Sony Xperia XZ evaluation: Return of the flagship

Sony’s late-2016 flagship is the telephone it wanted six months in the past, with a few of the most essential upgrades in years for an Xperia telephone. However is it sufficient?

The extra issues change, the extra they keep the identical. With the apparently sunsetting of the Xperia Z line and the transfer to Xperia X, Sony appeared to have misplaced curiosity within the conventional spec-chasing high-end smartphone recreation. But right here we’re lower than half a yr later with a brand new Sony flagship: The Xperia XZ.

The naming conference speaks to the character of the telephone: A continuation of the X collection spearheaded earlier this yr with the Xperia X and X Efficiency, however with hints of the previous Xperia Z model: A much bigger display, a extra capacious battery, and a few critically necessary digital camera upgrades — together with, for the primary time in a Sony telephone, hardware stabilization.

That is the telephone Sony wanted half a yr in the past — and arguably a tool which is extra of an entire by means of than the overpriced, underwhelming X Efficiency. However the competitors within the high-end area hasn’t died down because the spring, and the ZX will face an analogous band of challengers as its fast predecessor.

So how does probably the most fascinating Sony telephone in two years measure up? Learn on to seek out out.

The fast take

The Sony Xperia XZ is a return to type for the producer, with a a lot improved digital camera, a extra fascinating chassis design and strong efficiency in different areas. However some nagging points stay, resembling the overall dullness of Sony’s hardware, and the inexplicable lack of fingerprint safety within the U.S. fashions. And though the digital camera is a lot higher than some other Sony telephone, it isn’t as reliable as Samsung’s newest.

About this assessment

We’re publishing this evaluation after 4 days with a pre-production U.S.-spec Sony Xperia XZ (mannequin F8331) in Berlin, Germany on the Telekom.de community. Our evaluation unit was utilizing software program model 39.zero.A.1.205, based mostly on Android 6.zero.1 Marshmallow with the 1 July 2016 Android safety patch.

Sony Xperia XZ Video Assessment

Understated

Sony Xperia XZ Hardware

As we have come to anticipate from Sony, the Xperia XZ is an enormous rectangular slab of a telephone. However in contrast to some earlier Sony fashions, the design stability is skewed extra in favor of ergonomics within the XZ. The consolation issue stems from the truth that it is composed, just like the Xperia X, of a polycarbonate trim and metallic again panel. This time the metallic and plastic combo is dealt with in a different way — the plastic curves across the body of the system, whereas the polished metallic panel sits across the again, with delicate curves on its edges.

Along with the slight taper of the sides of the entrance glass, this provides the Xperia XZ a lovely symmetry. Nevertheless there isn’t any avoiding that the primary contact factors are with plastic, not metallic. And that plastic body makes it really feel considerably much less premium than final yr’s Z5, with its aluminum border. In design phrases, it feels a bit like one step ahead, two steps again — a choice made maybe for financial, not aesthetic causes.

The outer trim homes a well-known assortment of buttons — energy, quantity and a devoted digital camera key all alongside the best edge. In america you will miss out on the fingerprint safety that is been a regular function in different elements of the world for the previous couple of generations of Sony telephones, which is unlucky. As with the Xperia X, the facility button on the XZ is only a plain previous button, and that is an enormous omission for what’s purported to be a flagship smartphone. (Once more, economics appear to be conspiring towards the consumer.)

The highest and backside edges are utterly flat, with a USB Sort-C slot down under and three.5mm headphone jack up prime. Normal stuff — nevertheless Sony’s now benefiting from Qualcomm QuickCharge three.zero for quicker refills, which is a welcome addition.

This can be a massive telephone in all instructions, with hefty prime and backside bezels, together with a comparatively girthy thickness of Eight.1mm. And that contributes to a barely frumpy look in comparison with the likes of the Galaxy Observe 7 — notably given its comparatively small 5.2-inch display measurement. This is not an unsightly telephone per se, however it’s onerous to enthuse over what’s a comparatively bland design, save for one or two visible thrives. It is strong, not thrilling.

We will not complain concerning the high quality of the show although. It is an LCD panel with Sony’s “TRILUMINOS” branding, and buzzwords apart we have discovered it to be as clear and vibrant as any show in an Android telephone, even beneath direct daylight. Nor have we observed any extreme distortion at large viewing angles.

