Sony xz premium. Sony Xperia XZ Premium review: the flagship with the best specs

The appearance of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium can be summed up in one word: solid. Chrome-plated edges, polished aluminum ends and Gorilla Glass 5 glass on both sides - all this looks rich, status. Sony does not change the style of "angular brick", and many love the Japanese for it. The rest of the design is reminiscent of Groundhog Day: every year the same thing.

The smartphone is large and heavy: 191 grams. You put it in your pocket - it pulls it off and rubs it with sharp ends, you take it in your hand - it's uncomfortable to hold, it slips out. Wide frames visually reduce the display, and the body seems like a massive thick case. But on the table you can put it vertically!

We came across a model in the color "Shining Chrome". The name justifies itself: the glass shines and reflects everything around. Minus - instantly collects prints. Grease marks and streaks cover the case as soon as you pick up the device. It is easy to wipe off, but immediately gets dirty. There is also a "Deep Black" color, it is more interesting and stylish. Later in the summer, "Pink Bronze" will appear.

photos

See the Sony Xperia XZ Premium from every angle

The side faces are made of plastic. Yes, yes, such a snag: everyone thinks that aluminum. Sony explains this with the best communication quality: 8 antennas are hidden under the edges. That's why the scope is so wide. And the huge indents at the top and bottom of the display are due to the speakers.

The smartphone is protected from water and dust according to the IP65/IP68 standard. The first number means that the device will withstand water pressure under low pressure, and the second - that it can be in water for 30 minutes at a depth of up to 1.5 meters. You can not dip in the sea, in alcohol - too.

Display on the verge of fantasy

HDR-enabled displays are already on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and LG G6, but HDR and 4K displays are only on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. IPS-matrix with a diagonal of 5.46 inches looks very cool, especially when viewing photos and videos.

An HDR screen delivers more color tones and more contrast than a conventional display. And 4K means the resolution is 3840x2160 pixels. The clarity is off scale, it is impossible to make out individual dots or serifs on the letters. We tried.

To experience the full power of 4K HDR, you need the right content. And it's still not enough. In Russia, this is offered by the Amazon Prime Video streaming service, and some content can be found on YouTube. One hour of such a video "weighs" 6-7 GB. That is, the transmission season of the Grand Tour will take about 90 GB.

Another application of 4K is virtual reality. But Sony does not have its own mobile VR headset, you have to buy from third-party manufacturers. In addition, the response time of the IPS-matrix is less than OLED. This affects the perception of the picture and even well-being. Therefore, VR headset manufacturers use OLED displays.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium display is excellent, but the 4K resolution is overkill. This is a good start for the future, but now you don’t notice all these bells and whistles.

The display switches to 4K only when viewing 4K content. The rest of the time - FullHD. You cannot manually set Quad HD or Full HD, as in the Galaxy S8. And I would like: one hour of watching a video on a 4K display “eats up” 22% of the charge.

Oddly enough, there is no night mode to protect your eyes from blue light. Even budget smartphones have this setting. White balance adjustment and gloved mode remain.

Camera: we wanted the best, but it turned out...

The camera module has a Sony Exmor RS IMX400 sensor. This is a 19-megapixel sensor that the Japanese introduced recently and will not be sold to anyone until the end of the year. Exclusive.

The pixel size is 1.22 microns, which is smaller than the competition. For example, the Galaxy S8 has 1.4 microns, while the Google Pixel has 1.55. The larger the pixel size, the more light the sensor captures. More light - more details in the picture in low light.

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The theory is confirmed by night photos on the Xperia XZ Premium. Digital noise, blur at the edges of the frame, low dynamic range. The smartphone does not have optical stabilization, and electronic stabilization does not help much - you have to turn up the ISO.

Quality of daytime photos at the level of competitors: Samsung Galaxy S8, HTC U11, LG G6. The colors are calm and natural. But if there is a bright light source in the frame - the sky, a white object - it can overestimate the exposure and overexpose the frame. You cannot manually turn on HDR: the setting is hidden from the user. But in vain, the automation does not pull details out of the shadows, the pictures against the sun turn out dark.

