What is the name of the new camera in xz premium. First look at Sony Xperia XZ1: Flagship, like Premium. By the way, what is the name of the Xperia corporate design now?
Sony Mobile presented at the IFA exhibition in Berlin a new line of Xperia smartphones for the 2017 model year, which included the flagship XZ1 and XZ1 Compact, as well as the XA1 Plus.
We were able to get acquainted with all the new products a few days before the exhibition at the Moscow office of Sony Mobile. It is important to note that the XZ1 and XZ1 Compact are representatives of the flagship Xperia line and are technologically inferior only to the XZ Premium. Moreover, in fact, the only difference is in the size and resolution of the display: the XZ1 has a 5.2-inch Full HD screen, while the “compact” has a diagonal of 4.6 inches with HD resolution. Otherwise, if we talk about technology, the smartphones are almost identical.
The XA1 Plus stands out from the general background of the presented new products - a smartphone that represents the middle class of Xperia devices, which are distinguished by their frameless design. The XA1 Plus in this line will occupy a position between the XA1 with a five-inch display and the XA1 Ultra with a 6-inch display. The XA1 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen, but most importantly, while maintaining the frameless design, Sony was able to install a fingerprint scanner on the side.
We managed to get acquainted with each of the devices separately, so we will devote separate material to each one.
The Sony Xperia XZ1 will take the place of the Xperia XZs, a smartphone that was announced at the same time as the XZ Premium and featured the same Motion Eye camera unit. Actually, the Xperia XZs acted as a kind of intermediate flagship smartphone, one might even say temporary. But he will have to move aside on the shelves, because the XZ1 is much more interesting.
The smartphone is made in an all-metal case in the already familiar Unified design concept. There are a lot of straight lines, but also a lot of ovals. For example, the shape of the ends of the smartphone follows the rounded USB Type C connector, the same shape is the block in the center of the back side, which combines an NFC tag, flash, laser autofocus and an RGBC-IR sensor, which has been present in Sony smartphones since the announcement of the Xperia XZ. The same shape is used in the buttons, SIM card slot and antenna “compartments”, barely visible on the black smartphone, of which there are three in the smartphone. These antennas provide LTE Cat16, a data transmission protocol that is capable of speeds up to 1 Gigabit per second. And this is not science fiction, but reality: smartphones can reach such speeds in Moscow within the Garden Ring. The mobile operator Megafon demonstrated this possibility in June using the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. At that time, it was the only smartphone with LTE Cat16. With the announcement of the XZ1, there are now two such smartphones.
Under the hood, the Xperia XZ1 has the most powerful and high-tech (so far) Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with a clock frequency of 2.3 GHz, 4 GB of RAM and a 64 GB drive (UFS memory type). The latter can be expanded: a version with a hybrid slot will be supplied to Russia, so you will have to make a choice - a second SIM card or more memory.
The smartphone has a 5.2-inch display with Full HD resolution and support for HDR technology. Interestingly, the smartphone supports HDR content from Netflix and Amazon Prime. The screen is very bright and contrasty, and has wide viewing angles. At first glance, it is simply impossible to find fault with him, however, as at the second. Note the presence of an oleophobic coating. This is easy to check, just drop water on your smartphone, if a large drop forms and rolls across the screen, the oleophobic coating is in place. By the way, flagship Sony Xperia smartphones, traditionally, are not afraid of dust and moisture and are protected according to the IP68 protocol, which means they can be immersed in fresh water to a depth of one and a half meters and remain there for half an hour.
It is worth mentioning the sound. The smartphone has very loud S-Force Front Surround stereo speakers, and the 3.5 mm jack supports a 5-pin jack. Thus, with special headphones, the Xperia XZ1 supports not only Hi-Res Audio (including wireless codecs - LDAC and aptXHD), but also high-quality noise reduction.
