The Premium model also has a 5.8-inch 4K HDR screen, while the regular XZ2 only boasts 5.7-inch Full HD+ HDR panel.
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The XZ2 Premium is also the first Sony phone to have a dual-lens camera, something we thought was perculiary omitted from the XZ2, considering the recent shift towards the dual-lens format.
Talking about the camera department, there’s a dual (19MP + 12MP) rear camera setup and a 13MP selfie camera at the front for selfies. On top of that, the Motion Eye camera can take photos in extreme low-light conditions, thanks to its ISO 51200 sensitivity – that’s 12800 for videos. To get a similar effect on the XZ2 you would need to install it as a feature separately. “For the front, there is a 13-megapixel 1/ 3,06” Exmor RS sensor with 22mm wide angle lens and f/2.0 aperture.
The aptly named Xperia XZ2 Premium pays particular attention to optics and display compared to its brethren, featuring dual lenses on the rear, a first for a Sony smartphone.
“Given the strength of the existing Xperia XZ range, specifically the XZ2, XZ2 Compact, and XZ Premium, there are now no plans for widespread ranging of the handset [XZ2 Premium] in the United Kingdom and Ireland”. The device is powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor and runs on Android Oreo with 6GB of RAM. Sony has wrapped the XZ2 Premium in Gorilla Glass 5 front and back, with 3D glass for curved edges where they meet the metal frame. And considering the XZ2 is an $800 phone, we can only assume the XZ2 Premium will no doubt be close to $1,000 or so.
The cameras also have a portrait feature (called Bokeh mode), and an option to use only the monochrome sensor for shooting in black and white, though both of these will arrive in a Q3 software update, rather than being available at launch. You will have to wait quite a while for it though, Sony probably doesn’t want to cannibalise the sales of the current models, and the Premium will go on sale “globally” in summer 2018.
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The Xperia XZ2 Premium has the new curvy design that Sony showed off with the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. It’s available in Chrome Black and Chrome Silver. Meanwhile, the XZ2 sports 4GB of RAM and a smaller capacity 3,180mAh battery. The details on its pricing is yet to be announced, however we can expect it to be a premium range smartphone just like the other Sony XZ2 smartphones line-up. It lacks a dedicated audio jack and the fingerprint reader is placed on the back of the phone. According to Sony, the 3540 mAh battery should last at least all day, maybe more with all those stamina features.
