Product test

Sony Xperia XZ Premium - The Sony flagship tested by the camera pro

12.6.2017

Translation: machine translated

Sony's new mobile, the Xperia XZ Premium, boasts massive camera performance. But is it any good in real life? As a video blogger, I should know, because cameras are my favourite tool. In my private life, I'm also a mobile phone enthusiast. The Sony XZ Premium seems to be made for me. So I tested the device.

The new Sony flagship, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, is being delivered to customers these days. With the latest hardware and a camera that has been heavily advertised by Sony, including a 960 frames per second slow-motion mode never before seen in a smartphone, the company is going after customers. I was able to test the device in everyday use over the last two weeks to share my experiences with you here.

Elegant glass with a small screen

First things first - this thing looks damn smart! Somehow different from all the other standardised devices currently on the market. Sony has opted for glass as the material. The front and back are made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which should make the device scratch-resistant and very durable. It is also waterproof according to IP65/68 certification.

Smartphones

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

64 GB, Deepsea Black, 5.50", Single SIM, 4G

Smartphones

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

64 GB, Bronze Pink, 5.50", Single SIM, 4G

Smartphones

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

64 GB, Luminous Chrome, 5.50", Single SIM, 4G

Smartphones

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

64 GB, Deepsea Black, 5.50", Single SIM, 4G

Smartphones

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

64 GB, Bronze Pink, 5.50", Single SIM, 4G

Smartphones

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

64 GB, Luminous Chrome, 5.50", Single SIM, 4G

Tip: When buying a smartphone with a new subscription or contract extension, you can save a few bucks. For example, you can get the Xperia XZ Premium for just 179 with the Swisscom inOne xtra mobile M or 229 with the inOne mobile M!

Here you can find all the price advantages with a new subscription: For youth and private customers
For plan renewals: Request your personalised offer via Subscription configurator

But all that glass has its downsides. You will see every fingerprint on the surface and the whole device is highly reflective. The silver version can easily serve as a mirror replacement for a quick make-up refresh or anything else. The back is so slippery that you have to be careful so that the device doesn't accidentally slip somewhere. I've also placed mine on my wallet and a few minutes later the mobile was lying on the table because it slowly took on a life of its own and then followed the force of gravity.

The Sony XZ Premium has all the mechanical controls on the right-hand side. This includes a volume rocker, an on/off switch with integrated fingerprint and a dedicated camera release button. But more on this in the "Camera" section.

What I really like is that the camera is completely recessed in the casing. So there's no wobbling when it's on the back and you're writing a message on the table, for example.

Overall, I am very impressed with the design. Unfortunately, Sony hasn't managed to keep the edges around the display small. They seem downright huge to me when I compare them with the competition. More than 1.5 cm of space is taken up at the top and bottom edges - and that's without a built-in home button. Okay, there is a speaker for stereo sound, but it should still be smaller.

A 17.5mm diameter bezel extends just over the edge of the phone

The XZ Premium has a screen-to-body ratio of 68.5%. The new Samsung Galaxy S8 achieves 83.6%. At least Sony was able to beat the iPhone by a few percentage points with 65.6%. But still: This is so 2016, Sony!

Durable with a strange fingerprint sensor

Thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, the phone is at the forefront in terms of processor performance. I didn't notice any dropouts in everyday use. There is no stuttering or long charging times. Switching between apps also works very smoothly thanks to 4GB of RAM.

I didn't like the fingerprint sensor at all. On the one hand, it takes a lot of getting used to and on the other hand, my finger was simply not recognised reliably. Very often, I needed so many attempts that the message "Too many attempts. Try again later" appeared and I had to unlock the device with the code. And yes, the message appeared in English - I always set my phones to English. Either I change my fingerprints like a chameleon changes its skin colour or Sony needs to make some serious improvements here. I've never had as many problems with any other fingerprint sensor as with this one.

