Introduction
The third-gen Premium comes with Sony's first dual camera, a larger 5.8-inch display that is still 4K, and a due upgrade in the internals, all in a chunky package. Let's see if the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is worthy of its name.
The display certainly appears to be - Sony pioneered 4K smartphone displays with the Z5 Premium and some three years later it remains the only maker to offer the impossibly high resolution. This time around, it's grown a bit - 5.8 inches in diagonal vs. the two previous generations 5.5 inches. So only 765ppi then.
And isn't the Premium just the perfect vehicle for Sony's first dual camera? Joining the familiar 19MP shooter is a secondary 12MP one - this one sees the world in black and white with a large 1/2.3" sensor, big 1.55µm pixels, and bright f/1.6 aperture.
Perhaps the third most important bit about the XZ2 Premium would fall in the cons section, however, and that's before we even unpack it - its size and weight are topping the charts, and not really in a good way.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium specs
- Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 5 back and front; IP65/68; 158 x 80 x 11.9mm, 236g; Chrome Black and Chrome Silver color schemes.
- Screen: 5.8-inch IPS LCD, 16:9, 3840x2160px,765ppi, HDR.
- Rear Camera: Primary 19MP, 1/2.3" sensor, 1,22µm pixel size; f/1.8 aperture, 25mm equivalent lens. Secondary 12MP black &white, 1/2.3" sensor, 1.55µm pixel size; f/1.6 aperture lens. Predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, burst AF, IR sensor for white balance, LED flash, dedicated hardware shutter key, BIONZ for mobile image-processing engine; ISO up to 51,200 for stills.
- Video Recording: 4K video recording @30fps, HDR video up to 4K, 1080p @60fps, 1080p@960fps, 720p@960fps, Steady Shot image stabilization; stereo audio recording; predictive capture; ISO up to 12,800 for video.
- Front Camera: 13MP, 1/3.06" sensor; f/1.8 aperture, 22mm equivalent lens; 1080p video.
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Kryo 385 (8x custom Cortex-A75 @ up to 2.8GHz), Adreno 630GPU.
- Memory: 6GB RAM, 64GB UFS + microSD (up to 400GB).
- OS: Android 8.0 Oreo.
- Battery: 3540mAh; Quick Charge 3.0, USB Power Delivery, Wireless Charge (QI); Qnovo adaptive charging.
- Connectivity: Single SIM and Dual SIM version (nano SIMs), 4G VoLTE, 5CA LTE Cat.18 (up to 1.2Gbps download), 4x4 MIMO, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou/Galileo/QZSS, NFC, USB 3.1 Type-C.
- Audio: Dynamic vibration system, High-res audio, DSEE HX, LDAC, Stereo speakers with S-Force surround, aptX HD audio.
- Misc: Fingerprint sensor on the back, 3D creator scan with back and front cameras, SDR to HDR video upconversion.
By this point, there are hardly any surprises in the rest of the hardware. There's the Snapdragon 845 in charge of number crunching, 6GB is plenty of RAM and the 64GB of storage can be expanded by up to... well, the largest capacity card you'd be willing to pay for. There's no 3.5mm jack which isn't out of the ordinary anymore and neither is the IP rating for dust and water protection, though one of these is bad and the other's pretty great.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium unboxing
The phone comes in an understated gray box with a big X printed on it and a shiny 'Xperia' logo etched onto the lid - gone are the colorful boxes of the early Xperia Xs. Inside, other than the phone itself, you'll find an AC adapter that's Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 and Mediatek Pump Express+ 2.0 compliant and is rated at 5V/2.7A, 9V/1.8A, and 12V/1.35A. There's a USB-A to USB-C cable to go with it too.
A USB-C to 3.5mm jack adapter is also included so you can connect your legacy headphones despite the legacy-free wired connectivity port selection. Our 'special' reviewers' bundle didn't have a headset included, but some retail packages do pack a pair of earbuds - oddly enough, with a 3.5mm connector at the tail end, go figure.
Design and 360-degree spin
The Xperia XZ2 Premium is thick and heavy - there's really no other first impression you can draw from handling the phone for the first time. And it's not just purely subjective, the numbers don't lie - the latest Premium is 11.9mm thick and weighs in at 236g.
The phone measures 158x80x11.9mm so it's not only chubby, but also has a quite a footprint. No small part of that is due to the 5.8-inch inch display that's in a classic 16:9 aspect ratio - an 18:9 5.8-inch display is a lot more slender, and you only need to look at the Galaxy S9 and its 147.7x68.7x8.5mm frame for proof.
It's not just the display proportions, though. The Premium has more than its fair share of bezels, at least by current industry trends, even if they're reasonably okay by Sony standards.
