Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact hands-on review

26 February 2018
Unlike many of its big-brand competitors, Sony didn't shy away from major announcements at MWC 2018. In fact, it took the wrappers of a shiny new pair of flagships, that boldly marry new design concepts with incremental hardware updates.

Sort by:

  • D
  • AnonD-258449
  • uW{
  • 27 Feb 2018

Anonymous, 27 Feb 2018I can't even download apps from playstore on sony flagship ... moreDon't lie, I have a XZ, and it works great.

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • p@B
    • 27 Feb 2018

    Anonymous, 27 Feb 2018AUTOMATIC 960fps slow motion video is a fantastic idea, sin... moreIsn't like it might take the wrong moment as well when it detects an action! Those kind of moments needed a manual situation.

      • D
      • AnonD-258449
      • uW{
      • 27 Feb 2018

      Anonymous, 27 Feb 20181. 960fps slow-mo - go buy galaxy s9/9+, they can shoot AUT... moreJust don't buy three phones for different functions, buy Xperia and you get all the features in one package.

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • tDR
        • 27 Feb 2018

        xperia lost its identity with a curved design on the back. it's like a cheap phone. thousands of your fans are disappointed.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • tAT
          • 27 Feb 2018

          Anonymous, 27 Feb 20181. 960fps slow-mo - go buy galaxy s9/9+, they can shoot AUT... moreAUTOMATIC 960fps slow motion video is a fantastic idea, since it only works for a max of 0.2 of one second. No more hit and miss senarios.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • p@B
            • 27 Feb 2018

            AnonD-632062, 27 Feb 2018This is sad... Especially the design & removing the 3.5... moreAlmost everybody removed the head jack, so is everybody going ages back!!

            And about the design in term of looking which is old or new, as an owner of Xperia XZ Premium I can admit it looks more modern and refreshed than my phone. It's going to be more convenient now to hold that curved back. However it's still debatable from one to another. General people nowadays like curved back and the phones with stunning looks

              • J
              • Jimbob
              • gKH
              • 27 Feb 2018

              The compact looks better. The XZ2 is just a big glossy mess

                • R
                • Reaper
                • p@B
                • 27 Feb 2018

                Anonymous, 27 Feb 20181. 960fps slow-mo - go buy galaxy s9/9+, they can shoot AUT... moreFirst 960 fps FHD,

                First 4k HDR shooting cemera,

                First phone has dynamic vibration,

                First dual "3D" front camera,


                And in overall, it's the only phone that combines almost everything to be great!

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • pWQ
                  • 27 Feb 2018

                  stele, 27 Feb 2018This! Totally agree with you and with many other commenters... moreWhat Sony finally has realized - a curved back cover makes the phone fit your palm better, so that's why I always hated the non-curved, thin phones everyone makes -> they aren't as comfortable to use as, say a Nexus 6 by Motorola which had the most perfect rear cover design I have _ever_ seen and felt so far. It was like it hugged your palm and held a tight grip, unlike any other phone I've used. :-)

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • tAP
                    • 27 Feb 2018

                    Design suxx

                      AnonD-160468, 26 Feb 2018Yuk, Sony is copying what everyone else is doing. I'll b... more I heard that Amazon.com originally sold the XZ1 Compact for 600$. Now Amazon sells used XZ1's for 369$ in like new condition. In less than a year, people willing to pick up gently previously owned XZ2 compacts for around 399$ and new XZ2 models for about 500 I predict. XZ2 features a snazzy chipset at relatively reasonable rates. Personally, I am looking forward to 2019 flagship handsets from a variety oem's.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • 6p$
                        • 27 Feb 2018

                        Nokia super fan, 26 Feb 2018At least there is pros. 1. 960fps slow-mo 2. Fast up ... more1. 960fps slow-mo - go buy galaxy s9/9+, they can shoot AUTO 960fps slowmo which is world's first.

                        2. Fast up to date Android - go buy a pixel, faster updates than sony

                        3. Cheaper and better alternative idea - go buy a oneplus

                        Dude, there is no pro.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 6p$
                          • 27 Feb 2018

                          Sindre, 26 Feb 2018They might copy the looks.. But the fact is, Sony has one o... moreI can't even download apps from playstore on sony flagship running on oreo for 2 months. Is it most stable software? Even $100 phone can download apps from playstore.

