Sony Xperia XZ Review | Sony's best yet?

This is a review of the Sony Xperia XZ, their latest premium flagship, how good is it though?

Note: of course the phone supports 4K recording, that was a mistake of mine

Timecodes
00:14 Design
03:13 Display
04:11 Sound
06:16 Performance
08:25 Battery
09:32 Software
11:00 Camera
15:14 Conclusion

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Twitter: @nimbug
Instagram: damir_franc

[TechAltar]

Hey man, just to jump in here with a comment, the XZ does actually support 4K video recording, it's just that this option is weirdly placed in the camera app. When in the viewfinder, swipe over to "camera apps" and you will see a 4K option there. Yes, it's actually a separate app, not a resolution setting, which is mind-boggling. I just did my review as well and it took me a day to find it :D Great review anyway!

[DunnGolfing]

Can't believe it's been over 1 year cause this Sony still rocks and now running oreo plus crazy 4k option for video hidden in camera user setting app. Great review and even now I bet it would still surprise folk how good this still is 👍

[Andraphile]

One of the most informative, balanced and unbiased reviews on the Sony XZ out there I think. Great review. Thanks a lot:). Don't worry about those that may criticise. For me you came across as being sincere in pointing out what you thought was good and not so good. At the end of the day, people need a balanced, honest review to make a good decision. I actually have an HTC, but unfortunately, my carrier is not offering me another one at least as good, but rather, the Sony Xperia XZ. Your review has convinced me, in spite of any cons concerning the Sony, that it would be an acceptable alternative mobile.

[djoetma]

Great review, you keep stepping up your game. Apart from mentioning certain aspects that are relevant for a lot of people even though they don't think about it and that other reviewers don't even touch, the way you base your arguments and guide viewers through it, is top notch.

[arjunkashyap]

Awesumn review Damir thanks. Honest n very fair review! ws waiting fr u to review this device. Now goin fr it! :)

[ofmetalphilosophy]

Sony fan here. it's a great review. no phone is ever perfect and so is the xz. but based on your review I will buy it lol. great screen, battery and video. sound quality is good. what else ?? vielen dank.

[yumemirutenshi]

sony fan here, really liked your videos. very throughout and mention the real life usage stuff.

[droidappmkr]

Typical Sony. Good to see that then X Z is now their best phone since the Z3. Like you, I owned a Z3 for a year and it was a great phone which needed a slight tweak in camera software to be superb.

Agreed about the audio and ultimately it still feels the same. There hasn't been anything from Sony since the Z3 that says "I need to get this over something else". The jump from the Z1 to Z2 was noteworthy; since then it's been tons of refinement.

I'd like to go back to Sony but this still hasn't convenience me. Maybe I need to just get back another Z3 for nostalgia purposes only. As always, great review and you are right...Sony can still do way better.

[_Pet_Tech]

Great review of the new XZ I was waiting for something like this. It seems like the other youtube channels are a bit more on the paid site.... Keep up the great work!

[Jivan]

Another great review man, so detailed

[marcusnz]

I got this instead of the iPhone 7 (had a 6+) and it's a great phone. Some things iOS are better and some things in Sony's implementation of Android are better. Overall though, fab display (much better than my iPhone was), better battery life, and very zippy in daily use.
The buttons are a bit annoying - there is plenty of lower bezel where physical buttons of some form could have been placed rather than the software buttons used which take up a slice of an already relatively small screen (well, seems small after a 6+ anyway!). Seen several complaints about the volume rocker placement. Actually it's the best place on any phone I have had. Much easier to adjust with right thumb when the phone is held to the ear during a call.
Great video Damir - realistic and sensible conclusions. This is a great piece of hardware with a good software implementation. Nougat should make it even better, I hope. The sound thing does not bother me - it's a phone, not a stereo system - and I can use Bluetooth speakers to get more volume.
I wish Google Calendar and iCal played better without the help of Smoothsync and I wish it supported Airplay, and I wish it had a physical silence button - but aside from those I like it a lot.
Paid equivalent of EUR545 for it in NZ unlocked and we only get the black one - no other colours, sadly.