Here is a photo comparison with Google Pixel. Time - evening, settings - automatic. Pay attention to noise, sharpness and elaboration of details.

An unusual and useful feature is predictive shooting. You only aim at a moving object, and the camera itself takes 1-3 frames and saves it in memory. And so on until you press the button and take a picture. The result is 2-4 frames, from which you can choose the best.

There is also tracking autofocus. Click on an object and the camera doesn't let it go out of focus no matter where you turn. Children, dogs, cars - everything turns out clear, sharp.

Sony did not have a breakthrough in mobile shooting. The camera shoots well during the day, but worse at night. We are waiting for the sensor to fall into the hands of Google or Samsung.

Video is recorded in the maximum resolution of 4K at 30 fps, or Full HD 60 fps. Steadyshot's five-axis electronic stabilization is similar to the Google Pixel's EIS: when walking quietly, the video is smooth, but if you turn the smartphone sharply, the picture twitches sharply.

On the front is a 13MP wide-angle camera with a focal length of 22mm. This is a lot, the whole hand fits into the frame, not like the face. The quality of the photo is good: the detail is high, in low light the pictures are bright and sharp.

Bad light

daytime photo

Move the slider left and right to view photos in different lighting conditions.

Super slow motion video

Smartphones shoot slow motion video at 120 frames per second, some flagships at 240 fps. Sony Xperia XZ Premium shoots 4 times faster - 960 fps. It turns out a spectacular slow-mo:

But in super slow motion, even in a fraction of a second, a huge amount of data accumulates, which must be stored somewhere.

Sony was the first in the world to equip a mobile camera with its own memory. The module is called Motion Eye. This is such an optoelectronic "sandwich": in the center is a sensor, on top are lenses, and on the bottom is memory. Information is written 5 times faster than in the main storage.

An error occurred during the download.

How it works. You turn on super slow motion and start shooting normal video at 30 fps. As soon as something interesting happens, you press the button, and 0.18 seconds of video is recorded in memory at a frequency of 960 fps. Then the video is recorded again at normal speed, and after 2 seconds you can press the button again.

As a result, "pieces" 0.18 seconds long are stretched into 6-second segments. You cannot change the length of these segments, everything is strict. It is better to shoot in daylight, artificial flickers: the radiation frequency of the lamps is less. This is the video we got:

Why all these restrictions? The fact is that in 0.18 seconds the entire memory of the camera is clogged - 128 MB! It takes 2 seconds to process frames, transfer a piece of video to main memory and clear the camera. But with such "breaks" you can shoot for a long time until the entire memory of the smartphone is clogged or the battery runs out.

There are other nuances. In super slow motion mode, the picture is zoomed in 2 times. It's easier to shoot insects, birds, but to capture a jumping skater, you have to move away. And the shaking of the hands is more noticeable.

Super slow motion video is unusual and fun. Even a banal action can be turned into a funny video. Often you will not use it - the possibilities are limited.

The hardest part is finding the right moment. You have only 0.18 seconds, and it is difficult to react in this time. It is better to shoot fast, but repetitive actions: jumping a pet, flying a bird, flowing water, etc.

Unusual scanner and gigabit internet

The fingerprint scanner is built into the lock key. This is convenient: the smartphone lies on the table, in the hand or “face down” - you can always feel the scanner. It works so fast that you don't have time to check the time on the lock screen.

Sony thinks that paper clips are a tedious thing, so the SIM tray can be pry off with a fingernail. There is a tricky design inside: one slot hangs on the tray, the second one needs to be pulled out of the phone. This is a hybrid mutant.

The company explains this: they put a SIM in the internal slot and forgot it, and you can get the external one at any time and put either a SIM card or a MicroSD there. But after opening the tray, the phone reboots. By the way, if you twist the phone, you can hear a plaintive creak in the tray area.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium has become the world's third (first - Galaxy S8 and HTC U11) smartphone with LTE Cat.16. That is, the theoretical speed of the Internet is up to 1 Gbps. It all depends on the operator and network congestion. We measured: on the outskirts of Moscow, Speedtest shows 104 Mbps, and in the center - 40 Mbps. Not gigabit, but also fast.

