I am reviewing the XZ as I have had it for a few weeks now. The phone has surpassed all my expectations in every way. I was using a z5 before and previous to my z5 I had a Z3 for 2 years. I will be comparing the XZ, z5/z3 and other phones I have used.
Design
The design has improved from the z3 and the z5, the phone feels solid and fits perfectly in your hand , the metal back feels nice and solid, it is more durable than the glass back of the z3/ z5 and the corners are rounded too, making it very comfortable in the hand. The screen has a rounded lip towards the edge, this is a nice touch and adds a degree of sophistication to the design. There are enough design changes made to the XZ, that makes it look refreshing and different from the z5. It feels like a rolls Royce, solid and not light weight and flimsy like the Samsung s7 with its glass build.
Screen
The full 1080p 5.2 screen is sharp and vivid, the colours are more natural and balanced than the over saturated colours of Samsung OLED screens. Comparing the Z5 and XZ the XZ brightness is greater and the contrast is also better, whites are more realistic than the z5. Having a full HD screen is an advantage because not only does it give you decent resolution it will put less stress on your processor, but will also preserve your battery life. This gives the ZX an advantage with phones with 2k screens. Overall a very sharp glossy looking picture, it really stands out. I think Sony have coated their x series of phones screens with a glossy coating. The IPS panel combined with the x reality pro engine ,which is used in there tvs , gives the XZ one the best screens I've seen.
Performance
As expected the Sony XZ is equipped with the latest snapdragon 820 chipset, with 3GB ram.
The performance is rapid, smooth and without lag. The apps open instantly , browsers/ YouTube/casting/ and the camera instantly open. multitasking is excellent there is no lag. I would say it is about 15% faster than the previous snapdragon 810, Which my Z5 was equipped with. There is no overheating issues and the phone stays cool only getting slightly warm when gaming. When doing a side by side comparison with the z5, IE multi tasking, (app switching) the XZ was slightly faster in every test i did, when compared with the z5. The z5 and XZ are very similar, in day to day performance and there is not much difference between them, and most people wouldn't notice , unless your were gaming. Sony have the hardware and software tweaked very well. The phone is equipped with 3gb ram, and it shows no lag, sony have optimized the phone really well, Having 4/5 GB ram would only waste battery and wouldn't make much difference to performance, because android uses very little ram, the extra gig would be wasted. Sony take on android is clean with having very little bloatware. Its almost a stock android experience. One of the new feature on this phone is tip notifications, basically the phone learns your behaviour and then trys to advise you by giving info on "how to take better pictures" etc. The Setup of the phone was so easy, basically I tapped my z5 and XZ together, all my goggle account, apps and contacts were ported over using NFC. Overall the XZ performs as good as any flagship from Samsung or htc, the big bonus is that the Sony is cheaper than most flagships.
Sound and Camera
Voice calls are very clear , there is no distortion. Speakerphone is also clear evan at loud volumes.
The XZ supports hi res audio and LDAC Bluetooth compression. When streaming music to a wireless Bluetooth speaker, the sound quality is detailed and clear with decent bass, LDAC seems to work and compression is kept to the minimum. The on-board stereo speakers are loud and clear , the stereo separation is done very well, the only negative point is that it does lack bass, but its a compromise I can live with , due to the waterproofing of the speaker grills. Playing low quality MP3s are improved with DSEE HX UPSCALING and improves sound quality via audio jack or streaming or headphones. This is a accomplished music player. Camera quality has improved too , it has a new 23 megapixel sensor, what ever you throw at it you will see some of the best pictures a Smartphone can offer. Not going to bore you with all the features and things this camera can do , but it is one impressive camera.
Pictures are very detailed and sharp, colours are natural, no oversaturation like I have seen on Samsung phones. The autofocus systems is fast you can take picture under a second without a blur. This camera is probably the best on the market. The Video quality is up there with the best, lots of detail and real colours, i filmed a 1080p video of my 4 year old son playing in the park , the camera even picked up the individual whites stones in the tarmac. That's the sort detail were talking about.
Battery life is about the same as my z5 just over a day and half , I like to way Sony have included a USB-C charging port, this will be the standard soon and its good Sony have implemented the XZ with this, making it future proof, you can put the charging cable either way without breaking the usb port. I wish Sony had INCLUDED THE FAST CHARGER, They make you buy this separately.
conclusion
The XZ is a accomplished phone it excels in all areas , everything is put together perfectly in a single package , you have the best camera , best display, excellent build quality, waterproofing , Hi res audio . triple sensor camera, the list goes on. The XZ is also priced cheaper then all the current flagships. I would say if your looking for a quality waterproof android flagship, you wont be disappointed. If your upgrading from a z3 or earlier, then this is a major improvement and worth going for. For Z5 owners i would say its an improvement in the right areas when comparing the z5 but not a massive one, if you happy with your z5 then stick with it. if you can afford to upgrade to XZ then you will enjoy the new design and new features. The XZ is priced at £520 , not only is it cheaper then the S7 and apple iphone 7 but it offers all the specification, bell and whistle at lower price. Buy it with confidence and you wont go back.
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This item: Sony Xperia XZ 5.2 inch 32 GB SIM-Free Smart Phone - Forest Blue
£107.00
Get it 19 – 22 May
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Capture without blur
Be prepared for the unexpected. Enjoy capturing sharp images in motion.
