We’re testing the “Best New Smartphone” of MWC 2017

Jul 8, 2017 13:01 GMT  ·  By

These days, pretty much every phone manufacturer is struggling to find an efficient way to get rid of bezels. Samsung did it with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and will do it again with the upcoming Note 8. Apple is doing the same thing with the iPhone 8, and LG already launched the G6 with super-narrow bezels.

So when Sony attends the MWC 2017 with a phone that features gigantic bezels AND wins the Best New Smartphone award at the conference, we’re intrigued.

How could a phone with an outdated design get so much praise? What’s so special about it and how could Sony beat all of its rivals without anyone expecting this to happen?

This is why we’ve decided to take the Xperia XZ Premium for a spin, despite all the bad press that it received lately. It’s no secret that this phone has often been criticized for its features and even users who bought it shared mixed reactions.

But let’s provide you with a little spoiler before kicking off our review: don’t trust the critics. You need to try the phone yourselves to tell if it’s good or not and in this case, you’d be surprised.

DESIGN

There’s absolutely no doubt the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of phone. While everyone struggles to kill off bezels, here’s Sony with an industrial design which not only that doesn’t get rid of bezels, but it actually makes them a key part of the phone.

The size of the bezels is outrageous for some, but those who like the phone as a whole are absolutely fascinated. The chromed finish is something that you don’t find every day, especially given that most OEMs go for standard glass, but Sony has managed to do something totally unexpected that certainly looks good. And ladies, you can use the phone as a mirror, so gone are the days when you switch on the front-facing camera to check out your makeup.

The boxy design features curved corners, and everything is wrapped in Gorilla Glass 5, which is pretty much the toughest protection you can get right now. And the best of all, it’s not slippery at all, which is surprising, to say the least.

The Xperia XZ feels super natural in hand, despite tipping the scale at 195 grams. For a 5.5-inch screen (5.46 inches to be more precise), it might seem heavy at first, but it’s not. The iPhone 7 Plus weighs 188 grams, so what makes it feel heavier is probably the metal finish and the boxy design.

Love it or hate it phone.

All parts of the phone come together quite nicely, and it’s fascinating that Sony managed to make the phone looks so good despite the gigantic areas which apparently serve no purpose. The bottom of the front fascia, for instance, only holds the front-facing speaker, but otherwise, there’s nothing in there to fill the dead space. And somehow this isn’t a bad thing.

The upper side of the phone is the home of a speaker, a subtle LED notification light, an ambient sensor, the front-facing camera, plus the headphone jack and a microphone at the top. The bottom only houses the said speaker plus the USB Type-C connector and another microphone.

On the sides, there’s a dedicated camera button (just like on the old Lumia models running Windows Phone), the power button that also holds the fingerprint scanner, plus the volume rockers. On the opposite side, there’s only the SIM and the card protection, which you can remove by hand and not with a dedicated tool. And what’s more, you can also pull the SIM tray manually, making the Sony Xperia XZ the first phone in the world where all of these do not require a SIM removal tool. And this damn phone is waterproof with an IP68 rating!

The back of the phone is the cleanest you’ve ever seen. Literally. The camera and the flash reside at the top, while the Xperia branding is subtle and placed right in the middle. It all looks marvelous and gives the phone a mirror effect that you’re going to love.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium front design
Sony Xperia XZ Premium front design

Now here’s the funny thing. The Sony Xperia XZ certainly looks gigantic, right? Well, guess what, it’s actually smaller and almost as thin as the iPhone 7 Plus at 156 x 77 x 7.9 mm (6.14 x 3.03 x 0.31 in) versus 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm (6.23 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) on Apple’s device. So before rushing to judge those bezels, just have a look at the spec sheet, and you’ll see they’re not as big as you might be tempted to think at first glance.

HARDWARE

Sony does not have the reputation of the ultimate flagship phone manufacturer, but unless you check the Xperia XZ in detail, you won’t figure out how powerful the device is. Because this time, Sony has pushed everything to the limit and you’ll found out below how it did it.

