Sony’s Bezelless XZ2 & XZ2 Compact Come With New Camera, Sound Technology

HANDSETS
Sony’s new flagship XZ2 and XZ2 compact come with 18:9 screens, better cameras, a round and ergonomic look alongside hardware improvements in what appears to be a major redesign
Mobile World Congress 2018 is in full swing right now, with Sony taking to the stage to unveil its first batch of flagship phones for this year.

The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 compact feature a major design change, an improved camera, bezelless displays and more.

DESIGN AND DISPLAY

Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 compact feature a more rounded design compared to the blocky, rectangular Xperias of old. The back is also curved for the sake of ergonomics and improving your grip on the phone. Fingerprint sensor has also been moved to the back (previously embedded in the power button on the side).

The bigger variant is available in Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green (Petroleum Blue) and Ash Pink colors, while the compact model will be available in Black, White Silver, Moss Green and Coral Pink.

Xperia XZ2 has a glass back with a glossy finish while the Xperia XZ2 compact has a matte polycarbonate plastic back.

Both phones features an 18:9 “tall” display, with smaller top and bottom bezels, along with full HDR support. The XZ2 comes with a 5.7 inch Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) display while the smaller XZ2 compact has a 5 inch 1080p+ screen.

Stereo phones have been a staple in Sony’s flagships and XZ2/XZ2 compact are no exception. This time the speakers are 20% louder than the last year’s models according to Sony. IP 68 water and dust resistance is also present.

A new Dynamic Vibration system has been added to the bigger XZ2, with a wide-frequency vibration motor. It lets you control the intensity of vibration for notifications, movies and songs (it also simulates bass for music), using a notification slider. Unfortunately XZ2 Compact lacks Dynamic Vibration.

A major letdown is the absence of a 3.5mm headphone jack on both phones.

INTERNALS AND STORAGE

Powering the XZ2 and XZ2 compact is a Snapdragon 845 processor with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. Storage is expandable via a hybrid microSD/SIM card slot.

The two phones run Android 8.0 Oreo with Sony’s stock like UI.

CAMERAS
The camera sensor on both phones is the same as last year’s XZ1 but it comes with some noticeable improvements under the hood.
It’s a 19 MP Motion Eye shooter with 5-axis stabilization, predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash and a dedicated hardware shutter key.

What’s new is that Sony collaborated with Qualcomm for the Snapdragon 845 ISP for a new generation BIONZ image processing algorithm. It improves color reproduction, lowers noise in low light and captures more detail.

Another addition is the world’s first 4K HDR recording feature. HDR not only improves color depth and contrast, it also improves image quality in some cases. The 960 fps super slow mo at 720p is still there, alongside a new 1080p 960fps mode, which lasts for 0.1 seconds (0.2 for 720p mode). So Sony still managed to stay ahead of Samsung in this regard.

Front camera comes in at 5 MP with gyroscopic stabilization/EIS for video recording.

BATTERY
Sony Xperia XZ2 features a 3,180 mAh battery while the smaller XZ2 compact has a 2,870 mAh unit. Both of the phones feature fast charging based on Quick Charge 3.0, with the bigger XZ2 also supporting Qi wireless charging.

Sony’s Qnovo tech will also be present, which enhances battery longevity by monitoring your phone’s battery health.

Prices for XZ2 and XZ2 Compact haven’t been announced yet, however they are expected to hit the shelves some time this April.

SONY XPERIA XZ2 SPECIFICATIONS

CPU: Quad core 2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & Quad core 1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver
GPU: Adreno 630
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
OS: Android 8.0 Oreo with Xperia Launcher and Apps
SUPPORTED NETWORKS: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE; separate Dual SIM model
Design:
Ambient Flow Design
IP 68 Water & Dust Resistance
Stereo Speakers
Fingerprint scanner
Dynamic Vibration
Qi Wireless charging
DISPLAY:
5.7″ 18:9, IPS LCD display, Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) resolution
HDR10 compliant
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Memory:
RAM: 4 GB
Internal: 64 GB
Card Slot: Yes, up to 2TB
Camera:
Primary: 19MP, 1/2.3″ Sony IMX400 camera, f/2.0 lens, Predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash. 4K video recording, 720p/1080p @960fps, 5-axis Steady Shot EIS;
Secondary: 5 MP, gyro EIS, 1080p
Connectivity: Wi-Fi ac, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE
Battery: 3,180 mAh; QuickCharge 3.0, QNovo Battery Saving Technology
Colors: Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash Pink
Price: TBA
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Specifications
CPU: Quad core 2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & Quad core 1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver
GPU: Adreno 630
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
OS: Android 8.0 Oreo with Xperia Launcher and Apps
Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE; separate Dual SIM model
Design:
Ambient Flow Design
IP 68 Water & Dust Resistance
Stereo Speakers
Fingerprint scanner
Display:
5.0″ 18:9, IPS LCD display, Full HD+ (2160 x 1080) resolution
HDR10 compliant
Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Memory:
RAM: 4 GB
Internal: 64 GB
Card Slot: Yes, up to 2TB
Camera:
Primary: 19MP, 1/2.3″ Sony IMX400 camera, f/2.0 lens, Predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash. 4K HDR video recording, 720p/1080p @960fps, 5-axis Steady Shot EIS;
Secondary: 5 MP, gyro EIS, 1080p
Connectivity: Wi-Fi ac, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth 5.0, LTE
Battery: 2,870 mAh; QuickCharge 3.0, QNovo Battery Saving Technology
Colors: Black, White Silver, Moss Green, Coral Pink
Price: TBA