                            • s
                            • stele
                            • TSM
                            • 27 Feb 2018

                            Jimmy Ravel, 27 Feb 2018No. The one reason I liked the Sony design was that it was... moreThis! Totally agree with you and with many other commenters here who share a similar view. I loved Sony's thin, slab design from the Z through the XZ1. Stood out from the crowd, looked suitably business-like, rests on surfaces securely, fit really well in my breast pocket and are easy to grip. Phones with rounded backs don't do quite so well, are so "everyone else" and some just overdo the curve so that when they're in my breast pocket it feels like I've a boob on one side :( I was really hoping for a worthy successor to my Z1 Compact... but as Jijok put it so well below, "damn you all , going for the xz1 compact"

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 6p$
                              • 27 Feb 2018

                              PeterThePanda, 27 Feb 2018Sure, heat management. Yet other manufacturers somehow mana... moreStill other manufacturers' phones running cool while sony flagships have heating issues. Lmao!!

                                • A
                                • Apeiron
                                • nxf
                                • 27 Feb 2018

                                If they were intent on moving the FP sensor they should've used the XA2 form factor but with the XZ Premium reflective design. Boost the speakers and add OIS to the camera. Instead, they create a generic, Chinese-looking knockoff with the same mediocre camera and no headphone jack. WTF were they thinking!?

                                  • D
                                  • AnonD-735918
                                  • X$p
                                  • 27 Feb 2018

                                  AnonD-695125, 27 Feb 2018Sony..pls stick to the omnibalance design. We just wanted y... moreCould agree more, they should stick with the design they use in XZ premium or XA2 design, they only have to trim the bezels. Sony just don't seems to get it, arghh.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-632062
                                    • 3Yf
                                    • 27 Feb 2018

                                    This is sad... Especially the design & removing the 3.5 mm jack.

                                    It's like after Sony took one step forward, they took three steps back... SMH.

                                      Jimmy Ravel, 27 Feb 2018No. The one reason I liked the Sony design was that it was... more If Sony is the Mercedes of electronics, then what is Vertu? The Lamborghini of electronics?

                                        • K
                                        • Kangal
                                        • uCX
                                        • 27 Feb 2018

                                        korbindallis, 26 Feb 2018You are using and old Z5 compact from 2015 comparing it to ... moreYes, I am using the SONY Z5 Compact because it is the phone with the smallest body, largest screen, thinnest, and... it does that with a 3.5mm headphone jack and the QSD 810 oven.

                                        I got the measurements all correct.
                                        You simply copy and pasted the figure from GSMArena, but its wrong.
                                        Here I'll show working, so you (and everyone) can see the truth:
                                        Z5c screen: 10.18cm × 5.73cm
                                        Z5c body: 12.70cm x 6.50cm
                                        Screen to Body Ratio = (12.70 x 6.50) / (10.18 x 5.73)
                                        StB = (58.33) / (82.55)
                                        StB = 0.7066
                                        ...ie Screen to Body ratio of 70.7%

                                        So say what you want, but the FACT is this is a phone that is PHYSICALLY LARGER while offering LESS in terms of hardware. The only issue I have is that there isn't a single phone out there I could point at and say "this has the best design" because they all lack in some form or another.

                                        I would've preferred a Premium Aluminium (7000-series) unibody like the OnePlus 5t, but in a flat shaped design like the OnePlus 3. But the fingerprint scanner moved from the back, to in-screen. With the speakers of the Axon 7. And symmetrically orientated like TCL Idol 3. And a 5.7in SAMOLED display that's 1920 x 1080 (for extra performance and battery life). Ofcourse it needs a good IP68 rating, high capacity 5,000mAh battery, decent 8.9mm thickness, a fresh QSD 845 SoC, and of course a 3.5mm aux port. It can even do wireless charging not through the metal back, but the from the front glass. And a great single camera on the front and back, like the Pixel2........ or if dual-cameras, both need to be identical and separated by 8mm for human eye focal length for both the front and back camera, each unit with its own LED flash for AR/VR Application, which also requires the screen to be upgraded to 4K resolution (active resolution would be 1080p and only switched to 4K for Daydream/GearVR).