Sony Xperia XZ Premium Unboxing And First Impressions

Apart from the Xperia XZs, Sony has unleashed another smartphone, the XZ Premium, the current top of the line smartphone from the legendary Japanese brand.

Meet Sony Xperia XZ Premium

It's also Sony's bet to make a dent in the highly competitive market again. How? The company boasts that this device has the looks, the performance, cameras, and modern features that most want on a high-end smartphone.

In particular, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is made out of high-quality materials, has the highest pixel density per inch on a 5.5 inch display, and the first smartphone to load with the latest Snapdragon 835 octa core processor paired with gaming grade Adreno 540 graphics.

Moreover, Sony equipped this device with the same 19 MP Motion Eye main camera that can shoot in 960 fps super slow motion like the Xperia XZs.

Given all those traits, it has the one of the best specs you'll find on a smartphone today.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium Specs

Display: 5.5 Inch 4K HDR Triluminos 3840 x 2160 pixels w/ 2.5D curved glass and Gorilla Glass 5 protection at 807 ppi

CPU: 2.45 GHz 64 Bit Snapdragon 835 octa core processor

GPU: Adreno 540

RAM: 4 GB

ROM: 64 GB expandable via micro SD card slot up to 256 GB

Back Camera: 19 MP f/2.0 1/2.3 Inch Exmor RS w/ Motion Eye, Hybrid AF, SteadyShot, and dual tone LED flash

Selfie Camera: 13 MP f/2.0 1/3.06 Inch Exmor RS sensor

Battery: 3,230 mAh w/ Qnovo Adaptive Charging

OS: Android 7.1 Nougat

Connectivity: WiFi, 3G, LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS, A GPS, dual SIM

Sensors: Accelerometer,  orientation, magnetic,  light,  proximity, gravity, rotation, gyroscope

Others: Fingerprint sensor, IP68 water and dust resistance, USB Type C, HiFi audio, Colors: deep sea black, luminous chrome, bronze pink

Dimensions: 156 x 77 x 7.9 mm

Weight: 195 g

Price: PHP 45,490

Disclaimer: This was just a borrowed unit from Sony Philippines for our constructive and honest review.

Unboxing / Accessories

Sony's box

The box is plain and simple. It has the usual Sony logo below and an Xperia branding in the middle. It also has the "Best new smartphone at MWC 2017" tag.

What's included inside?

Inside, the package we got includes the usual charger, USB Type C data / charging cable, and some paper docs. It has no free earphones and case included.

Build Quality / Design

Glossy glass behind

No doubt, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is the bigger and better version of the Xperia XZs. Materials used simply looks better, tougher, and sleeker overall. Coming from the metal back plate construction, this handset now has a metal sandwiched in Gorilla Glass 5 with curved polycarbonate on the sides.

Build is definitely better compared with XZs

Behind, the glass is chrome like that gives it a beautiful mirror like appeal. However, it is prone to fingerprint smudges. It still has the IP68 rating for water and dust resistance where you can submerge the phone for 1.5 meters deep for 30 mins.

Microphone and 3.5 mm headphone jack slot on top

Another microphone and USB Type C slot below

Removable flap at left

Flap removed showing the SIM slots

Volume rocker and power button located at the right side

Camera shutter button at the lower right side

Design-wise, the Xperia XZ Premium still has Sony's ageing OmniBalance design. It is boxy, stylish from afar, and generally looks okay. But, it lags in style against most modern flagship smartphones. It still has that thick top and bottom bezels. The side bezels are very slim though.

Chrome glass finish looks nice, but it is prone to fingerprint smudges.

Like the XZs, the power button / fingerprint scanner is easy to reach. Reaching the volume rocker on one handed operation will make you exert more effort. There's a dedicated camera shutter button as well.

Ergonomically, the phone is just fine and feels refined. Surprisingly, it isn't as slippery as expected. It is simply great to hold overall.

Initial findings

1. Design and construction fells much better than the Xperia XZs. The 5.5 inch 4K HDR display is arguably the best in the market. It just doesn't have the near borderless design of S8 and G6. The top and bottom bezels are still thick.

2. It is equipped with Snapdragon 835 octa core processor, the flagship processor we wanted to see on a high-end smartphone. That is paired with Adreno 540 graphics and 4 GB of RAM.

3. There's a clean type of Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. Bloats are minimal.

4. Like the Xperia XZs, the 19 MP Motion Eye camera both interesting and promising. However, the 960 fps super slow motion only works well in daylight. The selfie camera is vibrant and wide.

5. We're excited about the Hi-Res audio capabilities of this handset. OTG also works and there's LED notification available. Physical Android keys were replaced on-screen buttons. Speaker is front firing and the fingerprint scanner / power button is located on the right side.

Related: Sony Xperia XZ Premium: First Camera Samples

As of the moment

This is the real flagship smartphone of Sony today. It's made out of premium materials, equipped with the latest specs, and simply looks better overall. Get the Sony Xperia XZ Premium over the Xperia XZs at all cost. It is simply the better buy with minimal price hike.

It could be the right handset that Sony can pit against the best of Samsung, Huawei, HTC, OnePlus, and LG.

Why? So far, we think that this device seems to have that good sense of balance in overall performance.

For our review: Sony Xperia XZ Premium Review - Ageing Design Meets Flagship Speed