Finally the small phone I've been waiting for!
Living in the Netherlands, its nice to have a small phone that lasts all day and fits in a human sized-pocket.
I am proud to say that the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is the phone that made me finally upgrade. Every year yet another interesting small phone is released with some or other weird compromise... but I'm happy to say that this is the first phone that does not compromise on the essentials.
Why did I choose this phone over the others?
A small, quality, single-handed device. Everyone's going bigger, I want smaller.
Screen
Finally a super-bright 5" screen with 1080p, pixel density is 483 ppi (that's denser than the iPhone X at 458ppi). The Xperia XZ2 Compact screen is simply gorgeous, with its super-vivid colour that pops or if you're someone who prefers "real" things, this has a professional colour mode (sRgb) for accurate colour which is what I highly recommend.
Future-proof
Snapdragon 845, Android Oreo, USB Type C. Expandable memory via Micro-sd tray.
Not going to harp on, you get the picture.
Battery
2'870 mAh gives me enough juice for just more than a day of solid usage, where my previous phone was on charge by the late afternoon every day.
USB type C with smart charing means that the phone will condition your battery at night, making it last longer (time will tell if this truly works). But the phone is equipped with quick charging technology if you use a 3.0 amp power bank or fast charger, to get you charged up in minutes.
Great Rear-Camera
The rear camera is exactly what you'd expect from Sony fast, crisp, clear and probably overkill for a quick snap, but great for making memorable photos.
Some people have complained about the OIS missing in the camera - I haven't missed it with stills, perhaps in video it might be more of an issue.
It does have a 960fps slow motion, I'm yet to find a use for it, maybe next King's day it could come in handy?
They get the little details right
- A notification light: I spend my time in an office with my phone on silent, I like that there is still a notification light when the trend seems to be to remove them.
- Speakers: loud and clear, reminds me of the old HTC One's speakers but in a smaller package.
- Ergonomics: It feels premium, contrary to people who have held the phone for 30 seconds. The metallic edges blend in with the soft plastic back, the phone feels like a balanced pebble in your hands
- LCD: Less likely to burn in the keyboard onto your screen, unlike the OLED phones where I've had this happen in the last year.
- Corning Gorilla glass 5 - this phone doesn't pick up fingerprints and it just feels smooth.
Bonus point for those already in the Sony ecosystem:
I use noise cancelling headphones the Sony HDR-1000XM2 (noise cancelling) for my daily commute by bicycle.
The leap in fidelity is noticeable and not just a gimmick... The upgrade offered with the DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) and LDAC (Uncompressed Hi-Res Audio over bluetooth) is something to behold!
Pluspunten
- 19 Megapixel Bionz Powered Camera
- Snapdragon 845 CPU
- Colour-accurate 1080p screen at 483ppi
- One-handed operation
Minpunten
- Music pauses when you take a photo
- No wireless charging
- Home button mutes spacebar on Google Gboard
- Need to buy adapter to charge and use 3.5mm jack