153*72*11,1
Weight, gram	198

Appearance

For several years, when developing smartphones, Sony actively used the proprietary “Looped Surface” design. Many users were hostile to this design due to its sharp corners and large dimensions, but there was also an army of adherents who appreciated the “Loop Surface” for its individuality among the many “remnants”. But it seems that the manufacturer gave up, and starting from the beginning of 2018, Xperia smartphones began to slowly become rounder, and the XZ2 is still not much different from the majority modern smartphones. Of course, there are some design features, but there is no striking difference from the rest of the mass.

In addition, with the new design came new problems. The first is the convex back. On the one hand, this is a plus, because the smartphone fits more comfortably in the hand. But there is also a downside to the coin - the curved back does not allow you to work with a smartphone installed on a flat surface, for example, a table top. Due to the small area of ​​contact between the back and the mounting surface, the smartphone constantly strives to rotate when you touch the screen, and this breakdancing gets boring pretty quickly. The second drawback is also associated with the rear panel, or rather its glossy surface, which very quickly becomes covered with small scratches and abrasions. There is also a note about the location of the fingerprint reading sensor, which is installed almost in the center of the back, which is why when the smartphone is usually placed in the hand, the camera, and not the fingerprint sensor, falls under the index finger.

In front above the screen there is a proximity and light sensor, a front camera, an LED activity indicator, and an earpiece. A narrow decorative grille for the system speaker is visible under the screen.

From the rear you can see the usual block of additional camera sensors for Sony flagship smartphones, an LED flash, a camera, and a fingerprint reading sensor.

The left side surface is empty. On the right side there are volume control keys, lock keys, as well as a dedicated photo key, which has long been a feature of Xperia smartphones.

At the top end there is a microphone and a tray for installing a pair of SIM cards in nanoSIM format, one of which can be replaced with microSD format media. At the bottom there is a second microphone and a USB Type-C connector. There is no headphone output, as in the case of the mini version.

Software

A smartphone with pre-installed Android P was provided for testing, and it was absolutely clean. The provided version did not even provide a proprietary camera control shell, so during testing it was used standard program Android. Of course, this is only a Beta version of the OS, because the release of the “nine” is scheduled for August 20, 2018.

Display

The tested smartphone is equipped with a 5.7-inch matrix with FHD+ resolution (1080*2160). The display frames, unfortunately, are relatively thick. The oleophobic coating is of high quality, so fingerprints are not particularly noticeable. The display brightness turned out to be even slightly higher than that of its predecessor - 538.58 cd/m2 versus 524.24 cd/m2. The black brightness is 0.46 cd/m2, which is less than that of. Accordingly, the contrast is slightly higher – 1171:1 versus 920:1. However, visually this difference is quite difficult to notice.

The display settings of smartphone samples with a full set of proprietary software provide three display modes – “Ultimate brightness”, “Standard”, and “Professional”. In addition, it is possible to separately regulate RGB channels. But in our case, pure Android is used and there are no additional display operating modes, so further measurement results should be taken solely as informational information, because software add-ons for display modes often affect not only color rendition, but also color temperature, as well as color gamut.

With pure Android, the Delta E deviation on the gray wedge is quite impressive - up to 24.0, and on primary colors (RGBCMY) - up to 5.7. Besides, Colorful temperature is quite overestimated, and the blue component predominates in the color balance. The color gamut is much wider than the standard sRGB color space and almost completely covers it.

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Sound

Camera

The tested smartphone is equipped with the same set of cameras as its mini version. A 5 MP front camera with an f/2.2 lens aperture and a 19 MP main camera (Sony IMX400) with an f/2.0 aperture. There is traditionally no optical stabilization. Unfortunately, during testing we had to be content with the camera control software standard for the Android OS, which does not allow us to experience all the features of the smartphone. Or rather, the main feature is the recording of slo-mo videos at a flow rate of 960 frames/s. However, this function in Sony smartphones is no longer new, and was considered more than once during testing of other company smartphones.

The LED built into the rear side in video light mode provides illumination of about 4 lux, which is extremely low. However, in flash mode, the illumination at a distance of 1 meter from the smartphone is 21.4 lux. The result is extremely close to what the models showed. All of these smartphones probably use the same backlight LEDs.