USB Type-C version 3.1 is used for fast data transfer. But you will have to pay extra for the speed: there is no suitable cable in the kit, you need to buy it separately.

A minor but nice bonus is support for Bluetooth 5.0. You can stream audio to two wireless speakers or headphones at once. There is an NFC module, for Android Pay to work this is a prerequisite. But wireless charging was not delivered, this is a minus.

High tech sound

Sony didn't follow the trend: the Xperia XZ Premium has a headphone jack! No adapters and problems with the choice of headphones - any will do.

The smartphone supports Hi-Res Audio, that is, you can listen to uncompressed tracks in LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD formats. The sound is detailed, bright, with high frequencies highlighted.

In addition to the "purity" of the sound, there is nothing special to boast of. There is not enough depth of the scene, there is a lack of low frequencies. Compared to HTC U11 or Meizu Pro 6 Plus, the device sounds very good, but without the wow effect. At the level of Samsung Galaxy S8.

There is an active noise cancellation system, we tested it with the Sony MDR-NC31EM headset. In the subway and on the street, extraneous noise is cut off, and the sound of the headset is quite good. It can be used as earplugs: the noise canceling works even when the music is not playing.

There are two external speakers, at the top and bottom of the display. They sound good, but, again, not enough "bass" and voluminous. In terms of volume, they lose to competitors. Colleagues from the PhoneArena website found that the maximum volume of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is 70 dB, the HTC U11 is 75 dB, and the Galaxy S8 Plus is 80 dB. The irony is that the Galaxy S8 has one speaker.

Top performance

Premium smartphone - top-end "stuffing". Eight Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 cores and 4 GB of RAM became the standard for the 2017 flagship. In AnTuTu we get 172 thousand points, in games and applications - instant launch. Everyone is happy, everyone is happy. We look at the comparison for other tests:

Sony has well thought out the cooling system. In "heavy" games, the glass body heats up slightly, while watching a video it is barely warm. HTC is worth a lesson: their flagship U11 gets very hot under load.

Only one model will be on sale, with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of ROM. Sony, like Samsung, understands that this is enough for most users, who are not enough, install MicroSD. From the internal memory, 50 GB is available, the rest goes to the system. The capacity can be expanded with cards up to 2 TB.

There are no complaints about the speed of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, but there are problems with optimization. During the week of testing, our device “caught” several bugs: icons shifted, the top panel disappeared, the time went astray, once the system hung tightly. Forced reboot saved every time.

Convenient and recognizable interface

1 out of 10

Works Xperia XZ Premium under Android 7.1.1 Nougat. On top of it - a proprietary shell, a mixture of "pure" Android and old icons from Sony.

The Japanese are conservative, this can be seen both in the design of smartphones and in the interface.

The company installs its own applications, and often they duplicate "Google" ones: Albums and Google Photos, Music and Play Music, Email and Gmail. Variety is good, but nothing can be removed.

There is no own virtual assistant, only Google Assistant. In my opinion, this is correct: Bixby from Samsung and Companion from HTC are developing slowly and only within their ecosystem, and Google is actively improving the Assistant for everyone and everything.

Useful programs include a news aggregator, a Movie Maker video editor, and a Sketch drawing application. Lifelog is a daily activity tracker. Counts calories, distance traveled, how much time you slept and sat in social networks.

When the Xperia XZ came out last year, I was more than satisfied with it. But now Sony released the XZ Premium and I realized how stupid I was then. There is a 4K screen, a super-fast camera, and the latest processor - in general, everything that was possible, and even impossible, was able to fit into this smartphone.

