Sony Xperia XZs Full Review
Slap a new camera on the Xperia XZ, et voila - you have yourself a brand-new flagship. Is Sony taking advantage of a smartphone-induced decrease in human attention span? Or just doing what everyone else does?
We don't think it's possible to talk about the Sony Xperia XZs and not mention the ex-flagship, the original XZ. And there's no way to argue that these aren't the same phone. They have the same good looks, identical chipset and screen, and the same stereo speakers and battery.
So, how is this sequel not a copy-paste job, a deja-vu all over again?
The bumped-up RAM is duly noted, but it's the Motion Eye camera that really elevates the Xperia XZs above not only the last generation, but the current crop of flagships too. It uses Sony's latest 19MP IMX400 triple-layer image sensor, with an extra memory layer that buffers image data for notably faster reading times and captures video at an insane 960fps.
The Motion Eye camera is the first of its kind, and may spearhead a revolution in mobile photography - especially when it gets to high-action and slow-motion footage. It has the potential to take the experience to a completely new level. We'll get into the nitty-gritties in our dedicated chapter later on.
Sony Xperia XZs key features
- 5.2" 1,080 x 1,920px LCD display of 424ppi, X-Reality for Mobile, Triluminos technology; Gorilla Glass
- Android OS v7.1.1 Nougat with Xperia launcher
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset: quad-core Kryo CPU (2x2.15GHz +2x1.6GHz); Adreno 530 GPU; 4GB of RAM
- 19MP Sony IMX400 camera, f/2.0 lens, predictive hybrid laser/phase detection/contrast AF, IR sensor for white balance selection, SteadyShot, LED flash, dedicated hardware shutter key; 4K video recording
- 13MP front-facing camera with 1080p@30fps video
- 32GB/64GB of built-in storage and a microSD card slot
- Single and dual-SIM models (DualSIM uses a hybrid slot shared with the microSD card)
- LTE Cat.9 (450/50 Mbps); Dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac; GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, Bluetooth v4.2
- Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic; 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio
- 2,900mAh non-removable battery, QuickCharge 3.0 support, Qnovo adaptive charging, Battery Care smart charging
- IP68 rating for dust and water-proofing
- Fingerprint sensor (market dependent), stereo speakers, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack
Main shortcomings
- Imaging aside, virtually the same package as the Xperia XZ
- Fingerprint recognition not available in the US
- FullHD screen resolution not flagship-grade though it's largely okay for this screen size
- The older USB 2.0 standard on a Type-C connector
Sony is responsible for cementing water-proof phones into the mainstream, and we do appreciate that the company is sticking to the time-tested recipe. Besides the new imager, some old-gen tech is lurking inside the Xperia XZs. Snapdragon 820 is still a perfectly capable chipset, but it’s a last year’s choice.
However, Sony has been perfectly clear about the options - if you want more, you can get the Premium models, and these are the only smartphones with 4K displays. The Japanese consider QHD screens obsolete, especially when they have no dog in the VR fight. But in the end, 424ppi doesn't sound all that bad to begin with, does it?
In the USA, the fingerprint sensor is a no-go, yet again. Sony reportedly made some bad contracts back in the day and now, the only way to sell phones in the States is by disabling the biometric security. There is nothing anyone can do about this, so you'll have to either deal with it or move on.
Design
Sony didn't change anything about the Xperia XZ design before green-lighting it for the Xperia XZs, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Indeed, Sony has been steadily improving and refining its flagship design instead of trying a new thing every season. While Samsung, LG, and even Apple took sharp turns in design, Sony has been playing it safe since the first Z phone saw the light of day.
Last year's Xperia XZ offered a comfortable chassis that was both sturdy and visually pleasing. It stuck to the traditional angular body and sharp looks, balanced out by the fluid, curvy sides in the so called 'loop surface'.
The Xperia XZs has everything the XZ has: curved Gorilla Glass up front, a polycarbonate frame and a subtly curved rear made of ALKALEIDO alloy.
We did like the Xperia XZ, and still find the XZs perfectly relevant. The understated elegance, the recognizable shape, and clean, fluid lines make the Sony Xperia XZs an easy pick from any bunch of contemporary flagships while the solid feel and excellent finish are readily appreciated.
