All of the Sony buzz this past month has surrounded the Xperia XZ2 Premium, Sony’s latest 4K
HDR-ready smartphone - which is perfect for lazy gits like me who like to lock themselves
in a toilet stall at work and basically just blaze through Netflix boxsets.
It’s not cheap though, at £799, not surprising given all that smart hardware packed inside-
and if you can’t stretch that far, nil desperandum - the original Xperia XZ Premium is still
available in the UK for 500 quid SIM-free - and once again rocks that 4K HDR tech.
So is the XZ Premium still a great handset in 2018 and how does it compare with the more
expensive XZ2 Premium?
And should you just say nuts to the both of them and grab the original Xperia XZ2 instead?
Well, here’s the full skinny - and don't forget to hit that subscribe button for more
on the latest and greatest mobile tech.
Cheers!
Now, a quick bit of history to begin with - the very first Premium-branded phone from
Sony was the Xperia Z5 Premium, launched at the end of 2015 - way back when Brexit wasn’t
a thing, Donald Trump was just some orange twat who hawked steaks on the telly, and David
Bowie was still breathing air.
Can we...please just go back to then?
Like all of us, right now.
Maybe if we closed our eyes and held hands and sang Kum-bay-yah or something….
The big thing about the Z5 Premium was its 4K screen - a world first for a smartphone,
offering a rather barmy 807 pixels-per-inch - and in 2017 we saw a successor launched,
the Sony Xperia XZ Premium.
This was yet another world first, because that 4K display was boosted with HDR support,
to strengthen the colour and contrast output.
These days of course it’s pretty common for smartphones to support HDR visuals, but
the XZ Premium and the XZ2 Premium are still the only phones to offer 4K HDR.
That said, the amount of supported content is still a wee bit more limited than we’d
like.
If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber, you can stream 4K HDR video - but right now it
tends to just be the Amazon Originals that are available at that quality.
And if you’re on Netflix, you can stream HDR shows and movies - but not in 4K.
Not even if you have an Ultra HD subscription.
And while you can stream plenty of 4K content from YouTube, including this sexy little video
here, you still won’t find a massive selection of HDR-ready stuff.
That said, Sony’s smart X-reality engine can at least upscale Full HD video so it’s
closer to Ultra HD quality, so you do get a boost in visuals on those Premium handsets.
So for telly shows and films, no matter which streaming service you prefer, it’s basically
the same story for both the XZ Premium and the new XZ2 Premium.
So should you save some cash or say nuts to it all and bag yourself the standard Xperia
XZ2 - after all it's not 4K but it does support HDR, so the visuals are pretty special.
Well, the Premiums are definitely niche smartphones - 4K on a mobile device still definitely seems
a bit like overkill, although you CAN tell the difference in detail levels when the Premiums
are sat side-by-side with a Full HD rival like the Xperia XZ2.
But we’re not exactly talking a huge gulf here.
The XZ2 Premium offers a slightly bigger display than the others here - 5.8-inches, versus
the 5.7-inch XZ2 and 5.4-inch XZ Premium.
Both of the Premiums use the old-school 16:9 display aspect ratio however, so you will
get some letterboxing when watching a cinematic video - unlike most other modern phones like
the Xperia XZ2, which now sport an aspect ratio around the 18:9 mark.
And while all of these blowers pump out gorgeous visuals, the XZ2 Premium can produce cleaner
whites than its predecessor and the standard Xperia XZ2, for even sharper contrast.
When it comes to Sony's audio smarts, all three of these phones deliver the goods.
You get the likes of the nifty DSEE-HX software, which can upscale your old compressed audio
tracks so they sounds more full-bodied, and of course you get full support for Hi-Res
audio and LDAC headphones.
If you’re still hooked on bagging one of Sony’s Premium handsets, then the XZ2 Premium
does of course boast the better specs compared with the original XZ Premium.
For instance, the original phone’s Snapdragon 835 chipset has been upgraded to a Snapdragon
845, the same platform used on the standard XZ2 - although the XZ2 Premium boasts 6GB
of RAM, while the others only have 4.
That means smoother performance from the latest Premium, although the older XZ Premium still
runs like a dream even with that older chipset - definitely no complaints.
Of course, over the full length of a 2-year contract, the XZ2 Premium will fare better
than its brethren, especially as the original handset is a year old already - definitely
bear that in mind before making your choice.
The newer Premium model also boasts Sony’s slick 2018 glass design, first seen on the
Xperia XZ2, which allows for wireless charging - and basically just looks a lot more modern.
Although that said, the fingerprint sensor is in a proper dodgy position, just like with
the Xperia XZ2, making it rather annoying to grope for.
Good news if you're a bit of a klutz though - all three phones are pretty rugged and water
resistant to boot.
So what about the camera tech?
Well, the original XZ Premium rocked a single 19MP snapper around back, with f/2.0 aperture.
Like the other phones here you get predictive Phase Detection Autofocus, to keep your subject
sharp, as well as laser autofocus for those low light situations.
The XZ2 packs the same camera specs - another 19MP shooter with f/2.0 aperture - but as
we’ll see in a sec, it’s more advanced than the XZ Premium, when it comes to shooting
video.
Meanwhile the new XZ2 Premium is the first Sony smartphone to boast a dual-lens rear
snapper.
That 19MP primary lens is backed by a 12MP secondary black and white shooter, f/1.8 and
f/1.6 aperture respectively.
Both the XZ2 and XZ2 Premium can shoot 4K HDR footage, as well as Super Slow Motion
at Full HD resolution - while the older Premium handset is limited to standard 4K video and
720p Super Slow Motion.
The Xperia XZ2 Premium’s dual-lens setup allows for sharper, cleaner photos overall,
as colour and monochrome images are taken simultaneously and then combined using the
AUBE engine.
And that monochrome lens can also be used to shoot moody black and white video, which
is pretty damn cool.
Stay tuned for a full camera comparison between the XZ2 Premium and some of the best smartphone
snappers of 2018.
But basically, while this new Premium offers a seriously smart and more capable camera,
especially when it comes to that low light video, the original XZ Premium will be perfectly
fine for most users who simply want to snap everyday shots and take basic home movies.
That older phone has also now been updated to Android Oreo and supports all of the best
features found on its successor too - that includes Sony’s Remote Play feature, so
you can stream your Playstation session to the smaller screen when you’re dropping
the kids at the pool.
Many of the XZ2 and XZ2 Premium’s bonus bits, such as that dynamic vibration system
which gives force feedback when watching movies or whatever, are unfortunately kind of superfluous.
So while the XZ2 Premium delivers a sleek new design, updated specs and of course that
rather awesome dual lens camera tech, the original XZ Premium is still...well, pretty
damn premium, and a good compromise if you absolutely must have those 4K HDR visuals.
And the standard Xperia XZ2, while lacking the new dual lens camera support and of course
4K Ultra HD visuals, is still a proper beast and a lot less brick-like.
So that's how the XZ2 and XZ Premium stack up to the new XZ2 Premium.
Little bit confusing, but hopefully that's made it a little more clear.
Definitely let us know what you think in the comments below, which one you think might
be more tempting for you, is 4KHDR on a smartphone ridiculous?
Be interesting to hear your thoughts.
And don't forget to bash that subscribe button for more on the latest and greatest mobile
tech.
Cheers!