For half of 2017, Sony Mobile managed to release a whole bunch of smartphones. But which ones are the most relevant to buy? And is it worth choosing only from new products, maybe the "oldies" from 2016 are still good for something? Find out in this post!

This top was created exclusively in the opinion of the author and the main criteria are the price / quality / relevance of the gadget. All prices are current at the time of 06/19/2017.

TOP 5 actual Sony Xperia phones in 2017

5. Sony Xperia XZ Premium

The technology flagship unveiled this year will be a great buy for all Sony enthusiasts and beyond. The smartphone became the successor to the Z5 Premium, has the most top-end characteristics and will receive fast Android updates at least 24 months.

XZ Premium received a 4K screen, with support for HDR, Hi-Res Audio, a Motion Eye camera that can shoot video at 960fps, Snapdragon 835.

The smartphone has other features, for example: USB Type-C 3.1, IP65 / 68 water and dust resistant, “Xperia Actions” function that provides helpful hints, and others.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium will up-to-date smartphone at least 2 years, and the productivity will be enough for all 4 years.

Price: 55,000 rubles, sales in Russia have already begun.

The closest competitors from other manufacturers are:

• Galaxy S8 (55,000 rubles),
• LG G6 (52,000 rubles),
• HTC U11 (45,000 rubles, a great price for the flagship from the A-brand),
• iPhone 7 plus (63,000 rubles).

Each has its own quirks and weaknesses, but the Xperia XZ Premium stands out for its distinctive design and innovative camera.

4. Sony Xperia XZ

Yes, it is the Xperia XZ (). It also has a sophisticated camera with its own “chips” - an Exmor RS ™ matrix, a BIONZ image processor and an RGBC-IR sensor. All this allows you to get good photos in any conditions.

The Xperia XZ is powered by the Snapdragon 820, which will have more than enough power for a couple of years. The smartphone will definitely be updated to Android 8.0 update.

And all this splendor can be bought for 39,000 rubles.

3. Sony Xperia X Compact

The Xperia X Compact () is a very nice smartphone. It was created especially for those who love compact and powerful devices. It has the same camera as the Xperia XZ, 3GB RAM and Snapdragon 650, 4.6-inch HD screen.

The smartphone can play all games on high settings quietly, gaining more than 70 thousand "parrots" in AnTuTu. The 2700 mAh battery makes it possible to use the smartphone for up to two days with a moderate load. The X Compact will also receive updates to Android 8.0.

And the best part is the price: 25,000 rubles.

2. Sony Xperia XA1

Mid-segment Xperia phone presented this year has good specs: a 23MP camera from the Xperia Z5, MediaTek Helio P20, 3GB of RAM.

Q may confuse MediaTek (application optimization, etc.), but everything works smoothly, with energy efficiency everything is fine too.

In Antutu, the Xperia XA1 scores just over 60 thousand points. It is worth mentioning that his screen is HD, for 5 inches it is normal, but there are people for whom this may not be enough.

One-handed use is easy, and the bezel-less design will appeal to many.

The Xperia XA1 runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and should be updated to android 8.0 in the future.

Price: 22,000 rubles.

1. Sony Xperia X Performance

Sony Xperia X Performance won this TOP for several reasons:

• Snapdragon 820
• Good camera
• Good battery life and
• High quality FHD screen
• Guaranteed upgrade to Android
• Great price: about 29,000 rubles.

If you love Sony smartphones, then the most rational act would be to buy the Xperia X Performance.

***

It is worth mentioning IFA 2017, where Sony Mobile will show a new flagship and a number of more affordable phones. If that happens, the prices of the Xperia XZ and X Performance will drop even lower, so consider before buying.

Also, we must not forget about the world of second-hand and gray shops. You can always find a lot cheaper, but be careful - not only are the prices sweet on Avito, but the scammers are skillful. 😉

Award for the best Sony phone issued by the GSM Association (GSMA), representing the interests of operators mobile communications across the globe. She also annually hosts the Mobile World Congress (MWC) exhibition, which was held from February 27 to March 2, 2017 in Barcelona.

Snapdragon 835

The company is positioning the Xperia XZ Premium as the first smartphone with the Snapdragon 835 processor. Manufacturers promise data transfer at 150 Mbps and download data at 1 GB / s, which will allow you to watch Internet broadcasts and share files without any problems. TO powerful processor 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory are attached, as well as a slot for microSD cards up to 256 GB.

The LG G6 has the same amount of RAM and ROM, but it uses Snapdragon processor 821. But Huawei P10 Plus may well compete with Xperia XZ - Kirin 960 processor, up to 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory.

4K display

This is the second phone from Sony with a 5.5-inch 4K screen with a resolution of 3,840 × 2,160 pixels after the Xperia Z5 Premium. Compared to the previous model, the Xperia XZ Premium display is 40% brighter and has HDR support. Together, these technologies produce richer colors and higher contrast.