Sony has really nailed the size, and the Xperia XZs feels great in hand. You can appreciate the balanced weight and comfortable handling that do add value to the stylish design. The ALKALEIDO surface provides decent grip and feels pleasant to the touch.
Controls
The stereo speakers are the highlight on the front, even though the high-res 13MP camera sensor above the screen is likely to draw more attention. The tiny status LED is way more subtle, but will certainly be appreciated by many.
The left side of the XZs has the nanoSIM and microSD card compartment. Each time you pop out the delicate tray, the phone will automatically reboot.
The volume rocker and the two-step camera shutter are on the left. The power/lock key with the embedded fingerprint scanner is back, and we can confirm the sensor's accuracy and recognition speed are superb.Unfortunately, the biometric feature is yet again not available in the US.
The top of the phone has the audio jack and one of the mics, while the main one is at the bottom alongside a USB Type-C port.
The new Motion Eye camera lens is at the back of the Xperia XZs, ever so slightly protruding from the otherwise flat metal rear. There is a single LED flash and a couple of sensors around.
Display
Unmoved by the QHD screen hype, Sony is skipping straight to 4K on the Premium models. However, the XZs gets a familiar 1080p IPS display. Not that we need anything higher on a 5.2-inch screen.
The screen of the Xperia XZs offers a more than reasonable 424ppi, and comes with X-Reality color and contrast enhancements in the Album and Video apps.
The display posted very good scores across the board, the only exception being color accuracy. The maximum brightness of 564 nits achieved in manual mode is consistent across the auto modes too. The blacks are nicely dark, but not as impressive as on the XZ.
At the lowest setting, brightness is easy on the eyes at 4.9 nits.
Color reproduction is not particularly good, though. The average DeltaE of 6.2 is decent, but there is a pronounced blue cast to whites and grays. Sony provides sliders that help you get rid of the blue cast at least. There is an sRGB mode in the Developer's Options, but it did not do anything on our unit. Maybe this will change with a future update.
Sunlight legibility on this screen is superb. High quality LCD displays have been getting near AMOLEDs in this regard, even if they can't quite match the best of them. The Xperia XZs is on par with the Xperia XZ and the iPhone 6s, and a little short of the iPhone 7’s contrast under direct light.
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Sony Xperia XZs battery life
The Xperia XZs relies on a 2,900mAh battery to keep it powered, the same unit we met in the Xperia XZ. That's also the same capacity as the Xperia Z5 before it, while the Xperia X Performance has a 2,700mAh power pack.
In our tests the Xperia XZs proved to be excellent at voice calls and an otherwise balanced performer in the other disciplines. Web browsing over Wi-Fi depletes the Xperia XZs battery in just over 8 hours - not spectacular, but not far from what the XZ and X5 offered. In looping our test video until the battery is down to 10%, the Xperia XZ lasts for north of 9 hours, which is a very good endurance.
Coupled with frugal standby power consumption, the above numbers add up to a combined endurance rating of 73 hours. We got 72 hours with the Xperia XZ, so that's a pretty consistent result.
Much like the Xperia XZ, the Xperia XZs has the Qnovo adaptive charging technology built-in. The technology allows the phone to monitor the cell's electrochemical processes in real time and adjust charging parameters accordingly to minimize cell damage and extend the battery unit's lifespan.
Qnovo claims the battery should last hundreds of charge cycles more than a conventionally charged battery. This means a year or so of extra longevity as in theory if the battery ages better, it should hopefully be able to hold charge better in time (an important aspect for a phone that has its battery sealed-in).
Battery Care is another proprietary Sony feature, which further increases the battery lifespan. It may not be available in every market, so you should explore that possibility before buying an Xperia XZs.
So what does Battery Care do? Say you charge your phone overnight, and you regularly plug it in at midnight and unplug it at 8 in the morning. In time, the phone will recognize the pattern, charge the battery to 90% and then stop charging. And then at, say, 7:30 in the morning it will pick up where it left off and top it all up to 100% at a slower pace. If it hasn't picked up your routine, it'll do a standard charge.
