Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium review

27 August 2018
The third-gen Premium comes with Sony's first dual camera, a larger 5.8-inch display that is still 4K, and a due upgrade in the internals, all in a chunky package. Let's see if the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is worthy of its name.

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  • Uzjal
  • KIJ
  • 15 Sep 2018

Anonymous, 30 Aug 2018No it doesn't. It might get slightly better results from th... moreLet me be clear, s9 and xz2 has same daylight results, but in night xz2 has more noise and more details, s9 has cleaner image but less details, thats it, be honest

    • U
    • Uzjal
    • KIJ
    • 15 Sep 2018

    Noobsdesierriaa, 03 Sep 2018When sony use flat design sony fans said flat design is the... moreWell just show me Samsung's curved back, and if you are talking about curved screen, than its OK not bad not good for both companies, think before talk rubbish

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      • viperman
      • 3TC
      • 07 Sep 2018

      fingerprint is in good position for me , i have xz2 (same position like in premium model) , and it is my first phone with fingerprint on the back, and i have no problem with it. i am holding phone in lower posiition, i have smaller hands and navigation buttons are more comfortable than...

        Noobsdesierriaa, 03 Sep 2018When sony use flat design sony fans said flat design is the... moreSony use the hunchback design fit well in hand that Samsung never learn, Samsung still use the stupid slippery flat glass back cover and elongated display with uninspiring UI that doesn't help user to press the back key at bottom of the phone.

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          • Noobsdesierriaa
          • 6uM
          • 03 Sep 2018

          Mike, 28 Aug 2018Curved back is very ergonomic as it's more surface that has... moreWhen sony use flat design sony fans said flat design is the best
          Now Sony use copied Samsung, fans say curved design is the best hahaha.

            2cents, 29 Aug 2018P20 Pro in both 10MP and Night Mode absolutely ruins the ni... moreYou can't really say P20 Pro "completely erases them like they are not there", as there is some sort of dimming filter applied to the whole video and you can't tell the true brightness of those photos. I have seen plenty of samples where P20 Pro keeps highlight sections bright while preventing them from being overexposed. And as for the "dusk" photo, you don't even know how bright the actual scene was, so how can you make an assumption that XZ2 Premium is capturing the scene at correct exposure when P20 Pro isn't?

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • I8m
              • 30 Aug 2018

              nothing-, 30 Aug 2018Oh man, I can't paste the link using my mobile. Just go to ... moreNo it doesn't. It might get slightly better results from that auto tripod mode, but might if both phones were using those settings.
              And you can just as easily slide over to manual on the galaxy too and still squeeze a better result

                Anonymous, 29 Aug 2018Everyone claims the xz2p wins but not one example has backe... moreOh man, I can't paste the link using my mobile. Just go to Sony then choose XZ2 then camera shoot out between S9 vs XZ2. I stand corrected, pixel is not included and iPhone X but we all know that S9 is better than iPhone X and Pixel 2 right? And the XZ 2 destroyed the S9 using tripod in Night shots.

                  Anonymous, 29 Aug 2018Everyone claims the xz2p wins but not one example has backe... moreThere was a comparison made here in GSMA where they tested it with tripod in Night shot. I'll look into it and paste the link.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • I8m
                    • 30 Aug 2018

                    NichtsGemacht, 30 Aug 2018What makes you think that the criteria that you use is what... moreWho are you to say what's factual doesnt matter. Regardless of who claimed what.
                    What the general fan looks for not the same as what is better photo quality.
                    A personal preference does not change what is overall objective

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                      • NichtsGemacht
                      • K3e
                      • 30 Aug 2018

                      2cents, 29 Aug 2018P20 Pro in both 10MP and Night Mode absolutely ruins the ni... moreWhat makes you think that the criteria that you use is what most people apply when it comes to smartphone photography? most people as you said doesn't know much about night time photography and they are going to like what to them looks "better" which is not bad at all, most of the users of these type of phones don't really know/care. all in all for the majority of people the Huawei P20 pro its better at night.