It's quite possible that this is also due to the unusual positioning. What's more, it wasn't enough for me to save two fingerprints. Depending on how I hold the XZ Premium, I use a different finger. I had to gradually add more fingers. With a sensor on the back or at the bottom of the front, two fingers were actually always enough for me.

With a capacity of 3230 mAh, the battery is rather small compared to many other phones. However, Sony has done a good job here in terms of software optimisation. Normally, I always got through the day well. It also happened that I still had 20-30% capacity left when I went to bed.

The battery also lasts a day outside the city

If you consider that the battery not only has to power a very powerful processor, but also the high-resolution 4K display, then the battery is very strong. In computationally intensive applications, such as the camera's slow motion mode, the battery ran out noticeably faster.

The charging mode gets smart

The device runs the latest Android version - 7.1.1 Nougat. This is appropriate for a device that is being launched on the market these days. When you first start it up, you notice that several apps are already pre-installed. These include apps from Google and Sony. I don't particularly like it when my device is cluttered with apps right from the start. I immediately disabled a total of eleven apps so that they were no longer displayed. Unfortunately, I couldn't uninstall them.

The "Battery Care" mode is a positive feature. After a few days, the Sony XZ Premium knows when you normally connect it to the power socket and when you disconnect it again. The smartphone is charged to 90%, then waits and only fully charges just before you get up. This protects the battery and should therefore have a longer service life.

Camera

Sony clearly puts the camera centre stage. The main camera has a resolution of up to 19 megapixels and is capable of recording slow motion at up to 960 frames per second (fps). 960fps is a 32-fold slowdown compared to the normal speed of a video. You can suddenly see things that would otherwise remain hidden from view. The whole gimmick is called "Motion Eye" by Sony. Speaking of gimmicks: Motion Eye is not much more than that.

Show off with photos? No problem with the XZ Premium

Slow motion is a really great and fun thing to do with this thing. Unfortunately, the quality also suffers in this camera mode.

The camera saves a 720p HD file, but these files are not as crisp in terms of colours and noise as when filming in normal mode

To record a clip in slow motion, you have to switch to a special mode. This is somewhat cumbersome:

Open the camera app
Switch to film mode
Switch to slow motion mode
Start the recording
Then press the slow motion button when the action happens in front of your lens

However, the timing is quite difficult. It took several attempts to capture the right moment when shooting in the snow. Unfortunately, the device is only capable of recording 0.182-second clips. This results in a clip just under 6 seconds long. You will still be able to wow your friends with the end result - but professionals will shrug their shoulders at most. What I would have liked: More setting options in slow motion mode. It should be quite easy to reduce the frame rate a little on the software side and get a better quality image in return.

However, I was impressed by the photo quality of the little snapper! The photos are sharp and rich in detail. I particularly liked the manual mode. It allows you to adjust the shutter speed, white balance and even the focus. An ingenious way to give free rein to your own creativity. With a tripod, you can also take good photos at dusk and at night.

A unique feature of the device is an extra shutter button on the camera. As with an SLR camera, you can focus on an object with a light tap and then take the snapshot with a strong tap. A cool feature that I haven't seen from any other manufacturer.

Conclusion

The phone comes with an excellent camera and the latest software and looks really smart. Despite the great design, stereo speakers and several buttons, Sony has also managed to make the device waterproof. According to Sony, it is no problem to operate the mobile even in the rain and make calls, for example.

I can recommend the device to anyone who is not put off by the 5.5 inch screen with very large edges.

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Manuel Wenk

Communications Manager

Manuel.Wenk@digitecgalaxus.ch

As a Multimedia Producer, preparing multimedia content and knowing about cutting-edge technology is my business. My main focus at digitec is producing videos. I can’t wait to try out new products such as cameras, drones or smartphones as soon as they’re launched. This is where being at the source comes in rather handy. When I’m not working, I’m probably skiing, biking or hiking – the mountains are my place to be.

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Sony Xperia XZ Premium - The Sony flagship tested by the camera pro

Elegant glass with a small screen

Durable with a strange fingerprint sensor

The charging mode gets smart

Camera

Conclusion

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