Prime-notch internals inside a comparatively bland shell.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 (and others) have the XZ crushed on sheer pixel density, however in each different space it is a top-notch display. And it is backed up by Sony’s picture enhancement software program, together with X-Actuality for enhancing distinction and sharpness in pictures and video.

As we have all the time stated, 1080p at this display measurement is completely wonderful, and I did not discover myself lacking the additional density of Samsung’s newest shows.

On the audio aspect, Sony continues its use of front-facing stereo audio system that do an honest job of placing out loads of quantity, however lack the bass of rivals like HTC. Fortunately the telephone has loads of audio tips up its sleeve in different areas, with the power to upsample compressed music to high-res high quality when utilizing wired headphones.

Internally, the XZ packs in commonplace high-end Android internals — a Snapdragon 820 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB inner storage. And powering the entire meeting is a 2,900mAh inner battery — a welcome improve from the two,620mAh of the Xperia X. We’ll talk about battery longevity later on this evaluate, however the telephone all the time carried out admirably — the one efficiency lag we observed was in the course of the preliminary setup, the place the telephone was updating apps over an LTE connection. And gaming efficiency impressed too, with the Adreno 530 dealing with 1080p gaming with ease.

An enormous improve for Sony’s cameras — together with, for the primary time, hardware stabilization.

The internals could also be principally the identical, however Sony’s digital camera hardware has undergone some vital upgrades. For the primary time, the rear digital camera sports activities hardware stabilization — a 5-axis stabilization answer that Sony says has not but been provided to companions — backed up by laser autofocus and a brand new shade spectrum sensor across the again. The sensor itself is a 23-megapixel Exmor RS unit, just like the Xperia X, providing an identical stability of effective element in daylight scenes. The brand new stabilization capabilities permit the ZX to boast improved low-light efficiency although — one thing we’ll discover in additional element later on this assessment.

The Xperia XZ can also be one of many few telephones capable of boast water resistance — one thing Sony has an extended historical past with, however a attribute solely it and Samsung are presently providing. It is a a lot wanted differentiator for the corporate, and one thing which provides added peace of thoughts when utilizing the telephone round a pool or in heavy rain.

Sony has all of the specs, some distinctive digital camera hardware, and a lot of the audio and video bells and whistles… and but the corporate appears to be treading water with regards to design. As such, it is troublesome to see how anybody however die-hard Sony followers might be getting excited concerning the the feel and appear of the Xperia ZX. Calling it boring appears harsh, however that is the place we’re within the smartphone market of 2016.

Sony + Marshmallow

Sony Xperia ZX Software program

Over the previous yr Sony has toned down its customization of Android significantly, specializing in differentiated apps and providers, whereas leaving the core of Google’s Material Design interface alone. That development continues into the corporate’s latest handsets; the XZ’s software program is essentially a mirror picture of the Xperia X.

The primary aesthetic thrives focus on Sony’s stylized lock display and launcher, in addition to a handful of the corporate’s personal apps, just like the Materials-style climate app.

For the primary time, Sony’s launcher can incorporate a Google Now panel.

A primary outdoors of the Google Now Launcher — a minimum of formally — Sony’s residence display setup is ready to deliver Google Now into the combination by means of its personal vertical-scrolling pane on the leftmost residence display panel. That is a useful addition that allows you to persist with Sony’s house display setup when you favor the higher customization and app ideas it supplies, whereas additionally preserving Google’s predictive capabilities at your fingertips.

Elsewhere, it is all about smaller tweaks to a largely vanilla Android expertise: Issues like customized fast settings buttons, a Sony launcher with instructed apps and really helpful downloads, and Google’s Doze mode augmented by Sony’s confirmed “Stamina” mode, which cuts again on background knowledge and CPU efficiency to increase battery life.

Apart from the standard stuff — issues just like the Sony Album and Music apps — there is a new Information Reader software that may get just a little notification-happy, and Sony’s “What’s New” app for retaining on prime of latest apps and different content material. All of those hyperlink into Sony’s broader ecosystem, however the integration between the preloaded apps and Sony’s providers is dealt with in a approach that is not a distraction for those who choose to not use them.

