Sony Xperia XZ2 Comes With Powerful Features to Match Top Smartphones

Sony’s Xperia XZ smartphones typically come with advanced features and up-to-day components, but fail to attract the kind of customer attention that perennial favorites from Apple and Samsung do. But Sony has persevered and to change its luck, Sony on Feb. 25 introduced the Xperia XZ2 at Mobile World Congress 2018. Sony’s handset comes with an updated design and powerful components including Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor along with one of the most advanced cameras on the market. Other advanced features include a haptic feedback function that’s designed to help users “feel” what they’re seeing on screen. New battery technology should also keep the Xperia XZ2 powered up all day long. But can the handset succeed where previous Xperias have not? Read on to find out.

Sony’s Xperia XZ2 comes with an all-new design that the company says will make critical components easily accessible. The fingerprint sensor on the back, for instance, is placed where the average person might rest his or her finger. The device also has what Sony calls a “3D glass” rear panel that makes it more comfortable to hold when watching video or surfing the Web. Some industry watchers, however, might note that the Xperia XZ2 has thick bezels above and below the screen, unlike other high-end handsets that have all but eliminated the bulky bezel.

Since the Sony designed Xperia XZ2 to compare favorably with the best smartphones on the market, it’s no surprise that the device runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845. The Snapdragon 845 is the latest Qualcomm chipset delivers faster processing and power efficiency than any previous Qualcomm chip.

Sony’s Xperia XZ2 ships with a 5.7-inch full-HD+ display featuring a resolution of 2,160 by 1,080. The screen supports high dynamic range for bright color support and has the ability to automatically up-convert standard dynamic range content to high dynamic range for sharp photos and video. Sony says its display is capable of producing 30 percent more color than typical smartphone screens.

The Xperia XZ2’s rear-facing camera comes with what the company calls Motion Eye technology. The Motion Eye component is actually a “memory-stacked image sensor” that can Sony says will produce high-quality images even in low-light conditions. The camera also supports 4K HDR movie recording and can capture super-slow-motion content in 960 frames per second.

The Xperia XZ2 is enables users to create and share 3D content on the fly.  Users can point the handset’s front- or rear-facing cameras at a person or object and the handset will interpret the image and turn it into a high-resolution 3D avatar for use in software or to share with others. Sony envisions the feature being used in a variety of ways, including on social media and within augmented reality apps. The company even says that the 3D avatars can converted into 3D real-world objects by 3D printers.

Those looking for a different entertainment experience could find it with Sony’s Xperia XZ2. The smartphone comes with a Dynamic Vibration System that will analyze audio data and vibrate the smartphone based on specific inputs from a song or movie. It’s similar to the vibration feature Sony has built into its PlayStation controllers.

With a 3,180mAh battery, Sony’s Xperia XZ2 should be capable of lasting all day long on a single charge. But to ensure that, Sony has also included what it calls its Smart Stamina feature in that handset that automatically disables functions and limits background apps whenever battery life gets low. The device also has several other battery-conservation features to preserve the battery pack’s longevity. One of those features, for instance, will only charge the smartphone to 90 percent capacity overnight and only take it to 100 percent when about time for the user to wake up to start the day. Sony says that keeping a fully charged handset plugged in could actually damage the battery.

On the audio side, the Xperia XZ2 comes with a variety of enhancements, including High-Resolution Audio to deliver higher-quality sound. Even compressed audio files are improved on the Xperia XZ2. Sony was also quick to note that the Xperia XZ2 has S-Force Front Surround speakers that the company says, are the loudest tweeters it’s ever built into a handset.

Although nearly every other high-end smartphone today comes with a variety of biometric features, including a fingerprint sensor and face scanner, the Xperia XZ2 isn’t one of them. Instead, Sony’s smartphone only offers a fingerprint sensor installed on the back of the device. Considering face scanners and iris scanners have been found in many cases to be more reliable and secure than fingerprint sensors that could be a problem for some smartphone buyers.

Sony’s Xperia XZ2, which will run on Google’s Android 8.0 Oreo operating system, is slated to go on sales around the world in March. Sony’s smartphone will be available unlocked and capable of running on any major U.S. carrier. However, Sony hasn’t announced prices for the Xperia XZ2.