The battery deserves a few more words. It is non-removable, and its capacity, according to Sony tradition, is small: 2700 mAh. True, it could not do without the proprietary STAMINA technology, as well as Qnovo adaptive charging. Company specialists claim that the Sony Xperia XZ1 can easily withstand a day of fairly active use. Note that it supports Quick Charge 3.0 technology, although in order to use it you will have to buy a special network adapter.
Finally, we got to the most interesting part - the camera. And here, in principle, there is nothing new. The Sony Xperia XZ1 smartphone again uses the Motion Eye camera unit. This is a Sony Exmor RS sensor (IMX400), the physical size of which is 1/2.3” and the resolution is 19 megapixels. The aperture of the G Lens is F2.0, and the equivalent focal length of the main camera, slightly protruding from the body, is 25 mm. The camera uses electronic SteadyShot stabilization, an RGBC-IR sensor, which is responsible for the correct white balance, laser autofocus and LED flash.
Of course, the most interesting part of this sensor is the stack memory, which allows you to record videos in super slow motion (960 frames per second). True, only 0.184 seconds are recorded, which are converted into 5.9 seconds of real time.
This camera block is familiar to us firsthand, because we did it, and the Motion Eye in the Xperia XZ1 is identical. True, Sony developers have endowed the camera with a couple of new functions. Firstly, predictive shooting: now the device reacts not only to sudden movement, but also to a smile, capturing four pictures at once. In this way, you can capture the sincere emotion of an adult or child, a moment of true happiness.
Secondly, the camera in the Xperia XZ1 received autofocus tracking, an analogue of the 4D focus function from Sony mirrorless cameras. Thus, Xperia XZ1 became the first smartphone with such a function for continuous shooting. This function is simply turned on in the menu, then you need to tap on the subject of shooting and then the camera will keep this object in focus when photographing.
The front camera has a 13 megapixel sensor.
But the most important new feature of the Sony Xperia XZ1 and the absolute WOW feature of the smartphone is 3D modeling. Using a new smartphone and a special pre-installed application, you can quickly and easily scan your face, head, food or any object. The application is trainable, models are created in a minute and a half. Subsequently, they can be posted on social networks, printed on a 3D printer, or inserted into fresh memes. But the most interesting and at the same time strange thing: you can set your 3D model as a Live Wallpaper of the system (by the way, it already has Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box). The head will turn using the built-in gyroscope, as well as when turning pages.
Your humble servant tried the new “trick” on himself and was extremely pleased with the quality of the shooting and the model. The smartphone does this quickly and with very high quality: moles, individual beard hairs and freckles, even the sparkle in the eyes are visible. 3D models can be slightly processed directly on the smartphone: contrast, brightness, skin tone, and so on. There are not many tools yet, but the potential of the device in this direction is amazing. Perhaps such models can later be used in mobile games as avatars. But time will tell...
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone has not only a modern appearance, but also powerful hardware. The new generation Snapdragon 835 processor, which currently has no competitors, is responsible for performance. In addition, the new product has a 5.5-inch screen with excellent 4K resolution and highly sensitive cameras, capable of replacing a 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 a Sony smartphone for 12,500 rubles.
What's included in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium package
In the compact box, along with the smartphone, there is an AC adapter that is used to charge the gadget, and a USB cable that is used to connect the product to a computer. There is also a miniature device for removing memory cards from the tray and stereo headphones. Like all the company's products, the smartphone comes with a user manual and a warranty card.
Design Sony Xperia XZ Premium
The front and back of the case are made of durable Gorilla Glass 5 and are connected to each other using an aluminum side frame. Both halves have mirror surfaces, which girls will appreciate. An oleophobic coating is provided to protect against grease stains, which does not fully cope with its function and fingerprints are still visible. The angular shape of the case 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 IP68 degree of protection, the device is not afraid of dust, moisture and can operate 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 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, participates in music playback and creates surround sound. On the left side there is a hybrid slot for SIM cards and microSD, protected from dust and moisture by a plastic plug. 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 activation button with an integrated fingerprint sensor, a volume rocker and a key with which you can take photos or videos. At the bottom there is a USB port for connecting to a computer and charger, and a microphone. At the top there is a 3.5 mm jack for connecting a headset. In the upper left part of the rear surface the manufacturer installed:
- the main camera lens, protected around the perimeter by a steel ring to protect the lens from minor mechanical damage;
- photo flash;
- laser autofocus sensors;
- IR remote control emitter.