The forehead houses the usual stuff you'd expect to find above a display. The earpiece is in the middle and it also nicely doubles as a second loudspeaker. To its right is the selfie camera, and symmetrically on the other side is the cutout for the ambient light and proximity sensors. Sony also found room for a status/notification LED in the top left corner, and it's RGB too - we like.
The sizeable chin doesn't have much to justify its dimensions though it does make for a spot to put a Sony logo. Okay, maybe we're not being entirely fair - there's the primary loudspeaker behind a slit where the front glass meets the frame.
The frame itself is made of aluminum and is thick and sturdy and has a shiny polished finish. The couple of Premiums we have in the office remained remarkably ding-free despite the daily abuse. Abuse, what abuse?
All of the physical controls on the Premium are on the right, with the Power button around the middle - it's a bit too low for our liking, plus the button is on the small side. The volume rocker is pretty high up and a 2cm higher position of the power button wouldn't have hurt. There's still a two-stage shutter button down below - if not for actually taking pictures, at least for quick launching the camera.
A lot of aluminum to grip • All controls on the right • Sony insists on a mechanical shutter button
Down on the bottom, you'll find the USB-C port and the primary mic - the loudspeakers are front firing, remember? There's no headphone jack, by the way.
Up top, there's an extra mic and the card slot - the tray will take a nano SIM and a microSD on the single SIM version of the phone, while the dual SIM version forces you to choose between the microSD and a second nano SIM.
USB-C and a mic on the bottom • Another mic and the SIM slot up top • The tray of the single SIM version
All of this was to delay the inevitable - sooner or later we had to talk about that back. It's kinda pretty, in a way, maybe, the way the almost fluid glass panel reflects light. But that's before it gets covered in fingerprints, which takes but a single touch. That said, while prints are readily visible on the Chrome black unit, they're a lot less obtrusive on the Chrome silver.
Only it's not the fingerprints that are the Xperia XZ2 Premium's main problem on the back, the fingerprint sensor and the overall arrangement of components is. Being the first Sony smartphone with a dual camera, perhaps they haven't quite figured out what should go where and the extra imaging module has pushed the fingerprint sensor down, just above the midpoint.
The end result is that your index finger falls on the bottom camera (the RGB one), and smudging it is one side of the issue. Unlocking the phone takes an extra effort to either flex your finger or adjust your grip so you find the sensor with your finger fully extended. Neither comes naturally, and we did spend quite a lot of time with the Premium without developing the muscle memory for that otherwise most basic of actions.
The thing is, with the way that stuff is arranged on the back, you'd be tapping the camera and wondering why the phone doesn't unlock. Both the fingerprint sensor and the camera assembly have a tiny tangible lip around the border and it's hard to tell what exactly it is you're touching. Sure, one is recessed, the other is slightly raised, but it's not an immediate distinction.
There's just an Xperia logo on the bottom, no other text - Sony keeps the regulatory labels in a slide-out tray within the card slot and we can't give them enough praise for keeping the back clean. Perhaps the others will learn too. Or not.
The only 4K display in the business has grown to 5.8 inches
Sony remains the only maker to offer a 4K display on a smartphone three years after they went all out with the Z5 Premium. Unlike the first and second generation phones, both 5.5 inches or thereabout in diagonal, the XZ2 Premium is now larger at 5.8 inches. It's in a classic 16:9 ratio too, no 18-point-something-to-9 nonsense here. The pixel density works out to just 765ppi this year, previous 4K Xperia Premiums were north of 800ppi.