The aforementioned competitors have displays with a resolution of only 2,560 × 1,440 and 2,880 × 1,440 pixels.

Motion Eye Camera

The highlight of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is the 19MP main camera, which captures crisp super slow motion video at 960 frames per second. When playing on such a video, the smallest details are visible. Motion Eye also supports intelligent shooting: before the user presses the button, the camera has time to save four frames in memory. They can be saved as history - live photos.

Difficulty comparing features Xperia cameras XZ Premium with competing smartphones, as it has a dual module with 20 megapixels and 12 megapixels sensors, and has two 13 megapixel cameras. Practice will show who is better.

Mirror and waterproof

The entire smartphone is covered with Gorilla Glass 5, the side edges are smoothly rounded. Guys will love the austere metallic finish on the top edges and camera bezels. And girls will love that the solid glass surface reflects the surrounding objects like a mirror.

The body of the smartphone is waterproof and dustproof according to the IP65 / 68 standard. This means the Sony Xperia XZ Premium can be used in the rain.

Other features

The fingerprint sensor is built into the power button on the side, there are two stereo speakers above and below the screen. A 3,230mAh battery supports fast charging, there is USB-C port... The operating system installed in the smartphone is Android 7.1 Nougat.

Sony Xperia Z7 will be one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year, coming out in summer 2017. While there is still a lot of time ahead, we have some idea of ​​what the seventh generation Xperia Z smartphone will look like.

Sony Xperia Z7. Gossip

There will be big changes in technology in the coming years. This is facilitated by the preferences of the consumer who wants to have big choice, more functions without extra weight, and more portability. And all this for a reasonable price.

It seems that the Z7 will have no problem with this. There are three versions of the smartphone - compact Mini, Z7 standard and Z7 Premium. The Z7 Mini will cost less than the other two options, but it won't be inferior to them in functionality, as the Mini is equipped with two cameras, a high-end processor, HD resolution and the latest version of Google's operating system.

The Z7 and Z7 Premium are likely to have similar specs and features, including excellent front and rear cameras... Sony has been producing cameras with powerful specs over the years, and this can be expected from the 7th generation model too. This is supported by large quantity megapixels, wide angle lens, optical image stabilization, laser auto focus.

Next-generation technology includes 3D functions, viewing and recording. For gamers, picture lovers, and surfing enthusiasts, the Z7 is the ultimate 3D experience.

There is no official news yet from Sony that hasn't covered the upcoming Xperia Z7, but that doesn't stop speculation from rumors.

Sony Xperia Z7 specifications

Specifications Sony Xperia Z7

The Xperia Z7 takes the best from previous smartphones and delivers something completely new. Some of the biggest improvements are improved security, expandable memory, and fast wireless charging.

The Z7 Mini will not be equipped with an iris scanner, which will be installed in the standard and premium versions, but will be equipped with a fingerprint scanner. Perhaps the reason for this is the high cost of a device with such technologies, because the Mini should cost less than other options.

Fast wireless charging is a convenient option to charge your smartphone battery up to 50% faster.

Sony Xperia Z7 concept

Hopefully Sony will update the outer casing, making the Xperia Z7 more durable than the current model. Once upon a time, the biggest disappointment of users was the plastic case. Have Xperia series Z glass body, but a stronger and more durable material is needed.

For those who want a smartphone with a bezel-less display, the Z7 can be considered. There are practically no bezels on all sides of the screen, top and bottom. It is not yet known whether the Z7 Mini will have such a display, but definitely, the Z7 and Z7 will have a premium one. In addition, it will be convenient to operate the smartphone with both right and left hands.

In addition, the premium version is expected to have 6.0 inch screen which will make it one of the largest flagship phablets to come out in 2017.

Sony Xperia Z7 Premium Price

Sony's goal is to bring back the lost and keep true customers. This can be done by setting a low price. If the rumors are correct, the price of the standard Z7 will be in the region of $ 600 - $ 700.

The Mini will undoubtedly be the cheaper model. Its price will be $ 50 less than the standard model.

One of the biggest competitors of the Z7 in 2017 will be the Xiaomi Mi 7. Xiaomi has built a reputation as a manufacturer of low-cost, high-end smartphones. Its competitor could be Sony, with its Z7.

Sony Xperia Z7 Pre-Orders

The official announcement is expected in early summer 2017, but before Sony was somewhat unpredictable and therefore now it is difficult to say when pre-orders will begin, especially considering that the announcement of the smartphone itself is still far away. At the moment, it is rumored that pre-orders for all three variants will begin around August 2017.

