Sony Xperia XZ2 - Review 2022 - Desantiago Whanimped

The Xperia XZ2 ($799.99) isn't a groundbreaking phone by any ways, but information technology represents a new starting time for Sony. It boasts the latest specs, similar a Snapdragon 845 processor, merely fifty-fifty more notable is the change in design language, with Sony adopting the pop tall-and-narrow form factor, a marked pace forrad from indigestible Xperias past. Combined with a focus on HDR content, a solid camera, and a unique 3D face scanning feature, the unlocked Xperia XZ2 is a powerful flagship that has no problem going toe-to-toe with the latest from LG and Samsung.

Design and Features

The XZ2 certainly isn't a retread of final year'due south XZ1. It sheds Sony's characteristic box-like design in favor of a rounded back panel that curves near the edges. It comes in black, green, pinkish, or silverish, and feels better in the hand than the XZ1, although the glass back is a little glace. Sony says the design is optimized to prevent damage from drops. It's besides rated IP68 waterproof.

The phone measures 6.0 past ii.eight past 0.four inches (HWD) and weighs 7.0 ounces, making information technology a bit bigger all effectually than the Samsung Galaxy S9 (5.viii by 2.seven by 0.3 inches, 5.viii ounces) and the LG G7 ThinQ (vi.0 by ii.8 by 0.three inches, five.7 ounces). Information technology's generally usable with only one hand, but if you desire something a lilliputian smaller, the v-inch Xperia XZ2 Compact is a compelling alternative, every bit it shares the same specs.

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Sony employs the trendy xviii:nine aspect ratio to minimize bezel, and moves the fingerprint sensor to the dorsum. Ameliorate yet, the fingerprint sensor is actually functional in the The states this fourth dimension around. A SIM/microSD card slot on the top can back up cards up to 400GB, and it worked fine with the 256GB carte nosotros tested information technology with. The volume rocker and ability button are on the right, along with a camera shutter button. The USB-C charging port is on the lesser, and stereo speakers are placed seamlessly between where the forepart glass meets the metal sides.

The only unfortunate design determination is the lack of a iii.5mm headphone jack, which is condign an increasingly standard omission. Sony includes a dongle to apply with wired headphones, and the phone supports Bluetooth 5.0, along with a slew of audio codecs (like aptX, DSEE HX, and LDAC) for higher-quality wireless listening.

More Immersive Multimedia

The front of the XZ2 is dominated past a 5.7-inch, 2,160 by 1,080 HDR display. Its 424ppi pixel density is relatively low compared with the Galaxy S9'south Quad HD console (570ppi), just the XZ2 has ane thing going for it that no other phone has: It non only supports the viewing of HDR content, information technology'southward capable of upconverting standard content to HDR for a brighter, more than colorful picture. This means you don't need HDR-specific media in order to take full advantage of the screen's HDR capabilities, which is a large leg up over phones similar the S9 that support the standard, but only work with optimized content.

Beyond HDR, Sony is slap-up on making media more immersive through your other senses likewise. To that end, there are a pair of reasonably loud front end-facing stereo speakers that support virtual surround sound. And as mentioned, you have Bluetooth v.0 for wireless audio, which lets yous listen on two devices at a fourth dimension. Yous also get built-in headphone optimization software, forth with the ability to customize equalizer settings. Listening with the Bose Quietcontrol thirty headphones via Bluetooth and a pair of Meze 99 Classics plugged into the included dongle, the XZ2 does bring some additional richness to audio without sacrificing clarity. Withal, truthful audiophiles will prefer the LG G7 for its headphone jack and 32-fleck quad DAC.

Inspired by Sony's DualShock PlayStation controller, the phone can also vibrate accordingly with what's playing, including videos and music. Playing sure videos on YouTube or launching certain games will prompt you to enable dynamic vibration, only there seems to be a limited amount of content information technology actually works for. In GTA: San Andreas, the vibrations worked for car crashes, but not gunfire, and so abruptly stopped registering at all role way through playing. Sony says the impact on bombardment life is minimal, but I'd leave it off if you're depression on power.

Network Performance and Call Quality

Like its predecessors, the XZ2 isn't sold through U.s. carriers. It'south available unlocked and supports AT&T and T-Mobile with LTE bands 1/two/3/4/5/7/8/12/13/17/19/20/26/28/29/32/38/39/40/41/66. Band 66 is noteworthy, as it'south useful for rural coverage on T-Mobile. The phone also has 4x4 MIMO and supports Cat xviii LTE and dual-ring Wi-Fi. Network performance on T-Mobile in heavily congested midtown Manhattan was average.

