Sony Xperia XZ2 long-term review

24 May 2018
The Xperia XZ2 can’t be confused for anything other than a Sony smartphone. But we wanted to find out is whether the XZ2 can stand out in the very crowded field of the top-of-the-line Android handsets, in more ways than just its looks. To be able to adequately evaluate what it’s like to live with this smartphone every day, we’ve used it as our one and only device for an extended period of time. This is what that experience felt like.

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  • D
  • AnonD-521587
  • qip
  • 28 May 2018

Shui8, 24 May 2018When it comes to details and natural color, both low lights... morestill fairly certain that the pixel 2 and the p20 pro have better cameras than xz2 still

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • vV5
    • 28 May 2018

    Anonymous, 27 May 2018You are comparing 12MP with 19MP. Of course there will ... moreIt is Sony's choice to use 19 MP.

      Predictive memorys, 27 May 2018Can basher leave some positive comments? Impossible... Try pink glasses.

        vrvly, 27 May 2018Thats why its worth, even if not ideal... Can basher leave some positive comments? Impossible...

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • LQX
          • 27 May 2018

          vrvly, 25 May 2018Just seen U12+ performance, its 12mp camera and it captures... moreYou are comparing 12MP with 19MP.

          Of course there will be more noise. Resize to 19MP any pic from Samsung or iPhone, it looks awful.

          Get your phone and choose two different resolutions, the lower has less noise

            • R
            • Ryq
            • sxr
            • 27 May 2018

            The back design is ugly. Sony should hire new designers.

              • F
              • FaceGle
              • Q5i
              • 27 May 2018

              Front of the Phone/Design: Quite Good
              However, the back, it's a big NO NO NO, the position of the camera, flash, and curve back is yuckkkk

                Anonymous, 27 May 2018As long as Sony imaging system has big improve and capture ... moreThats why its worth, even if not ideal...

                  The reviewer basically says, 'the design doesn't suit my taste and therefore I conclude it's a bad design'.

                  Well, for your information, not everyone is into this no bezels craze. And remember as well that the bezels in Sony's case house the dual front facing stereo speakers. Now list to us, dear reviewer, how many of the bezel-free phones have from facing stereo speakers.

                  Many people just criticise for criticism sake without taking into consideration the reasons behind the choices and unfortunately GSMArena is becoming one of them. Try getting a more unbiased person on future or better still, use three or more reviewers.

                    Nzi97, 25 May 2018To boost sale of wireless headset even more withbless 3.5mm... moreNo. There's almost no wireless earphone for under $10, and most people aren't at that rich. Also, it has some inferiority on its quality، compared to the wired one.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • vV5
                      • 27 May 2018

                      vrvly, 25 May 2018Just seen U12+ performance, its 12mp camera and it captures... moreAs long as Sony imaging system has big improve and capture more details and retain the more natural looks photo, it is better than other image processing like wiping the details and replace the image with unrealistic color.

                        Anonymous, 25 May 2018F2.0 on 1/2.3" is more than f1.8 on 1/2.5" . Set ISO 50 ... moreJust seen U12+ performance, its 12mp camera and it captures more detail than older xzp. Of course without noise. New xz2 is better, but that one was about last without ISP and stacking, so sw processing is in no way detail-preserving, as it does that even at low iso. New hw is getting details worthy of 19mp, but you get noise as bonus.
                        To put it bluntly, sw denoising on xz2 is either bad or nonexistent. All scenarios at sunny weather, iso 40. Its like sony phones are made to produce noise.
                        Each time they get better but still lags behind, its really interesting.
                        New xz2p is with f1.8 and mono sensor, so with better hw even daylight shots should have less noise. I wish someone tech them right sw denoising. Also better HDR for stills.

                          AnonD-741217, 24 May 2018"Looks that are still behind their time"??? I hate the s... moreYou can try this way to hold a XZ2 Must remember rest your little finger at the bottom base of the phone. Follow up the third and fouth fingers grip at bottom left frame of the phone, then your forefinger can access the back fingerprint scanner easier by swipe and your thumb is rest on the right frame power button.

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • LkD
                            • 25 May 2018

                            vrvly, 25 May 2018True that cameras take also noise but phones use tricks to ... moreF2.0 on 1/2.3" is more than f1.8 on 1/2.5" .

