Sony has come up with the most powerful phone of the year. Sony Xperia XZ Premium, priced at ₹59,990, directly sits in the top-of-the-line segment competing with the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Apple iPhone 7. Even though Xperia XZ Premium can pretty much squeeze the flagship competition, there are still a few things Sony needs to work on starting from the thick bezels and bulky design, no doubt it could one of the best smartphones of the year 2017. It turns out that Xperia XZ Premium is a fusion of the Xperia XZs and the Xperia Premium line with the 4K displays. Let’s have a look.
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Specifications
- Display: 5.5-inch 4K HDR IPS display (3840 x 2160 pixels | 807 ppi), TRILUMINOS Display and X-Reality for mobile, Dynamic Contrast Enhancer, sRGB 138% spectrum compared to Standard videos (SDR)
- Protection: Water Resistant IP65/68 certified, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back
- Fingerprint Scanner: Yes, side mounted on the Power button
- Software: Android 7.1.1 Nougat
- CPU: Up to 2.45 GHz octa-core Kyro 280 processor, 10nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, 64-bit
- DSP Processor: Qualcomm Hexagon 682 DSP
- GPU: Adreno 540
- Memory: 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM
- Storage: 64 GB UFS internal storage (48.4 GB usable), MicroSD up to 256 GB
- Main Camera: 19 MP f/2.0 Motion Eye camera, 25 mm wide Sony G Lens, BIONZ image processor, Triple image sensing technology, Hybrid Autofocus, 960 fps super slow motion, 0.5 sec quick capture, anti-distortion shutter (ISO12800), 8x Digital Zoom, EIS support (5-axis stabilization), 4K video @30 fps, 1080p video @60 fps
- Front Camera: 13 MP f/2.0, 22 mm wide angle lens, ISO 6400, SteadyShot, 1080p video @30fps
- Connectivity: USB 3.1 (Type-C), 3.5 mm port, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS
- Others: Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, Smart Stamina, Qnovo Adaptive Charging, Battery Care, STAMINA Mode, Clear Audio+, Stereo speaker with S-Force Front Surround, Stereo Recording, PS4 Remote Play
- Cellular: 4G network Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE, VoLTE-enabled, 2x nano SIM (GSM), MicroSD on SIM2
- Battery: 3,230 mAh (non-removable)
- Dimensions: 156 mm x 77 mm x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 191 grams
- Color: Luminous Chrome, Deep Sea Black
- Price: ₹59,990
Sony Xperia XZ Premium certainly looks premium when you hold it in the hands. You will simply be carried away by its mirror-finished body. Xperia XZ Premium boasts a rounded design and flashy looks. Just that the fingerprints are highly visible due to the glass layer on the back. The Chrome model is extremely vulnerable to fingerprints, but that can be easily wiped off with a cloth. There’s Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides.
What’s not so good on the phone is the large thick bezels and sharp edges on the top and the bottom, its 191 grams bulky design, and super sleek body that falls off easily from the hands. There are fans who still love the design, but this apparently isn’t everyone’s taste. Some of you may like the thin and bezel-less type design.
Sony, this time, has brought a 4K HDR display featuring an HDR screen that has 138% spectrum compared to the SDR (Standard Dynamic Range). The HDR screen should reproduce colors with even more depth and better contrast enhancing the multimedia experience. The Xperia XZ Premium is enriched by Sony’s native display technologies such as TRILUMINOS Display and X-Reality for mobile.
Sony has put a 19 MP Motion Eye camera on the rear side. With the new camera sensor, Xperia XZ Premium can achieve 960 frames per second videos. This is the same camera from the Xperia XZs, that means the camera should perform just as same. The video recording is up to 4K at 30 frames per second. On the front end, the selfies are taken care by a 13 MP wide-angle camera.
The Xperia XZ Premium sports an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU using Kyro 280 cores clocked at 2.45 GHz. More to it are a 4 GB LPDDR4X RAM module and a 64 GB UFS internal storage with microSD support. The Qualcomm chip comes with 4G Cat. 16 Gigabit LTE support for faster downloads and uploads over 4G network. Xperia XZ Premium comes with Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box.
Flagships from Sony are always dust and water-resistant as far as we know. The Xperia XZ Premium holds the IP65/68 certification that means it is dust-proof and water resistant and immersed into the water with a depth of up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.
Like the rest of the Sony phones, it uses a fingerprint scanner on the right mounted on the power key. Just above it are the volume buttons while the bottom right has a dedicated camera key. The front side has stereo speakers. The left has a SIM tray opening which supports 4G LTE network. Like the Xperia XZs, the Premium line has started using the new USB type-C port. You can find a 3.5 mm port on the top for plugging in any earphones you want. There’s a new Bluetooth 5.0 support on the phone for faster data transfers over the air.
The availability of the phone starts from 12th June. It is up for pre-booking now at all Sony centers, retail outlets, and Amazon India. Sony will offer freebies to those who prebook the phone before 12th June Pre-book. Sony bundles a free SRS-XB20 wireless Bluetooth speaker worth ₹8,990 if you pre-book the phone. In addition to that, Sony offers a 3-month subscription of Sony LIV, and 5,200 free game credits when you play Modern Combat 5.
Summarizing key things in the phone, it has the latest and top-grade Qualcomm processor, a promising 4K HDR display, and a camera that won’t let you down. Do you think, this is enough to compete with Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Apple iPhone 7? Let us know in the comments.