The handset also supports the Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0 (and, of course, 2.0), but we're not sure if it will come bundled with a charger to match. It will most probably be a regional thing. It charges 40% of the battery in 30 mins with a QC3.0 charger, which is not that fast considering the charging standard and the relatively average battery capacity.
On the software side of things, there's Sony's Stamina battery saving feature. It has two modes: regular Stamina, and Ultra Stamina. The first disables non-essential features like GPS and vibration, and takes performance down a notch.
Ultra Stamina is for absolutely dire occasions when you don't expect to be able to find a power outlet for a long period of time. Enable that and it's back to basics where you get a single homescreen with access to the dialer and contacts, text messages, camera, clock - just the basics. Going out of Ultra Stamina requires a restart.
Connectivity
The Xperia XZs is well-stocked with connectivity options. Our review unit is the single-SIM version (G8231 model name), but there's also a dual-SIM option (G8232) available. The slot in that case is of the hybrid variety though - it's either a second SIM or a microSD card - you can't have both.
LTE is Cat. 9 (450Mbps down, 50Mbps up) and the phone also comes equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac with 2x2 MIMO antennas for speeds up to 433Mbps (if you have an 802.11ac capable router). Local connectivity goes on with Bluetooth 4.2 with aptX and Low Energy, and NFC.
The Wi-Fi connection can be used for screen casting - be it Miracast, Google Cast, or DLNA. If you connect a DualShock controller, the Xperia XZs can even double as a portable console, streaming your Playstation 4 games via PS4 Remote Play. It can also connect to your car's stereo system via MirrorLink.
GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou satellite positioning are supported, unless you're in the US, where it's just GPS and GLONASS.
The Xperia XZs has no FM radio though.
The USB port is Type-C, but it only conforms to USB 2.0 spec and not 3.0 or 3.1. It lets you hook up USB storage and accessories and charge other devices.
Sony has dropped MHL support, so you have no wired way to output an image to a TV. You do get 3.5mm analog output to your choice of headphones.
Software overview
Android Nougat with Xperia flavor
The Xperia XZs is running Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS out of the box. Sony tends to keep the stock Android look, except for a few gentle touches here and there. The big things, like the proprietary Stamina battery saving modes and the home-baked multimedia apps, are here to stay.
The fingerprint reader introduced on the Z5 series of Xperias is integrated into the Power button on the right side. We had an excellent user experience with the sensor on the Xperia XZs - it's fast and accurate. There's an animation that slides the lockscreen away from your thumb (as if you pushed it out of the way). If you have simple Swipe unlock enabled (without any PIN or password) you can tap on the Power button to unlock instead, provided you've woken up the device first.
Smart Lock gives you conditional security - trusted nearby devices, locations, faces, or voices can allow you to skip the security unlock protocol that you may have set up on the phone.
The homescreen appears unchanged from the rest of the X series. This includes the swipe down gesture, which shows a screen of the apps you use most along with recommendations for new apps to install. The search field is highlighted so you can start typing the app's name immediately.
The traditional app drawer is present, and you'll find a number of proprietary apps pre-installed. Sony takes great pride in the A/V prowess of their devices, and the multimedia apps are all custom and feature-rich, but more on them in their dedicated chapter.
The app drawer is quite functional as well, letting you sort the apps by frequency of use, name, date installed or a custom arrangement. The app search works here too, and you can go into a management state, allowing you to uninstall multiple apps instead of having to drag each one to a virtual waste bin.
Themes are available (both free and paid) that can customize the look and sound of the Xperia XZs. Some themes are even interactive, with their wallpapers reacting to your touches.
The notification area is plain Android. You can re-arrange the quick toggle tiles and adjust the screen brightness. What's missing is a toggle for Auto brightness (you need to go into the settings for that). It's the way stock Android is set up, but we miss that option there.
The app switcher is similarly a vanilla Android affair, with the 3D rolodex look and a kill-all button. The small apps are gone and are replaced by a Split Screen feature. If a running app supports split screen, you will be able to snap it at the top or bottom of the screen right from the rolodex. It's easy to use the split screen mode, but there is no way of knowing which app supports it - you have to start it first and then try to snap it.