Sony Xperia Z7 release date

About the upcoming Sony Xperia Z7 release date there are a lot of rumors. It is said to launch around the same time as the other 2017 flagships. If you are one of those looking to buy an updated smartphone with flagship specifications and at an affordable price that is much lower than the competition, then patiently wait for the release, which will take place in 2017.

In fact, the launch in Japan will take place sometime in September 2017, around the same time as the iPhone 7s and Galaxy Note 7. Launching before the launch of the two flagships will be in Sony's best interest, as the Xperia Z7 will be in the top three best smartphones 2017. Other Asian markets such as South Korea, Thailand and China are likely to see all three variants of the Z7, after which it will make its way into North America and Europe.

Summing up the Sony Xperia Z7 preview: rumors, features, features, concept, price, pre-orders and release date

The once-famous mobile electronics maker hopes the launch of the Xperia Z7 will once again make it one of the most famous manufacturers. Over the years, we've seen some positive changes in the Xperia Z series.With the Sony Xperia Z7 due to hit various markets around the world, it's hard to miss.

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World's first 4K HDR smartphone with 960fps slow motion

Last spring in Barcelona, ​​the international GSM association at the annual Global Mobile Awards (Glomo Awards) announced that the new flagship Sony Xperia XZ Premium has become the best in the category "New smartphones and mobile devices at MWC 2017". And this is not the only award received by the well-liked press and critics for the Sony Xperia XZ Premium during the exhibition. In this regard, President and CEO of Sony Mobile Communications, Hiroki Totoki, stated: “The Xperia XZ Premium is the most technically outstanding smartphone ever created by us. " At the very least, the Xperia XZ Premium is the world's first smartphone with a 4K HDR display (5.5 ″), as well as a new Motion Eye camera capable of recording videos at 960 frames per second and playing them back in slow motion. four times slower than other smartphones. Finally, the new Japanese flagship arrived in Russia and became available in official retail.

Key features of Sony Xperia XZ Premium (G8142)

• SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (MSM8998), 4 Kryo cores @ 1.9 / 2.4 GHz
• GPU Adreno 540
• Operating room Android system 7.1.1
• 5.5 ″ IPS touchscreen display, 3840 × 2160, 801 ppi
• Random access memory (RAM) 4 GB, inner memory 64 GB
• Nano-SIM support (2 pcs.)
• MicroSD support up to 256GB
• GSM / GPRS / EDGE networks (850/900/1800/1900 MHz)
• WCDMA / HSPA + networks (850/900/1700/1900/2100 MHz)
• FDD LTE Cat.16 networks
• Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac (2.4 and 5 GHz) MIMO
• Bluetooth 5.0
• GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BDS
• USB 3.1 Type-C, USB OTG
• Main camera 19 MP, autofocus, f / 2.0, 4K video
• Front camera 13 MP, f / 2.0
• Proximity, lighting, pressure, magnetic field sensors, accelerometer, gyroscope, step counter
• Super slow motion video at 960 fps
• Dust and moisture protection IPS65 / 68
• Battery 3230 mAh
• Dimensions 156 x 77 x 7.9mm
• Weight 191 g

Appearance and usability

Sony Mobile remains true to tradition, this applies to both the appearance of its smartphones and the software shell. The design of the novelty uses the same familiar Loop Surface principle: the metal frame, bending, with its curved edges goes to all panels - front, back and side. The frame itself is made of polished metal to a mirror-like luster, it is echoed by two glass panels of Gorilla Glass 5. As a result, we have one of the most slippery and easily soiled smartphones, in this only Xiaomi Mi Mix can be compared with it.

At the same time, the design and decoration are really impressive: the case with a mirror-like shine with sharp corners and flat end panels looks at least impressive, and maybe even status. Another thing is that all this splendor runs counter to ergonomics and comfort: sharp corners take up a lot of extra space in your pocket and dig into your hips, and shiny surfaces, of course, are instantly covered with fingerprints.

This is not to say that glass panels themselves are very slippery, but no one usually holds a smartphone for them. But the polished and varnished sides of the convex metal frame are extremely slippery, so it is rather difficult to lift the smartphone from the table.

As for materials and build quality, here, of course, there can be no complaints, Sony is always in full order with this. But about the dimensions it is worth saying a few words. Sony Xperia XZ Premium has a 5.5-inch screen, which is not that big by today's standards, but in terms of body dimensions it is comparable to Samsung Galaxy S8 + with a significantly larger screen (6.2 ″).

The bezels around the screen look too wide, especially the top and bottom segments, which are 17 mm high, and not even at the bottom touch buttons... A lot of space is empty, and the only explanation for such indents is stereo speakers placed at the top and bottom in the frontal plane.

The glass of the panel has barely noticeable curvatures at the transition to the end faces, but only on the sides. There is an LED event indicator above the screen.

