Sony's Xperia XZ2 Premium is the first smartphone to be able to shoot and display 4K HDR content

After the launch of its Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona, Sony has finally announced its much-awaited successor to the XZ Premium, called the Xperia XZ2 Premium. [caption id=“attachment_4434087” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. Sony Global[/caption] In recent years, Sony’s Premium-branded offerings are known for their 4K displays, but Sony has taken things a notch up by including 4K HDR Triluminos display unit this year. This also makes the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium, Sony’s first end to end 4K HDR product offering that enables customers to not just shoot 4K HDR video but view it on a 4K HDR display as well. While the design is fresh and in line with Sony’s recently launched Xperia XZ2 models, the display similar to its siblings remains a standard 16:9 unit and does not follow the current 18:9 trend followed by most manufacturers. And that shorter (read standard) display also comes thick bezels at the top and the bottom. The design however remains fresh and new with a 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 5 screen and an arc-shaped back that is also made of glass. The new Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium will be available in Chrome Black and Chrome Silver finishes. The device is also certified IP65/IP68. [caption id=“attachment_4434085” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. Sony Global[/caption] Inside, you get specifications that are almost similar to those on the XZ2 smartphone. There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 6 GB RAM (instead of 4 GB on the standard model) and 64 GB of storage (expandable up to 400 GB). The camera department is another area where the Premium shines. There’s Sony’s first dual camera setup on a smartphone ever with a 19 MP camera (1/2.3-inch Exmor RS sensor), with f/1.8 aperture. The second camera on the back is a 12 MP black and white unit with an f/1.6 aperture. Both rear cameras are powered by Sony’s Bionz mobile image-processing engine and the AUBE fusion ISP that can deliver 960 fps super slow motion video recording, Bokeh effects, monochrome imaging and predictive hybrid autofocus. There’s also 5-axis image stabilization. [caption id=“attachment_4434083” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. Sony Global[/caption] The front camera is a 13 MP unit with a 22 mm wide-angle lens, f.2.0 aperture. Interestingly, Sony also offers 5-axis image stabilization on the front-facing camera. Connectivity options include, support for 4G LTE (Cat 18) with download speeds of  up to 1.2 Gbps, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, DLNA and a USB 3.1 Gen1 port at the bottom end. The fingerprint reader sits at the back as opposed to the traditional side layout on the power/unlock button. [caption id=“attachment_4434081” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. Sony Global[/caption] The smartphone runs Android O and is powered by a 3,540 mAh battery that comes with Quick Charge 3.0 support. This is also Sony’s heaviest smartphone ever that measures 158x80x11.9 mm and weighs in at 236 grams, which close to quarter of a kilogram. Hopefully, all of that new hardware and design delivers when it comes to pushing out better imaging and staying cool when pulling off the same, which is something that was missing in its previous Xperia XZ1 . There are no details about the smartphone’s availability in India. Sony has yet to introduce its XZ2 model in in the country.