The Xperia XZ brings together all of the Sony camera know-how, into one smartphone. It comes loaded with the advanced photography technologies you recognize from other Xperia smartphones, but we’ve also added triple image sensing technology to analyse, adapt and capture perfect shots in challenging conditions.
- Three renowned Sony camera technologies
- Triple image sensing technology
- 5-axis stabilization with new SteadyShot
- One exceptional front camera for selfies
Adaptive Charging
Charging can take a toll on your battery but unlike most smartphones, Xperia XZ uses intelligent charging to prevent battery decline. It learns your charging patterns and adapts to them, resulting in up to twice the battery lifespan.
The phone that gets smarter everyday
Xperia XZ is the smartphone that gets smarter and more personal as you use it. It learns and adapts based on how you use your phone, giving you the best smartphone experience to date.
It’s only water
Sony's water resistant design takes the worry out of a little wet. Xperia XZ is built to withstand the splashes that are a part of everyday life. So you can relax about sudden spills or unexpected showers.
Xperia Transfer
Every SMS and MMS. Every contact. Every last #selfie. Xperia Transfer Mobile makes it easy to transfer all of the content you care about, from any Android, iOS or Windows phone, to your new Xperia smartphone or tablet.
Xperia Lounge
Access exclusive content and competitions from the latest movies, music and games with Xperia Lounge. Thanks to great partnerships with UEFA Champions League, PlayStation and more, it’s your ticket to a world of entertainment.
Xperia Care
Xperia is here to support you globally. Whether you need to download new software or want to find out about the latest new features, our colleagues at Xperia Care have got the answers for you. Xperia Care provides global customer service, it provides access to support information, such as help with software updates, repairs, and diagnostics.
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| Price | £107.00 | £172.00 | — no data |
| SIM CAPABILITY | Single SIM, Nano SIM | Single SIM, Dual SIM, Nano SIM | Single SIM, Nano SIM |
| MEMORY AND STORAGE | 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory (Single SIM), Up to 256GB microSD card | 4GB RAM, 64GB (Single SIM)/64GB (Dual SIM) UFS internal memory | 4GB RAM, 32GB |
| WEIGHT | 161g | 195g | 161g |
| DIMENSIONS | 146 x 72 x 8.1 mm | 156 x 77 x 7.9 mm | 146 x 72 x 8.1 mm |
| DISPLAY | 5.2" Full HD 1080p, TRILUMINOS display for mobile, X-Reality for mobile picture engine, Dynamic Contrast Enhancement | 5.5'' 4K HDR Display, TRILUMINOS Display for mobile, X-Reality for mobile, Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, sRGB 138% | 5.2" Full HD 1080p, TRILUMINOS-Display for mobile, X-Reality for mobile, Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, sRGB 138% |
| CAMERA | 23MP, 1/2.3” Exmor RS for mobile image sensor, Triple image sensing technology, Predictive Hybrid Autofocus, 0.6 sec Quick Launch and capture, Low-light photo: up to ISO 12800, 4K Video Recording | 19MP Motion Eye Camera, 1/2.3” Exmor RS for mobile memory stacked sensor, 960 fps Super slow motion videos, Predictive capture, Anti-distortion shutter, Triple image sensing technology, 4K Video Recording | 19MP Motion Eye Camera, 1/2.3” Exmor RS for mobile memory stacked sensor, 960 fps Super slow motion videos, Predictive capture, Anti-distortion shutter, Triple image sensing technology, 4K Video Recording |
| ON THE INSIDE | Google Android 7.0 (Nougat), Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 64-bit processor | Google Android 7.1 (Nougat), Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor | Google Android 7.1 (Nougat), 2.2 GHz / 1.6 GHz Qualcomm MSM8996 Quad Core |
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This item  Sony Xperia XZ 5.2 inch 32 GB SIM-Free Smart Phone - Forest Blue | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | £107.00 | -10% £188.50 New price: £209.90 | £97.00 | -28% £130.00 RRP: £179.99 | £107.00 | £172.00 |
| Delivery | Get it 19 – 22 May | Get it 8 – 10 May | Get it 19 – 22 May | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 3 | Get it 19 – 22 May | Get it 19 – 22 May |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold by | Exceptional Tech | VDC GmbH & Co. KG | Exceptional Tech | Daily Discounts Ltd | Exceptional Tech | Exceptional Tech |
| display size | 5.2 inches | 6 inches | 5.5 inches | 5.2 inches | 5.2 inches | 5.5 inches |
| memory capacity | 32 GB | 128 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 32 GB | 64 GB |
| model name | Xperia XZ 5.2 | Xperia 10 II | Xperia L2 | Xperia XA2 | Xperia XZ 5.2 | XZ Premium |
| operating system | Android | Android 10.0 | android | android | Android | android |
| connectivity tech | USB^WiFi | USB | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB cable | Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB cable, NFC | USB^WiFi | Bluetooth |
| display type | OLED | OLED | LCD | LCD | OLED | LCD |
| memory slots | — | 1 (microSD™ card, microSDHC & microSDXC supported) | 1 SD slot | 1 SD slot | — | 1 Micro SD slot |
| service provider | — | T Mobile | — | KDDI | — | T-Mobile |
| headphones jack | — | 3.5 mm | — | 3.5 mm | No headphone jack | No 3.5mm headphone jack |
| average talk time | 15 hours | — | 14 hours | 39 hours | 15 hours | 0 hours |
| CPU manufacturer | Qualcomm | Qualcomm Snapdragon® 665, Octa Core | MediaTek MT6737T | qualcomm snapdragon | Qualcomm | Qualcomm |