The back panel here is also a real glass, it is not plastic, but the same Gorilla Glass 5 as the front. The camera module is single, not double. The camera does not protrude beyond the surface, the back panel is absolutely flat.

All hardware buttons are located on the right side. The one that is responsible for power and locking has a built-in fingerprint scanner, it is easy to touch it, it is convenient to use. The other button, which is responsible for volume control, on the contrary, is quite smooth, slippery, shallow; it sticks out a little outside the body. It is difficult to find it blindly. There is a third, very small and barely noticeable, it is traditionally for Sony responsible for working with the camera.

The card slot is hybrid here: you can install two Nano-SIM cards or replace one of them with a memory card. Sony usually makes two variants of each model - single and dual SIM, and the Xperia XZ Premium is no exception. Only here are not one, but two pull-out trays, and they are covered with a convenient lid that does not need to be squeezed out with a paper clip. All Sony smartphones automatically reboot as soon as the card sled is removed from the case, regardless of whether there are any cards at all.

The smartphone is IP65 / IP68 waterproof. The standard assumes that the device can spend up to half an hour under water, but Sony prohibits this, mentioning only protection from splashing rain or from an accidentally spilled glass.

At the top there is an audio output for headphones (3.5 mm), as well as an auxiliary microphone.

The bottom end is for the main conversational microphone and a universal USB Type-C connector that supports connection to USB mode OTG.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is available in three color options: Luminous Chrome, Deepsea Black and Bronze Pink. We tested the "regular" black version, but apparently, Sony is betting on the pink bronze. Designer Satoshi Aoyagi particularly commented on this: “We wanted to find a shade that would create a warm feeling while at the same time exemplifying premium design and functionality. Bronze metallic overflow adds depth to the color of the front and back of the smartphone, while diamond cut technology adds extra shine to the top and bottom bezels. "

Screen

Sony Xperia XZ Premium is equipped with IPS display with 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Uses Triluminos, X-Reality for mobile and Dynamic Contrast Enhancer. The dimensions of the screen are 68 × 121 mm with a diagonal of 5.5 inches. The resolution is 3840 × 2160, the density of the pixels is very high here, about 801 ppi. It is the world's first smartphone with a 4K HDR display.

The frame around the screen is wide by modern standards, more than 4 mm on the sides and 17 mm at the top and bottom. Together with the sharp corners of the case itself, it all looks quite cumbersome.

The brightness of the display can be adjusted manually or set automatic settings based on the operation of the ambient light sensor. The AnTuTu test diagnoses support for 10 simultaneous multitouch touches. The screen supports work with gloves.

A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the "Monitors" and "Projectors and TV" sections Alexey Kudryavtsev... Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the test sample.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is resistant to scratches. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are slightly better than that of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, we present a photo in which a white surface is reflected in the turned off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia XZ Premium, as it is easy to determine, is on the right, then they can be distinguished by their size):

Both screens are dark, but Sony screen still a little bit darker (its brightness in the photo is 107 versus 117 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium screen is very weak, which indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (aka touch sensor) and the matrix surface (OGS type screen - One Glass Solution). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (such as glass / air) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better in conditions of intense ambient light, but their repair in the case of cracked outer glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be changed. On the outer surface of the screen there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (very effective, even better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are much easier to remove, and appear at a slower rate than in the case of ordinary glass.

With manual brightness control and with the display of the white field in full screen, its maximum value was about 460 cd / m², and the minimum - 4.7 cd / m². The maximum value is high, and given the excellent anti-glare properties, readability even on a sunny day outdoors should be at an acceptable level. In complete darkness, the brightness can be lowered to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness control works according to the light sensor (it is located to the right of the slot of the front speaker). In automatic mode, when the ambient light conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. The operation of this function depends on the position of the brightness control, with it the user can try to set the required brightness level in the current conditions. We slightly increased the brightness in complete darkness and found that in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 12 cd / m2, in an office illuminated with artificial light (about 550 lux) it sets to 190 cd / m2, in a very bright environment (corresponds to clear lighting outdoors during the day, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or slightly more) increases to 460 cd / m². The result was quite satisfactory for us. It turns out that the automatic brightness control function works adequately and to some extent allows the user to customize his work for individual requirements. Only at a very low brightness level there is a significant modulation of the backlight, but its frequency is high, about 2.3 kHz, so even in this case there is no visible screen flicker.

This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The micrographs show the typical IPS subpixel structure:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of photomicrographs of screens used in mobile technology.

However, the subpixels themselves are located unconventionally: typical columns go in the horizontal direction, but in each of the columns the triads of subpixels are shifted by one subpixel vertically, first upwards, and three columns downwards. Note that we have already seen a similar arrangement of subpixels in the case of the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium. As a result, the ratio of columns horizontally to triads vertically is 3 to 2, the actual vertical resolution is 1/3 less than the horizontal one (hereinafter we mean the landscape orientation of the screen). That is, the points (RGB triads) on the screen are actually only 3840 × 1440, not 3840 × 2160.