#Display

There are three words that describe the display of the Xperia XZ: mar-vel-ous. And it all begins with the resolution. This screen has a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels with 807 ppi. How is this possible? It’s because Sony used the technology that was previously available on its TVs, so what it did was to basically put the display of its most advanced Bravia TV on a smartphone. The result is without a doubt impressive.

The IPS LCD display offers the best graphics we’ve seen, with super sharp details and incredible colors. Sony has managed to beat two of its newest rivals, the S8, whose display offers 570 ppi, and the LG G6, which is closer at 565 ppi.

It obviously offers HDR, and although such technology is already available on other phones, such as the LG G6, Sony has managed to develop a mix that impresses from the second you set up the phone for the first time.

Crystal-clear display.

The Xperia XZ Premium is the first phone in the world with a 4K HDR display, and because Sony couldn’t afford to disappoint its customers, it installed technology that you won’t find elsewhere. For example, the screen sports TRILUMINOUS technology, which means that it can produce 138 percent of the color spectrum of a standard display. This translates to more vivid colors on the screen.

Sony also installed a technology called X-Reality, which further improves graphics quality when browsing photos or watching videos. It does this by reducing noise, enhancing rendered texture and sharpening outlines.

#CPU, RAM, storage

Sony’s best-of-everything strategy continues with the top CPU at this point. The Xperia XZ Premium is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 MSM8998, which is the same processor that Samsung is offering on its US flavor of the Galaxy S8 Plus. The performance of the chip is nearly the same as on the Samsung model as well: 4x2.45 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo on the Sony versus 4x2.35 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo.

The processor is paired with 4GB RAM and the Adreno 540 CPU, once again the exact same configuration as on the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus (it’s worth noting that in Korea, Samsung is offering its model with 6GB RAM).

As for storage, you get 64GB internal storage, but microSD card support is also offered should you want some extra space. You can connect up to 2 different cards: one in the dedicated slot and another one on dual-SIM models by using the SIM 2 slot. Each card supports a maximum of 256GB, so you could get up to 512GB extra storage should you need it.

This mix makes the Sony Xperia XZ Premium feel super-snappy, and the phone remains responsive all the time, with no slowdown experienced whatsoever. It does feel hot at certain times, especially when running more demanding tasks, but it cools down as fast as it gets warm.

#Camera

There’s so much technology packed into the Xperia XZ’s camera that we don’t even know where to start. First of all, let’s talk about the main camera.

Sony went for a 19-megapixel unit with 1.22 μm and 1/2.3”, whose performance was increased with a long series of systems.

For example, the camera features the so-called Predictive Hybrid Autofocus, which means that the camera keeps an eye on the action in front of the phone and tries to anticipate movement so that it can keep the subject in focus and take a shot without blur. In reality, it does this quite nicely, though it obviously doesn’t provide the same performance as a DSLR, so there’s still a certain amount of blur in the picture.

Even though it’s Premium, Sony decided to retain some tech from the Xperia XZ, including the RGB and the IR sensors, which means the camera offers pretty good focus speed and colors. But as far as focus is concerned, we’ve found the Xperia XZ Premium to be slower at certain times, though this appears to improve with every update.

The CMOS sensor with phase detection autofocus is the one that helps compensate for the low light, but just like in the case of any other camera out there, noise still lives on.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Sony Xperia XZ Premium

The performance of the camera in optimal conditions is top notch, and it matches the one of other flagships, including the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus and the iPhone 7 Plus. Colors are bright and vivid, though it’s worth mentioning that with the default display settings, they might look a little bit oversaturated, so you need to switch color profile from the settings screen.

The camera preserves natural colors and sharp details most of the time, but there are also shots that it overexposes if you try to take a quick photo. Sony does promise to offer 0.5-second quick launch and capture, but if you do it this fast, there’s a chance the device does not have the time to adjust settings properly.

Portrait shots and pictures where a blurry background is needed aren’t always the best, but the device will get 2 out of 3 shots right.

The device also features Motion Eye, a technology that was first available on Sony’s a9 full-frame mirrorless camera and which the company used to improve shooting capabilities of its flagship phone. This feature reduces distortion and dramatically cuts the processing time, and the process takes less than the blink of an eye.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Sony Xperia XZ Premium
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Video recording is stunning, and it goes without saying that 4K support is what makes it truly special. Again, everything looks gorgeous on its display, though you won’t be disappointed when playing videos on a bigger screen either.