Call quality is decent. Voices sound a little raspy, and earpiece volume could afford to be louder, simply noise counterfoil is practiced at blotting out most background sounds and wind.

Processor and Battery

Nether the hood, the XZ2 has the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with 4GB of RAM, putting it on par with all the latest flagships. Operation is smooth and responsive, with the phone scoring 8,306 in the PCMark criterion, which measures a variety of tasks similar spider web browsing, video editing, and writing. That's quite a bit higher than the Galaxy S9+ (vii,273), likely due to the lower screen resolution and Sony's lighter Android UI layer. The XZ2 also excels at gaming, with 33fps on the GFXBench Car Chase on-screen benchmark, about on par with the S9+ (32fps).

Bombardment life is disappointing. The XZ2's 3,100mAh battery lasted for 4 hours, twoscore minutes of streaming total-screen video over LTE at maximum brightness, falling far brusk of the Milky way S9+ (10 hours). Sony includes a number of software-based ability-saving modes to assist you out in more normal use cases. Wireless charging is supported, every bit well as fast charging, just a fast charging adapter isn't included.

Camera

The 19-megapixel rear-facing Motion Centre camera has seen relatively few changes from the XZ1 and still features a stacked memory chip that lets it take fast, well-baked shots. The XZ2 is a strong shooter, capable of taking precipitous photos with accurate color reproduction in good lighting. Information technology's no slouch in lower low-cal, either, though the Milky way S9+ pulls slightly alee.

In the image above, taken on a cloudy day shooting in auto, the deviation is easy to meet. The Xperia XZ2'south autoexposure overcompensates, bravado out the heaven and background. By contrast, the S9+'s image is darker, merely you're able to come across details like the clouds and buildings in the background more than conspicuously.

Both phones support manual control, letting you tweak settings like shutter speed and ISO, and in this regard, the XZ2 stands out with the highest ISO we've seen on a phone, 12800. Past contrast, the S9+ tops out at ISO 800.

In the photograph below, shot in a darkened studio room at PC Labs with ISO set to maximum, the S9+ takes a cleaner, less grainy shot than the XZ2. The XZ2 has richer, more saturated colors for the reds and blacks of the sign, but the S9+ looks smoother overall.

All the same, the big new characteristic here is that the XZ2 is the first phone capable of stable 4K HDR video recording (30fps), which is a nice advantage over the S9+. In add-on, slow-motion video capture has been bumped to a full 1080p without whatsoever cropping. Yous can capture 0.09-2d of action for 3 seconds of playback at 720p.

The camera likewise supports 3D scanning for heads, faces, nutrient, and other objects. This feature hasn't actually changed since the XZ1. You can still upload scans to a 3D printer or printing service to print a physical model of your head or other objects you scan. Sony is working on expanding the range of uses for what you can do with those scans, like putting your head into games.

The 5-megapixel front camera now supports 3D selfie scans as well. Information technology works the same as the rear sensor, requiring yous to pan the camera in front of and around your face in order to map your features. The haptics come in handy hither, buzzing when the browse is complete, but I still found it difficult to use fifty-fifty with the guidance. You're amend off having a friend do it for you, especially for the sides of your confront.

Software

The XZ2 ships running Android 8.0 Oreo with Sony's standard UI tweaks, which are pretty light compared with LG and Samsung. Aside from some app icon and Settings menu changes, the expect remains close to stock. In terms of new features, you get the ability to have animations on the domicile screen, you can adjust the color gamut and white residue of the brandish, a Glove manner increases bear on-screen sensitivity, and yous can use the phone with PlayStation DualShock four controllers.

Bloatware is minimal. Aside from a handful of Amazon and Sony apps, you lot get AVG Protection Pro and Facebook preinstalled. Out of 64GB of full storage, 45.85GB is bachelor. That'south ample space for more apps, but if you lot plan on shooting a lot of 4K HDR video, you lot can always add together a microSD menu.

Conclusions

Sony gets a lot right with the Xperia XZ2. The design feels sleek and modern, it has solid multimedia capabilities, and it's no slouch in the power department. If you're fatigued to its unique features like 4K HDR video recording, 3D scanning, and dynamic vibrations, the XZ2 is admittedly worth because. That said, the Milky way S9+, our Editors' Choice, costs just $40 more unlocked and has a sharper screen and longer battery life, two features you're likely to take greater advantage of than HDR video and a 3D browse of your head. And you might want to agree out for the upcoming OnePlus half dozen, which promises to offer similarly high-end specs for a much more affordable price.