Hands on with the Sony Xperia XZ2
Xperia XZ2
Out with the old, in with the new. That’s pretty much what Sony set out to accomplish when it developed the Xperia XZ2. The company’s new design language, Ambient Flow, is more about smooth edges and curves. You might recall that the Xperia XZ1, the late 2017 flagship, shipped with some curves but still kept an industrial vibe. Sony now wants to embrace elegant looks and feels for its hardware.
The Xperia XZ2 is made mostly of glass, but it’s Corning’s Gorilla Glass 5 that should keep the body from shattering into a million pieces. And the frame is an aluminum that won’t twist or bend over time. Basically, the phone is a glass sandwich with metal in the middle.
It was certainly more comfortable to hold than Sony’s previous flagships. Whereas its predecessors were awkwardly shaped, the Xperia XZ2 sits well in your hands. The only thing you might not like is the glass back, and that’s because the material collects fingerprints and tends to get sticky.
For Sony, this is a huge upgrade. And it goes beyond the design. It’s also finally implementing an all-screen front with slimmer top and bottom bezels.
Most people knew Sony’s Xperia line because of the design, and not for a good reason. The company would release countless phones that all looked too similar. When I reviewed the Xperia XZ1 last year, I made it clear that Sony seriously needed to move on. It’s a new year, and the company listened. There’s no better place to notice change than the front of the Xperia XZ2.
The 5.7-inch display boasts an 18:9 aspect ratio, which means you’re getting more screen real estate without the phone’s overall footprint increasing. It’s also a good display on its own. Although Sony uses a type of panel I don’t prefer, the LCD display seems accurate, vibrant, and rich. It could be the inclusion of Sony’s Advanced X-Reality engine that converts content to HDR-level quality.
Screen resolution is set at Full HD+ (2160×1080). Is it less than what’s normally on a flagship? Yes, but you’d be nitpicking to call out a difference.
Performance isn’t something I can comment on confidently since we weren’t able to run various apps. I will tell you, however, that shifting between apps on the Xperia XZ2 was fairly snappy. Sony likely benefits from using the latest version of Android with a light software overlay. Oh, and it’s the Snapdragon 845 blazing through everything.
For what it’s worth, I didn’t mind the Xperia XZ2 not having a headphone jack. It’s the way the industry is going so let’s just stop fighting that.
Testing the camera was also tough since we were in one room the whole time. Sony, though, does have plenty of experience making pieces for cameras. With that said, it’d be surprising if the Xperia XZ2 didn’t take above average pictures. But there is 4K and slo-mo support.
Article source: https://www.technobuffalo.com/2018/02/27/xperia-xz2-hands-on/