Dubai
Sony has taken the lead in phone display technology with its Xperia XZ Premium which sports the first 4K HDR (High Dynamic Range) device in the market.
The XZ Premium is also the first phone officially to have the latest Qualcomm 835 chipset in the UAE to support 1Gbps LTE download speed by tweaking the network.
The 5.5-inch 16:9 IPS Triluminos LCD dsiplay (3840 x 2160 resolution) has a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage capacity. Storage can be expanded up to 256GB via microSD.
It has a whopping 807 pixel per inch density display compared to Samsung S8’s 570ppi, LG G6’s 564ppi and iPhone 7’s 326ppi. The colours are amazing and watching videos are superb.
The phone is covered with Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides but it is still stuck in a bit of a design rut. After using the S8 and G6 with bezel less displays, Sony’s device looks ancient. It has thick bezels on top and bottom.
Sony may be looking at the thick bezel for users to hold the device in landscape orientation when playing games or watching videos without your fingers blocking the display but it is high time Sony goes in for a design change.
The phone runs on Android 7.1.1 with Sony’s custom interface. You will get Sony services such as video, PlayStation, Music and the lifestyle Lifelog..
The power button on the centre of the right side of the device also houses the fingerprint scanner. The placement falls nicely under thumb or finger and it is fast to unlock the device unlike Samsung’s S8.
Sony has stuck to the headphone jack on top of the device while the bottom houses the USB-C port.
Another positive is its dust and water resistance, which means it’ll survive in one metre deep for 30 minutes.
To remove Sony’s SIM tray, you need to have a long nail to take it out and it is fragile. The plastic flap is also fragile. It also has a separate tray for microSD.
The XZ Premium has a new 19MP high-resolution sensor with 19 per cent larger pixels to capture more light and provides detail and sharp images even in low-light and backlit conditions. It houses 13MP front-facing camera. It has an f/2.0, 25mm, predictive phase detection and laser autofocus and LED flash.
The device is also the first in the industry to take ultra-slow motion videos of 960 frames per second, which is four times slower than other smartphones. But the sad part is, it takes only in 720p and not Full HD. The standard for slow motion in other handsets is 240fps.
Filming is limited to 0.2 second bursts, so you have to be spot on when you start and stop recording in slow motion.
The other issue is that ample lighting is necessary for the camera to be able to achieve such a high frame rate without introducing noticeable noise and image degradation.
There’s a dedicated shutter button, which also acts as a shortcut to the Camera app when long pressed.
The colours of the snaps taken are respectable with good sharpness and noise is controlled decently. I did find highlights could occasionally be blown out due to over-exposure and, sometimes, images can also look a little flat and underwhelming. It can record 2160p videos at 30fps.
The phone lacks optical image stabilisation but instead uses its software counterpart, electronic image stabilisation. It makes the camera talk to the gyroscope to tell between when you’re moving a bit, and when you’re not.
Even though nights shot are good it lacks in the competition.
The 13MP selfie camera with f/2.0, 22mm and 1/3-inch sensor size has a super-wide-angle lens and autofocus takes decent snaps. The selfie camera is particularly good in low-light conditions amid lack of front flash compared to the rear camera. It can record only in Full HD.
Sony also supports Hi-Res Audio, but its standalone speakers could be better. Connect the device to a pair of decent Hi-Res headphones and you can listen to a great high-end experience.
The 3,230mAh battery gives around one full day of use. However, the ‘Stamina Mode’ will limit the processing power for greater life, while Quick Charge 3.0 means speedy top-ups at the plug. It gives over 60 per cent charge after 45 minutes, more than enough to get through the day.
It will be available in two colours - Luminous Chrome and Deepsea Black for Dh2,699. It is available for pre-order and pre-ordered customers will receive a free Sony XB950BT Bluetooth deep bass headphone. It will be available from second week of June.
Pros
• Stunning 4K HDR display
• Good camera
• Smart battery technology
• Super slow-motion feature
• Latest 835 chipset
• Water and dust resistant
• Strong overall performance
Cons
• A bit bulkier
• Fiddly SIM tray
• Massive horizontal bezels
• Design hasn’t changed much
• Display suffers in bright light
• Fingerprint magnet
• Super slow-motion can be hard to time right
•
