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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It is relevant now. It's one of the top choice to those who doesn't want notches.

    • L
    • Levy
    • q{r
    • 25 May 2018

    This phone would've been mesmerising had they endowed it with a modicum of modernity.

      • N
      • Nzi97
      • tug
      • 25 May 2018

      Anonymous, 24 May 2018Just heard Sony is licensing Acoustic surface tech to Sammy... moreBad idea if samsung use it on their phone, even mi mix is complain for vibration in call, imagine how bad it is to replace a speaker, acoustic surface work on sony tv because it's a stand tv not something we hold and carry around

        • N
        • Nzi97
        • tug
        • 25 May 2018

        Jamesschwarz987, 24 May 2018But again, what's point on it? It's not like you can't use ... moreTo boost sale of wireless headset even more withbless 3.5mm jack available phone, and to make way for the walkman

          • D
          • AnonD-660035
          • 0$Y
          • 25 May 2018

          Me, 24 May 2018I guess XZ2P may be available in juneEven in Japan some carriers talk about mid August, which is too late for my taste.

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • nI8
            • 25 May 2018

            "you'll have to remember to bend your finger and place it much lower than what comes natural"

            ... or

            you could use a different finger ?

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • kui
              • 24 May 2018

              I am going to start reading this review everybody. Optimally, both 4 & 6 GB versions are discussed.

                AnonD-741217, 24 May 2018"Looks that are still behind their time"??? I hate the s... moreI can't help but to comment about your last point there. If someone gives me a Galaxy S9+ or iPhone X for free, of course I want one of them. I could just sell the phone and buy myself an Xperia XZ2. :D

                  • M
                  • Me
                  • LQw
                  • 24 May 2018

                  Yesnt, 24 May 2018Wow, that's impressive! Do you know when is it going to release? I guess XZ2P may be available in june

                    This phone has the most gorgeous display I've ever seen.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • LQw
                      • 24 May 2018

                      Just heard Sony is licensing Acoustic surface tech to Sammy Mobile.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • vjw
                        • 24 May 2018

                        Anonymous, 24 May 2018Nice info given... I liks that Sony takes initiative ... moreYeah some initiative from Sony in using 18:9 screen, removing the headphone jack and using rounded corners.

                          • D
                          • AnonD-741217
                          • QRw
                          • 24 May 2018

                          "Looks that are still behind their time"???

                          I hate the shitty run of the mill characterless design of ALL other Android phones, especially the iPhone X wannabes, which are really embarrassing. I highly commend Sony for sticking to their solid, Zen-like, symmetrical and masculine design.

                          This is the first Sony whose tech is really up-to-date, but even though, the atrocious pseudo-design of the entire competition (except iPhone) had me so disgusted that my last four handsets ended up being Sony, even though they used to have substandard tech.

                          The XZ2's "behind time" design is a joy to look at and to use (except for the fp scanner, of course). Still, I wouldn't even want the latest Samsung or Chinese hand set if you gave it to me for free. Their ugliness can't be tolerated. I love my XZ2.

                            Anonymous, 24 May 2018Sony simply killed the headphone jack because they created ... moreIts as true as for every brand, apple included. But you cannot forget they got highest bitrate over air, about half more than the rest.
                            There is also choice of using adapter for wired connection if you want top quality. At least I hope it works like that.

                              Shanti Dope, 24 May 2018So since you basically only notice the noise level, then I ... more...I won't go into high iso debate... look at iso 40 and around 1/2000 shuter speed sample, blue sky. No matter ho much they want to preserve details, at those settings and in that environment, its just too much. If others can preserve details at high iso without noise(at their 12mp level), how can this happen. Output in phone should be share ready in sense, that after zoom on faces or whatever you wont see noisy ocean but end product. It looks like raw while its not supposed to be so. If you wanted to have best results with raw, or to compare - shame, as sony got no such option, guess why. Using 3rd party app would get you also interesting results for comparison, yet, you wont get for it access to raw data, just to those processed.
                              Its got better results than flagships with comparable resolution, but its noise is not on that level where you just need a bit of denoising, it needs a lot. And if you want clean shot you are where you was years before, take multiple of static object and stack them manually or use denoising, and as ordinary user you won't get miracle results using that(denoise) on jpeg.
                              Though for user like me this phone is the best, I got to complain. Mine 950 got same amount of detail(in no hdr situations) while less noise, and thats years old phone.