[jrm]

as always, I'm very satisfied the way you review the smartphone... thank you.

[pete]

Thanks for yet another great review!

I find that your reviews are consistently among the best out there because they are always honest, unbiased, informative and absolutely filled with detail. They always contain all of the relevant information that you could possibly want, with none of the irrelevant ramblings that you often get from reviews. It's very hard to find all of those characteristics in a phone review, so thank you!

I especially like the way you talk about every day things like how the phone feels in the hand, the volume of the speakers, etc - these are very important every day things that so many reviews do not talk about.

For example I bought an S7 Edge about 6 months back, and in every technical aspect it's pretty damn close to being flawless - the best phone I have ever used. But the physical design of the phone makes it almost unusable because it is so difficult to handle. Between the curved edges of the screen (which get way too close to the side of the phone), the capacity touch buttons (which are way too close to the lower corners of the phone), the speaker (at the bottom of the phone) and the overly thin metal edges (on the sides) it becomes almost impossible to use this phone one handed without accidentally touching the screen, touching the capacitve buttons, covering the speaker, or worrying about the phone slipping out of your hand. I've found that this has absolutely killed the phone's usability for me, which is why I plan on replacing with an Xperia XZ as soon as I can afford the upgrade. Simple things like handling can have such a critical impact on a phone's usability, and yet so many reviewers do not mention it at all, so a big thanks for including this important information!.

The only other thing that I would really like to see in reviews (that nobody seems to talk about) is how effectively the speakerphone works during phone calls.

For example I remember my old Xperia Z2 had dual stereo speakers, but when I was in a phone call and turned on speakerphone, it would only use one speaker. This meant the speakers were much quieter during a call then they were when playing music, which was unfortunate because it made it harder to hear people when making calls using speakerphone. Also I find with the Galaxy S7 Edge that when I make calls via speakerphone people are always complaining that they can't hear me very well, and that the call sounds like it's dropping in and out all the time. On my LG G4 the speaker was really loud at max volume, however it also became very distorted and extremely hard to understand when the volume was maxed out. This meant that I always needed to turn the volume down a notch or two, and then it wasn't loud enough to hear clearly.

Since these are all phones (and making calls is still the top priority) it would be great to hear some feedback on how the speakerphone performance compares from one phone to another, but it's something that nobody seems to ever talk about in phone reviews.

Regardless though, it was a fantastic review (as always) and I really appreciate all of the detail!

[shenmueog]

even though i do not agree with your opinions all of the time, i like watching some of your videos now and then. They have the right balance of "in-depth review" and "just a regular review" .
Still rocking the awesome Z2, and it has never failed me, but im in need of a change.
was contemplating whether to get the X performance or the XZ . now im sure. Im getting the XZ. That leaf picture, with the rain drops, that was mind blowing. No other phone can do that atm. A clear indication Sony polished their camera sensor to the max. cheers!

[stevenhartono]

Damir is always great with xperia review!!!, thank you!

[ofekbiton]

13:49
you are saying that the phone doesn't support 4k video recording, well, it supports.
go to the camera and then go to the 6 squares (the features)
and you will see option for 4k recording

[OldBloodRKR]

You know man, something tells me you're going to eventually become a bigger YouTuber just from the way you present yourself in your videos. 42K Subscribers at the time of this comment, but I think very soon you're going to hit the One Million Mark. Thank you for your videos sir.

[TheOceal]

You are spot on with the review. You told exactly what it is. No exaggeration..so don't worry this time

[freedom]

I love it, I got it for almost a week now, I don't have your problem with the figerprint sensor, but for those who might want to upgrade, they should wait to see if there are no new Sony phones for CES, cause the next one if there is one might have some real upgrades.

[davea]

Great review. I got to have a more in depth play with one of these last week in one of the phone shops. I must admit in picking up the phone compared to the Huawei P9, HTC 10 and Samsung Galaxy S7 it just didn't hit me as much as those three in terms of Build Quality and Design. I'm not sure why, perhaps just a different feel with the material used. certainly a snappy device, seemed to perform really well. great review.