                        • ?
                        • Anonymous
                        • I8m
                        • 30 Aug 2018

                        Sergi, 30 Aug 2018Tiny little things are all that matter now since all the ph... moreGreat then if you couldn't clearly get the point then that means all the other tiny and big areas where the more display is superior counts for a lot more. Anf that one tiny little thing in that link doesn't even show the victory claimed for Sony. I was just making a point

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • I8m
                          • 30 Aug 2018

                          Primark, 29 Aug 2018Again you are just generalizing and not being specific, so ... moreBecause there is nothing to be specific. Nothing in its worth the price. Nothing the company does justifies the price compared to others. It's that simple.

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                            • Sergi
                            • J9M
                            • 30 Aug 2018

                            Anonymous, 29 Aug 2018One tiny way you think it's better that it's not means its ... moreTiny little things are all that matter now since all the phone techs are pretty close to each other...

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                              • Sergi
                              • J9M
                              • 30 Aug 2018

                              Foundation, 29 Aug 2018So Youtube video is now the standard way to compare the dis... moreYou're right it isn't but it is to show as a proof...

                                • 2
                                • 2cents
                                • LHe
                                • 29 Aug 2018

                                Foundation, 29 Aug 2018Not really. Most of the time P20 Pro won IN AUTO 10MP and t... moreP20 Pro in both 10MP and Night Mode absolutely ruins the night photography. You have no sense that it's night time, it looks like a dusk photo that got bad white balance or bad exposure. No one freaking expects to see clouds in night sky cause no one sees them in real life anyway. Point of night photography is to have the true white area and true black area and everything in between to show up details, it's all about the contrast. Trick question is how little of blown highlights and pitch black are you going to leave to balance out everything in between.

                                I'm not a fan of what was shown on that video. While Sony completely overkills the highlights to the point of no details P20 completely erases them like they are not there. Look at the picture of the road that's split by an island with billboards, on P20 it looks like it was shot at sunrise. There is no single black area to suggest it's in the middle of the night and even sky is cyan blue instead of deep blue. And people voting shows how little they know about night time pictures.

                                Fountain is the same thing. If you are shooting super bright object in the middle of the night everything behind it should really be a lot darker. P20 10MP and XZ2P did it almost right but that Night mode made a mess out of it but showing up the tree and building and clouds etc. And once again people voting have no clue what are they voting for as they pick Night mode

                                  • F
                                  • Foundation
                                  • uFk
                                  • 29 Aug 2018

                                  Primark, 29 Aug 2018I saw the video and noticed that the reviewer really tried ... moreNot really. Most of the time P20 Pro won IN AUTO 10MP and that's no surprise given its larger sensor. You can change white balance in the post with ease, but you can't recover heavily processed and smeared details and blown up highlights or crushed shadows.

                                    • F
                                    • Foundation
                                    • uF0
                                    • 29 Aug 2018

                                    nothing-, 29 Aug 2018I have a ate 10 pro a di haven't used the light painting op... moreIf you shoot in RAW and restrict ISO to somewhere around 50 or 100 you'll get a RAW image which is a lot better than crappy heavily processed JPEG from XZ2 Premium. The same goes for Note 9.

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                                      • Primark
                                      • X{Y
                                      • 29 Aug 2018

                                      Anonymous, 29 Aug 2018Scaling down to 8 megapixels actually result to the same co... moreHave you seen these?
                                      https://youtu.be/l7ONiTzHgHM

                                      https://youtu.be/l7ONiTzHgHM

                                      I thought there was barely a difference between the performance, but there actually is a significant difference and it tips in favor of sony so...

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • IW@
                                        • 29 Aug 2018

                                        Like Mike, 29 Aug 2018When I scale down to 8MP (which is only fair option since y... moreScaling down to 8 megapixels actually result to the same conclusion: That the older pixel 2 XL phone despite being at 2 stops higher ISO setting performs significantly better in low light. And it costs less. It only cements the conclusion that the XZ2 Premium has nothing 'premium' to offer in the claimed 'low light photography prowess'. As the GSMArena team has said, there's no sense in buying it at its current high price because one can get better low light camera performance for much less. And if as you said, photos captured by XZ2 premium are for mobile viewing only, then you might as well buy the Pocophone from Xiaomi and use the savings to buy a Sony Playstation. At least, you're still supporting Sony.