We measured a maximum brightness of 518nits on the Xperia XZ2 Premium, some 50nits lower than the XZ Premium before it. The current-gen XZ2 is a full 100nits brighter at 618nits. There's no boost in Adaptive brightness mode. Reasonably well controlled blacks result in a contrast ratio upwards of 1400:1 - decent as LCDs go, but the LG G7 and the HTC U12+ are in the 1800s.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.431 | 618 | 1434 | |
| 0.438 | 576 | 1315 | |
| 0.367 | 518 | 1411 | |
| 0.59 | 566 | 966 | |
| 0.463 | 573 | 1238 | |
| 0 | 679 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 420 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 376 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 631 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 412 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 582 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 456 | ∞ | |
| 0.2 | 366 | 1830 | |
| 0.214 | 389 | 1818 | |
| 0 | 458 | ∞ | |
| 0.225 | 460 | 2044 | |
| 0.499 | 920 | 1844 | |
| 0 | 458 | ∞ | |
| 0.002 | 624 | 312000 | |
| 0 | 426 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 367 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 658 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 464 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 652 | ∞ | |
Sunlight legibility on the XZ2 Premium isn't great. It matches the previous Premium in contrast under direct light, but that's a pretty low bar, with virtually all competitors being at least a little better, and the likes of the Galaxy S9+ and iPhone X significantly so.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Apple iPhone X
5.013 - OnePlus 5T
4.789 - Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S9
4.63 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
4.537 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
4.531 - Motorola Moto Z2 Play
4.459 - Oppo R11
4.454 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - OnePlus 6
4.321 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Oppo R15 Pro
4.251 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - Nokia 8
4.239 - Google Pixel 2 XL (pre-update)
4.234 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy Note8
4.148 - Meizu Pro 7 Plus
4.147 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Huawei Mate 10 Pro (normal)
4.096 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei P20 Pro
4.087 - Xiaomi Mi 8
4.086 - Meizu 15
4.082 - Nokia 6 (2018)
4.052 - Google Pixel 2 (pre-update)
4.023 - LG V30
4.022 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - vivo NEX S
4.012 - Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro
3.998 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - OnePlus X
3.983 - LG G7 ThinQ (outdoor)
3.978 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 8 (True Tone)
3.957 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Oppo Find X
3.954 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - OnePlus 5
3.914 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Xiaomi Mi 8 SE
3.901 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Motorola Moto G6 Plus
3.865 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018)
3.842 - Samsung Galaxy A6+ (2018)
3.834 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2017)
3.812 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Sony Xperia XZ1
3.765 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Nokia 8 Sirocco
3.745 - Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact
3.729 - Apple iPhone 8 Plus (True Tone)
3.725 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Huawei P20
3.683 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
3.679 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
3.675 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - Sony Xperia XZ2
3.58 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - Nokia 7 plus
3.479 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Motorola Moto G6
3.448 - Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra
3.445 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Motorola Moto G6 Play
3.419 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Samsung Galaxy A6 (2018)
3.397 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera
3.393 - LG G7 ThinQ
3.39 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
3.378 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo F7
3.333 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Archos Diamond Omega
3.305 - Honor 9
3.289 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 5
3.261 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Xiaomi Mi 5
3.24 - Nokia 6 (Global version)
3.238 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - BlackBerry KEY2
3.212 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
3.19 - ZTE Nubia Z17
3.159 - Oppo R11s
3.153 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - HTC U11 Life
3.108 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite
3.087 - HTC U12+
3.085 - Xiaomi Redmi S2 (Y2)
3.077 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
3.059 - Apple iPhone 6 Plus
3.023 - Asus Zenfone 4 ZE554KL
3.019 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Motorola Moto X4
3.012 - Sony Xperia L1
2.994 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - LG Q6
2.987 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Samsung Galaxy Note
2.97 - Huawei P20 Lite
2.952 - Xiaomi Redmi 5
2.951 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Sony Xperia XA2
2.938 - Oppo Realme 1
2.932 - Xiaomi Redmi 4
2.92 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - Huawei Honor View 10
2.896 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Nokia 3
2.871 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2.867 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Nokia 3.1
2.837 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Honor 10 (Vivid)
2.757 - Nokia 2
2.752 - Meizu MX6
2.751 - LG V10
2.744 - Huawei Mate 10 (normal)
2.742 - Motorola Moto G5S Plus
2.737 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Huawei Honor 7X
2.734 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Xiaomi Mi A2
2.696 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Xiaomi Mi A1
2.689 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - vivo V7+
2.671 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Huawei Mate 10 Lite
2.654 - Oppo F5
2.653 - Doogee Mix
2.642 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Standard)
2.616 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Asus Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Huawei P Smart
2.563 - Xiaomi Mi Max 2
2.561 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 5A (Y1)
2.556 - HTC U11+
2.556 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - BlackBerry Motion
2.494 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - Xiaomi Mi 5X (Auto)
2.417 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Vivo V7
2.404 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - Razer Phone
2.328 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Sony Xperia L2
2.266 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - HTC U11+ (EU)
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - LG Nexus 5
2.228
The Xperia XZ2 Premium's display settings promise an accurate sRGB reproduction in the Professional mode, but we measured an average DeltaE of 4.1 - decent, but not all that accurate. In fact, it's only marginally better than what we got in the Standard mode, again compared against an sRGB target (average DeltaE of 4.6). Vivid mode was predictably all over the place. No mode truthfully represents AdobeRGB or the P3 color spaces either.
You could tweak the RGB sliders and at the expense of peak brightness get more accurate colors. We got spot-on whites with a 230-187-3 setting, which also gave us a better average DeltaE of 3.1. Perhaps, if you have a colorimeter at hand and you're willing to put in the time, you could further optimize the color output. We feel it's not the end user's job to do it.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium battery life
The Xperia XZ2 Premium's battery is rated at 3,540mAh - some 360mAh more than the XZ2's capacity, and 310mAh more than the XZ Premium. The Galaxy S9+, for example, packs almost as much juice (3,500mAh) for a somewhat larger display area, while the Huawei P20 Pro has 4,000mAh at its disposal to light up virtually the same area as the Premium.
