Build of the phone
Large screen might not be always better. The New Sony Xperia XZ comes with 5.2 Inch display with Full HD resolutions. Personally, I like the screen size. It is large enough for mobile entertainment and small enough to be held with one hand.
Another feature that surprised me is the fingerprint sensor; which is located on the power button. That makes a lot of sense since users are so used to wake up the phone by pressing the power button. As of now, I am rather neutral to the location and accuracy of the fingerprint sensor. Nonetheless, it is generally fine provided you don’t press and release your finger too quickly.
Stunning camera performance
There are several attributes of the camera that excites me. First, the 23MP of the rear camera which produce sharp and clear images. Second, its proprietary RGBC-IR sensor which Sony claimed it is capable to produce rich and vibrant colour. Ok, I am sold by the camera.
Well, pictures speak a thousand words. I have uploaded some of my photos below:
Don’t believe in the photo I’ve uploaded? Check out #shotbyxperia, #shotbyxperiaxz & #sonymobilesg for more photos
The camera also starts fast and responses quickly when u press the shutter. In my opinion, *it is so much better than the older Xperia phones.
*I didn’t own the older Xperia precisely because their camera are quite laggy. But, the new Xperia XZ has changed my perception).
Front facing camera is packed with 13MP sensor which produces nice selfie photo. To a certain extent, I feel its front facing camera could perform as well as rear camera of mid-range phones currently in the market. **The handshutter feature could accurately detect your palm. Since you do not need to touch the shutter on the camera, it greatly reduces the chance of getting blur selfie photo.
Another feature by Sony Xperia XZ that most phones or even some DSLRs in the market could not offer – 4K video recording. I shot a night scene of Singapore in 4K and I was impressed by the amount of details even under a low light condition. Take a look of the sample video below.
Sample Video of Singapore River (Night)
**I understand that I have mentioned on my Facebook before that the phone camera seems to be a bit laggy after playing with it for a while during its Singapore launch. I would like to take back what I’ve said. The fact is I have brought this device to Japan and Taiwan for a long holiday. The phone performs well under different environments be it up on the high mountain to wet conditions. I suspect an update was done to fix the issue.
Battery and Heat Management.
Battery capacity is only 2900 mAh which is comparatively lower than what most of the smartphones in the market offer. Well, I think it is unfair to judge the battery performance by just looking at its capacity. Nonetheless, it will be still one of the key factors that determines the time of usage.
During my visit to Taiwan and Japan, I took hundreds of photos and videos. Battery life becomes exceptionally challenging. With lots of video and photo-taking, the phone could not last more than 10 hours.
Heat management has improved compared to the previous Xperia XZ. I have run tonnes of apps on the phone and I don’t remember experiencing any crashes or any heat issues.
The only time that I experienced heat issues is when I was doing a video recording with the device. The device gets hot and there was once, some camera functions were disabled (in-build safety feature to manage the heat and to protect the phone as well as the user)
Price
Price wise is competitive if you compare to other high-end smartphones in the market and it is certainly one of the models that you should be put in your radar. Recommended retail price – SGD 998/-
Likes And Dislikes
Likes: Camera and price (if you compare to other high-end devices in the smartphone market)
Dislikes: Heat issue
Who should buy?
If you are looking for a productive phone, the Sony Xperia XZ is certainly not designed for your liking. However, it is a good travel phone for people who love taking photos but do not wish to carry lots of camera equipment. The battery life issue could be solved with power bank (anybody don’t pack a power bank when out for tour? Don’t think so…)
The dual SIM cards slot also makes Xperia XZ travel-friendly. (The best part you do not need to use a pin to open the SIM card slot)