The Smart cleaner feature will periodically empty the cache of apps you haven't used in a while. You can switch this off, or just manually tell it not to bother with certain apps.
Sony has a proprietary backup solution built-in on its latest Xperias. It can backup applications, contacts, messages, phone settings. The backup info itself can be stored in the cloud under your Sony online account, or locally on the microSD card or an external USB device.
Backups can be scheduled, including conditions like "Connected to Wi-Fi" and "Charging device", depending on your preferences.
Performance
Sony Xperia XZs is powered by the same Snapdragon 820 SoC that the Xperia XZ has under its hood. There is an upgrade, though- the XZs model brings 4GB of RAM, and thus matches most of the competition out there.
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The Snapdragon 820 has been already replaced by the 821 and 835 models, though as it's still a flagship-grade chip we don't hold it against the Xperia XZ. But we would have appreciated it if Sony had gone for the S821 chip in this otherwise copy-paste job, as it would have escaped this description altogether.
Anyway, the Snapdragon 820 chip inside the Xperia XZs offers a powerful quad-core Kryo processor (typically 2x2.15GHz + 2x1.6GHz), Adreno 530 GPU, and comes with 4 gigs of RAM.
As usual, we start our benchmark routine with some Geekbenching and a single Kryo core is as excellent a performer as ever. Single-core operations are crucial for smooth Android experience and the XZs processor is on par with the top competing phones.
The multi-core score is equally great, though you can see the S821 devices doing a little better (LG G6, HTC U Ultra, OnePlus 3T).
The Xperia XZs is getting some criticism for sticking to 1080p screen resolution, but on a positive note the Adreno 530 is a striking performer under 1080p. Quite expectedly, the XZs smashes the Quad HD competition at the onscreen tests, and its raw power in the offscreen benchmarks is equally impressive.
The Sony Xperia XZs scores the same as the rest of the S820 gang in the GPU-intensive BaseMark X test and a notch below the S821 club.
The compound tests put the Xperia XZs in the same ballpark with the Xperia XZ and that's hardly surprising. The S821-powered OnePlus 3T does noticeably better than the entire S82x family, but other than that the XZs numbers still mean flagship business.
Sony Xperia XZs offers top-notch performance, superb thermal control, and is future-proof. Yes, there is a newer Qualcomm chipset, which will make it to the upcoming flagships this fall because Samsung pulled a shotgun. But even though the XZs fails to improve on the XZ hardware, it doesn't make it less capable than any other smartphone on the market.
Phone
The Sony Xperia XZs we have for review is the single-SIM version (G8231). A dual-SIM version will also be available on some markets with a model designation G8232. That one uses a hybrid slot for the second SIM card, shared with the microSD card.
The call log is separated from the contacts, but there's a shortcut to those in the upper right corner. It can be filtered by missed, incoming and outgoing calls. Smart dial is supported too.
Loudspeaker
The Sony Xperia XZs has front-firing stereo speakers, just like every Sony flagship since the Xperia Z2 (and some recent midrangers too). In principle, we'll take this setup over any other in a heartbeat, but Sony's speakers are fairly modest in terms of loudness, barely falling in the Average category in our test. None of the major competitors truly excels here, yet they are all ahead of the Xperia.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 61.6 | 65.5 | 67.6 | Below Average | |
| 66.6 | 65.2 | 66.9 | Below Average | |
| 62.4 | 65.5 | 73.3 | Average | |
| 61.0 | 69.3 | 78.3 | Good | |
| 69.5 | 69.3 | 71.1 | Good | |
| 66.8 | 68.8 | 74.5 | Good | |
| 67.6 | 73.2 | 75.7 | Good | |
| 64.8 | 69.8 | 82.5 | Good | |
| 67.7 | 70.0 | 83.6 | Very Good | |
| 61.7 | 73.1 | 86.7 | Very Good | |
| 83.1 | 74.5 | 85.0 | Excellent |
Other apps
Lifelog tracks a host of daily activities, including walking, running and sleeping, but it also tracks the music you listen, the photos you take, and the apps you use. It then presents the info in a split-screen view with a timeline on top and detailed numbers on the bottom.