In our testing, the XZ2 Premium didn't impress with longevity - much like the previous iteration, in fact. We clocked 8 hours of video playback (same as on the XZ Premium) and 9:23h of web browsing over Wi-Fi (about 40 minutes less than the predecessor) - we could call these numbers decent, but far from the best-in-class. The 33+ hours we measured in 3G voice calls are pretty spectacular, though who still talks on their phones?
The Galaxy S9+ can last over twice as long as the Premium in video playback and some 2 hours more in web browsing, though the Xperia comfortably outlasts it in voice calls by about 8 hours. The P20 Pro beats these two in web browsing with its 14:30h of reloading web pages, and is right in between with its 13:14h of looping videos. At 21 hours on a 3G voice call, it's nowhere near the Xperia.
Factoring in the efficient standby in addition to the above numbers for the Xperia XZ2 Premium, we've calculated an overall Endurance rating of 77 hours.
Our endurance rating denotes how long a single battery charge will last you if you use the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium for an hour each of telephony, web browsing, and video playback daily. We've established this usage pattern so our battery results are comparable across devices in the most common day-to-day tasks. The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case you're interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones we've tested will compare under your own typical use.
The Premium comes with a fast charger in the box, though as fast chargers go, this proved to be an average one. A 30 minute charge from flat resulted in 38% showing in the status bar (same as the 4,000mAh Note9), while a full charge took 2:26h. It does taper off severely towards the end - two hours into it, the indicator read 94%, so the last 6% needed close to half an hour.
Loudspeaker
Sony was among the first makers to adopt a dual speaker setup for its smartphones all the way back in 2014 with the Xperia Z2, while Samsung for example only did it this year with the S9. The XZ2 Premium we have here today has stereo speakers too - one is in the slit where the front glass meets the frame on the bottom of the phone, the other is the earpiece.
It's not the loudest of setups, falling into the 'Good' category in our three-prong test routine. The OnePlus 6 and the Pixel 2 XL are quieter, but pretty much every other current competitor pumps out an extra decibel or ten.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing |
Overall score | |
| 66.2 | 70.4 | 78.2 | Good | |
| 70.2 | 74.7 | 70.0 | Good | |
| 68.1 | 73.2 | 73.7 | Good | |
| 66.1 | 71.8 | 78.1 | Good | |
| 68.9 | 74.0 | 76.2 | Very Good | |
| 68.4 | 74.0 | 80.1 | Very Good | |
| 68.1 | 72.3 | 82.2 | Very Good | |
| 66.7 | 73.3 | 83.3 | Very Good | |
| 71.2 | 74.9 | 80.2 | Very Good | |
| 70.7 | 75.2 | 81.2 | Very Good | |
| 71.8 | 69.2 | 91.0 | Excellent | |
| 71.3 | 74.5 | 91.0 | Excellent | |
| 78.3 | 76.4 | 82.3 | Excellent | |
| 76.0 | 73.6 | 88.5 | Excellent | |
| 80.1 | 73.2 | 85.0 | Excellent | |
| 77.0 | 73.8 | 91.1 | Excellent |
Audio quality
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium delivered perfectly accurate output with an active external amplifier, while its performance with headphones was good to very good. Stereo crosstalk rose a moderate amount with our standard set, while the kind of intermodulation distortion that appeared is hard to detect outside a lab.
Loudness was a different story, though - the XZ2 Premium was below average without headphones and even worse with them. So if you happen to own high-impedance headphones, you might need to keep that in mind. Otherwise, the phone will probably serve you well.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -91.0 | 93.4 | 0.0026 | 0.0082 | -87.6 | |
| +0.40, -0.20 | -92.9 | 91.2 | 0.0049 | 0.236 | -61.7 | |
| +0.01, -0.03 | -93.7 | 93.7 | 0.0017 | 0.0074 | -94.1 | |
| +0.03, -0.02 | -93.6 | 93.5 | 0.0033 | 0.046 | -93.2 | |
| +0.03, -0.07 | -93.4 | 93.9 | 0.0012 | 0.0063 | -89.3 | |
| +0.01, -0.58 | -92.2 | 93.5 | 0.0088 | 0.330 | -55.7 | |
| +0.02, -0.15 | -94.3 | 94.3 | 0.0021 | 0.0069 | -94.3 | |
| +0.18, -0.13 | -93.7 | 93.6 | 0.0024 | 0.104 | -52.7 | |
| +0.02, -0.01 | -93.2 | 93.1 | 0.0008 | 0.0069 | -94.2 | |
| +0.03, -0.02 | -92.9 | 92.9 | 0.0057 | 0.051 | -68.1 |
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Sony's light customizations on top of Android 8.0 Oreo
One thing you can count on with Sony smartphones is that from a software standpoint they all look and behave in a pretty much identical way, and that's not far detached from stock Android. That's all fine and dandy, except the OS version on the XZ2 Premium is 8.0 Oreo - not Pie, and not even the latest Oreo available. There's the August security patch on board our review unit, so at least it's up to date security-wise.
