The Sony Xperia XZ is coming out in early October, and the first reviews have already started to surface. Here’s what the critics think about Sony’s latest flagship phone.
Stuff – 80%
The Sony Xperia XZ once again proves Sony isn’t even really trying that hard to keep up with Samsung anymore. If you’re after the most exciting camera and screen tech around, you need to look to the Korean giants.
However, what you do get here is a good-looking, comfy and fast phone. It’s a decent alternative for those who don’t want a Samsung or an Apple, and we know there are plenty of those people around.
TechRadar – 80%
It’s the best of the best of Sony’s mobile tech in one full package. It features all the highlights of Sony phones we’ve seen the past, put into a melting pot and blended to create something familiar, yet different. If this was an iPhone, it would be an S iteration. There are small improvements to the design, camera and battery tech – but there’s no big, headline feature or major difference when you compare it to the Xperia Z5. Instead it’s a reworking of the highlights from the last few years – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The Sony Xperia XZ is a great premium handset offering everything you’d expect from a flagship phone. If you own a recent Sony phone though it might not be enough of an improvement to rush out and buy it on day one.
Recombu – 90%
Sony’s Xperia XZ isn’t revolutionary, but it is a very good flagship that boasts some of the best mobile camera tech around. Media fans will enjoy the crisp, colourful screen and excellent audio support, while the solid battery life and performance makes the XZ a respectable all-rounder.
PhoneArena – 70%
For $50 less, you can get the excellent Apple iPhone 7 that delivers the same waterproofing, but also an exquisite body, an amazing camera and outstanding, smooth performance. For $100 less, you can get the also superior Galaxy S7 with its more compact design and excellent camera.
GSMArena
It’s a better phone than the Z5 in pretty much every respect, that’s for sure. The greatest leap is perhaps in battery life, where the Z5 fared miserably once we adopted a specific brightness level for our battery tests. The display itself is also an improvement – visibly, and also measurably.
Sony’s pricing of its flagship actually makes some sense with the Xperia XZ, for a change. That’s in part due to the Bluetooth wireless headphones that come bundled in a lot of markets if you pre-order the XZ. Priced at €200/£150, they bring the phone’s price down to €500/£400, though simple math is not really how this works.
Wrapping up
The Sony Xperia XZ gets a rating of 80% from 4 reviews.
It’s still early days, so let’s see what some of the bigger publications think of the phone once we get a little bit closer to release. For now, it looks like the Xperia XZ is a pretty viable choice if you’re looking for an Android flagship!
Image credit: PhoneArena.com