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 4K resolution (3840x2160 pixels) and pixel density up to 801 ppi allow you to display clear and detailed images on the screen. Support for multi-touch technology (up to 10 touches) ensures smooth image scaling. With a maximum brightness level (up to 700 cd/m2) and a contrast ratio tending to infinity, you can watch videos without color distortion even in sunlight. HDR10 technology expands the dynamic range of shooting and displays a balanced image. 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 energy 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;
- The color palette according to the sRGB standard is 138%.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium hardware
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, there is no need to worry about its competitiveness for a few more years. An Andreno 540 video card with a clock frequency of 710 MHz is responsible for processing and displaying images. Thanks to dual-channel 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM, the smartphone supports many popular programs and applications. Personal information, music, photos, videos and games are stored using 64 GB of built-in memory. If necessary, it can be increased to 128 GB by connecting:
- microSD;
- microSDHC;
- microSDXC.
According to Google statistics, as of May 2017, the number of devices running AndroidNougat 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 multimedia 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 “test” it on its devices, and in the future there is a possibility of supplying it to other companies, such as Apple, Samsung and others. The module uses a “proprietary” algorithm for working with Bions images, which came to mobile gadgets from professional cameras. It allows you to quickly process the camera image 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. Phase detection autofocus is used for long distance shooting. The IR-RGB system optimally sets the white balance with different powers of artificial light sources, resulting in pictures with excellent color rendition.
Among other hardware features, I would like to note the unique shutter mechanism, which allows you to clearly photograph moving objects, and an additional button located on the right side of the smartphone body. If you hold the button for a long time, the camera is activated even when the screen is off; if you press it briefly, the shutter is released. In the settings you can set the volume control as zoom.
The camera can shoot in automatic or manual mode. With the first method, you need to press a 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, and 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 at 100% zoom, small details are “eaten up”. 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. In return, it becomes possible to see the grace of movement that is inaccessible to the human eye under normal conditions. The flash operates in four modes:
- filling;
- automatic;
- eliminates the “red eye” effect;
- flashlight.
For selfies and video calls, Skype has a widescreen 13 MP camera. The sensitivity of the module is enough to take photographs with a resolution of 4160x3120 pixels and create videos in FullHD quality. The secondary camera is equipped with a number of functions, including a filter that smooths out wrinkles on the skin, a smile detection option and a self-timer mode that responds to gestures.
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, providing 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. Terrain orientation and location determination are carried out by satellite navigation adapters:
- A-GPS;
- BriDou;
- Glonass.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium battery review
A lithium-polymer non-removable battery with a capacity of 3230 mAh is responsible for offline operation. Its charge is enough for 1-2 days of talk time or 6 hours of watching videos in good quality. Charging is possible both from AC power and from a computer via a 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 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 presented at the MWC 2017 exhibition in early spring. The start of sales was scheduled for the end of May. The new product appeared on the Russian market only in June. Despite the high price, SonyXperia XZ Premium quickly won the hearts of users.
Having familiarized yourself with the technical characteristics and functionality of the gadget, you can highlight the positive and negative aspects of the model. The advantages definitely include a modern, powerful new 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. Considering 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 shooting leaves much to be desired;
- the price of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone, although it meets the specifications, is too high;
- for a device of this class, the battery used has a low capacity;
- soiling of the case;
- heating of the device during prolonged use of energy-intensive applications;
- no QuickCharge included in the package.