Long-term Sony fans should feel right at home on the XZ2 Premium with what is essentially the same Xperia launcher. The homescreen appears unchanged from previous Xperia generations. This includes the swipe down gesture, which shows a screen of the apps you use most along with recommendations for new apps to install. The search field is highlighted so you can start typing the app's name immediately. There is also a Google Feed pane, accessible through a left swipe on the home screen. You can get rid of the shortcut to the app drawer and evoke it with an upward swipe like on the Pixels.
Xperia launcher
Themes are available (both free and paid) that can customize the look and sound of the Xperia XZ2 Premium. These are managed through a dedicated interface but are in fact distributed via the Google Play Store. Some themes are even interactive, with their wallpapers reacting to your touches.
Xperia Themes
The notification drawer and the task switcher are very similar to the vanilla Android ones. There is also a Split Screen feature available to a limited number of apps.
Notification shade • Quick toggles • Task switcher • Split screen
Sony takes great pride in the A/V prowess of its devices, and the multimedia apps are all custom and feature-rich - Album, Music, and the Video app.
Album • More Album • Music • Audio settings • Video
The Xperia Assistant is a relatively recent addition to the Xperia custom software. Naturally, in keeping with current trends, it utilizes AI, but nothing too fancy, like Bixby, Siri or the Google Assistant. It lacks a voice of its own, at least for now, and is more of an interactive manual and convenient management hub for some of the device's features. The main interface is arranged in a chat manner, although you rarely get to actually type. Rather, the Assistant guides you via suggested topics.
It's a fairly intuitive mode of operation, even if not particularly speedy. When you reach a certain juncture in your conversation, the Xperia Assistant can drop convenient links to features you might be interested in checking out. Those cards, or notifications, of sorts, also end up in your inbox, for quicker access later, without having to repeat the conversation with the AI. In some cases, the assistant can directly navigate you to an interface of interest. It can also remind you of various things and send you tips through its own volition when it deems them applicable. You can thankfully enable or disable this behavior on a per-topic basis.
The third and final tab in the Xperia Assistant UI is titled Tools and serves as a convenient management hub for convenient Xperia features, like the extensive STAMINA mode battery-saving platform and the Battery Care feature.
Xperia Assistant
Synthetic benchmarks
You know the flagship formula - the latest Snapdragon and heaps of RAM inside. It's no different on the Xperia XZ2 Premium and it comes with the S845 and a 6 gigs of memory for your running apps.
With hardware this similar between high-end devices, it's no surprise that the benchmark scores aren't radically different either. In single-core GeekBench, the S845 handsets are within a few percent from each other, the XZ2 Premium in there. The S835 crowd from last year is a few steps behind as is the Huawei P20 Pro with the soon to be replaced Kirin 970. Meanwhile, the Exynos Galaxy S9+ and Note9 boast substantially better single-core performance, eyeing up the iPhone X, but not quite catching up.
GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone X
4256 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
3771 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
3642 - vivo NEX S
2466 - HTC U12+
2456 - Sony Xperia XZ2
2454 - OnePlus 6
2450 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
2438 - Xiaomi Mi 8
2431 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
2419 - LG G7 ThinQ
2395 - Oppo Find X
2322 - Motorola Moto Z3
1924 - Huawei P20 Pro
1907 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
1836 - Google Pixel 2 XL (Android 9)
1807
The difference between this year's and last year's crop remains in the multi-core test, but here the Exynos Galaxies lose their edge. The Xperia XZ2 Premium posts predictably great numbers, though a bunch of competitors have a minor advantage.
GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone X
10215 - vivo NEX S
9160 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
9026 - OnePlus 6
9011 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
9003 - HTC U12+
9001 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
8883 - LG G7 ThinQ
8865 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
8509 - Xiaomi Mi 8
8494 - Sony Xperia XZ2
8466 - Oppo Find X
8018 - Huawei P20 Pro
6679 - Motorola Moto Z3
6614 - Google Pixel 2 XL (Android 9)
6055 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
5460
In the graphics benchmarks, you'd expect the 4K display to bring about lower fps numbers, but in fact the Xperia XZ2 Premium tops the chart in onscreen GeekBench Manhattan 3.1. The secret is that it's actually treated as a 1080p display for the purposes of the benchmark as the phone renders in 4K when there are high-res videos and photos to be displayed. In the offscreen test a handful of devices inch ahead of the Premium, but it does remain in the top half of the chart.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
57 - vivo NEX S
55 - OnePlus 6
55 - Sony Xperia XZ2
51 - Oppo Find X
50 - Xiaomi Mi 8
50 - Apple iPhone X
44 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
41 - Huawei P20 Pro
37 - Motorola Moto Z3
37 - HTC U12+
33 - LG G7 ThinQ
30 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
25 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
24 - Google Pixel 2 XL (Android 9)
15
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- HTC U12+
60 - Oppo Find X
60 - vivo NEX S
60 - OnePlus 6
58 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
58 - LG G7 ThinQ
57 - Sony Xperia XZ2
55 - Xiaomi Mi 8
53 - Apple iPhone X
51 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
47 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
45 - Motorola Moto Z3
42 - Huawei P20 Pro
40 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
39 - Google Pixel 2 XL (Android 9)
30
Switching over to Antutu, we've got BBK's overachievers Oppo Find X and vivo NEX S on top and then it's the Xperia XZ2 Premium, tied with the Pocophone F1, OnePlus 6, and HTC U12+. The Exynos Galaxies are slightly behind the S845 team, while the Mi 8 underdelivers.
AnTuTu 7
Higher is better
- Oppo Find X
291218 - vivo NEX S
287081 - Xiaomi Pocophone F1
265314 - Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
264734 - OnePlus 6
264200 - HTC U12+
263696 - LG G7 ThinQ
259393 - Sony Xperia XZ2
259244 - Samsung Galaxy Note9
248823 - Samsung Galaxy S9+
246660 - Xiaomi Mi 8
217298 - Huawei P20 Pro
209884 - Motorola Moto Z3
207903 - Google Pixel 2 XL (Android 9)
206711
Overall, the Xperia XZ2 Premium puts out pretty high numbers in the benchmarks, but it does tend to throttle after repeated runs and it also warms up on the outside quite a bit in the process.
Two cameras on an Xperia, finally
The Xperia XZ2 Premium, like previous Xperia Premiums, is the vehicle for a Sony-first - there hasn't been a dual camera on a Sony smartphone until now. They've done it the Huawei way - with a monochrome second shooter.
The black and white camera uses a large 1/2.3" sensor and without going overboard with the resolution you'd be getting 12 million big 1.55µm pixels. The large imager and individual pixels, coupled with the lack of a Bayer sensor that takes away a portion of the light, Sony's monochrome module should be able to gather a lot of light. Oh wait, the lens aperture is f/1.6 - so even more light then.
The regular camera is the familiar 19MP unit from the XZ2. This sensor is 1/2.3" too, but with 1.22µm pixels, and obviously sees the world in color. We say familiar, but in fact it's not entirely the same as on the previous flagship - the lens is now brighter at f/1.8 vs. the f/2.0 optics of the XZ2.
Neither camera is stabilized, Sony doesn't do that. Naturally, there's Sony's multi-action predictive autofocusing system that relies on laser and phase detection. There's a singleLED flash on the back of the Premium - if Sony and Samsung can make do with one for years on end, why would anyone need 4 or 10?
Sony is also keep to point out its camera's ability to crank the ISO all the way up to 51,200 for stills and 12,800 for video. The XZ2 could only go as high as 12,800 and 4000, respectively.
The camera app is lifted from the XZ2 with a toggle bolted on for managing the cam modes that use the extra hardware. Those would be the Monochrome and Bokeh modes, and we gather they don't need further explanation.
Now, when you're in Superior Auto mode, and the light levels drop below a certain threshold, the phone will use both cameras, lift the chrominance data from the RGB cam and enhance it with the extra luminance information from the monochrome module. Sony's got a dedicated AUBE fusion image signal processor to do that magic. When in Manual mode, it's up to you to choose whether you want the image fusion to take place, and there it's called Ultra-high sensitivity. Sony engineers informed us that in good light there's no benefit to using both cameras, so you could spare the processor the extra work.
The resolution is capped at 17MP in Superior Auto in the 4:3 aspect ratio or 13MP in 16:9. Manual mode lets you go all the way up to the full 19MP in 4:3 and 17MP in 16:9, but if you want to engage the ultra-high sensitivity mode, you need to stick to the same resolutions as in Superior Auto.