The News app is a news aggregator, pulling stories from sources on topics of your choice. It can also issue two daily bulletins for you at a time you specify, so you don't miss out on current events.
Xperia lounge is Sony's own entertainment app, feeding you exclusive content and competitions related to music, movies and games.
Oddly, there is no file manager pre-installed, you'll need to provide your own. All you get is a shortcut to a downloads folder.
Sony's Album shines as a gallery app
The Album app is among the most comprehensive and feature-rich gallery apps we've seen, and it's fast and easy to use.
At the very top of the list is a slideshow, showing off your photos. Lower down, the first photo of each month is shown at twice the size of other images. Photos are organized by month, and you can use pinch-zoom to change the size of thumbnails (then they smoothly animate into the grid).
You can also browse photos on a map instead (you can manually add geotag info too) or by folder. This includes network storage so that you can view photos from a DLNA server (your home computer, for one). Then there's integration with online albums - Facebook, Picasa, Flickr.
Image editing is handled by several apps, including the default Image Editor, Sketch and Sticker creator (so you can create your own custom stickers to send to your friends).
Sketch lets you fingerpaint over a photo or a paper-like texture, add text, stickers, photos and so on. If you're talented (the below screenshot reveals our mediocrity), you can share your creations on the Sketch mini-social network. We stuck with just browsing through what others drew.
Movie Creator is similar to the Google Photos Assistant. It automatically creates short videos from the photos and videos you've shot. You can do it manually too: pick photos and videos, change their order, add color effects and music (you get a small audio collection to start you off, but can use custom files too). Then tap the Share button and send out your animated slideshow.
Music app
The Music app feels like a part of the same software package as the rest of the custom Sony stuff. The contextual side menu offers much of the same browsing options - by folder, network folder and online services, in this case, Spotify (it's just a link to the Spotify app though). You can share music from the phone to compatible players.
The app can find the track's video on YouTube, look up info about the artist on Wikipedia, and search for lyrics on Google.
The Music app offers a variety of audio settings - ClearAudio+ determines the best audio quality settings depending on the track you're listening to. Then there's DSEE HX, which uses an almost wizardly algorithm supposed to restore or rather extrapolate compressed music files, like MP3s into high-res audio. According to Sony, the result is near Hi-Res Audio Quality, but it only works with wired headphones.
Dynamic normalizer evens out the volume differences across tracks, which is great if you've mixed multiple albums from multiple sources.
There's no FM radio on the Xperia XZs, and Sony's proprietary song recognition app Track ID doesn't come pre-installed. It's still available to download from the Play Store, of course.
Video
Named simply Video, the app is a lot more than a player. It can play your local videos and videos on your home network, plus it has extensive subtitle settings. Additionally you can flip a switch and have videos played in the background.
But if you tell the app where you are, and if your region is supported, it will pull info off of the internet with TV schedules, shows currently airing, and highlights of what to expect.
Audio output has its ups and downs
The Sony Xperia XZs delivered excellently clean output when used with an active external amplifier, getting top marks across the board. Its output loudness was above average so it’s a very decent performance overall.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.5 | 93.3 | 0.0042 | 0.0092 | -92.7 | |
| +0.12, -0.32 | -92.6 | 93.2 | 0.0072 | 0.219 | -67.0 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.3 | 93.3 | 0.0059 | 0.0095 | -94.4 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.4 | 93.4 | 0.0067 | 0.020 | -56.3 | |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -93.0 | 94.8 | 0.0019 | 0.0080 | -93.5 | |
| +0.25, -0.02 | -92.7 | 93.0 | 0.192 | 0.175 | -59.5 | |
| +0.02, -0.03 | -93.0 | 93.0 | 0.0045 | 0.0086 | -92.6 | |
| +0.22, -0.03 | -92.7 | 92.7 | 0.0054 | 0.129 | -50.9 | |
| +0.06, -0.10 | -92.4 | 92.3 | 0.0015 | 0.0093 | -80.9 | |
| +0.03, -0.11 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0011 | 0.012 | -77.0 | |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 | +0.01, -0.04 | -92.5 | 92.6 | 0.0027 | 0.0078 | -92.7 |
| Samsung Galaxy S7 (headphones) | +0.05, -0.05 | -91.9 | 92.1 | 0.0044 | 0.063 | -73.4 |
Clarity degradation caused by headphones is very reasonable too - a very well contained hike in stereo crosstalk and a little intermodulation distortion is all we got. However add the drop in loudness which was only average and you get a less than perfect performance. Pretty good, mind you, but certainly not among the best out there.