Sample pictures

Macro photography

Shooting in low light

Daylight	Artificial lighting, 30 lux

Video recording

Unfortunately, due to the use of a clean OS, when shooting video, as well as when taking photos, I had to use the camera control software preinstalled in Android, so I couldn’t test the HDR video recording mode, as well as the slo-mo video recording mode. But to get an idea of ​​the quality of videos in these modes, you can familiarize yourself with examples of videos obtained using, which has the same camera and software as the hero of the material. Pre-installed software on pure Android allows you to record videos only with the maximum resolution, that is, 4K UHD.

Autonomous operation

The tested smartphone is equipped with a 3180 mAh battery, while its predecessor was content with a 2700 mAh battery. In addition, the current generation XZ has a processor made using a thinner technical process, which also has a positive effect on battery life. In reading mode, the smartphone lasted an impressive 1295 minutes, in FullHD video viewing mode – 945 minutes. In the game RealRacing 3, a full battery charge lasted for 240 minutes. With the included charger supporting QuickCharge 3, the battery is recharged to 85% in exactly 1 hour, and to 100% in 99 minutes. It is worth noting that the Snapdragon 845 SoC used supports Quick Charge 4+ fast charging technology, but for some reason Sony decided not to implement this function.

Conclusion

Pure Android P OS, even in Beta? allowed us to get the most out of the Snapdragon 845 SoC. For example, in Antutu 7, the tested smartphone scored a record 292,334 points. That is, at the time of publication of this Sony Xperia XZ2 review on Android based P became the fastest smartphone in the Antutu.com ranking! But, unfortunately, the lack of proprietary software did not allow us to test features such as video shooting at a speed of 960 frames/s. As for the smartphone itself, it has a fairly impressive list of advantages, as well as a rather large list of disadvantages. The battery life and sound quality, both on the speakers and on the analog audio output (adapter), deserve special attention. Among the most significant shortcomings, it is worth noting the extremely easily soiled and scratch-sensitive back cover, as well as the poor location for installing the fingerprint reading sensor.

minuses:
- easily soiled lid;
- susceptible to scratches and abrasions back cover;
— poor placement of the fingerprint reading sensor (subjective);
— no mini-jack connector (subjective);
— high color temperature of the display.
Pros:
— housing protection according to IP65/IP68 standard;
— productivity;
— bright display;
— high contrast display;
— large color gamut of the display;
- sound quality of speakers;
— speaker volume level;
— sound quality on the analog audio output (on the USB Type-C to mini-jack adapter);
— FullHD video recording function at 960 fps;
- battery life.

Sony Xperia XZ is a new smartphone from the Japanese company, taking over the flagship title from the X Performance model. Everyone's favorite letter Z, which previously denoted top-end devices, has resurfaced, but as an addition to the new letter “X,” which denotes the general line of smartphones. In accordance with the title, the new product received all the latest developments to date, which the Japanese could only cram into their flagship. At first glance, changes in design are visible, as well as new hardware solutions in the field of photo capabilities. But whether the innovations will become revolutionary, at least within the manufacturer’s model range, we will find out already in the process of closer acquaintance with Sony Xperia X3 (the Russian-language interpretation of the name adds a touch of mystery, doesn’t it :)).

DesignXperiaXZ

Sony continues to adhere to what turned out to be a strategically correct design concept based on “smoothness and symmetry” and new Xperia XZ is also made in a similar concept, inheriting the main goal, but visually perceived in a completely different way! The company's designers called it Loop Surface. The smartphone has a similar design solution. The lower and upper side frames are absolutely flat, while the front part, thanks to the rounding, smoothly flows into the side surface, which similarly flows to the back cover... and so on in a circle. In addition, thanks to the metal body, the tactile feel of the smartphone is quite interesting and, oddly enough, comfortable; thanks to the small chamfers, the corners formed in the lower part do not dig into the hand.

The design turned out to be strict and stylish, but at the same time quite ambiguous - in 100% of cases it evokes emotions: some people are completely delighted, while others have the opposite; No one was observed to be completely indifferent to appearance. The screen is covered with 2.5D glass (plus ergonomics and visual perception) and the back cover is made of metal using ALKALEIDO technology - a special processing of the material that gives depth to color and creates interesting tactile sensations (this is how a company representative described it).