Camera interface
Image quality
Photos taken in Superior Auto on the Xperia XZ2 Premium look lovely in fit to screen magnifications with pleasingly rich colors, correct exposure and great contrast. Zooming in to 1:1 reveals tons of detail, though noise is clearly visible too - apparently, Sony tuned the noise suppression algorithms conservatively to preserve more detail.
Camera samples, daylight, Superior Auto mode
If you don't want the Auto mode to decide stuff for you (mostly color saturation and contrast), you can opt for the Manual mode. In all fairness, however, Superior Auto is nowhere near the offender that Huawei's Master AI is, for example, and there isn't a radical difference between shots taken in Auto and Manual. Oddly enough, we often got more pop and more vivid colors (particularly the reds) out of the Manual mode - compare the two renditions of the fire truck and the... what is that colorful thingy, really?
Camera samples, daylight, Manual mode
Manual mode is where you need to go to force the HDR processing on. Superior Auto has the Backlit scene, but it doesn't always engage when you need it to, plus not always the scenes that require HDR are in fact backlit. We found the HDR processing to be quite effective at retaining highlight detail, and less so with the shadows, where it doesn't appear to do much at all. It's a bit of a bummer that HDR shots come with a detail penalty and a slight overall softness.
Camera samples, high-contrast scenes: Superior Auto • Manual, HDR Off • Manual, HDR On
Once you're done examining the real-life samples you can have a look at our Photo compare tool for some studio shots. We've pre-selected the Galaxy S9+ and the Huawei P20 Pro. You can, by all means, pick any other set of phones to compare once you're there.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium against the Galaxy S9+ and the Huawei P20 Pro in our Photo compare tool
In low light the Premium's excellent camera performance continues. Superior Auto goes into ultra-high sensitivity mode (the one with the image fusion), and takes some quite nice night shots with low noise and well preserved colors. There's a noticeable softness to the images, however, which is missing in the photos taken in Manual mode with just the RGB camera, and we just might prefer the latter.
Camera samples, low light, Superior Auto
Camera samples, low light, Manual mode, Ultra-high sensitivity off
The XZ2 Premium's secondary camera isn't just for low-light tricks - it can also take images on its own, black and white ones. And they're pretty nice too, we dare say.
Camera samples, daylight, monochrome camera
In low light, the monochrome camera works just fine too, producing nice and detailed images.
Camera samples, low light, monochrome camera
The other use of the secondary camera is to gather depth data which the Xperia XZ2 Premium then uses to isolate subject from background in the phone's Bokeh mode. First of all, an inherent limitation of Sony's approach is that shooting head-and-shoulders portraits of people with a wide 25mm equivalent camera means sticking the phone into their faces and that tends to make people uncomfortable. Then there's the fact that headshots with a lens this wide aren't the most flattering for facial shapes and proportions.
On the other hand, using the main camera for portraits has an advantage over competing approaches with telephoto cams, because they are generally of inferior quality and have poor light-gathering capabilities. You can't really have it all, it seems.
With that out of the way, let's just say that the Xperia XZ2 Premium captures decent portraits with reasonably well done subject detection, and natural looking background blur.
Bokeh samples
That said, Bokeh mode shots are noticeably softer than regular ones in the areas that are in focus (that would be your mug). It could be that Sony thinks you'd like to have some facial imperfections ironed out and applies a beatufication filter of sorts, but that's not a setting to be found anywhere, and we don't appreciate being denied sharpness without us having any say on the matter.
Bokeh mode • Regular shot • Bokeh mode • Regular shot
You can use the Bokeh mode on non-human subjects too - it's not even called Portrait mode, so why not? Again, the subject detection works well unless you specifically torment the processor with coniferous plants (which we, of course, did).
Bokeh samples, non-human subjects
13MP selfies with autofocus
The XZ2 Premium is equipped with a 13MP selfie camera with a 1/3.06 sensor, 1.12µm pixels and a wide-angle 22mm equivalent lens with an f/2.0 aperture. It's got autofocus too, to round off an impressively specced front-facing unit that's only missing a dedicated LED flash (which the grumpy old man inside us would discourage using anyway).
In abundance of light you can count on very detailed selfies with true colors. In less than ideal light, the images quickly turn softer, but they still look plenty nice in fit-to-screen magnifications.
Selfie samples
Video recording
The Xperia XZ2 Premium records video at up to 4K/30fps, but there’s no 60fps mode in 2160p resolution. 1080p comes in both 30fps and 60fps flavors, plus a 120fps slow motion. There’s super slow motion at 960fps, which is either 720p for 0.18s or 1080p for half that duration.
Video is encoded using the h.264 codec, but you do get the option to switch to the more efficient h.265 for 4K capture. A Sony exclusive is the ability to capture 4K HDR video, for which you need a compatible TV to properly watch. Or use the phone itself – it’s an HDR display in your pocket.