Design

When you look at the XZ Premium, you immediately understand that this is a flagship. Perhaps it's all about the chrome mirrored back panel (it, like the screen, is covered with Gorilla Glass 5), which is hard not to pay attention to. And the smartphone is not small in size - still, it only has a screen diagonal of 5.5 inches! Despite this, it is easy to hold in your hands, although it feels like a little more than a regular XZ. But the side faces of it are plastic, although they look like metal. But this is the idea of engineers: there are 8 communication antennas on the sides, and the signal does not pass well through aluminum.

Otherwise, Sony is true to its traditions: rectangular edges, wide frames at the top and bottom (it’s convenient to hold the phone while taking photos), a separate button to launch the camera and a fingerprint scanner. As well as a USB-C connector for charging and synchronization, which is already familiar to Sony smartphones for the past couple of years, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.

Another feature that is common to all smartphones of the line is the ability to get a SIM card and a memory card without a paper clip. Still, it’s very convenient when you don’t have to look for a paper clip or ask a girl to give you her earring for a minute (a life hack, by the way) to perform this action. By the way, if you do not need a flash drive, you can insert a second SIM card instead.

Screen

The display of the smartphone was upgraded to Quad HD, that is, it is now 4K - even games will be launched in this resolution. But this is especially interesting when you watch a video or connect to the PlayStation 4. Subjectively, the screen has become better - you can see very small details in the photographs.

CPU

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium has a Snapdragon 835 chip, which Qualcomm turned out to be extremely good, unlike the problematic 810 model. There are 8 cores, a new process technology, a new modem (supports LTE Cat.16 and speeds up to 1 Gb / s) and an Adreno 540 graphics core. Bluetooth, by the way, is also new - 5.0, but this is rather a reserve for the future; Now there are not particularly devices with 5.0, versions 3 and 4 are everywhere.

Camera

The main feature of the smartphone, in my opinion, was the updated camera. Now it is perhaps one of the most technically sophisticated cameras that are installed in smartphones. There are new lenses and an IMX400 sensor, which will be installed only in Sony phones. The software has also been redesigned - especially for auto mode, but it's better to use manual settings.

But this is not the main idea. The camera has the ability to shoot very slow-motion videos (“in rapid motion”, as filmmakers would say). For dynamic scenes, this is the perfect solution. Record sporting events, the rapid flight of birds, and everything that happens in a split second, but the eye does not have time to follow. And then I shot it in slow-motion, and look at it as much as you want. Of course, a smartphone can also record 4K video, in vain does it have a 4K screen, or what? It will be possible to please yourself in the summer (if it comes, of course), and shoot material so that there is something to brag about all winter. Especially various water activities, because the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is not afraid of dust or moisture - it has IP68 protection, you can even swim with it, although not for long (but half an hour is enough for you?).

Battery

The battery here is not the largest for a flagship - 3230 mAh. But this is enough for a whole day of smartphone operation. If you activate the proprietary Sony STAMINA mode, then it can last a day and a half, but I would still charge the smartphone every night. Although, thanks to QuickCharge 3.0, you can always charge the gadget by 40% for half an hour before leaving the house.

And everything we want to see.

Update | 01/28/2018

The Sony smartphone has passed the FCC certification with a 5.7-inch screen but a surprisingly small physical size compared to most Sony phones. However, it can get rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack.

So we really want to see a new design for the Sony Xperia XZ Premium 2, and luckily it looks like we're in for it, as not only has Sony's CEO claimed that some of the upcoming smartphones will be getting a new design, but the specs list dimensions that confirm design changes.

big screen

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium's 5.46-inch screen isn't the smallest, but to really make full use of its 4K resolution, it really needs to get bigger, and with competitors like , a larger diagonal would help the Xperia XZ Premium 2 compete. .

It shouldn't get huge, but going up to 5.8 inches could make a big difference, especially if Sony can shrink the screen bezels to keep it roughly the same physical size.

Less software bloat

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium weighs down with a plethora of pre-installed apps, many of which duplicate the features of Google's apps (which are also on the phone) or just aren't very useful.