Additional tests have shown that not every application is capable of displaying images at this conventional 4K resolution. For example, all tested third party applications believe that the screen has Full resolution HD, that is, 1920 by 1080 pixels, and the image is displayed in this resolution, and the smartphone itself scales the picture to the true screen resolution. Sony's own image demonstrator only (app Album) displays a picture in 4K resolution. The second exception is video output using hardware decoding. Let us consider the features of such an output using the example of a vertical and horizontal worlds with black stripes one pixel thick through a white gap also one pixel. The original test image is available at this link, the world is in the center. Here is a snippet of it:

With vertical stripes (on the left), everything is fine: clear, pixel by pixel. With horizontal ones (on the right side), everything is worse, since the dark gaps are only one subpixel thick and visually the world is seen simply as a gray field. In addition, at the bottom and at the top of the horizontal target, instead of stripes, some kind of mess is displayed - apparently, this is an error in the conversion to the resolution of a strange matrix. However, formally black and white resolution of 3840 × 2160 pixels is still implemented.

The screen has good viewing angles without inverting tints and without significant color shift, even with large gaze deviations from the perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here is a photo in which the screens of Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium are displayed the same images, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to about 200 cd / m2 (across the white field across the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera was forcibly switched to 6500 TO.

White field perpendicular to the plane of the screens:

Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field.

And the test picture:

Colors on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium display are oversaturated, skin tones are reddish, and color balance is noticeably different from standard. Also, as shown by additional tests, the color contrast is slightly increased.

Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much for both screens, the contrast has remained at a good level.

And white box:

The brightness at an angle on both screens has noticeably decreased (at least 5 times, based on the difference in exposure), but in the case of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, the drop in brightness is slightly less (the brightness in the photos is 232 versus 226 for the Nexus 7). The black field, when deviated along the diagonal, does not lighten very much and acquires a purple tint. The photos below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):

And from a different angle:

The Nexus 7's black field at the corners is still slightly darker. When viewed from a perpendicular view, the uniformity of the black field is excellent:

The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 960: 1. The response time for the transition black-white-black is 24 ms (11 ms on + 13 ms off). The transition between gray tones of 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes 34 ms in total. The gamma curve, plotted using 32 points with equal intervals by the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal a blockage either in highlights or in shadows, and the indicator of the approximating power function it turned out to be 2.31, which is slightly higher than the standard value of 2.2. In this case, the real gamma curve deviates little from the power dependence:

We did not reveal the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the displayed image, which is very good.

Default color gamut noticeably wider than sRGB:

If the image on the screen of this smartphone still seems insufficiently "bright" and "colorful" to someone, then in the screen settings you can enable Extreme brightness mode.

The result is shown below:

Saturation and color contrast are enhanced even further. The color gamut in this mode almost completely covers the Adobe RGB gamut.

We look at the spectra:

They are typical of Sony's top-end mobile devices. Apparently, this screen uses LEDs with a blue emitter and a green and red phosphor (usually a blue emitter and a yellow phosphor), which, in combination with special matrix light filters, allows obtaining a wide color gamut. Yes, and in the red phosphor, apparently, the so-called quantum dots are used. Unfortunately, as a result, the colors of images - drawings, photographs and films - oriented to the sRGB space (and there are the overwhelming majority of them) have an unnatural saturation. This is especially noticeable on recognizable shades, such as skin tones. The result is shown in the photos above.

However, not everything is so bad, in the mode Professional coverage is adjusted to sRGB borders:

We look at the spectra:

It can be seen that in this mode the color components are mixed with each other, which makes it possible to reduce the color gamut. Let's look at the test image in this mode:

So much better! Hence the advice: having a smartphone at your disposal, be sure to select the mode Professional, only in this mode can you view photos and watch movies obtained from most of the available simple user sources.

By default, the balance of shades on the grayscale is slightly compromise, since the color temperature is higher than the standard 6500 K, and the deviation from the spectrum of the absolute black body (ΔE), although not very large, changes noticeably from shade to shade. But at least the color temperature variation is small. (The dark areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since there the color balance does not really matter, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

This smartphone has the ability to correct the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.

Which is what we tried to do; the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we corrected the color temperature and, at least in the light area, reduced ΔE. This is a good result, but the brightness (as well as the contrast) has dropped from 460 to 415 cd / m².

Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is wide, the anti-glare properties are excellent, which allows you to comfortably use your smartphone both on a sunny day outside and in complete darkness. It is permissible to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works adequately. The advantages also include a very effective oleophobic coating, no air gap in the layers of the screen and no flicker, moderate black lightening when looking away from the perpendicular to the screen surface, excellent uniformity of the black field. By default, the color balance is not the best, but the presence of appropriate adjustments allows you to correct it to an acceptable level, albeit at the expense of a slight decrease in brightness (and contrast). Taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the distinguishability of information in a wide range of external conditions), the screen quality can be considered very high. Compared to the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, we can conclude that Sony has carried out effective work above the errors, the new smartphone finally has a high-quality sRGB mode and eradicated dynamic brightness adjustment depending on the nature of the displayed image. We have been waiting for this since 2014, when the Sony Xperia Z2 appeared on the market. Better late than never!

Cameras

The front module has an Exmor RS sensor with an area of ​​1 / 3.06 "and a resolution of 13 megapixels, as well as a 22mm wide-angle lens with an f / 2.0 aperture without its own flash and autofocus. The maximum sensitivity of the matrix is ​​ISO 6400, there is the same five-axis SteadyShot stabilization with intelligent Intelligent Active Mode, as in the main camera. The quality of the shooting is generally good: the image is bright, sharp and detailed. However, as can be seen from the examples, the matrix still fails to organically expose both dark and light areas at the same time, the sky is completely lightened even in even daylight.

For the main Sony cameras saved a new exclusive module that other manufacturers will not get yet. It uses a 1 / 2.3 ″ mobile Exmor RS sensor with 1.22 µm pixels. The 25mm wide-angle G Lens has an f / 2.0 aperture. The maximum light sensitivity of the matrix is ​​ISO 12800, but you can manually set only ISO 3200. The main feature is new camera Motion Eye - it has its own fast memory, which made it possible to shoot Super slow motion video slow motion with a frequency of 960 fps. True, there are noticeable limitations. Firstly, super slow mode is available only in 720p resolution, and the picture quality in it, of course, leaves much to be desired. Secondly, it is impossible to simply start shooting video in this mode, it can only be activated for a few seconds during normal shooting, and the result will be presented in the form of frames in a standard video. That is, you either have to delicately seize the moment, which is sometimes not easy, or you just have to cut pieces of slo-mo into a longer scene. It is impossible to manually select areas after shooting on the resulting video, what happened is what happened.

The rest of the camera's capabilities are familiar to us: there is a predictive hybrid autofocus and a proprietary five-axis stabilization SteadyShot with two modes, the most "smart" of which (Intelligent Active Mode) is better not to use - everything "floats", the shape of objects in the frame is noticeably distorted. Standard Mode SteadyShot works much better.

Manual settings, as usual, allow you to set the shutter speed, sensitivity, exposure compensation, white balance, and select the focusing option. However, if you use the side button, the camera always turns on in auto mode. But in automatic mode, she knows how to take several frames even before the user presses the shutter button (Predictive Capture).

The camera can shoot video in maximum 4K resolution, but this mode is selected in the menu separately. There is also a shooting mode at 60 fps, normal Full HD @ 30 fps, as well as the aforementioned slow motion. Unlike Huawei smartphones, here for both 4K video and 60 fps, the H.264 codec is used, not H.265. The camera copes well with video shooting. Focusing does not fail, there are no jerks, no artifacts, the image is bright and detailed. Sound recording is made at a decent level, the noise reduction system also copes with its tasks.

• Movie # 1 (111 MB, 3840 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Movie # 2 (34 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)
• Movie # 3 (40 MB, 1920 × [email protected] fps, H.264, AAC)

	Quite good sharpness across the frame.
	Good detail in the middle of the frame, but large areas of blur are noticeable on the sides.
	The camera copes well with macro photography.
	The text has been worked out well.
	Good detail on distant plans... There are still many areas of confusion.
	The detail is good only in the middle of the frame.

We also tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

The camera turned out to be good, but this time I can't call it flagship. Some strange software processing inherent more to the middle segment of cameras immediately catches the eye. There are huge areas of blur that are completely unjustified. We, of course, know that Sony has a habit of refining cameras by the time of the start of sales, but for now it is difficult to argue that these zones will disappear. In the center of the frame, the detailing is at a very good level, but in its current form the camera can only be recommended for documentary shooting.

The laboratory bench confirms a good resolution in the center of the frame, but only in good lighting conditions. However, the edge of the frame isn't too bad either. But the flash of the camera is very weak. Hopefully, with the updates, the camera manages to curb its noise and geometric distortion.

This time, we did not show the resolution in the 12 megapixel shooting mode on the graphs, since it is no different from 20 megapixels, except for the size of the picture. If earlier in the 8 megapixel mode the camera used the sensor area of ​​about 16 megapixels, then shrinking the image and increasing the relative resolution, now it does not use such tricks, so geometry distortion and sharpness at the edges do not improve. Nevertheless, even a simple reduction of the image size to 12 megapixels will increase the relative resolution and detail, that is, use the same area more efficiently, so it makes sense to shoot not at the maximum resolution. However, this is true for almost all smartphone cameras.

