Sony Xperia XZS - an honest review of the updated flagship

The last two years, Sony has been releasing mostly flagship smartphones. Each time the models get more and more improvements. In 2017, Sony Xperia XZS was introduced, which, according to fans of the brand, still remains one of the best developments of the company.

Technical specifications of the phone

Characteristics of the Sony Xperia XZS show that the smartphone competes with the flagship devices of 2017 from such brands as Samsung, Xiaomi, Meizu. More details about the "stuffing" of the gadget in the table.

Screen:	5.2 ’’ with a resolution of 1080 by 1920 pixels
Operating system:	Android Nougat (7.1)
CPU:	Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 (4 cores) + Adreno 530 GPU
RAM:	4GB
Built-in storage:	Two versions of the assembly - 32GB and 64GB
Main camera:	19 MP (4K video recording)
Front-camera:	13 MP (Full HD 1080 video recording)
SIM card:	Two build options - Single SIM and Dual SIM
Communication standards:	LTE, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth v4.2
Battery:	Capacity 2900 mAh, non-removable. Support fast charging
Protection:	IP68 standard (against dust and water)
Sensors:	Fingerprint scanner, proximity sensor, USB Type-C port

Important! Please note that in the version of the Sony Xperia XZS Dual, one slot can only be used under SIM cards, while the other supports the installation of a SIM or microSD memory card.

Sony Xperia XZS

Appearance and build quality

Design Sony Xperia XZS logically continues its predecessor - the model Xperia XZ. Although the appearance of both smartphones is similar, the new gadget still has several fundamental differences. Classic rectangular hull shape added slightly rounded edges of the display framethat ensures the symmetry and smoothness of the smartphone. Of the minuses of a square display, it is possible to note an increased risk of breaking it when falling, because this form of phones is more susceptible to hardware breakdowns when striking a hard surface.

The power key is located on the top of the Sony Xperia XZS smartphone. Built into it Fingerprint's scanner. Such a move increased the ergonomics of the device. The volume keys and microphone are located on the right side. All keys are easy to reach, holding the smartphone in one hand. Despite the outdated shape of the phone and its noticeable thickness, it sits comfortably in one hand, and the gadget is also quite comfortable to use.

Build quality, with the exception of corners that are prone to bruises, is quite durable. It is worth noting the IP68 protection standard, which limits the ingress of dust and moisture into the case.

Available colors:

• ice blue;
• silver;
• the black.

On a note! The new color solution Ice Blue looks better than all the previous colors of the Xperia XZ gadget series.

Triluminos and X-Reality Advanced Screen

The Sony Xperia XZs has a 5.2 ”IPS display with a screen resolution of 1080 × 1920 pixels. The screen has enough massive front panelsthat do not like many users. Fans of the brand have repeatedly pointed out that it would be better to use a frameless design, as in the Sony XA series of smartphones.

The quality of the display is impressive. The developers used their own screen creation technology - TRILUMINOS. It provides good brightness and ability to read text even in direct sunlight. The display module also runs under the control of the X-Reality software engine, whose task is to create bright colors and a good level of contrast.It can either be disabled or manually set the X-Reality settings. Users can use two modes of display color calibration:

• white balance change;
• image enhancement mode.

White, red, and blue switches are responsible for adjusting the white balance. With their help, the user can adjust the desired level of warmth of the display.

Program shell and its functions

Sony Xperia XZs Dual smartphone running Android 7.1.1 with Sony's pre-installed launcher. If you have used phones of this manufacturer before, there will be no problems with mastering the functionality of the XZS model.

Important! The Sony Xperia XZS developers have introduced a new feature Xperia Actions, which is able to automatically perform the actions you need. For example, changing the brightness level in the evening, setting the “Silent” mode and much more.

Developers are well thought out set of basic applications. The phone has everything for work: software for viewing documents, news, multimedia. However, there are few differences from the previous models. In the desktop settings there are only a few new themes for the home screen.

Performance test result

In AnTuTu gadget gains 4216 points, which is the level of "above average." The result is quite acceptable for the flagship smartphone, but at the same time, it is much lower than that of the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge.

Autonomy Xperia XZS

Despite the impressive dimensions, the smartphone received a battery of only 2900 mAh. According to the developers, the battery life is enough for:

• 9 hours of playing movies;
• 8 hours of Internet;
• 74 hours standby;
• 24 hours of continuous conversation over the cellular network.

Main and front cameras

We turn to the review of cameras Sony Xperia XZS. The main camera module has received many improvements and interesting features. Sony has built a separate sensor into the camera to recognize objects with 1 GB of RAM. This allows you to work with Slow Motion Effects and create really high-quality images / videos.

The standard Camera application has everything you need and more:

• selection of color filters for photos;
• adjust the white balance and "warmth" of images;
• the choice of shooting mode - slow, standard or accelerated.

The main camera allows you to take photos with high detail of elements. On the street and in dark light, the pictures also come out of high quality, but if you adjust the HDR incorrectly, you can get visible noise.

Examples of photos on the main camera in 19 MP:

The quality of the front camera at 13 MP is almost the same as the main module. Among the shortcomings, we can single out only a special face recognition mode, which works worse than the similar function in Samsung, Xiaomi, Meizu, Apple. Smoothing the complexion is not always natural.

Photo examples:

Prices and whether to buy

Xperia XZS is a classic device from Sony that continues the tradition of creating rectangular gadgets with a durable case. If you are a connoisseur of Japanese quality, you should definitely test the device.

Important! Model Xperia XZS 32 GB will cost 30,000 rubles, and the assembly of 64 GB of internal memory today, you can buy an average of 37,000 rubles.

Feedback from smartphone users is generally good.Of the shortcomings, the owners of the gadget distinguish only battery life and a small number of proprietary functions from Sony.

Sony Xperia XZS