The Sony Xperia XZ1 smartphone is not a new device. This is the company's flagship from 2017. But it has quite a lot of interesting features that are worth paying attention to, and which are not a shame to use even in 2018. Our review of the Sony Xperia XZ1 talks about them.
Design
From a design point of view, the Sony Xperia XZ1 ignores all trends and develops alternative features. The company calls the design of the smartphone Loop Surface. And perhaps it can be called masculine. And in gray color, the smartphone is ideal for any manager or businessman. The screen is protected by tempered glass, the back is metal, there is IP67 protection against water and dust, a hybrid slot for two SIM cards and a memory card. All this makes the XZ1 a very serious and business-like smartphone. But if you compare it with other modern smartphones, the front of the Sony looks a little archaic.
After all, whatever you say, the design of the XZ1 is very different from everything that is on the market and it only lacks a little of current trends. But they say that this will be fixed very soon. But for now we have what we have, and in general Sony should even be praised. They don't try to make their products look like the iPhone or Galaxy, they do their own thing and give us a choice. Well, even if it’s an old screen format, maybe someone likes it this way.
Even the controls on this smartphone are different. For example, the fingerprint scanner is located in the side “Power” button. The thumb of the right hand fits into this notch itself, and when the smartphone is in the left hand, it is convenient to unlock it with the index fingers. True, the scanner is not always accurate, but the idea is great and we didn’t have to sacrifice anything. On the same right side, below the scanner, there is a physical button to control the camera. This is a feature of almost all Sony smartphones. You can take pictures by pressing a button, like in a camera. Moreover, the button is two-position. There are people who are accustomed to physical shutter releases and the touch keys do not suit them. For example, the Japanese.
Screen
The Xperia XZ1 has a 5.2-inch display with Full HD resolution. IPS screen, with HDR10 support. The display is really good. It has a decent amount of brightness and excellent color rendition. In the settings, you can select a different color scheme - for example, Extreme Brightness Mode and you will get almost OLED with very bright colors. Having rummaged through the screen settings, you can find the Backlight Control function, which understands that the smartphone is in your hands and does not turn off the screen. After all, it’s terribly annoying when, when watching a video on Instagram, the screen goes dark after a while. Backlight control solves this problem. The second feature is “Glove Mode”. It increases the sensitivity of the screen and allows you to operate your smartphone normally while wearing gloves. You can also manually select white balance and watch videos with Triluminos, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement and X-Realty enhancements.
In other words, the display of the smartphone is good. I would just like the minimum brightness to be lower, so that reading tweets in the evening in bed would be more comfortable. In general, the dimensions of the device are quite comfortable, but Sony had more space for a larger screen. However, the Japanese decided that it was more important to install speakers in the frames above and below.
Sound
The Sony Xperia XZ1 has stereo speakers. They sound pretty average. Much quieter than a single speaker in the iPhone X or OnePlus 5T. But it’s difficult to block them with your hand and it’s more convenient to watch videos with them, even if you can’t always hear them. Well, it’s best to listen to music on headphones, and Sony is in perfect order here. The smartphone has a mini-jack, which automatically makes it a music player. There is also support for the proprietary LDAC codec. This means that the Xperia XZ1 is not just a player, but a Hi-Fi player. Like any reputable player, it has a bunch of settings: its own equalizer with proprietary Clear Bass technology, surround sound settings, ClearAudio+ and DSCEE HX technology, and even the ability to level songs by volume level. But the best one, of course, is LDAC. It allows you to stream uncompressed music over Bluetooth. True, to unlock the potential of this codec you will need Sony headphones - for example, 1000XM2. We are sure that real Sonyboys already have them. But seriously, paired with these headphones you get a pretty solid music setup. You can find out about the headphones in our review. Well, you can read about the codec in a separate article.
Camera
Another trend that Sony decided to ignore is the dual camera. In fairness, it should be noted that Google has already proven to everyone that you can work wonders with just one camera. By the way, Google Pixel 2 is equipped with a module from Sony. This Japanese company is generally the largest supplier of smartphone cameras, and it’s all the more surprising that they won’t make a better camera for themselves. Therefore, Sony saved something special for the XZ1 - a 19 MP Motion Eye camera with a 25 mm lens and f/2.0 aperture.
