Sony Xperia XZ Premium review: The showstopper

12 May 2017
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium has a gorgeous 4K display. Better yet, a 4K HDR display! The latest Snapdragon 835 chipset is pulling the strings and delivering lightning-fast LTE while the Adreno 540 is firing up millions of pixels in a heartbeat. With or without the mirror finish, this is one of the classiest designs around and waterproof, too.

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  • D
  • AnonD-635604
  • KZ8
  • 17 May 2017

AnonD-667568, 16 May 2017So if this is a trashy phone, why is it the phone of the ye... moreThat is why we call them as haters

    • G
    • GTR78
    • EFP
    • 17 May 2017

    AnonD-667568, 16 May 2017So if this is a trashy phone, why is it the phone of the ye... moreExactly, I couldn't have said it better. As much as I admire the S8, all it is, is a S7 edge with top and bottom cut off.(Which I like lol, Samsung's bezels were inherently ugly with all those exposed sensors). Still That's not innovation as such as Apple's introduction of mainstream fingerprint scanners. How does this change the experience? Certainly, the for the S8 it doesn't since the black bars on the S8 because of the aspect ratio for videos makes it equal to XZP bezels. This is where the Sony excels in practicality, (Fastest UI beating Google themselves), Bezels which may be large but have a use other than the fact they are packed with a memory stacked camera, 13MP Front Cam, triple sensing technology and two stereospeakers because they are great for camera grip and gaming finger placement. Best Natural looking screen, Hi Res Audio, PS4 remote play, IP68, 960FPS, the list goes on and on.... I think you get my point.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • tSf
      • 17 May 2017

      Als, 17 May 2017Crazy amounts of comments. That tells you how good this pho... moreU11 does better than this in camera.

        • G
        • GTR78
        • EFP
        • 17 May 2017

        AnonD-77443, 17 May 2017.... or maybe its because of the massive bezels, poor low l... moreMaybe it's because it has the best camera for daytime (comparisons are out, even XZs beats S8 and IP7), Lowlight can be adjusted with ISO manual mode, best screen with most natural colours, and fastest phone ever made.....

          • D
          • AnonD-77443
          • v6J
          • 17 May 2017

          Als, 17 May 2017Crazy amounts of comments. That tells you how good this pho... more.... or maybe its because of the massive bezels, poor low light camera, moderate battery life....

            • A
            • Als
            • IxY
            • 17 May 2017

            Crazy amounts of comments. That tells you how good this phone is.

              • D
              • DoNotLie
              • X{x
              • 17 May 2017

              AnonD-668349, 13 May 2017Samsung bot. The low light isn't that bad to begin with. Th... moreDo not listen to this guy, I have personally checked the photos in the link and GSMArean did a good job on comparing the photos between the 3 phones (XZ, S8, and iPhone)

              I am more or less Sonly Fanboy but sadly even I have to admit that S8 did a better job on low light compared XZP, the images from S8 looks more crisp, detailed, colorful, natural and close to no noise, while XZP is still good, but much worse compared to S8.

              I would much appreciate if certain individuals posting here don't just outright lie and mislead the readers, if you don't belive, click on the link an check for urself, there are no bias here.

              http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=8593&idPhone2=8523&idPhone3=8065

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                • Elz
                • apI
                • 17 May 2017

                choose between this phone and s8 is very hard !! I think this xzp is a bit better than s8. Design is good for both of them in separate ways i think this two is most beauty phones in the market but xzp is classic and future proof and s8 attractive will die soon in my mind . Very good year for mobile phone lovers. And hard to them who can't buy all of them together :)

                  • D
                  • AnonD-669130
                  • 8Vk
                  • 17 May 2017

                  Jumbo, 16 May 2017It it 4K 10-bit HDR. LG G6 has 12-bit HDR, but no 4K. ... moreXperia XZ Premium, LG G6 and S8 ...All smartphones in general have an 8-bit panel
                  8 bit = 16M colors

                  HDR Compliant:
                  Xperia XZ Premium: HDR10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma
                  G6: HDR10 and Dolby Vision
                  Galaxy S8: HDR10

                  HDR10+ is not available in S8, atm just for TVs through a future update

                  Bit Depth:
                  HDR10: 10 Bits (Xperia XZP BT.2020)
                  Hybrid Log-Gamma: 10 BitS (Xperia XZP BT.2020)
                  Dolby Vision: 12 Bits

                  However, none of the devices mentioned supports these standards, all content will be seen at a depth of 8 Bits.