The camera also supports a super slow motion video recording at 960 fps, and if you like this kind of videos, the results are impressive, to say the least.

And last but not least, the front-facing camera with 13 megapixels and 22mm wide-angle lens with f2.0 provides above the average performance that easily matches other flagships on the market.

Overall, Sony has managed to do an impressive job with its camera, though improvements here and there are still needed. The company looks set to continue refining its camera with frequent updates, so fingers crossed for more tweaks in the coming months.

We’re currently working on an in-depth camera review that puts the Sony Xperia XZ against some of its newest rivals, so check back soon to find out everything about what this model can do in different light conditions.

#Battery

The Sony Xperia XZ comes with a 3230 mAh battery, more than the 2900 mAh unit on the iPhone 7 Plus, but less than the 3500 mAh pack on the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus.

On average, we got approximately 30 hours per charge, which means that the Xperia XZ Premium should easily get you through the day unless you play games all day long. The device also comes with so-called Stamina and Ultra Stamina modes that are nothing more than fancy names for the typical battery saver options available on other phones. They kick in once the battery drops below 15 percent level and they optimize the device for longer autonomy.

Sony Xperia XZ is also one of the first phones featuring Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 and thanks to its USB Type-C port, it can recharge to 100 percent level in approximately 60 minutes.

And because it runs at full speed to push the phone to a full charge, Sony installed a so-called Battery Care mode that attempts to extend the life of your battery pack. It does this by reducing charging speed once the level reached 90 percent, so it’ll take longer to charge between 90 percent and 100 percent. It does this for your own good, but those who don’t care about the battery life can disable this from settings.

#Sound

First and foremost, the device comes with stereo speakers, so at first glance, it already beats the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. But Sony just couldn't stop here, so it installed several other technologies to help improve the audio experience.

The device features Sony’s DSEE HX, which is another fancy name for the digital sound enhancement engine technology, which substantially increases sampling frequencies and bit-rates. Then, there’s DNC, which is the Digital Noise Canceling system that works in conjunction with DNC headphones for super advanced noise canceling when listening to music or watching videos.

Stereo. Because it makes sense.

And because it’s stereo, the device is equipped with S-Force Front Surround, which provides a 3D sound field to create the impression of virtual surround sound.

In reality, all of the above translate to pretty good sound when watching videos or playing games, though we’d expect audio to be louder. In our tests, the best the Xperia Premium XZ achieved was 69 dB, while the iPhone 7 Plus, for instance, topped at 75 dB. Oddly enough, mono devices like the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus are actually louder than the stereo speakers of the Xperia XZ Premium.

#Other features

And the magic does not stop here. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium comes with lots of other hardware goodies, including a super-fast fingerprint sensor that’s placed on the right side of the phone and integrated into the power button.

Sony is one of the few manufacturers that go for such an approach and after trying this new model, it’s pretty clear they’re doing an amazing job. The fingerprint sensor is super-fast, and it works in almost all conditions, even with wet or oily fingers.

This is something that Apple should really check out when designing the next iPhone models, especially because Cupertino is struggling to find a new place for Touch ID and Sony shows that integrating it into the power button is a pretty smart way to go.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium power button with fingerprint scanner
Sony Xperia XZ Premium power button with fingerprint scanner

The Xperia XZ also comes with Universal Flash Storage, which means that it’s three times faster when it comes to reading memory, reaching a speed of 1.5 GB/s.

There’s also a subtle notification light in the left top corner, and you also get all kinds of cool things that we’ll discuss in the Software section.

The phone supports HD voice if your carrier allows it and it comes with Bluetooth 5.0, becoming one of the first phones to embrace this standard. It’s DLNA certified, and it features an NFC sensor as well for Android Pay.

SOFTWARE

The Xperia XZ comes with Android 7.1, so you get all the cool stuff that Google has implemented in the latest version of the operating system, plus a bunch of extras.

For example, you are allowed to configure everything from the notification light to display settings and font size (we’re recommending the small fonts settings to have more space on the screen), as well as status bar icons.

