About two months back at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Sony teased a new Xperia XZ2 model, and now, it has revealed its full specifications. Sony has infused compelling features in its Xperia XZ2 Premium, but the most notable of them all is the camera.
“It boasts the world’s highest ISO 12800 sensitivity for video recording in a smartphone, as well as ultra-high sensitivity 51200 for photos[i], enabling ultra low light capture previously only seen in interchangeable lens cameras and with a bright live view-finder,” the Japanese firm says in a blog post.
It is a little difficult to understand the terms such as “highest ISO 12800 sensitivity for video recording” and “ultra-high sensitivity 51200 for photos.” But for starters, it will be enough to know that the Japanese electronics maker has thrown together the best camera features with the latest handset.
With the Xperia XZ2 Premium, Sony promises smashing photos from its dual-lens camera on the back. Further, the quality of its ultra low-light photos and videos, can only be matched by the DSLR camera with the interchangeable lenses, notes CNET.
Another striking feature that Sony talks about is the super slow motion that records video at the rate of 960 frames per second. Most will argue that the Galaxy S9 phones are very proficient at pulling the same stunt. But what makes Sony stand out is that their camera shoots at a much higher resolution, at 1080p compared to 720p, thus providing better videos.
Sony has ditched the telephoto/zoom lens unlike Apple, Samsung and OnePlus. Instead, it is splitting the image capture between one 19-megapixel color sense and a 12-megapixel monochrome, notes The Verge. Previously, Huawei has also gone for the split image capture. However, Sony is looking to outsmart everyone in the ISO performance.
For images, the Xperia XZ2 Premium can reach a maximum ISO of 51,200 and videos reach 12,800. Such high numbers could mean grainy shoots on the smartphone, but Sony argues that its AUBE fusion image signal processor can collate the data from both sensors, optimize for low-light, in addition to reducing noise for usable results.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium also has a portrait feature, plainly called Bokeh mode. It enables the user to shoot with only the monochrome sensor for crisp, detailed black and white shots. However, the feature would be absent at launch, and only be included during the third-quarter update.
Just a couple of months back, Sony launched the Xperia XZ2, and now it has introduced the Premium version of it. There is a huge difference between the cameras of both of the devices. The XZ2 Premium has an aperture at f/1.8, while the XZ2 has f/2.0. Clearly, the XZ2 Premium would have more light when shooting in darker conditions.
Also, the Premium variant gets a second rear camera, which is a 12-megapixel sensor with 1.55µm pixels paired with an f/1.6 lens for better low-light imaging. Coming to the ISO, the XZ2 has ISO 12800 for photo and ISO 4000 for video. The front camera of both of the phones is also different with the XZ2 offering a 5-megapixel 1/5in f/2.2 camera, while the XZ2 Premium has a 13-megapixel 1/3.06in f/2.0 camera.
Apart from the camera, other impressive features of the latest phone include a 5.8-inch 4K HDR screen, while the regular XZ2 has a 5.7-inch Full HD+ HDR panel. The Premium version would sit on 6GB RAM compared to 4GB for the standard XZ2. Further, the latest variant is powered by a 3450 mAh battery compared to the 3180 mAh in the standard model. However, battery capacity does not guarantee better performance since the XZ2 Premium needs to power a much higher resolution display.
Though the real performance would only be known once the smartphone comes out, the previews released so far are enough to give an idea that the XZ2 Premium is going to be an impressive one. The handset will be available in the summer, and users will get the choice of Chrome Black and Chrome Silver. It will run on Android 8.0 Oreo.
In separate news, Sony is looking to ramp up the production of its flagship smartphones in Thailand to up its market share in the premium segment. Satoshi Mekata, general manager for the mobile sales division, said that Thailand, which is Sony’s second largest smartphone market in Southeast Asia just behind Indonesia in terms of value, is a strategic location.
“Although there’s been no growth in the smartphone market, Thais have strong purchasing power when it comes to premium devices priced above 20,000 baht, accounting for roughly 10% of annual smartphone sales totaling to 16 million units,” Mekata said, according to Bangkok Post. Sony’s Xperia XZ2 is the first model to be fully made in Thailand.
