Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact hands-on review

Introduction

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.

In many ways, the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are a logical and incremental step up over their direct XZ1 and XZ1 Compact predecessors. A beastly Snapdragon 845 chipset powers both, HDR support is added to the new panels and video recording. Everything is now either bigger, louder or with more pixels.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 back and front; IP65/68; 153 x 72 x 11.1mm, 198g.
• Screen: 5.7-inch, 18:9, FHD+ IPS LCD, HDR, 424 PPI
• Rear Camera: 19MP, 1/2.3" Sony IMX400 camera, f/2.0 lens, predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, burst AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash, dedicated hardware shutter key, BIONZ for mobile image-processing engine; ISO 12800
• Video Recording: 4K video recording @30fps, HDR video up to 4K, 1080p @60fps, 1080p @960fps, 720p @960fps, Steady Shot; Stereo audio recording; Predictive capture; ISO 4000
• Front Camera: 5MP, 1/5" Exmor RS for mobile, 23mm wide angle lens, 90-degree FOV, f/2.2; 1080p video
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Kryo 385 (8x custom Cortex-A75 @ up to 2.8GHz), Adreno 630GPU
• Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB UFS + microSD (up to 400GB)
• OS: Android 8.0 Oreo
• Battery: 3180mAh; Quick Charge 3.0; Wireless Charge (QI)
• Connectivity: Hybrid dual SIM (4G), 4G VoLTE, 5CA LTE Cat.18, 4x4 MIMO, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.1 Type-C
• Audio: Dynamic vibration system, High-res audio, DSEE HX, LDAC, Stereo speakers with S-Force surround, aptX HD audio
• Misc: Fingerprint sensor, 3D creator scan on back and front cameras, SDR to HDR up conversion

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Specs

• Body: Aluminum frame, Polycarbonate back, Gorilla Glass 5 front; IP65/68; 135 x 65 x 12.1mm, 168g.
• Screen: 5.0-inch, 18:9, FHD+ IPS LCD, HDR, 483 PPI
• Rear Camera: 19MP, 1/2.3" Sony IMX400 camera, f/2.0 lens, predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, burst AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash, dedicated hardware shutter key, BIONZ for mobile image-processing engine; ISO 12800
• Video Recording: 4K video recording @30fps, HDR video up to 4K, 1080p @60fps, 1080p @960fps, 720p @960fps, Steady Shot; Stereo audio recording; Predictive capture; ISO 4000
• Front Camera: 5MP, 1/5" Exmor RS for mobile, 23mm wide angle lens, 90-degree FOV, f/2.2; 1080p video
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Kryo 385 (8x custom Cortex-A75 @ up to 2.8GHz), Adreno 630GPU
• Memory: 4GB RAM, 64GB UFS + microSD (up to 400GB)
• OS: Android 8.0 Oreo
• Battery: 2870mAh; Quick Charge 3.0
• Connectivity: Hybrid dual SIM (4G), 4G VoLTE, 4CA LTE Cat.15, 4x4 MIMO, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.1 Type-C
• Audio: High-res audio, DSEE HX, LDAC, Stereo speakers with S-Force surround, aptX HD audio
• Misc: Fingerprint sensor, 3D creator scan on back and front cameras, SDR to HDR up conversion

On the flip side, Sony is taking a bold step forward in design, with plenty of polarizing potential, especially among long-time fans. Simply saying that the Xperia XZ2 pair looks different from its predecessors would be a major understatement.

If you thought Apple was courageous for ditching the headphone jack, just join us on the following pages, as we take a closer look at the major visual overhaul Sony has undertaken. Be sure to leave you feedback in the comments as well, as we are genuinely interested in the reception.