                    • D
                    • AnonD-669639
                    • tDP
                    • 17 May 2017

                    for multimedia, stereo speaker and bezels for grip are better than 1-2 cm extra screen.

                      • S
                      • SaintMartin
                      • L85
                      • 17 May 2017

                      Another crap with Sony brand on it... Sorry but this is 2017, I just cant stand their bezels.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 6jq
                        • 17 May 2017

                        AnonD-669842, 17 May 2017the most beautiful and classy phone this year, so far. howe... moreSo big bezels, low battery, bad camera ... Is there anything good about that phone?

                        By your own admission it's nothing special.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-669842
                          • mAZ
                          • 17 May 2017

                          the most beautiful and classy phone this year, so far. however they have to reduce the bezel size , improve the camera in low light and develop a better marketing and service strategy in colaboration with carriers to stay in the game. i have a z5 premium and i have to admit the battery life and camera are the main issues with it , iphone samsung and lg taking better pictures , especially in low light. however sony is rock solid and stylish , that`s why i like it more

                            • J
                            • Jumbo
                            • n%q
                            • 16 May 2017

                            Anonymous, 16 May 2017Pics of the black have screen on so you can see the limits ... moreCan't we have one on and one off? Or at least one off? I see 10+ photos all with the screen on. Soo frustrating since my choice between Black & Chrome hinges on whether the black is uniform when the screen is off.

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 6jq
                              • 16 May 2017

                              AnonD-667568, 16 May 2017So if this is a trashy phone, why is it the phone of the ye... moreYa, it's beautiful ... if you like boxes ... with little openings in the middle.

                              People call it trash because Sony refuses to innovate, they lazily push themselves across the years and fanboys keeping them alive. If their name was not Sony they would have been long gone from the mobile space, like so many before them...

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • LQs
                                • 16 May 2017

                                AnonD-654245, 16 May 2017Ciro, have you ever walked thru the GSMArena camera compari... moreSo, between a photographer and a journalist opinion you pick the one from journalist. If he is... You do not need to be one to work for tech site.

                                Also their tool have samples with different settings.. Not the same value for ISO or Shutter speed.

                                The example S8 x XZP, s8 had lower ISO and slower shutter speed.

                                Cams also have different angles. See iphone, it seems the object is closer compared to other phones

                                Higher resolution means you can strech the picture much more.

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • LQs
                                  • 16 May 2017

                                  Jumbo, 16 May 2017I have a question. I am finding it extremely, extremely dif... morePics of the black have screen on so you can see the limits of display and bezels.

                                  Chrome is obvious..

                                    • J
                                    • Jumbo
                                    • n%q
                                    • 16 May 2017

                                    I have a question. I am finding it extremely, extremely difficult to find face-on images of the DeepSea Black model with the screen turned OFF. It seems most are of the back only, if the black is shown the screen is on, and if the screen is off then the Chrome model is shown. What gives???

                                    I'm ---really-- trying hard to find out what the phone looks like with the screen offf - do the piano-black bezels blend nicely into the blacks of the screen when off? Or is the transition highly visible. In the rare shots I -have- managed to find, it seems the extreme reflectiveness of the black bezels makes the transition extremely visible. I thoguht hit might be just due to press lighting, but I've then searched for my Z1C and the blend is just as invisible as it is to me in person.
                                    So... what's up???

                                      • i
                                      • iikan
                                      • gNT
                                      • 16 May 2017

                                      AnonD-654245, 16 May 2017Ciro, have you ever walked thru the GSMArena camera compari... moreUmm really? Cause I am also using redmi note 3 pro, and I have got to say that the camera sucks!!! The phone is awesome, everything is awesome except for the camera.. So invalid point there..

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                                        • AnonD-667568
                                        • gAj
                                        • 16 May 2017

                                        So if this is a trashy phone, why is it the phone of the year so far?
                                        Most beautiful phone at the moment chaps come on!
                                        It's like saying this is a road car but let's re invent the wheels!
                                        Some things don't change.
                                        I'm not going to be easily moved by silly gimmicks to be convinced about the practicality of the s8.