Camera, image quality
A 19MP Motion Eye camera
Sony has revamped the 23MP camera they've been using for a while, and with this refresh, we get a brand new 19MP camera which they call Motion Eye.
There is a lot of innovation going under the hood. Instead of the usual 2-layer design, this one features RAM built right in between the sensor and control circuitry layers. This allows the camera itself to store photos and videos temporarily, instead of waiting for the chipset to transfer them to RAM. That has a bigger impact than just speeding up the saving process.
For one, the sensor reads out the full resolution 19MP image 5x faster, which prevents the nasty rolling shutter in videos. It also enables the headline feature - 960fps HD video! Most phones manage 240fps at best, but the Motion Eye allows you to stretch time four times longer.
Sony went with a slightly lower resolution for this IMX400 Exmor RS senor (previous models were at 23MP), but have kept the same physical dimensions, so this has resulted into the pixels being 19% bigger. This immediately got our hopes up for higher quality low-light shooting.
The aperture is one thing that hasn't changed - it's still f/2.0, not the brightest out there, but it's okay.
The new RAM buffer has allowed for another feature called Predictive Capture. When the camera detects fast paced movement, it records a few of the moments before you pressed the shutter. So if you were late clicking the shutter button, you would be able to use one of those instead.
If you see some of the photos in your Album gallery to feature a symbol with four small squares, this means you have a few shots from this scene, allowing you to choose the one you prefer manually.
In our experience the feature didn't work as reliably as expected. You have no control over when it activates and it didn't kick in a few of the times we were capturing high-speed sports action. Finally, most often it presented us with only one or two extra photos instead of the promised three or four. Still, for an automatic feature that doesn't require any user intervention or photography experience, it works quite well.
The camera features Sony's "triple image sensing technology," which includes Predictive and Laser autofocus, plus an RGBC-IR sensor. That's a hefty acronym, but means it scans the surrounding light (both visible and infrared) to tune the color rendering for natural, vibrant hues.
There's just one LED for the flash, though - no change there.
Camera interface
The Xperia XZs uses Sony's latest camera UI. You change modes by swiping up and down (or left and right, if you're holding it in portrait). Superior Auto will probably be the main mode you use, and it defaults at 17MP 16:9 resolution, so you may want to opt for the 19MP maximum by switching to the native 4:3 aspect of the sensor.
There's a Manual mode too - it includes full range shutter speed selection (1/4000s - 1s), exposure compensation, white balance, and a manual focus slider. The ISO setting is still tucked away in an extra settings menu, though.
Image quality
For good or bad, the 19MP camera samples we snapped with the Sony Xperia XZs are entirely consistent with what we got from the Xperia XZ and a few previous Sony flagships regarding quality.
Here's what that means. In good light the phone is quite good in capturing the finest details - it's almost a match for the 23MP cameras used before. The processing, including the colors, has not changed much either. And despite the claims for a redesigned lens, we still see corner softness though to a slightly lesser extent.
Just as before, there is a considerable amount of noise and noise reduction artifacts, which don't look good when pixel peeping at 100%.
Other than that, Superior Auto is great at recognizing the scenes and adjusting parameters just as before. The dynamic range is good as well. The autofocus is fast too (though not still not to the level of Galaxy S7).
The manual HDR mode is available in, well, Manual mode, but its switch is hidden in the advanced settings. Superior Auto is more than capable to enable an HDR mode (Backlit scene it calls it), so there is no need switching to Manual only to shoot HDR
The low-light landscape samples are quite unimpressive - they lack detail, there is lens flare and the photos are nowhere near as sharp as we'd like them to be. Regardless whether we used a tripod or not, the images just didn't come out right. Despite the larger pixels, the low light photos by the Xperia XZs seem softer than those by the Xperia XZ.
