Shoot super slow-mo video with Sony's shiny chrome phone
A shiny chrome body and a camera that captures video at 960 frames per second make the XZ Premium a compelling phone.
- Shortlisted for British Photography Awards 2022, Commended in Landscape Photographer of the Year 2022
It's been less than six months since Sony launched its last flagship phone, the XZ, but it's already following up with the XZ Premium and the XZS, which is best seen as a mildly updated XZ.
The XZ Premium shows the biggest changes. The metal chassis from the XZ remains, but Sony replaced the brushed metal back panel with an attractive glass sheet. The chrome version of the phone is so shiny you can easily use it as a mirror to check your hair on the move (yes, I tried this) though it's a total fingerprint magnet.
The camera resolution has dropped to 19 megapixels (the XZ had 23), but the pixels themselves are larger, which should improve low-light shots and achieve a more even exposure.
The video mode now has a super slow-motion function. While many phones have this feature, the XZ Premium can shoot at an impressive 960 frames per second, to slow the action down even further. If you already enjoy slow-motion videos of your dog jumping for a treat or your friend face-planting off their skateboard, you'll have great fun with the XZ Premium.
The 5.5-inch display has a 4K resolution and uses high dynamic range (HDR) tech, which Sony says is a first on a phone. In theory this should help give much richer colours, although in the low light of the room I saw the phone in, it was difficult to see much difference, so I'll reserve judgement for the full review.
The XZS, meanwhile, looks almost identical to the standard XZ, but has the new camera tech from its Premium sibling. Pricing and availability have yet to be announced.
Additional Xperia XZ Premium specs:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB of RAM
- 7.9 mm thick
- IP68 waterproofing (can be submerged to 1.5 metres (5 feet) for 30 minutes)
- 2,900mAh battery
- 13-megapixel front-facing camera
- Android 7 Nougat
- 64GB storage , expandable with microSD cards up to 256GB in size
Xperia XZS specs:
- 5.2-inch display
- 2,900mAh battery
- Android 7.0 Nougat
