Smartphone Sony Xperia XZ Premium has not only a modern appearance, but also a powerful stuffing. Responsible for performance is the new generation Snapdragon 835 processor, which currently has no competitors. In addition, the novelty has a 5.5-inch screen with excellent 4K resolution and highly sensitive cameras, capable of replacing the camera in many cases. Below is a review in which we will try to figure out whether the gadget is worth its price.
- Read also a review of the Sony smartphone for 12,500 rubles.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Package Contents
In a compact box, along with a smartphone, there is an AC adapter with which the gadget is charged, and a USB cable used to connect the product to a computer. There is also a miniature memory card ejector and stereo headphones. Like all products of the company, the smartphone comes with a user manual and a warranty card.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium design
The front and back of the case are made of durable Gorilla Glass 5 and are interconnected using an aluminum side frame. Both halves have mirror surfaces, which girls will appreciate. From fatty contaminants, an oleophobic coating is provided, which does not fully cope with its function and fingerprints are still visible. The angular shape of the body does not spoil the appearance of the product, the corners of the metal frame are rounded, which significantly improves the ergonomics of the device. Thanks to the degree of protection IP68, the device is not afraid of dust, moisture and can work underwater at a depth of up to 1.5 meters. The manufacturer produces this model in three colors - black, bronze and silver. With dimensions of 156x77x7.9 mm, the gadget weighs 191 g.
The screen occupies 69.65% of the front side area. There are no mechanical buttons under the display; interface keys are used to control the device functions. At the top, there is traditionally an auxiliary camera lens, a notification LED and a speaker, which, in tandem with the main one, plays music and forms a surround sound. On the left side is a hybrid slot for SIM-cards and microSD, protected from dust and moisture by a plastic cap. The tray is designed to connect two nanoSim cards or one SIM card and a memory card.
On the right side there is an oblong power button with a fingerprint sensor integrated into it, a volume rocker and a key with which you can take photos or videos. At the bottom is a USB port for connecting to a computer and a charger, and a microphone. At the top is a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset. In the upper left part of the rear surface, the manufacturer installed:
- the lens of the main camera, protected by a steel ring around the perimeter to protect the lens from minor mechanical damage;
- flash;
- laser autofocus sensors;
- IR emitter remote control.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Specifications
The 5.5-inch display is based on an IPS matrix with wide vertical and horizontal viewing angles (178° each). Amazingly high resolution 4K (3840x2160 pixels) and a pixel density of up to 801 ppi allow you to display a clear and detailed image on the screen. Support for multi-touch technology (up to 10 touches) provides smooth image scaling. At the maximum brightness level (up to 700 cd/m2) and the contrast ratio tending to infinity, you can view video without color distortion even in sunlight. HDR10 technology expands the dynamic range of shooting and displays a balanced image on the screen. The presence of the upscale function reduces the display resolution from UHD to FHD when working with content and applications that do not support a high image standard. This reduces power consumption. Thanks to X-Reality technology, it is possible to add clarity and saturation to a photo or video image by “drawing” additional pixels. In addition, other important parameters can be noted:
- aspect ratio - 16:9;
- color depth - 24 bits;
- sRGB color gamut is 138%.
Hardware stuffing Sony Xperia XZ Premium
The heart of the gadget is a powerful 64-bit Snapdragon 835 processor with 8 Kryo cores operating at 4x2.45 GHz and 4x1.9 GHz. Given the advanced characteristics of the chip, you should not worry about its competitiveness for a few more years. The Andreno 540 video card with a clock frequency of 710 MHz is responsible for processing and displaying the image on the display. Thanks to 4GB dual-channel LPDDR4X RAM, the smartphone supports many popular programs and applications. Storage of personal information, music, photos, videos and games is carried out using the built-in memory of 64 GB. If necessary, it can be increased up to 128 GB by connecting:
- micro SD
- microSDHC;
- microSDXC.
According to Google statistics, as of May 2017, the number of devices running Android Nougat is 7.7% of all Android devices in the world and their number continues to grow by an average of 2.2% per month. Due to the peculiarities of the OS, it is possible to use a large number of paid and free applications that can be downloaded from PlayMarket.
