Xperia XZ2 Premium: Sony’s first dual-camera flagship has the world’s highest ISO for video recording

Sony has finally announced the Xperia XZ2 Premium which succeeds the Xperia XZ Premium. Not only it brings top-notch specs with a 4K HDR display but it is also the first Sony flagship to come with a dual-camera setup.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium looks like a slightly larger version of its current Xperia XZ2. It gets a 3D curved glass design for the back that comes with a mirror-like chrome finish. It’s available in Chrome Black and Chrome Silver.

At 5.8″, the Xperia XZ2 Premium’s display is 11% larger and 30% brighter than its previous Xperia XZ Premium. Surprisingly, the display is still having a 16:9 aspect ratio and it pushes a resolution of 3840 x 2160. For a more immersive video playback, it also gets S-Force surround sound and a Dynamic Vibration System that vibrates like Sony PlayStation’s “DualShock” controllers.

Under the hood, it is powered by a Snapdragon 845 processor that’s mated to 6GB of RAM. For storage, it comes with 64GB onboard that’s expandable via microSD up to 400GB.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium also features their latest dual-camera sensors that were first showcased during MWC 2018. It has a 19MP f/1.8 Motion Eye camera that uses an RGB sensor and secondary 12MP f/1.6 shooter for black & white. Data from both cameras are processed through an AUBE fusion image signal processor to produce a high quality and low noise image.

When it was announced, Sony’s dual camera solution had the world’s highest ISO 12800 sensitivity for video and ISO 51200 for photos. This allows you to capture beyond what the eye can see. At the moment, Huawei’s P20 Pro has the highest ISO of 102400 for photos but that’s only available later via a software update.

With its dual-camera setup, you can take images with bokeh effects and there’s also a monochrome effect for both photos and videos. The Xperia XZ2 Premium also shoots 4K videos with HDR and it can also record 960fps super slow-mo videos up to Full HD resolution. There’s no OIS but videos are stabilised by its 5-axis SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode. For selfies, it gets a 13MP f/2.0 front camera that uses display flash in low light situations.

Juicing up this 4K smartphone is a 3,540mAh battery which supports Quick Charge 3.0 via USB-C. Like the Xperia XZ2, it also supports Qi Wireless Charging.

It is also worth pointing out that the Xperia XZ2 Premium is quite heavy at 236 grams. As a comparison, the ceramic-based 6.4″ Xiaomi Mi MIX weighs a much lower 209 grams and even the current XZ Premium is lighter at 195g. Like any Sony flagship smartphone, it also comes with IP68 dust and water resistance. The Xperia XZ2 Premium is expected to be released during Summer 2018 which is sometime around June.

For more info, you can check out the official Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium product page. In case you missed it, the current Xperia XZ Premium is now priced at RM2,699 in Malaysia.