Sony - XPERIA XZ2 Compact with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Black

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• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  The Best Compact Android Phone

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • My Best Buy® Elite Member
  • Top 10 Contributor

  ======= Summary ======= The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is an awesome phone that is powerful, fast, battery-efficient, compact, and an utter delight to use. Its compact size that allows for easy one-handed use like in the old days of smartphones before everything became BIG and phablet-like. With Sony's minimal Android skin - the Xperia UI - the phone is blazing fast & buttery smooth. And Sony's 19 MP Motion Eye camera takes great pictures. If I had to sum up my entire experience with the Xperia XZ2 Compact in one word, it's the word "Refreshing." It's a fantastic phone with good looks, good size, powerful internals, great battery life, fast & efficient software, and a great camera. ======= Phone Design ======= Prior to receiving my Xperia XZ2 Compact, I had decided that I didn't like the design that much because it looked so chunky in pictures and videos. Once I unboxed the phone and held it in my hands and looked at it with my own eyes, I quickly found myself with a different opinion. The phone looks great~! Despite having a Samsung Galaxy S9+ with its big, beautiful Infinity Display with super-minimal bezels and an all glass & metal design, I still find the Xperia XZ2 Compact to be attractive and eye-catching in its own right. I like its symmetrical bezels, its metal sides, clicky buttons, metallic finger print sensor (FPS), and the nearly-flush camera module on the back. No unslightly camera bulges or distracting notches here! The matte, metallic sides offer good grip and feels very durable. Some say the XZ2 Compact feels cheap on the back but I disagree. Although it's not glass or metal, the "frosted-look" plastic backcover feels very nice, smooth, and dense. It's high-quality plastic unlike older Samsung phones' glossy and smear-prone slippery plastic backcovers. The only time I actually felt that the backcover was kind of "cheap" was when I tapped on it with my fingernails. Depending on where on the backcover you tap your fingers on, the phone makes a hollow "plasticky" sound. With that said, actually using the phone in your hands is a great experience. I have medium-size hands and I have had no issues whatsoever using the phone fully one-handed - all of the time. My thumb can easily reach the top of the phone to pull down the Notification Panel. No need for finger and hand gymnastics here. Typing is much easier as well because keys on the keyboard that are further away such "Q" or "1" are much easier to reach and press on a smaller keyboard. With its smooth rounded corners and a curved backside, the Xperia XZ2 Compact is an extremely comfortable phone to hold and use, even for long periods. The phone naturally snuggles in the palm of your hand and there are no uncomfortable pokes from sharp corners. The fingerprint sensor is ease to find and reach as it is underneath the camera module a good distance away. This phone is a complete ergonomic win from Sony. ======= Hardware - Display ======= I like the XZ2 Compact's 18:9 5.0" Full HD+ screen with its 483 ppi density. The display is very crispy and bright and watching stuff under direct sunlight here in sunny California is no problem. The only thing I didn't like initially was Sony's default "Color Gamut and Contrast Setting" which was set to "Standard mode." With that setting, I found pictures and videos to appear overprocessed and a bit unnatural. Changing the mode to the "Professional mode" setting corrected everything. I left all other display settings at their default such as "Adaptive Brightness" and "Video Image Enhancement" to "On." Comparing directly to my Galaxy S9+, I expected the XZ2 Compact to fall short by a noticeable margin. This isn't the case at all. I really like the display and how crisp, bright, and well-calibrated it is. The whites are bright and white and the blacks are dark and inky. Even as I switch back-and-forth between the Galaxy S9+ and the Xperia XZ2 Compact, the only difference I notice is just the smaller 5" screen size on the Sony. Both phones' displays look fantastic and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact doesn't lose any ground in this department in my opinion. ======= Hardware - Audio ======= The front stereo speakers sound great and they blow away pretty much all other phones that only come with a single back-firing or bottom-firing speaker setup. The volume, even at its maximum, has no distortions and media continues to sound loud and clear. Sony offers granular control over how audio is delivered. Inside the Sound settings, one can choose from eight predefined Equalizer settings (8 choices + 1 custom + 2 User-defined). You can also set the Clear Bass level (-10 to +10) and activate the "S-Force Front Surround" that virtually reproduce realistic surround sound. Additional sound settings are available to fine-tune your music when listening via headphones. I noticed a boost in audio quality - in the form of tighter sound & increased sound stage - after I activated the "S-Force Front Surround" and set Clear Bass to +3. Some people might bemoan the loss of the 3.5 mm audio jack but for me, personally, it doesn't bother me at all. I prefer wire-free Bluetooth headphones and I have a Sony 1000XM2 headphones that I thoroughly enjoy using. I always struggled with wires and get easily annoyed by them. ======= Performance ======= With the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 from the Galaxy S9 & S9+, the Xperia XZ2 Compact simply soars~!! Everything is just so fast, snappy, and smooth - opening and launching apps, playing games, watching high-resolution videos, taking pictures, moving files around, and more. I give major props to Sony for outfitting the smaller XZ2 Compact with the same Snapdragon 845 found in its bigger sibling, the regular XZ2. With the Snapdragon 845, 4GB of RAM, and fast UFS internal storage, the XZ2 Compact won't become obsolete for a very long time. In other words, it's very future-proof and its performance potential is probably overkill for most people except for the very demanding hardcore gamers. ======= Camera ======= The 19 MP Motion Eye camera is another strong point of this phone. It takes very crispy, detailed, and color-accurate photos the majority of the time and Sony's "Superior auto" mode works very well and is easy to use and navigate. Shutter speed is fast, dynamic range is very good, and the photo quality is consistent. And I really love the dedicated hardware camera shutter button. The only time the camera feels a little bit lacking is during very low-light photography. Using the auto mode, I found the camera to overexpose too much and blow out the highlights, causing some distortion artifacts and taking not true-to-life colors. Shutter speed also slows down dramatically as well during very low-light photo sessions. If you find yourself taking lots of very low-light photography and it is very, very important to you, then I would recommend buying another phone. But if very low-light photography takes up less than 25% of all your photo-taking, then the Motion Eye camera will serve you just fine. In other scenarios, the pictures come out wonderful, sharp, and with good dynamic range and color gamut. Recording video is another strong positive of the Xperia XZ2 Compact. Samples I took using the 4K and Full HD (60 FPS) modes came out nice-looking and well-stabilized. Dynamic range and color accuracy were also good and satisfactory. If there is one sort of glaring weakness with the camera, it is the relatively low-resolution 5MP selfie camera. The pictures look noticeably softer and blurrier. Turning off the "Soft skin effect" brings back more detail but 5MP is 5MP and in this department, the Xperia XZ2 Compact falls short compared to other flagship phones. Overall, I like the camera of this phone and I trust it to take consistently good photos and videos. Just don't expect a lot in very low-light scenarios. ======= Software ======= I loved the simple and efficient Initial Setup process. I could choose - I could choose~! - what NOT to install. That was refreshing and a pleasant surprise not having bloatware forced upon me. Upon booting to the Home Screen, there were already some updates applied for me automatically - the Sony Support app (3.8.8) & Xperia Intelligence Engine (1.2.A.0.30). Android version preinstalled on the phone was 8.0.0 Oreo. The phone came with 75% free space left (16.63 GB used of 64GB total size). System used up 14GB out of the box. The phone is smooth, snappy, and fast. And it's consistent. I experienced no weird janks, stutters, or hiccups. I hope Sony continues to maintain their software reputation and provide timely OS and security updates for the Xperia XZ2 Compact. ======= Battery Life ======= OMG, the battery life is SOOOOO good~!! After 6 hrs & 48 mins of being taken off the charger, my phone still had 95% battery life left (drain of 0.7%/hr). Screen-On-Time (SOT) was just 5 mins & 54 seconds though. I took a second measurement when the phone had been off the charger for 15 hrs & 50 mins. I had 50% battery left (drain of 3.2%/hr and my SOT was 3 hrs & 11 mins. Sony did an EXCELLENT, FANTASTIC job at controlling Android and optimizing for great battery life and endurance. Bravo, Sony~! ======= Misc Stuff ======= Other functions worked very well such as quick & accurate GPS positioning, great call & mobile data reception, and loud & clear voice calls. The finger print sensor responds quickly and works well consistently. ======= So, is it any good? ======= Not only is this phone good, it's excellent. It has so many strengths - easy one-handed use, excellent ergonomics, quality camera, good display, great speakers, lean software, and superb battery life. This refreshing phone from Sony has made me a fan.