                                • Y
                                • Yesnt
                                • GXm
                                • 24 May 2018

                                Me, 24 May 2018https://youtu.be/Up17Dl0JicQ Start video at 16:00 .... T... moreWow, that's impressive! Do you know when is it going to release?

                                  • ?
                                  • Anonymous
                                  • p4x
                                  • 24 May 2018

                                  Shanti Dope, 24 May 2018Sony removed the jack because of the new design that they'r... moreSony simply killed the headphone jack because they created a quite extensive line-up of wireless Bluetooth earbuds and headphones and they want to sell them.
                                  The excuse about no space or not wanting to spoil the symmetrical design is just PR talk.

                                    • D
                                    • AnonD-647882
                                    • RIF
                                    • 24 May 2018

                                    I think not all of the trend are useful, some of them may useless. The notche!!

                                      vrvly, 24 May 2018Well, sony's Z line sensor was like with reduced detail, ''... moreSo since you basically only notice the noise level, then I must say, you don't really know how photography works.
                                      Other phones have no noise because of their low ISO. Since they used lower ISO, they have to use slower shutter speed, which then introduces motion blur on moving subjects.
                                      If you may have not known, Sony's calling their cameras as "Motion Eye" for a reason; you get it.
                                      That's why when it comes to capturing the clearest shot, no other else is better than Sony.
                                      As our daily lives are full of surprises, and we, as humans, not being able to react fast enough to capture those moments, Sony has packed their phones to be suited to the task.

                                      But back to the topic. Noise makes the image look and feel more natural and detailed. I'd rather still have noise, knowing that I also know that I lost absolutely no detail from post processing
                                      Where most people post their photos, the images will be highly compressed, which makes the noise artifacts completely inexistent.
                                      For more serious use of the image, the best use of it is to post process it themselves by the user, and then the only time that we could literally get rid of the noise, and with a great software, also retain the same level of detail.

                                      Sony just keeps it natural and raw, and it doesn't make it better or worse, but when we talk about which one is more usable, it's definitely the one with more noise because it's the one that's untouched and left as is taken by the camera.

                                      You should definitely see the images of the S9 too. Only then you'd feel how unnatural and unrealistic its images are.
                                      No noise is nothing against a more detailed shot, and like I've said, it's a very rare thing to happen on the XZ2 not to capture more details even with more noise.

                                      If I truly want a noise-free image, I'll just use Manual mode and set the ISO to the lowest, and basically get that "noise-free" image that you're a fan of, knowing that I'd loose a lot of information from the overall image.

                                        Shanti Dope, 24 May 2018Sony tuned the camera to produce images mostly as raw as th... moreWell, sony's Z line sensor was like with reduced detail, ''a bit'' of sensor noise and digital one. It was not too much of processing, it was bad processing. Though with bigger pixels, better processor, stacking and ISP, it still feels like their sw processing stays the same while their hw is holding output together with reality.
                                        Though I'm not sure about plasticity looks in galaxy line(after all, all 12mp looks so to me), phones like U11+ or pixel2xl got more detail while same or less noise(compared to last galaxy note), so its hardly true that more noise means more real looks. If not taken to extreme and used good processing, output should be without noise. Shots with a noise would be also less usable than ones with more(but good) processing, its not raw after all and editing that means losing data your camera got when taking shot.
                                        Hopefully xz2p will get finally ahead of competition, I mean regarding noise. Its like years old wish. And even though I won't get tele lens, I would be so happy if they could accomplish just that.

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