With the new Sony Xperia XZ Premium 2, we would like less bells and whistles, with a pure version of Android. Considering that the whole app store makes it easy and quick to fill in any problems, so the basic apps are enough for us, without duplicates.

Dual camera

The XZ Premium offered a good camera, but an additional lens could make it even better.

Sony's flagship phones tend to have decent cameras, and the Xperia XZ Premium is no exception. In our review, we noted the camera's impressive Slo-Mo and ability to capture a lot of detail, but this is just one lens against the competition with dual cameras, and we want Sony to follow suit.

The dual lens isn't just a marketing gimmick, as it could unlock new features, including lossless optical zoom, that could bode well for the Xperia XZ Premium 2.

More power!

The Xpreia XZ Premium offered enough performance, but early rumors suggest the new model won't get an upgraded chipset or more RAM, which can be disappointing not only because it's reasonable to expect a performance boost from the new model, but also because at the time of the phone's release, The specs seem frankly outdated for a high-end phone.

So hopefully this rumor is wrong and the Xperia XZ Premium 2 will actually see a performance boost. We would like to see a smartphone with the new Snapdragon 845 chipset. RAM may stay at 4 GB, but we will not refuse to increase this figure.

SlotSIM cards

It's a small point, but in our review of the Xperia XZ Premium, we noted that the SIM slot is extremely inconvenient, which is why we'd like to see it redesigned on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium 2.

It's not something most people need to interact with often, but that doesn't mean the SIM card slot shouldn't be of decent quality.

Need a 4K display? probably on the way too.

We really managed to impress the guests of the Mobile World Congress electronics exhibition with our most powerful smartphone. The Xperia XZ Premium is recognized as one of the best at this annual event, and for good reason. The fact is that the fresh Japanese flagship received an excellent appearance, and its inner part is completely beyond praise. At the moment, it is difficult to find a worthy rival in terms of equipment, since it uses the latest top-class chipset from Qualcomm for the first time, which is not yet available in competitors. The highest screen resolution and chic photographic capabilities are also a noticeable feature of the device. Therefore, it will be extremely interesting to consider this product.

Design, materials and screen Sony Xperia XZ Premium

It's not enough to say that the smartphone looks good, its appearance is simply magnificent. Although, of course, there will definitely be people who do not like the branded “Sonevsky” image. The smartphone is not strikingly different from its predecessor, first of all, the increased dimensions are striking. However, there are other significant changes as well. The back of the case is decorated with protective glass, and a metal frame runs along the ends. The freshly baked flagship uses a very durable Gorilla Glass 5 panel on the back with a high-quality oleophobic coating that has a slightly convex shape. The glass should not, as planned by the developers, become stained, but in practice, prints still remain.

Unlike last year's device, the novelty sports an updated palette of colors, glossy silver and glossy black shades are available. In both color options, the phone looks great, immediately attracting the eye. The design is endowed with sharp corners, which is typical for this manufacturer. But at the same time, the side edges are rounded so that there is no inconvenience when using. The case is protected from water ingress, as the IP65 / 68 standard tells us.

Like the back, the front is covered with Gorilla Glass 5 with a high degree of scratch resistance. It has a slight rounding on the sides, smoothly flows into the sidewalls. There are no physical control keys under the screen, only interface buttons are supported. Above the display we see a bunch of sensors, a notification indicator, a front camera eye and a speech speaker, which, in tandem with the main speaker located at the bottom of the front end, provides high-quality stereo sound. The left side contains a stub, under it there are two slots for nanoSIM-cards and microSD. Instead of a memory card, you can install an additional SIM card.

On the right edge, there is a power button with an impeccable fingerprint sensor embedded in it, a volume control and a key responsible for releasing the camera shutter. At the bottom end there is a 3.1 port, as well as a microphone for voice transmission. The opposite side is occupied by a 3.5 mm jack and noise reduction. The back of the smartphone is crowned with a camera lens that has a steel edging so that the glass does not scratch. Nearby there is a window with LED-backlight, laser autofocus and IR-RGB-sensor. The device weighs 195 grams with such proportions - 156 x 77 x 7.9 mm.