Sony’s software program is light-weight, quick and approachable.

So the day-to-day expertise of utilizing a Sony telephone hasn’t actually modified from the Xperia X again in Might.

The one new options we have been capable of monitor down reside within the Settings app — the brand new Sensible Cleaner recreates the telephone “optimization” options of rivals like Samsung and HTC, serving to you filter out previous information and optimize reminiscence for incessantly used apps. In our first week with the telephone there’s not an excessive amount of cludge collected within the inner storage simply but, however this can be a function which will turn into extra helpful over time.

And for complete newbies, the Xperia Ideas part present interactive walkthroughs that will help you rise up and operating.

In order that’s Sony’s software program in a nutshell: light-weight, quick, and approachable.

Different software program bits:

• Sony seems to have sped up a few of Android’s built-in animations, just like the deck of playing cards within the current apps switcher. The result’s a software program expertise that feels faster in locations.
• There is a comparatively small quantity of preloaded bloatware on the U.S. unlocked Xperia XZ, the primary offenders being Amazon and AVG Antivirus.
• The location of Sony’s “Clear All” apps button is horrible, and it is means too straightforward to hit if you’re tapping the Current apps key.

Higher, however not greatest

Sony Xperia XZ Digital camera

Cameras have been an enormous a part of Sony’s smartphones for so long as it has been making them. However the producer has uncared for to catch onto a few of the newer tendencies like optical stabilization and laser autofocus — applied sciences which have performed an necessary half in a number of the greatest telephone cameras of this era.

No extra. Lastly, Sony has a smartphone with hardware stabilization — actually, a brand new 5-axis stabilization tech adopted from the corporate’s HandyCam camcorders. That is backed up by a colour spectrum sensor, LED flash and laser autofocus to finish the smartphone digital camera trifecta.

Sony continues to make use of a 23-megapixel Exmor RS sensor behind an f/2.zero lens, and by default the XZ downsamples to an Eight-megapixel picture. Meaning you’ve got acquired loads of wiggle room for zooming in whereas nonetheless retaining high-quality element. Throughout our time with the Xperia XZ, we alternated between Eight- and 23-megapixel modes, earlier than ultimately deciding on capturing on the most decision.

Hardware stabilization brings massive enhancements in indoor and low-light recording.

The much-needed transfer to hardware stabilization brings some critical enhancements to Sony’s newest digital camera — particularly in indoor and low-light circumstances. For probably the most half, this can be a reliable “all-around” digital camera that may produce handsome photographs in nearly all conditions. When Superior Auto mode will get issues proper — and it fairly often does — it’s going to choose the right scene mode for you, and the end result shall be a genuinely spectacular picture. (Permitting for lighting, movement and your personal talent, in fact.)

However there are caveats hooked up. To start with, it is simpler than we might wish to seize blurry photographs in darker circumstances, and unusually Sony’s stabilization system appears somewhat extra prone handy movement than the likes of Samsung and LG. Sometimes that new colour spectrum sensor dramatically misfires, giving outside scenes an unnatural blue or inexperienced hue. And the identical software program confusion can journey up Superior Auto.

The opposite asterisk has to do with the 23-megapixel measurement, and the quantity of sharpening happening whenever you zoom in. Should you’re taking photographs on the full sensor measurement, be ready for positive particulars to be mired in noise whenever you zoom in, and for there to be loads of over-sharpening happening, to the purpose the place photographs lose the pure look provided by the iPhone and another rivals.

It looks like the XZ’s software program processing simply wants slightly tune-up. It is completely potential that’ll occur earlier than launch — in any case, we’re utilizing a pre-production gadget right here.

Sony’s digital camera app hasn’t modified an entire lot since we final noticed it within the Xperia X. A slider on the best edge allows you to select between Guide, Superior Auto+, video and Sony’s numerous plug-in digital camera apps. (These embrace issues like AR modes for including dinosaurs to your snaps, to comb panoramas mode, to the devoted 4K capturing mode.)

More often than not, regardless of its occasional finickiness, you will need to stay in Auto+. For finer management, Guide enables you to set choose particular scene modes, set your ISO, allow HDR and object monitoring, and tweak issues like metering and timer settings. (Principally, all the things you’d anticipate from a standalone digital digital camera.)

