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.

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Amirzz, 26 Feb 2018Horrible design....sad for this design...xz1 design better ... moreYepp, because of the 18:9 (or how a 4th grader would quickly simplify, 2:1) ratio, new screens are going to be slightly smaller for the same diagonal :P

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • kAF
    • 26 Feb 2018

    Nokia super fan, 26 Feb 2018At least there is pros. 1. 960fps slow-mo 2. Fast up ... moreS9 has first 2 right now..
    Nokia 7 plus is cheaper and better alternative anyways..
    The 835 chipset devices would be getting cheaper anyways. I could buy almost any of last year's flagship and it'll be better than this one (xz1 included)

      So surprise is dual cam coming later, great. Still improvement in processing is great, but still no samples to see, is camera sw not yet done? Also wish to hear from gsma if they tried listening to sound vibrations by placing phone on head.
      Its also shame to see them going wireless despite not offering anything new, their ldac is better than standard bluetooth, but still tops at 990kbit(also sure not playing under 20Hz). Music I listen to got around 1400kbit and thats just cd quality. Hopefully they will soon offer true wireless option for audiophiles.

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        • SydneyBlue120
        • 0wk
        • 26 Feb 2018

        Is time unlimited 2160p60 HEVC encoding supported like in the Samsung Galaxy S9/9+ ?
        Thanks a lot.

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          • Anonymous
          • pXd
          • 26 Feb 2018

          "A hybrid dual-SIM solution" - does this mean we still have to pick between dual sim, or single sim + sd card. If "yes", then this phone is no use to me!

            I am all for compact and love Sony but this one has a very sharp glass to edge frame - strike 1.
            Very bubbly, and rear greasy stain magnet. So for the size I am possibly thinking Nokia sirocco 140mm high. 5.3.

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              • AnonD-740553
              • SXm
              • 26 Feb 2018

              There is hope for compact phones.. 5 incher in a3 2016 housing would be perfect.. Samsung look at Sony and produce s9 mini.When will they realise that one big part of iphone buyers buy iphone only because they like compact sizes.. Not everyone is into 6 inch phones.

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                • Amirzz
                • vV5
                • 26 Feb 2018

                Horrible design....sad for this design...xz1 design better than xz2... Sorry sony u loose...not surprised with this design😢😢😢

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                  • Kangal
                  • uCX
                  • 26 Feb 2018

                  Pretty awful.
                  The new phones have a BIGGER bezel than the old ones.
                  Don't believe me? Check the figures!

                  The old Sony Z5 Compact:
                  Body: 127 x 65 x 8.9 mm
                  Total Screen: 10.18cm × 5.73cm = 58.33cm²
                  16:9 Screen: 10.18cm × 5.73cm = 58.33cm²
                  16:9 Video Screen to Body Ratio: 70.7%

                  The new Sony XZ2 Compact:
                  Body: 135 x 65 x 12.1 mm
                  Total Screen: 11.36cm × 5.68cm = 64.52cm²
                  16:9 Screen: 10.09cm × 5.68cm = 57.31cm²
                  16:9 Video Screen to Body Ratio: 65.3%

                  So the screen has become SMALLER by 1.8% (for 16:9 content), whereas the phone has become LARGER by 6.3%, meaning the bezel size GREW by 8.3%. This is the opposite of progress on both aspects.

                  Not only that, they've made the device much thicker. And removed the headphone jack. And removed the Qi Wireless Charger (it works through plastic too, sony). And put the fingerprint reader in a slightly awkward spot. And lastly they've priced it too high. Overall a bad offering, gone is the legendary status and legacy of the 2013 SONY Z3 Compact.... five years later and they're offering a worse variant for more money, that's simply ludicrous.

                  *most content are rendered in 16:9, so its the true size for practical real-world use

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                    • AnonD-740545
                    • Smi
                    • 26 Feb 2018

                    Am I the only one who really LIKE the XZ2 Compact?
                    In May my subscription is for renewal ... XZ2C will be the next one for sure. I really like what they've done with the compact this time around.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • nFu
                      • 26 Feb 2018

                      the weight and thickness on those phones... Sony, you keep shooting yourself in the foot...

                        Such a shame that Sony pretty much destroyed the Compact line.

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                          • Adomas
                          • 0FW
                          • 26 Feb 2018

                          Jesus christ... did they really bring 12mm thick phone in the year 2018????

                            Sony Mobile should fire their engineers and designers for creating these abominations.

                            11.1mm thick yet the battery is only 3180mAh. Huawei somehow managed to fit a 3200mAh battery for a 5" phone yet keep it only 7mm thin. Sony needs to borrow a page from manufacturers like Apple, Samsung and Huawei on how to design their logic boards to save space. Poor logic board designing and internal construction on the part of Sony. Massive PCBs with plenty of wasted space plus difficulty in doing basic repairs like battery replacement should be easy (not where you have to remove the entire PCB just to get the battery).

                            Borrowing MKBHD's words: a poor use of space

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                              • Makere
                              • S63
                              • 26 Feb 2018

                              I was looking to upgrade from my Z5 Premium, but seeing no headphone jack makes me think about switching camps.

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                                • Anonymous
                                • pKY
                                • 26 Feb 2018

                                SONY never never ... very bad aftersales service ..very uncaring company - cut n run ..abandoned xa ultra with in 3 months of lauch oct 2016 ...and on n on .. pity !!!!
                                iphone x or samsung 8/9 series ..end of story .. get real ..

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                                  • MrGrumpy
                                  • MpN
                                  • 26 Feb 2018

                                  I'm a fan of Sony but have zero interest in this nonsense.

                                  First and foremost, sticking the fingerprint sensor round the back is unforgiveable. It means I can no longer unlock the phone when it's lying on the table. What I really liked about previous Xperia's was having the sensor on the power button on the side, arguably the best and most convenient place where your finger naturally falls when holding a phone. Not only was it incredibly convenient to unlock the phone but incredibly quick and ergonomic, not requiring holding the phone in an awkward way.

                                  Secondly, the loss of the 3.5mm port is truly stupid, more so when considering how media friendly Sony handsets are. Why on earth would they think customers want and prefer Bluetooth headsets? I don't care if Bluetooth earphones are provided in the box and having a silly cable to both charge and plug in earphones is not a good compromise, certainly not one I'd be entertaining.

                                  On the plus side, I like that Sony have kept a slim profile and stretched the screen for a longer 5" device that's still usable with one hand.

                                  It's a Big No for me, I won't consider any phone without 3.5mm ports and that rear mounted fingerprint sensor is just obnoxious.

                                    Though 1/5" front cam is a bit too much, hdr and new hw and sw processing is welcome. Will wait for test shots though, expected at least better aperture. Also no premium and that dual cam with 50.000iso makes me want to wait for more. Own Assistant with AI, better camera UI and usable ar functions besides just scan would be also welcome.

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                                      • AnonD-178968
                                      • kmu
                                      • 26 Feb 2018

                                      terrible! I guess Sony is giving up. I loved my xa1 ultra but it lasts for 4 months only. Ridiculous!!!!

                                        I was expecting for sony to retain that omni balance design just shirnk a little bit the bezels that old design looks beautiful to me. I'm not a fan of bezeless design because I want some space to place my thumb. I didn't expect this kind of designfrom them. Yeah it looks different from the rest but it will not stand out and I don't like it. Although I am excited for the results of their new software algorithm for the camera.