Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact smartphones launched at MWC 2018

Japanese technology major Sony has taken the wraps off its newest flagship smartphones – Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact. Unveiled at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC 2018) in Barcelona, Spain, the duo will go against recently-launched rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, and the Nokia 8 Sirocco.

Design

Sony has stuck with pretty much the same design for its smartphones for quite a few years now. However, that’s changing with the Xperia XZ2 and the Xperia XZ2 Compact.

Instead of the usual blocky, edged design that Xperia smartphones are known for, the latest Xperia duo is all about curves.

The Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are based on Sony’s new ‘Ambient Flow’ design paradigm, and come with curved rear panels that should result in a much better in-hand feel. The arched back flows better into the metal frame on both the smartphones. While the XZ2 has a reflective rear panel covered with Gorilla Glass 5, the XZ2 Compact’s matte-finished rear panel is made up of polycarbonate.

Display & Hardware Specifications

Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact have 5.7-inch and 5.0-inch IPS LCD panels respectively, which are now extra-tall and come with the funky 18:9 aspect ratio. Having FUllHD+ resolution, the displays are enhanced with Sony’s Triluminos technology and X-Reality engine. They are also HDR BT.2020 compliant.

Both Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact are powered by Qualcomm’s 2018 flagship silicon – the Snapdragon 845. There’s also 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, with support for microSD cards of up to 400GB in capacity.

The smartphones are packed with the latest in terms of connectivity options, as everything from Bluetooth 5.0 to USB Type-C is included. That said, the 3.5mm audio port isn’t present on either of the two handsets.

Speaking of audio (and in general, media), Sony has added quite a few nifty features to the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact to make the whole experience better. Both smartphones come with stereo speakers, and the XZ2 especially packs in a ‘Dynamic Vibration’ system. It uses a vibration motor to simulate haptic feedback based on the music (or other media) being played on the smartphone. This is similar to the ‘rumble’ feature present in Sony’s DualShock game controllers.

Camera Specifications

Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact have the same camera systems, both on the front and on the back. The primary shooter is a 19MP unit with f/2.0 aperture, predictive PDAF and LED flash. That said, there’s no Optical Image Stabilization on either of the two smartphones, only gyro EIS. The cameras on both devices can (obviously) record 4K resolution video, as well as super slo-mo video.

As for the front-facing camera on both smartphones, it’s a 5MP module with f/2.2 aperture and FullHD video capture.

Battery

The XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are backed by a 3,180mAh and 2,780mAh battery respectively. While both smartphones support fast charging, only XZ2 supports Qi-based wireless charging.