Traditionally, we've dinged Xperias over their panorama mode, but that's about to end. The new XZ flagships, XZs included, seriously increase the resolution - up to 4000px vertically, while the previous phones were only capable of panoramic images that are up to 1000px in height. Also, you can stop the panorama at any time you like, while older phones used to get confused if you don't do the full 360° (which was a minor thing, but annoying all the same).
On the front of the Xperia XZs is the same selfie camera found on the original XZ. It's based on a 13MP sensor (1/3.06") with a f/2.0 lens. The images produced by it are somewhat noisy. However, we're quite happy with how detailed selfies come out and we appreciate the excellent dynamic range.
When it gets dark, however, quality takes a serious dip just like the main camera.
Naturally, we shot our test posters with the Sony Xperia XZs, and here's how it fared next to Xperia XZ and Lumia 950 XL (also 19MP). Of course, our tool allows you to compare it against any other smartphone we have there.
Video recording
The Xperia XZs features 4K video recording, which supports SteadyShot video stabilization. Of course, you get the standard 1080p/30fps and high-speed 1080p/60fps options. There is also a 120fps recording in 720p, and finally, there is the headline 960fps slow motion video recording - that's recorded again in 720p
The 2160p recording is still a separate shooting mode after all these years, instead of being a setting in video recording.
Historically, flagship Xperias have had no optical image stabilization, and neither does the XZs. Sony's SteadyShot with Intelligent Active offers 5-axis image stabilization. We're not too comfortable with the term 'axis' that's become all too popular for describing what is a 'degree of freedom,' but the point is that Sony's system can compensate for translation along two axes and rotation around all three.
The 1080p/60fps mode also gets the SteadyShot Standard variety. In contrast, shooting in 1080p/30fps mode gives you a choice between Standard and Intelligent Active options. It's this last mode that gets the headline 5-axis stabilization (still digital), but only when recording close-up subjects.
Bitrates are 54Mbps for 4K, 30Mbps for 1080p/60fps and 17.5Mbps for 1080p/30fps. Audio is recorded in 156Kbps in all cases.
Finally, you can choose to save the 4K videos in H.264 or H.265 containers. The latter have a smaller storage footprint - a 3 minute 4K video is 1.24GB in H.264 but only 790MB in H.265. However, in the H.265 video, you can see the compression takes its toll on foliage. Youtube also doesn't support H.265 so why we prefer sticking with the widespread H.264 format.
4K videos have plenty of detail, great contrast, and accurate colors. There is no corner softness. They may not look super sharp overall, but that's due to the laid back processing which doesn't involve much sharpening. The footage is practically noise-free, and it looks natural. We can also praise the dynamic range.
The 1080p videos are equally impressive and even better - they came out sharper. No matter if you opt for 30 or 60fps, the frame rate is smooth, and the quality is excellent.
Sony offers SteadyShot software video stabilization for all videos, even those shot at 4K. The better (5-axis) Intelligent mode is available only for the 1080p videos, while the Standard (3-axis) can be applied to all resolutions.
SteadyShot has always been good, and the stabilization is quite impressive. There isn't any loss in quality, while the field of view penalty is quite small. We would go further and recommend keeping SteadyShot active at all times; you'll never regret it.
The playlist below has 4K videos shot with and without SteadyShot Standard, and 1080p samples taken with and without SteadyShot Intelligent Active stabilization.
The most fun feature of this camera surely has to be the 960fps slow motion video recording. The videos are recorded at 720p resolution and run at normal speed until you press the on-screen button that slows down time for a split second. The camera's buffer is enough for only a blink of an eye (0.18s), but a lot can happen in that tiny window when time slows to a crawl, and you catch the right moment.
Unfortunately, the steps required to get to this video recording mode are far too many and too confusing to remember to do correctly in a hurry if you are after capturing a spontaneous event. You have to switch to video recording, then hit the slow motion button, then start recording the video and then hit the slow motion button again at the exact possible moment.
Even if you go through the sequence, nailing the right moment is quite hard too as the camera doesn't start a special process when you hit that button. Instead, it offloads what's already in its buffer, so it shows you the recording of the events that have already happened when you press the button. Once you get the hang of this, it becomes much easier, but catching the right moment is still a hit and miss.
