Sony launched its new range of Xperia smartphones at MWC this year. The lineup included the Sony Xperia XZ2 and the XZ Compact. Both the devices flaunt a new design and overall look and feel. While the XZ2 comes with 5.7-inch screen, the XZ2 Compact is the small brother that comes packed with a 5-inch HDR Full HD+ display that offers an aspect ratio of 18:9.
This is in line with most new phones being launched on the market that is all going bezel-less. The XZ2 Compact is indeed the most compact 5-inch smartphone I have seen on the market lately. The XZ2 Compact comes in a body made of metal and plastic, has a bit of heft to it and feels chunky. However, the use of plastic does not make the phone feel cheap at all. It really feels premium.
The phone weighs 168-gms and is 12.1mm in thickness. The front face of the XZ2 Compact is just display. On the left edge of the phone, you get a hybrid dual SIM slot. You can either use two nano SIMs or one nano-SIM and a micro SD card. On the right edge, you get the volume rockers and the power button.
In previous Xperia models, Sony had placed the fingerprint sensor on the right edge of the devices. With the XZ2 Compact, it all changes. The fingerprint sensor now figures at the back of the device, right below the camera module. The camera at the back is rated at 19MP and is a single-lens camera.
On the bottom edge, you get a lone USB-C port. The 3.5mm headphone jack is gone, though, which really a shame. This is because Sony could have easily placed a 3.5mm jack with the phone being 12.1mm thick. Sony has also included Hi-Res Audio and front-facing stereo speakers on the XZ2 Compact. You also get IP65/68 waterproofing, which is a welcome addition.
The phone runs on the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip, which is the company’s fastest yet. It is supported by 4GB of RAM and 64GB built-in storage, which is expandable via MicroSD up to up to 400GB. The XZ2 Compact is powered by Android 8.0 Oreo OS.
Performance is silky smooth across the board. The top end specs really help the device perform at an optimum level. We ran the Antutu and Geekbench benchmarks on the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact to gauge the overall performance. We were pleasantly surprised to see that the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact performed really well.
The 19MP camera at the back of the device is capable of taking some amazing photos and videos. The manual mode on the phone offers more leeway to play around with the settings in there. The phone also comes with a great point-and-click auto mode, that makes snapping up good pictures effortless.
You also It also gets the Motion Eye 2018 upgrades including 3D Creator for selfies and Full HD Super slow motion features. Though the phone does not come with a dual camera module for bokeh effects, the XZ2 Compact does offer a software solution to achieving this.
There is a software-driven depth-of-field mode tucked away with the AR effects and panorama mode. The results were good, as well. The XZ2 Compact is also capable of recording video in both 4K and HDR, with amazing results.
The XZ2 Compact comes with a 2870mAh battery, which offers almost a day and a half worth of battery life. There is no wireless charging here, though you can use the fast charging feature that the USB-C port offers. The phone comes in colour options such as White Silver, Black, Moss Green and Coral Pink.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact offers almost all the features that come packed with the Xperia XZ2, in a smaller overall package and a lesser price point. If you are on the market for a compact phone with a great overall performance, the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is the phone to get.
Price: AED 2599