4K/30fps gets a 54Mbps bitrate with the h.264 codec and 34Mbps with h.265, 1080p/60fps is encoded at 30Mbps, while plain regular 1080p/30fps gets 17Mbps. Audio is recorded in stereo at 156kbps in all shooting modes.
2160p videos are sharp and detailed with no noise to speak of and an overall very natural processing. Colors are accurate too, and contrast is great. 1080p footage retains most of these properties, except for sharpness – it’s not bad, but we’ve seen superior footage.
Stabilization is available all the way to 4K, but since Sony’s SteadyShot-branded algorithms come in two tiers, only the Standard is available at the highest resolution. The more competent (and apparently more processing-intense) gyro-assisted Intelligent Active mode is only available in up to 1080p/30fps.
We’re not saying Intelligent active is unnecessary, but we’ll go ahead and say that Standard is pretty good already. There is the occasional abrupt movement as the processing catches up with your intentions, but overall stabilized 2160p footage is very watchable. You do stand to gain some extra smoothness with the gyro-based mode, but the point is that its absence in 4K isn’t a dealbreaker. With no OIS, walking footage that is not electronically stabilized is practically unusable (unless you’re specifically aiming for that jerky look, of course).
Sony was the first to introduce super slow motion recording at 960fps thanks to its stacked sensors’ quick readout – a feature that later made its way to the Samsung Galaxies, where the better thought out software made it infinitely more usable. Sony’s addressed the imperfections in its app UI and now offers a multiple slow motion takes in one video clip as well as a one-shot mode that only captures a quick clip and that’s it. There’s still no auto triggering for the slow motion like you’d find on a Galaxy S9.
The last stop is, of course, our Video compare tool where you can compare the XZ2 Premium's output against other phones we've tested. We've pre-selected the Galaxy S9+ and the Huawei P20 Pro, but a different set of devices is only a few clicks away.
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium against the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and the Huawei P20 Pro
Competition
With a Premium in the name, the latest Sony flagship leaves no doubts what market segment it's competing in. The Xperia XZ2 Premium is also priced accordingly and if you're eyeing up Sony's 4K smartphone you've already allocated a significant sum towards your next phone's purchase.
Samsung Galaxy Note9 • Huawei P20 Pro • OnePlus 6 • Apple iPhone X
That same sum (or within 10% in either direction, depending on where in the world you reside) will get you a Galaxy Note9, and we're not saying it'll be better spent there, but yes, it will probably be better spent there. The Note will bring you substantially better battery life, overall superior display save for the lower pixel density, and a telephoto camera that we consider more useful than a monochrome one. Then there's the headphone jack, twice (heck, even possibly 8 times) the storage, and also the S Pen for what it's worth.
If you are fixated on that monochrome camera after all, Huawei's got you covered with the P20 Pro. Thanks to some triple camera action, the P20 Pro can produce some great looking 3x and decent 5x zoom shots, so if you're into zooming in, the Huawei's the better choice. Battery life is also in the P20's favor, and you're also looking at some savings if you opt for the Chinese phone.
Speaking of savings, for the XZ2 Premium's asking price you could have almost two OnePlus 6s. Sure, that would mean a useless secondary camera, lower-res display, no microSD slot, and no meaningful dust and water protection, but also potentially more built-in storage, ultra-fast charging, and arguably one of the best software experiences on the market. Also, to reiterate - massive savings.
On the other hand, if money is no object (which it probably isn't, since you're contemplating the XZ2 Premium), the iPhone X is a viable option too. Again, that would mean a telephoto vs. monochrome camera dilemma. Against the super sharp 4K display of the Premium, the iPhone X puts up one of the best AMOLEDs on the market. With battery life being similar between the two, the OS could help settle it.
Verdict
Sony's finally come up with a dual camera, and the high-res color module plus the high-sensitivity monochrome one makes for a versatile setup that puts out pretty great images. The 4K display remains unique to Xperia Premiums some three years since the first one, so it probably is a bit overkill, though it does make for nice headlines.
We'd have loved to see better battery life out of the XZ2 Premium, and we sure would've preferred a less unwieldy handset. Or at least of the two, because a device this big with just okayish battery life doesn't make all the sense in the world.
In the end, in the absolute highest market segment, there are both better all-rounders for the same price or more affordable devices that don't necessarily perform worse than this Xperia. If you're a Sony loyalist looking for the best the company has to offer, the XZ2 Premium is the way to go. If you're the more reasonable type, there are likely more sensible options.
Pros
- High-end build, premium look and feel
- All around great camera performance
Cons
- Bulky and heavy with an unnatural fingerprint reader placement
- Below average sunlight legibility and maximum brightness, subpar screen color accuracy
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