The camera also has another mode where you can record a 5sec slow-mo video directly with the press of the shutter, but it's not nearly as striking when you can't see the normal speed of the process you are recording for comparison.
The quality of the videos is very good for HD resolution, but for such high-speed shooting, you need plenty of light. We can't stress this enough. If the light is not enough, the camera will increase the ISO, and you would get very noisy footage - even daylight.
Despite these limitations, we had a lot of fun recording these sample videos in the playlist below. You can certainly find far more creative uses for this camera mode with time and patience.
Final words
To get this straight, the Xperia XZs is an interim flagship of sorts, definitely not 2017's top pick. The XZs is taking over from the last one in charge, but the real greats are supposed to start hitting in six months or so. And we've had a taste of what's to come thanks to the Xperia XZ Premium, less than a month away itself.
Sony has been very consistent in its flagship upgrades throughout the Z-series lifetime. Incremental is definitely the keyword there. While some manufacturers are keen to surprise everybody every time, Sony's been reliably predictable. Predictably reliable. You are your word order.
All in all, the Xperia XZs is, as we already established, a Xperia XZ with a new Motion Eye camera. Simple as that. If you own the XZ already, there is little point upgrading to the XZs unless you absolutely need that 960fps slow-mo footage 'yesterday'.
On the other hand, the Xperia XZs is a lovely piece of a phone, not to be too lightly dismissed as a mere test case for an imminent camera upgrade that will sweep across Sony's upper ranks. The XZs is still one extra solid package - one that looks great and has the computing power to spare. The screen is more than reasonable too. Resolution may fall short of flagship standards, but the flip side is consistently good speed and performance for an overall great Android experience. And it's plenty sharp even as it is.
The Sony Xperia XZs is a smartphone package that can do well. If it weren't for the US fingerprint debacle, it would have been a global darling - at the right price of course. Still very relevant regarding equipment and performance, it throws in a unique feature to get the right amount of extra attention to itself.
Sony Xperia XZs key test findings
- Attractive no-nonsense design building on the Sony flagship tradition. High-quality build.
- Excellent display, high maximum brightness and contrast, great to use even out in the sun.
- Solid battery life: 73h of endurance rating, 8 hours of web, and 9 hours of video playback.
- Traditionally restrained approach to skinning Android, elegantly clean interface with added Sony goodies like Stamina mode and solid multimedia apps. Where's a file manager when you need one, though?
- Snapdragon 820 is a top performer in general, and the Xperia XZs is among the most powerful smartphones today. The 1080p resolution surely helped the GPU scores.
- Excellent audio quality on an external amp, but a drop in quality in headphones (but still good).
- Stereo loudspeakers sound nice but they barely scored Average in our loudness test.
- Detailed 19MP images from the primary camera, but we don't see any improvements regarding available noise, colors, corner sharpness or low-light photos. There is also no OIS to help in low light shooting.
- 4K video looks great, 1080p likewise. The 960fps slow-mo HD videos hold a lot of potential but capturing the moment takes practice and is a hit-and-miss when you only have 1/16 of a sec to work with - less than a split second of the real-life actions gets slowed down.
- The 13MP front facing camera is a boon for selfie addicts - plenty of detail, good dynamic range, just keep the subjects well lit.
If you are after a Sony smartphone, but not sold yet on the 960fps video experience, there is still the good old Xperia XZ for you. It's the same phone, even in terms of still camera quality, at €200 less.
Or, you can wait for the Xperia XZ Premium, which not only brings some design novelties and the same new camera but the latest Snapdragon 835 chipset and a 4K display. Just brace yourself for a hefty price tag north of €750.
Pressured or not, Sony looks like it's done chasing its tail with the Z-series updates. We may be starting to witness a turn, even though the Xperia XZs is still one foot in last season. Okay, Sony is on to something with the new Motion Eye camera, but we don't know yet where it's all going.
It looks though like the next Sony flagship will be doing the Sony Xperia XZs a favor. The burden of responsibility will be shared and what's a pretty hefty price tag at present will get trimmed to a more reasonable level. No need to guess how the chips will fall - we'll just sit back and watch them fall. In cool slow motion.
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