There is hybrid autofocus, proprietary SteadyShot image stabilization, focus tracking and predictive shooting, when the camera takes pictures even before you press the shutter. During the day and in good light, the XZ1 shoots beautifully. However, this is not surprising. In poor lighting, the pictures are no longer so wonderful. And this is the same case when a 19 megapixel sensor does not guarantee better quality. Google Pixel, HTC U11 or iPhone X under the same conditions show better results than XZ1, but have a lower resolution - only 12 megapixels. A large number of pixels on such a small sensor results in increased noise and loss of detail. But during the day it is almost unnoticeable and in general the camera works well.
Video 960 frames per second
Videos can be recorded in 4K at 30 frames per second or Full HD at 60 frames per second. In the settings, you can select the video saving format - H264 or H265. The latter compresses video twice as efficiently, which means videos take up less memory space. But the Xperia XZ1 camera also has unique features. Thanks to the dedicated memory, the XZ1 can shoot super slow-motion video at 960 fps. This is 30 times slower than regular video. True, the resolution of such videos is only 1280 by 720 pixels and to shoot them you need very good light, and you can only record a fragment of 0.2 seconds. After processing, these 0.2 seconds turn into 6 seconds of slow motion video. The main difficulty here is to accurately grasp the time during shooting.
You can also use the camera to take 3D portraits or 3D food photography. Not the most useful feature and not widely used, but it will be fun to play with for a while. The resulting 3D models can be printed on a 3D printer. The front camera is 13 MP with a 22 mm lens and f/2.0 aperture. It takes pictures quite well, especially if you turn off the soft skin effect in the settings. The only complaint about the front camera is that it mirrors the image.
Performance
Sony Xperia XZ1 in September at IFA 2017. This is not so long ago, so the hardware of the smartphone is still more than modern: Snapdragon 835 processor, Adreno 540 graphics, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The smartphone also has a USB 3.1 port in Type-C format for charging and synchronization and a 2700 mAh battery. I wouldn’t dare call this smartphone a gaming one only because it has a small screen, it doesn’t have 120Hz, and it doesn’t look so pretentious. At the same time, you can play any games on the Xperia XZ1, and leave synthetic tests for the paranoid. The main thing is to find these notorious heavy games, of which there are not so many on Google Play. In general, it’s quite difficult to make this smartphone think.
The interface also works quickly, and you can’t really complain about it. By the way, Xperia XZ1 runs on Android Oreo. The launcher is not much different from pure Android, and there is a minimal number of its own add-ons. Among the interesting proprietary applications, one can note the program for remote connection to PlayStation. You can play your favorite PS4 games directly on your phone, and you can even connect your DualShock via Bluetooth.
In high-impedance (60 Ohm) monitor headphones, the low frequencies are worked out perfectly, but they always work in moderation and legibly - sorry, it doesn’t reach the point of “farting” even at maximum volume. The volume is excellent, the “middle” flows tightly through it, and the high frequencies rattle with accents. That is, they do not whistle into the ears on an ongoing basis, but are separated from the rest of the range. But they work much more clearly than in conventional flagships based on Snapdragon (Xiaomi Mi 6, OnePlus 3), and this turns out to be enough.
Although for those who like to reconfigure everything in their own way, there are also plenty of options:
DSEE HX- an analogue of Samsung’s UHQ Upscaler, a cunning algorithm that completes the audio stream of lossy (mp3, ogg vorbis) audio files, if not to lossless formats, then to a slightly higher level than what is “hardwired” in the file itself. In MP3 files with an initially high-quality spectrum, it “presses up” the low frequencies, adding a little volume and clarity.
