Sony always had an odd sort of relationship with the smartphone. Sure, it’s one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies, but it’s never really cracked the code with its Xperia devices. Really, the company’s phones tend to feel more like a showcase for its latest camera technologies than truly competitive devices.
The XZ2 is unlikely to change any of that, of course — which is actually kind of a bummer, because it looks like a pretty solid handset. Also, it bucks the trend of sharp corners that have defined the company’s phones seemingly for forever. The company refers to the aesthetic as “organic design,” which mostly means a more rounded approach to building a smartphone, along with Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back of the device.
The other big addition this time around is 4K HDRs movie recording — a first for Sony devices, which means it’s a first for just about every phone manufacturer. Keep in mind, the technology the company introduces in a given year often only ends up on the competition’s flagships the follow — Super Slow Motion on the Galaxy S9 is the perfect example.
Sony introduced it on last year’s Mobile World Congress flagship, and lo and behold, it’s s a key feature on Samsung’s latest smartphone. The handset sports a 19-megapixel rear and five-megapixel front-facing camera.
Also, not exactly revolutionary, but Sony’s pushed last year’s compelling 3D scanning capability a bit further with the ability to create 3D selfies. So, essentially, if you’d like to create a 3D version of yourself, but don’t have a friend around to help out, well, you’re luck here. The new device pushes the screen size 5.7-inches at a now-familiar 18:9 ratio and HDR.
All of that is powered by Qualcomm’s latest, the Snapdragon 845, backed by 4GB of Ram and 64GB of storage. Sony’s also packed in a healthy 3180 mAh battery.
There’s also an five-inch Xperia XZ2 compact, which sports largely similar specs to its bigger brethren, with a few key changes, including the move to a less premium polycarbonate backing and a 2870 mAh battery. Both will be available in March.