Telephone part and communications

The smartphone, thanks to the new SoC, received a modem that theoretically supports data transfer at speeds up to 1 Gbps in LTE Cat.16 networks. In the city limits of the Moscow region, the device behaves confidently, does not lose connection in places of poor reception, and quickly re-establishes the connection. Bluetooth 5.0 is also supported, both Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) are MIMO 2 × 2, there is NFC with support for Mifare Classic, so the device works with an application for travel documents. You can organize a wireless access point through Wi-Fi channels or bluetooth. The reception quality in Wi-Fi networks also raises no complaints. The USB Type-C connector supports connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. Data transfer speed between computer and smartphone using a cable via USB ports 3.1 Type-C is about 25MB / s.

There are no complaints about the operation of the navigation module, it can work with GPS (with A-GPS), and with the domestic Glonass, and with the Chinese Beidou. The first satellites during a cold start are detected within tens of seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the digital compass of navigation programs usually functions.

Software and multimedia

As a software platform, the Android operating system of the latest version 7.1.1 is used with a proprietary shell, which, with the update, has become the closest to the stock one Android version, both in appearance and in internal structure. Now Sony smartphones inside resemble pure "Googlephones" more than any of the competitors. The once-present side-sliding panel in the launcher program menu has disappeared, mini-applications have disappeared, and the notification curtain, dialer and open programs menu began to look and function the same as in pure Android.

Also familiar is the set of preinstalled programs that have been moving from model to model over the years (Movie Creator, Sketch, AVG antivirus). SwiftKey is now the default keyboard on all Sony smartphones.

To play musical compositions, the device uses its own player with a familiar set of settings: the user is traditionally given a choice between manual adjustment and automatic optimization of all sound parameters using the complex ClearAudio + function. The smartphone can play tracks in High-Resolution Audio quality, low quality tracks are pulled using the Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE HX) technology. The set includes several more sound technologies, you can read more about all this, dedicated to the sound technologies used in all modern top smartphones of the manufacturer.

The sound of the main speaker is rich and clear enough, not as loud as possible, but bass, a little dull. As usual, two speakers are used, located at the top and bottom of the front panel, they work in conjunction with surround technology S-Force Front Surround.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 needs no special introduction. It is Qualcomm's flagship SoC and one of the most powerful mobile platforms in the world to date. It is much more powerful than its predecessor Snapdragon 821 and noticeably outperforms Huawei's flagship solution - HiSilicon Kirin 960 in all respects. There is no equal to it in the MediaTek portfolio either. Only the top platform can compare with the Snapdragon 835 Samsung Exynos 8895, on which the last Korean Galaxy flagships S8 and S8 +. They outperform Qualcomm's SoCs in benchmark tests, but in graphics benchmarks, Qualcomm's platform is simply unmatched.

In any case, this SoC provides the system with confident performance and in real scenarios allows the smartphone to cope with all tasks without exception. All games we tested, including Modern Combat 5, Mortal Kombat X and others, run smoothly on maximum settings... The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is a very powerful device that has a significant "headroom" for future updates.

Benchmarking AnTuTu and GeekBench:

All the results obtained by us when testing the smartphone in the most recent versions of popular benchmarks, we have summarized in tables for convenience. Several other devices from different segments are usually added to the table, also tested on similar latest versions benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the resulting dry numbers). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison, it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, therefore, many worthy and relevant models remain "behind the scenes" - due to the fact that they once passed the "obstacle course" on previous versions test programs.

Testing graphics subsystem v gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:

When testing in 3DMark for the most productive smartphones, it is now possible to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).

Browser cross-platform tests:

As for benchmarks for evaluating the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowances for the fact that the results in them significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so that the comparison can be truly correct only on the same OS and browsers, and this possibility is available when testing not always. In the case of Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.

AndroBench memory speed test results:

Thermal imagery

Below is a thermal image back surface obtained after 10 minutes of battery test in the GFXBenchmark program:

Heating is strongly localized on the left side of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat chamber, the maximum heating was 38 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is not very much.

Video playback

To test the "omnivorous" video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats that make up the bulk of the content available on the Web. Note that it is important for mobile devices to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is often impossible to process modern versions using processor cores alone. Also, don't wait from mobile device decoding everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are tabulated.

