The Xperia XZ is Sony’s answer to other high end devices such as the LG G5 and Samsung Galazy S7. The smartphone does have all the features you would expect from a flagship device competing at the top-end of the market.
Although the device is an definitely upgrade, it is however is not too dissimilar to the previous flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z5. There are improvements in areas you would expect such as battery life, camera and design but compared to the Z5 there are few stand out features.
Key features
One of the key feature throughout Sony’s last few devices has been the useful water and dust-resistant design, this has of course been added to the XZ. This gives users peace of mind because the device can be submerged in water to depths of up to 1 meter, although it is not recommended that users do this for a long period of time.
X-reality mode drives up the color contrast and saturation of images and videos which allows for a unique viewing experience.
Another cool function that has returned is the PS4 link, this allows the user to play PS4 games using the device screen. The fingerprint scanner also matches the quality of other high end devices.
The design
If you have used a Sony before you will see great similarities with the XZ and previous models. It does however have a new durable metal base and there is a slight curve to the screen giving it a more rounded look and feel even though it has the same boxy design as those that have come before the XZ.
The headphone jack is at the top of the device, the ideal spot if you like listening to music with your phone in your pocket. The charging port is at the base of the handset, sim and microSD slots are on the left hand-side and on the right you will find the power/lock button accompanied by the volume and camera buttons.
In all, the look and feel of the XZ is exactly what you have come to expect from Sony and from a device that is looking to compete against other leading smartphones.
Display
The Sony Xperia XZ sports a 5.2-inch IPS LCD screen with a full HD resolution. The screen is super colorful and really bold as the colors seem to jump off the screen in a vibrant and vivd manner. The lack of QHD on the phone is not noticeable at first glance, but on closer inspection is not quite up to the quality of other high end device, but is by no means dull or dreary.
Performance
The performance of the XZ ranks up there with the devices it is competing with. Although it only comes with Marshmallow 6 out of the box and the interface looks and feels like Google’s regular Android platform, it still has a unique Sony feel to it.
Other parts of the Sony Xperia XZ are also top-quality. There’s 3GB of DDR4 RAM, and the 32GB of internal storage, with space for an additional 256GB microSD support which results in a pretty fast smartphone.
Camera and battery
The battery in the Xperia XZ is the same size as the previous flagship model the Z5, a 2900mAh cell battery. It will last you about the length of an average full day, about the same as any other top end smartphone would. Sony has however included a fast charge function and the phone also has the ability to track and learn for how long you charge your phone for. How this would work is say for example ,you charge your phone overnight and wake up at 6 30am, the phone will charge up to 90% cut off the power intake and then just before you usually wake up charge the remaining 10%. This is an attempt from Sony to prolong the life of the battery in the XZ.
The Xperia XZ comes with a 23mp rear camera and has a maximum aperture of f/2.0 and an LED flash- all specs that we have seen in previous Sony devices.The difference with this camera comes in the form of the laser auto focus which allows really cool action shots. The phone also sports a 13mp front camera allowing for improved selfies and a wave to capture function which allows you to take a snapshot without touching a button.
Verdict
The Sony Xperia XZ most definitely deserves its title as Sony’s flagship device and undoubtedly competes with other high end devices. The phone does however not have any stand out features and while we really do like it, we fully expect Sony’s next iteration to have a little something extra to set it apart from the rest.
By Dean Workman