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  This review is from Sony - XPERIA XZ2 Compact with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - White Silver

  Posted 7 years ago by optimummind

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Different, but Worth Getting

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  • Verified Purchaser
  • My Best Buy® Member

  When looking for a new cell phone for an update (I used an Xperia Z for about 5 years), I wanted something that was small enough and had all the right features. The Sony XZ2 Compact is it. It's just as good as any of the other major brands out there to me, but I always prefer Sony phones over them. It has the same Snapdragon as others, but in a nicer compact size. People will look at the thicker design and the rounded curved back as negatives, but it's perfect for me and my hands. Quick Positives: The thinner screen ratio is not hard to get used to. Tactile buttons on the sides. Fingerprint sensor location. Vivid screen and colors. USB C and quick charging. The ability to disable bloatware. (That could be an android thing though.) Quick Negatives: SIM and SD card location. They are on the same tray. Replacing either can be a pain with a flimsy feeling tray. I have been using the phone's features and have found nothing else that either annoys me or runs slow. If you're looking for something different than the standard phones you see everywhere, I would recommend the XZ2 Compact or it's bigger brother for extra RAM and larger screen.

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  This review is from Sony - XPERIA XZ2 Compact with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - Moss Green

  Posted 7 years ago by Akane

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Best phone yet!