Sony expects you to make use of Superior Auto+ more often than not — and also you in all probability ought to.

It would be good if a few of these choices have been somewhat extra discoverable, however Sony’s clearly placing plenty of emphasis behind Superior Auto+.

In video recording, Sony’s stabilization tech actually comes into its personal, with clean 1080p/60fps recording even in darker circumstances with minimal quantities of noise. And 4K recording can also be supported, although with the standard heat-related warnings. Given the file measurement constraints of 4K, you will need to persist with 1080p more often than not.

So general that is simply Sony’s greatest telephone digital camera but, nevertheless it does not fairly attain the requirements of Apple and Samsung when it comes to assured brilliance each time. Sony’s getting shut although, and with some software program updates the Xperia XZ could possibly be an actual challenger.

Different camera-related nuggets:

• Sony’s clever object monitoring tech from the Xperia X returns, and works simply as nicely within the XR.
• The brand new 13-megapixel selfie digital camera is nice in daylight and respectable in indoor settings, however high quality quickly degrades in darker settings like bars and outside scenes lit by streetlight. It isn’t definitely not dangerous, however it’s additionally no match for the likes of HTC’s UltraSelfie digital camera on the HTC 10.
• Once more, this could possibly be a software program tuning problem, however our Xperia XZ unit had a bent to aggressively crush shadowed areas in outside photographs — far more than we have seen from earlier Sony cameras.

A one-day telephone

Sony Xperia XZ Battery life

I have been utilizing the Sony Xperia XZ for simply 4 days on the time of writing, so I am nonetheless getting the grasp of the telephone’s day-to-day battery efficiency. What’s extra, we have been pushing it more durable than we usually would on the IFA present in Berlin. Journey is tough on telephones.

That stated, we’ve an inexpensive concept of how the Xperia XZ performs in the actual world, and the decision is that it is a strong “someday” telephone, however not more than that until you are utilizing it actually sparingly.

That is about par for the course for a Snapdragon 820 operating a 5.2-inch display on a battery of this measurement.

We have been commonly getting between 12 and 14 hours out of the Xperia XZ engaged on LTE all day, earlier than hitting Battery Stamina mode at 30 % cost. That is with round three hours of display on time as much as that time, which is a good displaying for a present Android telephone. We might liken it to what a few of our editors have been getting from the OnePlus three in current weeks.

As talked about, Battery Stamina mode can step in to save lots of the day once you’re operating low on cost, and Sony consists of each common Stamina and Extremely Stamina modes relying on simply how a lot performance you need to reduce within the identify of battery life. There is a noticeable efficiency hit when Stamina is enabled although, so it is in all probability not one thing you will need to get into the behavior of utilizing.

And when it is time to cost, the newest Qualcomm Fast Cost three.zero means you are by no means under 50 % for lengthy.

On stability, we’re fairly proud of the battery efficiency we have been getting from the Xperia XZ. You might be disillusioned when you’re coming from an earlier Xperia telephone with really phenomenal longevity. However for most individuals it may be completely advantageous.

The underside line

Do you have to purchase the Sony Xperia XZ? Should you’re a fan

Sony is nearly again on prime type. The Xperia XZ is a strong all-round handset that does lots of issues proper — a handset to revive the religion of Sony followers. It is biggest sin might be wanting just a little uninteresting — that is no Galaxy Note 7, in any case — however when you look path its monolithic exterior there’s lots to love.

Sony bucks the development of 2K shows and as an alternative goes with a unbelievable wanting 1080p panel, with energy financial savings consequently. Efficiency is speedy throughout the board, and Sony’s software program is considerate and measured. And we’re lastly seeing a big leap ahead in digital camera efficiency in an Xperia telephone, with huge hardware additions that end in higher pictures virtually each time.

The issue for Sony, like so many different Android producers, is the truth that Samsung’s completely crushing it this yr. Sony’s digital camera is nice, however it’s not one of the best. Similar cope with its display, its construct high quality and its battery life. And U.S. consumers as soon as once more get the brief finish of the stick, as Sony cheaps out on fingerprint safety.

As such, the XZ’s attraction is probably going restricted to hardcore Sony followers. And if that is you, then get. You will be getting a hell of a telephone.