You can’t configure the layout of the navigation bar though, which would come in handy to those who’d like to replace the task view button with back, and we also missed an Always On feature such as the one on the Samsung Galaxy S8 that would keep the time, date and notifications on at all times.

Android Nougat power.

There’s also something that needs to be clarified here. The Xperia XZ Premium comes without a blue light filter in this version of Android, though it was available before. After further inspections, we discovered that the feature is still there and you can actually enable it, with three different settings, namely black, yellow, and red, but it’s quite buggy, and this is probably why Sony pulled it in the first place.

Most likely, the feature will return at a later time with a software update, and Sony deserves all the praises for being pretty active on this front. There’ve been at least two different updates since we started reviewing the phone, but it remains to be seen how the company acts in the long term.


The Good

There’s no doubt the best thing about the Xperia XZ is the phone as a whole. Sony wanted the Xperia XZ Premium to have the best of everything, and you can easily see that the firm delivered on its promise.

You get an astonishing industrial design, a wonderful display that’s inspired from Bravia TVs, a powerful Snapdragon 835 processor, awesome sound, strong signal, long-lasting battery, and pretty much everything you’d want on this phone.

The camera is excellent, to say the least, even though it wasn’t the same from the very beginning. But Sony has proved how important software updates are for a new phone, and the performance of the camera has improved a lot only thanks to these patches.

The Xperia XZ is a phone that you need to try, especially if you like the design. Despite the gigantic bezels, there’s nothing you should hate, mostly because overall, Sony’s flagship isn’t bigger than the iPhone 7 Plus, which is shockingly still being purchased by millions of people across the world, despite the outdated design.

The mix of the industrial design, the powerful hardware, and Android 7.1 make the Sony Xperia XZ Premium a stunning device that can easily compete against flagships like the iPhone 7 Plus and the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. If only Sony pushed harder in marketing…

The Bad

Leaving aside the subtle things that most people can get over quite easily, the most notable thing that can fall in the “Bad” category is the design. But it only depends on what side you’re on.

As we’ve said in the beginning, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is a love it or hate it kind of phone, so while there are people who absolutely love its masculine look, others think Sony is so far behind its rivals, as everyone’s trying to eliminate bezels these days.

But in reality, this is exactly what Sony wanted the Xperia XZ Premium to look like in the first place. Those gigantic bezels actually hide super-advanced hardware, and there’s no reason to complain about them because their clean look perfectly aligns with the rest of the device.

Aside from the bezels, we’d also say that small setbacks are the somewhat slow camera focus at random times, the lack of a blue light filter (which will certainly be addressed in a future update) and the lack of an Always On mode for the display similar to Samsung’s.

Some refinements here and there in Android would also be needed, but there’s nothing that you can’t fix with apps published in the Google Play Store.

Conclusion

Let’s put it this way: the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is an under-rated device. We’ve seen many people criticizing the phone for various things, from display to battery life and camera, but you shouldn’t trust anyone until you’ve given the phone a try.

If you like the design, there’s nothing that could stay in your way to buy this phone. It has the best hardware right now, an amazing display, and it’s super-fast, with technology that you can hardly find elsewhere.

The camera is getting better with every update, and Sony is doing a terrific job when it comes to shipping frequent updates for the device. In the ten days we spent with the device, Sony published no less than two different large updates, and both of them brought substantial improvements to the camera and the overall performance of the phone.

Honestly, we can only imagine how successful the Xperia XZ would be if Apple launched it. Sony isn’t quite a wizard when it comes to marketing, and truth be told, it’s no serial flagship manufacturer, but every time a device like this reaches the market, it deserves a chance to make itself noticed.

The Xperia XZ Premium got all the praise at MWC this year, and it’s no wonder why. Let’s just hope that Sony keeps up the good work and not only that it ships more updates in the coming months, but it also starts working on a model that deserves to be a successor to the Xperia XZ Premium. See you in 12 months!

Our Rating

looks 5
build 5
speed 4
battery 4
calls 4
camera 4
video 5
apps 5
screen 5
signal5

final rating 5

Photo Gallery (40 Images)

Sony Xperia XZ Premium
Sony Xperia XZ Premium displaySony Xperia XZ Premium
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