Cameras and media Sony Xperia XZ Premium
The gadget has a 19 megapixel camera model Exmor RSI MX 300 with a physical sensor size of 1/2.3 inches. Initially, the manufacturer will “run it in” on their devices, and in the future there is a possibility of delivery to other companies, such as Apple, Samsung and others. The module uses the "proprietary" algorithm for working with the Bions image, which came to mobile gadgets from professional cameras. It allows you to quickly process the image from the camera and recognize movement in the frame.
The module uses a 6-lens GLens lens with a minimum focal length of 4 mm, capable of macro photography from a distance of 12 cm. For high-quality camera operation, the manufacturer has provided laser autofocus and an IR-RGB sensor located next to the flash. Laser focusing is used for objects located in close proximity to the lens. For shooting at long distances, phase detection autofocus is used. The IR-RGB system optimally adjusts the white balance under different levels of artificial light sources, resulting in pictures with excellent color reproduction.
Among other hardware features, I would like to note a unique shutter mechanism that allows you to clearly shoot moving objects, and an additional button located on the right side of the smartphone body. If you hold the latter for a long time, the camera is activated even when the screen is off, with a short press, the shutter is released. In the settings, you can set the volume control as zoom.
The camera can shoot in automatic or manual mode. In the first method, you need to press the button, and the electronics will do the rest. In the second mode, it is possible to set the required shutter speed in the range from 0.0002 to 1 second, change the white balance, perform exposure compensation, smoothly adjust the focus.
Photos in daylight are clear, without blurring in the corners. When shooting at night, the noise reduction system is activated and small details are “eaten up” at 100% zoom. One of the advantages of the camera is the function of shooting video in slow motion, while the image quality is reduced to HD and the sound is turned off. Instead, it becomes possible to see the grace of movement that is inaccessible to the human eye under normal conditions. The flash works in four modes:
- filling;
- automatic;
- eliminating the effect of "red eye";
- Lantern.
For selfies and video calling, Skype provides a widescreen 13 MP camera. The sensitivity of the module is enough to take pictures with a resolution of 4160x3120 pixels and create videos in FullHD quality. The Sub Camera is equipped with a number of features, including a wrinkle-smoothing filter, a smile detection option, and a gesture-responsive self-timer mode.
The model is equipped with stereo speakers that provide loud and rich sound. As befits the flagship of the XPERIA line, the smartphone uses S-Force Front Surround technology, which provides three-dimensional virtual sound. The presence of the ANO function allows you to determine the type of connected headset and automatically set the necessary sound settings. Many users consider the lack of an FM tuner to be a disadvantage. Built-in video and audio players support AAC, MP3, MP4, MPEG and many other file formats.
Communication Sony Xperia XZ Premium
The connection is carried out in all existing standards from 2G to 4G. Thanks to the use of Bluetooth technology, it is possible to exchange information wirelessly between compatible devices at a distance of up to 10 meters. A Wi-Fi module is provided for Internet access. Orientation on the ground and position determination is carried out by satellite navigation adapters:
- A-GPS;
- BriDou;
- Glonass.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium battery review
Responsible for offline operation is a lithium-polymer non-removable battery with a capacity of 3230 mAh. Its charge is enough for 1-2 days of talk time or 6 hours of watching video in good quality. Charging is possible both from the AC mains and from the computer via the USB connector. A full battery recovery cycle lasts no more than 2 hours. The presence of the QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging function significantly reduces this period.
To increase the duration of battery life, the manufacturer has provided a special economical STAMINA mode, which reduces the performance of the gadget and reduces the speed of information transfer in the background. The Qnovo Adapting Charging technology used significantly increases battery life.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium: price and release date
The device was introduced at MWC 2017 in early spring. The start of sales was scheduled for the end of May. The novelty appeared on the Russian market only in June. Despite the high price, SonyXperia XZ Premium quickly won the hearts of users.
After reviewing the technical characteristics and functionality of the gadget, you can highlight the positive and negative aspects of the model. The advantages clearly include a modern, powerful next-generation processor, a sensitive fingerprint scanner, a high degree of protection that allows you to safely use your smartphone on the beach or in the shower, as well as a unique screen resolution. Given that the model is positioned as the flagship of the XPERIA series, there are a number of shortcomings that spoil the overall impression of the gadget:
- despite the use of a new generation camera, the quality of the shooting leaves much to be desired;
- the price of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone, although it corresponds to the characteristics, is too high;
- for a device of this class, the battery used has a small capacity;
- soiled hull;
- heating the device during prolonged work with energy-intensive applications;
- No QuickCharge charger included.