The case dimensions are 146 x 72 x 8.1 (161 grams), which is not far from the usual dimensions of previous flagships. The color options for the case emphasize the style of the model: Forest Blue (dark blue), Mineral Black (black) and Platinum (fine platinum). It is worth noting that the housing is protected from water according to the IP65/68 standard. It’s a pity that the Xperia engraving was not placed on the side edge, as was the case with the Z5 series - in our opinion, it would have looked very cool.

Technical parameters and capabilitiesSonyXperiaXZ (F8331/F8332)

Knowing technical specifications new product, I can’t help but want to call it Xperia ZX, having mixed up the letters in the name - after all, this is a real flagship, and we still couldn’t completely get over the previous naming of the top line.

The IPS screen with the usual 5.2-inch diagonal with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels with a density of 424 ppi has a high brightness of 600 nits. Not without the use of proprietary technologies such as X-Reality and TRILUMINOS. Despite all the familiarity of the parameters, the screen has become visually better than its predecessors - the depth of black has increased significantly, the image is bright and rich, although the colors are somewhat embellished.

We immediately note the presence of a waterproof USB Type-C port on the bottom edge of the smartphone. The basis of the hardware is the Snapdragon 820 chipset with a 2.2 GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 530 video and 3 GB of RAM. As for the internal storage, there will be 2 options: a version of the Xperia XZ smartphone with 32 GB and one SIM card and a slot for memory cards up to 256 GB, or a version of the Xperia XZ Dual with 64 GB and a hybrid slot that allows choice of using one SIM + microSD memory card or two SIM cards.

According to the manufacturer, a 2900 mAh battery can easily provide a full working day in more active mode and up to two days in average use. To save the battery, Qnovo Adaptive Charging and Battery Care technologies are used, and STAMINA and UltraSTAMINA will save charge. The fingerprint scanner, which is built into the power button - the company's feature - has not gone away either. The presence of a special adapter will allow you to use the fast charging function, cutting its process in half.

Main parameters:

Naturally, the smartphone has the entire list of support for modern wireless technologies and other parameters, which makes no sense to describe here, because you can familiarize yourself with them here:

Smartphone cameras - interaction of three sensors

As one of the main players in the market for the production of camera sensors for mobile devices, as well as one of the leading manufacturers of photographic equipment, Sony simply could not help but surprise us with some innovation in this area from the Sony Xperia XZ. According to company representatives, this is the first time such a set has been used in one smartphone. technical solutions image processing! Next to the camera eye there is (perhaps not entirely organic in terms of aesthetics) a small panel containing the usual flash and two more new sensors.

The first in this trio is the 23-megapixel camera module itself with a 1/2.3” Sony IMX300 sensor (Exmor RS matrix), 6 G Lens lenses with f/2.0 aperture and a BIONZ processing processor. It also has predictive AF subject tracking and fast focusing.

The next technical innovation is laser autofocus, which allows you to track the distance to the subject and focus even more effectively in low-light conditions, and even more significantly speed up focusing in normal mode.

Well, the third technology was the RGBc-infrared sensor, which neutralizes the influence of infrared waves, thereby setting the white balance as accurately as possible and making the colors in the photo as realistic as possible. Image stabilization is provided by the SteadyShot™ mode with Intelligent Active Mode operating on five axes (!) - it functions excellently and has already proven its effectiveness in its predecessors.

Of course, to ensure that all this worked as it should, specialists from the Sony Alpfa photo division were brought in. But as we know software post-processing plays an important role in the quality of the final images. Later we will evaluate the quality of the pictures and recorded video, when we get to know the smartphone.

Well, we couldn’t do without improving the camera application, or rather, refining it and introducing new functions. Manual mode became similar to manual - finally it became possible to adjust not only the white balance, but also the shutter speed (from 1/8 to 1/4000 s), the degree of focus, and exposure. The long-awaited tap exposure function has also appeared, but without the possibility of additional adjustment.

The front camera also corresponds to its status. A 13-megapixel 1/3.06” Exmor RS camera with a wide-angle 22 mm lens with F2.0 aperture and automatic focusing will allow you to take detailed photographs of yourself in the company of family and friends.

Video introduction to Xperia XZ

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