ClearAudio+- brings high frequencies to the fore and makes them clearer. Moreover, it does it quite competently - it does not introduce any metallic shades or other nonsense pornography into the sound. Without it, it’s also not bad, but as a recipe from “boyish” mastering (when music was recorded with the aim of “pumping the bottom”), it’s a very successful option.
Surround Sound (VPT)- “not for everyone” function. It distorts the sound in different ways and introduces an artificial “concert” echo.
There is also a 6-band equalizer that you can turn on instead of DSEE HX or ClearAudio+. Nothing remarkable, except for separate bass adjustment Clear Bass- “bubnelka” is very smart and thinks up the “low” in a different way than if you simply raise the frequency response graph in Poweramp, for example.
It's in the monitors. And in the “plugs” of the Xiaomi Hybrid Pro HD (32 Ohm) level, the low frequencies are most often slightly lacking, and the clarity seems excessive - after 15 minutes you will either get used to it or get ringing in your ears. And this is strange, because Sony claims that the smartphone determines the type of headphones independently, using the AHO system. But de facto, with ClearAudio+ the sound becomes caustic and impossible to listen to, and DSEE HX makes the scene “dense,” but ringing high frequencies are still annoying, and there is no longer access to the equalizer with the option activated. The output is a slight “boost” in Clear Bass and a decrease in detail in the “twist” of the 16 kHz range. Beauty!
As an option “I want great sound at the touch of a button,” the LG G6 with Quad DAC looks brighter (the Koreans finally taught their flagship to properly adjust the sound to the type of headphones without additional questions), but Samsung in the Galaxy S8 was disappointed with the “dirty” sound for a flagship and “ damage" to the sound at the slightest intervention in the equalizer. Now the Galaxy S8 sounds on par with the Xperia XZ Premium only with the additional activation of UHQ Upscaler, and if you use the “enhancers”, Sony takes the lead. Surprisingly, this is what appears to be the victory of the standard WCD9341 DAC in the Snapdragon 835 over the more prestigious Cirrus Logis in the Exynos 8895.
Iron
Last year, the description of smartphones based on the top-end Snapdragon was given more simply. Like, look - another mobile phone running the fastest chipset, and no more explanation is needed. In 2017, the stars were positioned a little differently, so we’ll have to start from afar.
Qualcomm is a proud bird, until you kick it and motivate it, it won’t fly. After hot Californian guys disgraced themselves with the hot Chinese Snapdragon 810 in 2015, and Samsung with its more advanced factories and Galaxy S6 beat all competitors in benchmarks, the American chipmaker made every effort to make the new generation processor a masterpiece.
Although Sony's Xperia XZ Premium ticks almost every box on the high-end smartphone test, and also offers users Android 7.1 combined with excellent performance, it still doesn't make the cut. -5” of our respective rating. In particular, the quality of photos taken in low light leaves much to be desired. And also because Sony, even in its flagship smartphone, refuses to have a fast charger, the ratings in the “Battery” test category are lower than those of its direct competitors.
Advantages
very fast processor
excellent equipment
high quality workmanship
Flaws
The mirror surface of the case collects a lot of fingerprints
Camera in low light does not correspond to high-end level
- Price-quality ratio
Fine - Place in the overall ranking
17 out of 200
- Price/quality ratio: 73
- Performance and Control (35%): 93.2
- Equipment (25%): 93.8
- Battery (15%): 80
- Display (15%): 89.7
- Camera (10%): 73.4
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Sony Xperia XZ Premium is a mirror
For several years now, Sony has not fundamentally changed anything in the design of its smartphones, and this time it continues to rely on the minimalistic look that we know from the Xperia series devices. In principle, it all looks good and elegant, but in the case of the Xperia XZ Premium it already reaches its limits.
Firstly, the phone turns out to be very large, since the screen is surrounded on all sides by clearly defined frames. In addition, at the bottom, Sony has placed an additional black strip with soft control buttons, which also takes up a certain space.
