Following the launch of the Sony Xperia X, XA and XA Ultra in 2016, Sony has launched its latest flagship, the Sony Xperia XZ, in India. The Japanese company has finally brought a Snapdragon 820-powered smartphone to India, bringing it up to competition with fellow premium brands. Does it have what it takes to impress us? Let’s find out.
Alongside the premium build and neat design, the Sony Xperia XZ comes with adaptive charging method, a 2900mAh battery pack, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, 23MP primary camera and 13MP front-facing camera. The front is adorned by a 5.2-inch, Full HD IPS display. Sony has typically built beautiful displays, although the XZ’s display seems slightly on the cooler side.
The build of the smartphone is quite premium, and at nearly Rs. 50,000, that is what you would expect. Instead of sharp edges, the Sony Xperia XZ now has slightly tapered edges that contribute to ergonomics. The buttons, though, fail to retain the premium overall build.
The 23MP primary camera uses Sony’s IMX300 image sensor, and uses Hybrid Autofocus. Image quality seems a bit inconsistent at the moment, and the app itself seems rather buggy. We’ll provide more details once we are through with our review.
The 2900mAh battery pack is aided by Qnovo Adaptive Charging, which reads your smartphone usage behaviour. It cuts of power flow to the battery once the phone reaches 90% charge, and only charges up to 100% just before you would begin using it. This intelligent charging process takes a while to pick up, and is meant to protect the battery’s longevity.
In terms of performance, the Xperia XZ should be capable of heavy tasks, although we have experienced overheating. Once the device heats up, it automatically shuts down multiple services. Such throttling can be a big let down in a flagship smartphone.
The Sony Xperia XZ runs on Android Marshmallow customised by Xperia UI, and is scheduled to receive the Android Nougat update “soon”.
Unveiled at a price of Rs. 51,500, the Sony Xperia XZ falls in the league of Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, LG G5, HTC 10, and possibly the upcoming Moto Z. Stay tuned here for more details on the Sony Xperia XZ!