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 250 Contributor
  • My Best Buy® Elite Plus Member

  I have finally found a near perfect phone. I am one of those people who upgrades to the latest phone whatever it is at the time. I am often happy with the new phone for a little while but there is always that itch that the next phone will be better. After using the XZ2 for a few days, I feel like there is nothing wrong with this phone and I can find no faults that make me look at other phones. I had to look hard for any issues and luckily any that I found I truly don’t care about. Starting with the unboxing, the packaging is basic compared to those of other phones. The box is simple with the Xperia logo on it (shiny). Upon opening you see the device which instantly strikes you as very small. Under that there are the Quick Charge 3.0 charger, cable, documentation, headphones, USB-C to headphone dongle, and some extra ear buds to find your fit. I was surprised to see there was no SIM insertion tool. Upon inspection I saw the SIM tray can be removed without the tool and you can quickly swap SIM’s or memory cards. You might see this as a curse or a blessing but I had zero qualms with this. Upon inspection of the device, it felt right. What I mean is phones these days are huge. My previous phone was a 6” screen device and I was a little concerned with a compact phone. Well, I can finally do anything on this phone with one hand and has amazing ergonomics. Sony put a lot of effort into making sure the device fits well in your hand as you can reach any part of the screen with your thumb and the curved back side will fit in your palm just right in a way that reduces slipping, a problem which plagues most phones these days in my opinion. The materials are high quality. Even though the back side is a polycarbonate it feels very tough and looks amazing with a translucent appearance. The fingerprint reader, lens and sensors are all laid out in a way that makes sense. The buttons on the right side contain volume at the top, power in the middle and, thanks heavens, a CAMERA BUTTON at the bottom! I don’t know why all phones don't come with a dedicated camera button as it makes life so much easier. It not only launches the camera app but it also is a two stage button so a half press will focus, a full press will take a photo just like a real camera. I quickly booted it up and installed my apps after. The Snapdragon 845 processor is a beast! You can easily install gigabytes of apps while using the phone and see zero stutter. I have not seen a single instance of lag on this device yet. Games will run buttery smooth and everything loads with extreme speed. The interface has a Sony skin on it but is mostly stock. It uses most of the Google apps for everyday applications such as calendar, messages and so on but there are a few duplicates such as the Sony photo app which is kind of silly since Google includes Photos app as well. It is annoying but I felt bloatware was minimal on this device. The only thing I ended up disabling was the PlayStation app (Xbox guy here) and the AVG antivirus app since I use a different brand. The phone unlocks very quickly with the back mounted fingerprint sensor. Thank goodness Sony finally included a fingerprint sensor as this has been missing from previous models. This was important enough that I figured it deserved its own paragraph! It is easy to find and far enough away from the camera that you do not risk getting fingerprints on it. Being a smaller phone you will need to bend your finger a bit to reach it though as it is mounted in the middle below the natural resting spot of your index finger. Audio is great, the twin speakers are very loud and clear. I noticed very minor distortion at max volume with certain podcasts, but I did not hear any issues in music. The headphones are curiously not USB-C type but traditional 3.5mm type which you can use with the included USB-C dongle. Once I found the right fit with the earbuds, they sounded great. Not the most amazing pair but pretty darn good for free headphones with punchy bass and a crisp sound. The display is great! It is IPS so the blacks will not be as dark as a OLED but in actual use I could barely tell any difference! The resolution is more than enough for a 5” screen at 1080x2160 and HDR content looks great. One sacrifice you might make with a smaller screen like this is the keyboard can feel a little cramped. The device ships with SwiftKey but a switch to Gboard fixed that issue for me. I would not rate the camera as the best in the market but it is extremely good, accurate and will give you detailed photos. They were a little noisy in low light but only when I zoomed in to full size. As stated earlier, the camera button makes things work so well. Video recording supports 4k WITH HDR! One of the only phones that can do this right now I believe. You can also take some very quick 1080 extreme slow mo clips if you want to be creative. I tossed a few sample shots of random household objects in low light so you can see. The 5mp front camera is a little lacking but it isn’t bad. It lacks detail but colors look good and is more than sufficient for a phone. If selfies are your thing you might be put off by this as there are better phones for selfies (Sony ones included). I have not tested the water/dust resistance but it does have a resistance rating that should keep you safe. I am also not going to test the scratch resistance but I have confidence in the Gorilla Glass 5 it uses. Last thing I want to touch on is battery life. Being a smaller phone you will have a smaller battery. I believe it is 2870 mAh and after a few days of use I got home with about 20% battery life. That is not bad for me as I am a heavy user who listens to podcasts and music all day, reads the news, uses GPS a few times a day and plays a few games / YouTube videos during lunch. The battery charges extremely fast with the QC 3.0 charger and I was able to get it up to 75% after getting home while cooking dinner. There is no wireless charging so I recommend you have a charger in your bag if you expect extended times of heavy use and travel. This is probably the phone that is closest to perfect thus far. My only fixes if I could make it any better would be add wireless charging and upgrade the front camera slightly. Other than that I love this thing and Sony has earned my confidence in their phone brand once again!

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  This review is from Sony - XPERIA XZ2 Compact with 64GB Memory Cell Phone (Unlocked) - White Silver

  Posted 7 years ago by psyclopps