One of the interesting features in the smartphone is the huge resolution of the IPS screen, now it is at the 4K mark, that is, 3840 x 2160 pixels. You can talk a lot about the feasibility of such a step for a diagonal of 5.46 inches, because the pixel density here just rolls over - 807 ppi, and the load on the battery and processor increases significantly. The image is very clear, bright, has rich colors and high contrast. The picture has been enhanced with HDR10 technology, which expands the dynamic range, and this innovation is much more noticeable than the controversial 4K UHD solution. The layer of oleophobic material is pleasant to the touch, the finger glides over the surface easily. The touch recognizes 10 touches.

Internal equipment and autonomy Sony Xperia XZ Premium

It was the hero of our review who was the first of all the novelties of 2017 to acquire the top-end Snapdragon 835 chip. This powerful processor surpasses everything that is offered on the market today. In its bowels, 8 productive Kryo cores with frequencies of 1.9 GHz and 2.35 GHz work. It is complemented by the powerful Adreno 540 graphics module. The result in AnTuTu speaks for itself - in the region of 180 thousand points, which is 10 thousand units more than in. Such a high bar cannot fail to impress. With this 10nm chipset, the Xperia XZ Premium can operate in 4G LTE mode at transfer rates up to 1Gbps.

The Japanese did not surprise with the volume of “RAM”, being content with 4 GB, but this size is enough for everything. To store content, 64 GB of flash memory is provided with a write speed of 1.5 Gb / s. There is also a simpler version with 32 GB of ROM, but you can’t install a second SIM card if necessary. Both versions have a slot for a memory card up to 256 GB. The flagship is endowed with many wireless systems, such as Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi dual-band and NFC. The smartphone connects not only to GPS and GLONASS satellites, but also to BDS and GALILEO systems.

The absence of an FM radio receiver is upsetting, which, unfortunately, is a common thing for top-end devices today. The USB Type-C port supports the USB Host function. In addition to the fingerprint scanner, there are such sensors on board the smartphone - a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a barometer, a compass and a proximity sensor. In software terms, the device runs on Android 7.1 Nougat. The interface is a proprietary launcher from Sony with a number of differences and its own applications.

The entire filling is powered by a battery with a declared capacity of 3230 mAh. You can’t name a large capacity, you should also take into account the screen with an impressive resolution. But, most likely, this is enough to work in the standard mode of use during the working day. There is fast charging thanks to the presence of 3.0 technology. To influence the energy consumption, there are Stamina and UltraStamina saving functions. And the Qnovo Adapting Charging system is designed to increase the life cycle of the built-in battery.

Cameras Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Definitely the brightest side of the gadget are its cameras. The photo opportunities here are truly amazing. The main module is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS sensor with a resolution of 19 MP and a maximum aperture of f/2.0. Without exaggeration, such a camera can be considered the most advanced of all existing in mobile devices. The company calls it Motion Eye. The arsenal of the rear module is quite extensive. There are laser autofocus, working in conjunction with the phase, as well as 5-axis electronic stabilization. In terms of cameras, Sony flagships have always been on top, and this smartphone significantly strengthens the manufacturer's position in this area.

There was a place for a number of interesting features, including Predictive Capture and Super slow motion. With the help of the first, a preliminary shooting is carried out, the camera automatically takes three pictures before the shutter is released, keeping the moving object in focus. After that, the user will have access to four frames, from which the one he likes is selected. The second function allows you to shoot video in super slow motion in HD format at a frequency of 960 cd / s. But the duration of such a video does not exceed 6 seconds, that is, 0.18 seconds in real time, but this is enough to create a mesmerizing video. In normal mode, the device pleases with shooting in 4K resolution at 30 cd / s and HDR enabled.

The front camera looks great too, maintaining the Sony Xperia XZ Premium's reputation as a strong mobile photography solution. This module has a 13-megapixel matrix, its aperture is f / 2.0, and the optics has a wide coverage angle. Video recording is available in 1080p.