On the other hand, the silver/chrome body of the device we tested reflects everything like a mirror. Within a short time, both the front and back surfaces became covered with numerous fingerprints and greasy stains. Of course, they can be rubbed off on clothes, but they definitely won’t be recognized as beautiful. But now there are no problems taking selfies with the main camera. The edges here are also glossy, rounded and very smooth, which makes the device weighing 190 grams easier to slip out of your fingers during a telephone conversation.
Mirror surface: Xperia XZ Premium allows you to take selfies with the main camera
Brilliant 4K display
In terms of equipment, Sony is rolling out several heavy artillery pieces to the position at once. These include an extremely clear 4K display with a 5.5-inch diagonal. Xperia XZ Premium in UHD resolution presents not only photos and videos, but also displays the user interface.
However, in everyday life, a picture with a pixel density of 800 ppi hardly provides any advantages compared to 400 ppi. Even if we bring the smartphone very close to our eyes, we most likely will not be able to notice the difference in clarity. However, VR (virtual reality) fans will be able to get some benefit from this.
Like competitors LG and Samsung, Sony advertises support for HDR (High Dynamic Range) technology. The screen boasts a truly wide color gamut and excellent image quality, but it doesn't shine as brightly as a Full HD display does. The latter reaches a remarkable 582 cd/m2, but Sony can only offer XZ Premium users 485 cd/m2. However, in most cases the content reads quite well.
The display displays content in 4K resolution - but it's almost impossible to understand Battery: Sony is saving on the wrong things
Of course, UHD resolution on a large display took its toll during our online testing. Here, the Xperia XZ Premium managed to last a good eight and a half hours, but it's still a long way from the almost ten hours of the cheaper Xperia XZs.
The device missed a certain number of rating points, not least because of the duration of the charging process, which lasts more than three hours. And although the XZ Premium itself supports Quickcharge 3.0 fast charging technology, Sony decided to save a little money and included a regular power supply with a power of only 7.5 W in the package.
A freshly polished phone looks gorgeous, but its surface quickly becomes covered in fingerprints. Xperia XZ Premium camera with its advantages and disadvantages
Sony paid great attention to the digital camera of its new flagship and equipped it with a high resolution of 19 megapixels, as well as a high-speed video recording function with 960 frames per second. The camera is essentially the same as the one in the Xperia XZs, but showed slightly better results during testing. The reason may most likely be a new firmware version.
The photo quality here can be considered good for the most part, however, in comparison with such direct competitors as above all, the Xperia XZ Premium still reveals certain shortcomings. Pictures taken in low light do not correspond to the high-end level of the device. This is clearly shown by comparing photographs taken by the smartphone we tested and the HTC U11.
However, even in daylight, the Sony camera does not reach the level of competitors that cost about the same. Contours are often noticeably indistinct and surfaces blurred. Most likely the problem is that the matrix is too small for the high resolution used.
Twilight photos: Compared to the HTC U11, photos taken on the Xperia XZ Premium have less detail and more artifacts. Plus they're a little dark. High speed video camera
The camcorder mode, called “High Frame,” is an interesting feature that will bring a lot of pleasure to shooting in daylight. In this mode, the camera shoots video in HD resolution at up to 960 frames per second, so you can then playback the footage very slowly.
However, because the shutter speed per frame is extremely fast in this mode, indoor results often appear too dark and noisy. It is practical to be able to take “pre-emptive” pictures. In this mode, the camera takes photos before you press the shutter button, so you can then choose a better shot - this mode is especially useful when shooting moving subjects.
The Sony Xperia XZ Premium camera has several good features Top performance
In terms of performance, the Xperia XZ Premium is on par with the best models on the market (and in our smartphone rankings). Snapdragon 835 provides a fast user interface, smooth scrolling, pleasant response speed to commands and quick application launch. This “system on a chip” also contains gigabit LTE and Bluetooth 5 modules.