Further video playback testing was done by Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Theoretically possible support for adapters for outputting to external device We could not verify the images due to the lack of an adapter option that connects to the USB Type-C port, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see "Testing methods for video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)" Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion for outputting frames, the quality of video playback on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) to be displayed with more or less even interval alternation and in most cases without frame drops. When playing video files with a resolution of 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels), the image of the video itself is displayed exactly on the edge of the screen. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235: all gradations are displayed in the shadows and highlights. Recall that when watching movies, you need to select the mode Professional in the screen settings.

Battery life

Fixed accumulator battery installed in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium does not have the largest capacity of 3230 mAh - in a large and heavy case, you could probably fit even more. Moreover, the smartphone has a powerful hot SoC and a large screen with a very high resolution. All this leads to increased power consumption of the system and, as a result, to rather modest results of autonomy for such a battery.

Testing has traditionally been conducted at typical power consumption levels without using power saving features. Naturally, there is a branded energy saving mode Smart Stamina, and the already familiar Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology is responsible for a more gentle attitude to battery charging.

Continuous reading in the Moon + Reader program (with a standard, light theme) at the minimum comfortable brightness level (the brightness was set to 100 cd / m2) with auto-scrolling lasted a little over 15 hours until the battery was fully discharged, and with continuous high-quality video viewing (720p ) with the same brightness level through home network Wi-Fi device does not hold up to 10 hours. At the same time, in 3D games mode, the smartphone can work for quite a long time, more than 7.5 hours, that is, it turns out that the device "sags" only in the video viewing mode.

A smartphone on the Qualcomm platform naturally supports the proprietary Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging, but in practice we could not verify this, since the test sample arrived to us without a complete network adapter... From a conventional charger with a maximum output current of 1.5 A, the device is charged for 3 hours with a current of 1.4 A at a voltage of 5 V. Wireless charging the smartphone does not support.

Outcome

The device has been presented in Russian retail since the beginning of summer, the official cost of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is 55 thousand rubles. The price is maximum, and everything should be perfect for products of this price segment, because competitors are the most powerful and popular models of our time, for example Samsung Galaxy S8 / S8 +, LG G6. What does the new Japanese flagship have? The Sony Xperia XZ Premium has a decent camera with an unusual, if not essential, super slow motion function, one of the most powerful mobile platforms in the world with the widest communication capabilities. A noticeable plus is the presence of moisture protection; in the new season, top smartphones from Samsung, Apple and LG are also provided with it. At the screen highest resolution and for once ideal system profiles, which allows you to display either bright and colorful, or standard sRGB-picture. A combination of the most powerful SoC and bright screen with an average battery capacity, the hero of the review has far from the highest autonomy among modern flagships. Samsung, LG and Huawei devices are certainly doing better with this. As a result, it turns out that in some ways the hero of the review is inferior to his competitors, and in some ways he is on the same level with them, but the Sony Xperia XZ Premium smartphone certainly has its own zest that can attract the attention of fans of this brand.

Sony seems to be paying little attention to the design trends of modern smartphones. When looking at new sony The Xperia XZ Premium is easily recognizable as the company's signature. The device is definitely not to be confused with the products of other manufacturers.

XZ Premium glass surfaces with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. Available color options Shining Chrome and Deep Black.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors in early 2017 are exclusively shipping for top smartphones Samsung (which has yet to be introduced) and many manufacturers like LG have had to fit last year's chipsets into their new flagships, but it looks like Sony has still managed to get the Snapdragon 835 for its Sony Xperia XZ Premium. In this regard, the smartphone stands out against the background of other top smartphones of the beginning of 2017.

The 5.5-inch screen of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium deserves special attention. Firstly, it has a 4K resolution (by the way, it first appeared in a Sony smartphone with a 4K screen back in the Z5 Premium model), and secondly, it supports HDR technology and has an extended color gamut. In this case, the focus is on the content of the new generation.

The camera in the Sony Xperia XZ Premium incorporates a range of different proprietary technologies. It uses an advanced autofocus system and a five-axis image stabilization system.

The camera sensor is 19 megapixel. Size 1 / 2.3 ”. This is a fairly large matrix. Lens aperture - F: 2.0. Of the unusual features - slow motion mode at a speed of 960 fps. True, the shooting resolution in this mode is “only” HD (1280 × 720 pixels), and the duration of such super slowdown is very limited in time.

Combination 4 GB random access memory and 64 GB of built-in storage, we would call it quite standard for modern smartphone high class.

The manufacturer claims excellent sound quality. Hi-Res Audio and LDAC ( high quality sound during Bluetooth wireless transmission).

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium is IP65 / 68 dust and water resistant. The smartphone is not afraid of washing under the tap, but the manufacturer prohibits completely submerging it under water. This will void the warranty.

The battery capacity of the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is 3230 mAh. There are a number of interesting modes related to caring for the "health and longevity" of the battery. The charging speed can be very fast (support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 is declared), but for this you need to use a special charger, which is not included in the package.