Conclusion

The Japanese brand deserves praise for its new product, it actually looks very interesting. The combination of elegant design and heavy-duty technical component immediately attracts attention. The Xperia XZ Premium brings together everything the company has to offer at the moment. The disadvantages include, perhaps, a decent area above and below the screen, as well as a noticeable weightiness. Sales of this "miracle" will begin in late spring this year. The exact price of the Xperia XZ Premium is still unknown, but it is unlikely to be below 50 thousand rubles.

Almost all the most interesting flagship smartphones of the first half of 2017 have already visited our laboratory: Xiaomi Mi6, LG G6, Samsung Galaxy S8+. The turn came and

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Back in spring, the company showed several new generation models at the exhibition: Sony Xperia XZs, Sony Xperia XA1, Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra and the recently announced state employee Sony Xperia L1. But a radical new smartphone with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC was introduced under the name Sony Xperia XZ Premium and should replace the not so successful Sony Xperia Z5 Premium.

The novelty appeared at a very interesting time: trends are changing and “frameless” smartphones, elongated displays and dual cameras are now becoming popular. But then Sony comes out and promotes its values: strict anti-soap design, crazy slow-mo and the same 4K screen.

But what is most interesting, despite such courage and an attempt to go against the tide, the smartphone was received very warmly. What is the matter here? Let's try to figure it out.

Specifications Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Model	Sony Xperia XZ Premium	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
Device type	Smartphone	Smartphone
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835	Qualcomm Snapdragon 810
Core Configuration	4 x 2.45 GHz + 4 x 1.90 GHz, Kryo 280	4 x 2.0 GHz + 4 x 1.5 GHz, Cortex-A57+A53
video processor	Adreno 540	Adreno 430
Operating system	Android 7.0	Android 5.1.1 (7.0)
RAM, GB	4	3
Internal memory, GB	64	32
Screen	5.46" IPS 4K, 3840 x 2160	5.5" IPS 4K, 3840 x 2160
Cameras, Mpix	19.0 (f/2.0) + 13.0 (f/2.0)	23.0 (f/2.0) + 5.0 (f/2.4)
Net	GSM 850/900/1800/1900	GSM 850/900/1800/1900
Number of SIM cards, pcs.	1/2	1/2
Micro SD support	Yes (combined slot)	Yes (combined slot)
Data transfer		Wi-Fi, WAP, GPRS, EDGE, NFC, HSDPA, 3G, LTE
aGPS/GPS/GLONASS/Beidou	Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes/Yes/Yes
Battery, mAh	3 230	3 430
Dimensions, mm	156.0 x 77.0 x 7.9	154.4 x 75.8 x 7.8
Weight, g	195	180
price, rub.	~49 000 / ~55 000	~25 000 / ~33 000

An interesting fact is that the manufacturer gave the latest Snapdragon 835 not to a compact flagship in the form of Sony Xperia XZs, but to a large version. This makes sense when you consider the high resolution of the screen, which can benefit from the additional power of the graphics accelerator.

In relation to its predecessor, the novelty has become prettier in everything: one of the most unsuccessful SoCs (Snapdragon 810) has been replaced by a less hot solution, the front camera has finally acquired more or less fast optics, and the amount of internal storage has doubled. But in some ways the smartphone is inferior to its fellow. With a smaller diagonal of the screen, the device became thicker, wider, longer and heavier. Despite this, the battery capacity has decreased. Miracles, and nothing more. Plus, installing just 4 GB of RAM in 2017, when competitors are already offering 8 (!) Today, seems like an extremely naive idea.

Packaging and equipment Sony Xperia XZ Premium

The smartphone comes in a traditional white box, designed in the manufacturer's corporate style.

On the reverse side, as usual, the technologies used are listed and some characteristics are indicated.

In copies intended for retail, the package will include a memory unit, a USB Type-C cable and documentation. In our case, only the power supply was missing from this list. It’s a pity that you won’t be able to test the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging system that the smartphone supports.