                            Set ISO 50 on XZ2 and you will see how easy it humiliates S9 f1.5

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • vV5
                              • 25 May 2018

                              Levy, 25 May 2018This phone would've been mesmerising had they endowed it wi... moreNotch? NO!

                                • D
                                • AnonD-648286
                                • 7P4
                                • 25 May 2018

                                I reviewed this phone at retailer store .. One of the best SONY designs for a while .. Phone fits palm of my hand with its smooth curvatures .. The sound quality is perfect for music and gaming

                                  Shanti Dope, 25 May 2018Is it a bad thing, or is it just a new thing that you've fo... moreTrue that cameras take also noise but phones use tricks to achieve better results, like big aperture, stacking, usage of more sensors, sacrificing a little of details...
                                  XZ2 still use f2 aperture, seemingly not enough stacking as others, little to no processing and one camera in comparison.
                                  Though even with detail preservation in mind, aperture is no good for low light, so is stacking on bright sunny day and scenes with little to no movement.

                                    While I don't like the XZ2 because of the 3,5 jack missing and having the new trend screen, it's the best Sony phone for sure. I can live without the 3,5 jack now, already moved to wireless with AWEI AK8 on my Z5, and they sound as great as my previous wired Sony xbl50 ones, with some heavy equaliser tuning that is but still, almost same quality now.

                                    Anyway it's design is debatable. Some like it, some doesn't.., and this includes every smartphone. Yes ZZ2 has bigger bezels but.. it houses front facing speakers. Its the only phone that does that with both the speakers facing you guys. You forgot to mention it. So design is debatable. I happen to dislike iphone x design for example and the notches.

                                    Its camera is better than any smartphone atm, and if you don't believe me go to the new youtubers "pixel pipers" and see XZ2 beating every other smartphone in colour, dynamic range and detail. You clearly haven't do your homework here when pixel pipers have.

                                    Good review, but get an unbiased reviewer next time. "The design isnt my taste" (thats what he says in a nutshell) doesn't translate to "it's a bad design"
                                    The speakers are both front facing and it's the only current smartphone in the world next ti it's little sibling having them at the same place.

                                      • D
                                      • AnonD-122899
                                      • QXP
                                      • 25 May 2018

                                      Geez.... the noises in the low light photos are bad. Making the photos looking like some kind of scenes in the horror movies....

                                        vrvly, 24 May 2018...I won't go into high iso debate... look at iso 40 and ar... moreIs it a bad thing, or is it just a new thing that you've found out?
                                        So long as noise doesn't detract to the overall clarity of the image, there's no problem on having them.
                                        Again, whenever an image is posted, that social media app will likely to compress the image way too much, that the noise becomes inevitable and invisible even with the hardest of pixel peeping.
                                        And I have to disagree with that statement that others can offer the same level of detail with less noise. It's definitely NOT always true.
                                        Like I've said, it only happens in very rare occassions, but even if it happens, the Sony image will be better in other ways, maybe in the white balance where the XZ2 is a champ at keeping great yet natural colors even in the lowest levels of light, whereas others would just have the tendency to turn near B&W image.
                                        But back to the main topic, the most probable reason that you're seeing the noise way too much is because of the high resolution 19MP that this phone has, and whenever you zoom in, you actually zoom in and see more details than when you do the same on 12MP shooters.
                                        You can try to check a similar image between this phone with 19MP and another with a 12MP camera, and zoom in at about the same level, and there you'll see that the noise is only more noticeable at much closer zooming range.

                                        And if we talk about pixel peepings, I'd take more noise when zoomed in than less pixels and overall details when zoomed in.

                                        For such tiny sensor smartphone cameras, the XZ2 is the closest to being a smartphone camera, because professional large sensor cameras also have noise even in daylight.
                                        So while others tune their image to become noise-free at the expense of loosing a lot of detail and information from the image, Sony keeps everything as natural and raw as possible, which makes it better for editing.
                                        We'll talk about RAW shooting in a different topic, but as an overall shooter, the XZ2's amazingly natural and laid back image processing is a pleasure for those who really know how to inspect an image properly.

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