Hopefully our friends in the north didn’t have their eyes set on the Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact which were just announced yesterday because it’s looking like neither phone will be making it to Canada. As it stands, the Xperia X Compact will make it to the US but it’s unclear if the same holds true for the Xperia XZ.
During MWC 2016 in February, Sony unveiled the Xperia Ear wireless earbud – think of it as a wireless bluetooth headset with AI-like functionality. After having gone dormant for some time, the Xperia Ear is back in the spotlight at IFA with a launch timeframe to go with it.
While the Xperia XZ and Xperia X Compact are the two most noteworthy products from Sony’s IFA keynote, the company managed to sneak in a surprise as well – a 4K Blu-ray player. I had previously predicted that Sony would announce a fully finished product at IFA but alas, that’s not the case. Instead, what Sony provided was a prototype 4K Blu-ray player in a glass housing.
As the name suggests, the Xperia X Compact is, in many ways, a smaller Xperia X. Boasting a 4.6-inch 720p display in a more rounded body, the Xperia X Compact comprises of a lot of specs we’ve seen before like Qualcomm’s hexa-core Snapdragon 650 chipsets, 3GB of RAM and an Adreno 510 GPU which, you guessed it, were offered in the Xperia X. But with a smaller screen and fewer pixels (Xperia X offers a 1080p display), expect the Xperia X Compact to run smoother. From here is where the two devices diverge – and for the better.
As expected and highly leaked, at IFA 2016, Sony took to stage to unveil their latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia XZ. As the name suggests, this is a phone that’s very much a mashup of the loved Z series and their recently unveiled X series from 6 months ago. In fact, this is likely the phone that Sony should have announced instead of the Xperia X family but I’ll save that for another piece. So what does the Xperia XZ have to offer?
Sony is just not having a good week with leaks. After the PS4 Slim apparently appeared all over Europe, the Xperia XZ and Xperia Z Compact were leaked through Sony’s own website. Of course we had seen the device pop up before and weren’t sure what to call it, but now, press photos leaked from Sony depict both devices, helping us to get a pretty good sense of what we can expect from them tomorrow at their IFA 2016 keynote.
IFA 2016 kicked off earlier this morning where big players like Samsung and Asus unveiled their latest products. For Sony, in addition to their PlayStation keynote which will take place on Tuesday, September 7th, they also have their IFA keynote to present. Seeing how this will likely be the last chance for Sony Electronics to take the stage in 2016 and unveil products that will hopefully not only delight consumers, but also ship this year, a lot is riding on this keynote for the company.
After all, if they are able to announce and deliver any products before the year’s end, Sony may be able to capitalize on the ever important holiday shopping season which kicks off in November. It’s unclear what exactly Sony will announce outside of new phones though you can read some of my predictions here.
Held in Berlin, the 2016 Sony IFA keynote is just a month away where Sony is expected to show their latest mobile products. Though Sony has yet to send out official press invites (which I won’t receive), they have confirmed that come September 1st, Kaz Hirai and co. will take stage. So what can we expect?
Come this September, Sony will once again be taking the stage in Berlin to unveil their latest strategy and mobile products. In years before, IFA has been the launching ground for the SmartWatch 3 and flagship Xperia Z5. Will we see similar product announcements this year as well? Many are certainly hoping so.
One of the biggest selling factors of a new smartphone is the camera that it offers. From video to photos, smartphones are replacing our everyday cameras and in turn, our expectation of what our phone should be capable of doing has elevated. Announced at IFA 2015, the Xperia Z5 family, Sony’s latest flagship series are no slouch – offering a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a 23-megapixel rear-facing camera, these newest additions also pack some fancy tech under them. They include a mind blowing 0.03 second autofocus and an all new video stabilization thats designed to help curb jittery videos (especially useful when you’re recording while walking around).
So how does the latter one hold up when compared to the Xperia Z3? A video after the jump decides to test just that.
Once of the key differentiators between the Xperia Z5 family, which consists of the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium, versus predecessor models is their 0.03 seconds autofocus speed. Sony, who is no stranger to using high megapixel sensors in their cameras (23MP this time around), wanted to focus less on dramatically upping that number (Xperia Z3+ had a 20.7-megapixel camera) and instead improving the overall camera experience. With such a low autofocus time, Sony claims that you’ll be able to click anywhere on screen and have a near-instant photo taken in focus.
Specifically, using a Hybrid Autofocus system, the camera can focus anywhere on screen in just 0.03 seconds. With Touch Capture and wide AF coverage, you’ll be able to touch anywhere on the Xperia Z5 display and the camera will automatically focus and immediately take the shot. There is also a dedicated camera button on all three models. To drive home just how fast 0.03 seconds is, Sony has put together a fun infographic which can be found after the jump that helps put the camera’s speed into context.
4K video isn’t a new thing for Sony’s Xperia line. I remember testing 4K video which you can find here all the way back with the Xperia Z3 and since then, we’ve had the Xperia Z3+ (Z4) and now, the Xperia Z5 with the Xperia Z5 Premium also offering a 4K display. Unfortunately for Sony, overheating also isn’t a new thing. In my tests with the Z3, heat became apparent very quickly when recording in 4K, limiting how much you could actually record. With the Xperia Z3+, heat has notoriously become a problem. This is mainly due to the usage of Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipsets that have been causing a headache for all manufacturers and not just Sony.
With the Xperia Z5 family also utilizing the Snapdragon 810, is heat once again going to be a problem? After the jump, the Xperia Z5 heat worries are put to the test.
It’s just day two at IFA 2015 and we’ve already covered Sony’s newest flagship products fairly extensively. Consisting of the Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium, the new Xperia Z family has a lot to offer, ranging from a powerful 23-megapixel camera to a 4K display. With varying screen sizes, each phone naturally has some unique features like display quality and materials used. Another differentiating factor between the three lines is color selection. After the jump, we have the breakdown of colors offered and a set of photos to go along with them that should make things a bit more clear and colorful!
The Sony Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact and Xperia Z5 Premium have officially been unveiled at IFA 2015 and give us a real glimpse at what may be a transforming Sony Mobile. While the design is the same body we’ve seen the latest few years, thanks to improved materials and subtle changes, Sony has been able to introduce three very elegantly designed phones. Alongside their premium finishes comes some very refined specs.
While it might be too early to judge the phone, instead of opting for large numbers, Sony has instead focused on the smaller details to make sure each Xperia Z5 is world class. With a world class phone comes a world class price. After the jump, we reveal their price and show how they compare to the market leader iPhone.
Earlier today, Sony took the wraps off the Xperia Z5 Premium. As the name suggests, this high-end smartphone is targeted at those who want a bit more out of their smartphone experience. In turn, Sony has incorporated a 4K display, Hi-Res Audio, and a 23-megapixel camera with fast auto-focus that can capture a photo in just 0.03 seconds – a world first according to Sony.If you want to know more about the Xperia Z5 Premium, you can do that by reading our more in depth piece. However, if you want to see the new flagship phone in action, Sony has put together a video, showcasing the best it has to offer.
That video awaits you after the jump.
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