Sony’s redesigned and noticeably improved flagship phone, the Xperia XZ2, launches in Canada.
What’s the big deal? Costing several hundred bucks less than the top tier competitors, the XZ2 has unique features like gently curved Gorilla Glass 5 body shell with aluminum rim, fitting nicely in your palm. Despite the rear curvature, the XZ2 still stays flat when you lay it down to use its sensitive touchscreen on your desk.
It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset CPU Octa-core 2.6 + 1.7 GHz octa-core with 630GPU running Android 8.0 (Oreo).
Plenty of storage with the included 64 GB storage and 6 GB RAM. The 5.7” FHD-HDR 1080 x 2160 pixels, 424ppi screen is bright keeping up with OLED competitors. The rear 19MP (with digital pocket camera size 1/2.3″ sensor) camera excels in general photography, including night scenes (see my recent NY Times Square snapshot). Although the front selfie camera is 5MP vs 8MP or more of the priciest models, it covers a much wider view angle for breathtaking selfies.
The non-removable Li-Ion 3180 mAh battery offers longer than average usage between charge times and the IP65/IP68 certified – dust/water proof (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) protects your investment. The rear fingerprint sensor is a bit lower than we are used to but hey, small price to pay for this well priced high tech bundle.
But it’s the user features that make the Xperia XZ2 stand out:
- Shoots impressive video in 4K HDR for wider dynamic colour tones.
- Automatically up-converts content to near HDR.
- Makes you feel every beat, action and reaction with Sony’s adjustable Dynamic Vibration System. You just don’t hear the two stereo speakers sound but feel it in your palm.
- Records high quality super slow motion 960fps up to full HD, an industry first. The shooting options for capturing a continuous series or slow motion or just one shot are welcome. The included video editor is handy for quickly slicing your slow motion shoots for online sharing.
Available at Bell, the XZ2 starts on a $99 on a Premium Plus plan. A $200 trade-in offer applies until June 30th. Outright pricing with Bell is $1,099. Freedom Mobile starts the Xperia XZ2 at $0 on its MyTab $20 & $50 plan and sells outright for is $1,000 It will also be available at The Source locations across Canada.