If 64 GB of internal memory is not enough, you can expand it using microSD cards. Data exchange with a computer will also be pleasantly fast thanks to the presence of USB 3.1 Type-C. Last but not least practical is the protection of the case in accordance with the IP-68 standard, which for users means the ability to drop the smartphone into water without consequences.
Sony sells the Xperia XZ Premium in chrome and black colors at an initial cost of 54,990 rubles.
Waterproof: Sony Xperia XZ Premium users don't have to worry about rain or drops in water Alternative: Sony Xperia XZ
Cheaper, not as well equipped, but with a longer battery life: Sony fans can’t go wrong by choosing. At the same time, the smartphone, which has been on sale since last fall, costs about 13,000 rubles less. In some online stores you can find it even cheaper than 40,000 rubles.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium test results
Characteristics and test results of Sony Xperia XZ Premium
| Price-quality ratio | 73 |
| OS during testing | Android 7.1 |
| Current OS | Android 8 |
| Is there an OS update planned? | no data |
| App Store | |
| Weight | 189 |
| Length x Width | 156 x 78 mm; |
| Thickness | 8.0 mm; |
| Expert design review | Very good |
| Expert assessment of work speed | Very good |
| Download speed: PDF 800 KB via WLAN | 2.3 s |
| Download speed: main chip.de via WLAN | 0.5 s |
| Download speed: chip.de test chart via WLAN | 5.2 s |
| Sound quality (speakerphone) | Very good |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 |
| Processor architecture | |
| CPU frequency | 2.450 MHz |
| Number of CPU cores | 4+4 |
| RAM capacity | 4.0 GB |
| Battery: capacity | 3.230 mAh |
| Battery: easy to remove | - |
| Battery: surfing time | 8:26 h:min |
| Battery: charging time | 3:03 h:min |
| Fast charging function | Yes |
| Charger and fast charging cable included | |
| Battery: discharging time/charging time | 2,8 |
| Wireless charging function | - |
| WLAN | 802.11n, ac |
| Voice over LTE | |
| LTE: frequencies | 800, 1.800, 2.600 MHz |
| LTE: Cat. 4 | up to 150 Mbit/s |
| LTE: Cat. 6 | up to 300 Mbit/s |
| LTE: Cat. 9 | up to 450 Mbit/s |
| LTE: Cat. 12 | up to 600 Mbit/s |
| Screen: type | LCD |
| Screen: diagonal | 5.5 inches |
| Screen: size in mm | 68 x 122 mm; |
| Screen: resolution | 3.840 x 2.160 pixels |
| Screen: Dot Density | 801 ppi |
| Screen: max. brightness in a dark room | 485.9 cd/m² |
| Screen: staggered contrast in a bright room | 32:1 |
| Screen: staggered contrast in a dark room | 131:1 |
| Camera: resolution | 19.2 megapixels |
| Camera: measured resolution | 1,815 line pairs |
| Camera: expert assessment of image quality | Fine |
| Camera: VN1 noise | 1.9 VN1 |
| Camera: minimum focal length | 4.4 mm; |
| Camera: minimum shooting distance | 9 cm; |
| Camera: Shutter Time with Autofocus | 0.76 s |
| Camera: optical stabilizer | - |
| Camera: autofocus | Yes |
| Camera: flash | LED |
| Video resolution | 3.840 x 2.160 pixels |
| Front camera: resolution | 13.0 megapixels |
| LED indicator | yes (multicolor) |
| Radio | - |
| SIM card type | Nano-SIM |
| Dual SIM | - |
| Protection against dust and moisture (IP certificate) | IP68 |
| Fingerprint's scanner | |
| User accessible memory | 49.3 GB |
| Memory card slot | Yes |
| USB connector | Type-C-USB 3.1 |
| Bluetooth | 5 |
| NFC | Yes |
| Headphone output | 3.5 mm; |
| HD Voice | Yes |
| SAR | 1.21 W/kg |
| Firmware version during testing | 45.0.A.1.229 |
| Test date | 2016-05-22 |
