Sony Xperia XZ2 vs Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

We’ve had the chance to go hands-on with the Sony Xperia XZ2, and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, but what exactly is the difference between these devices and why should you chose one over another?

Price and Availability

As expected the phones went on sale early April. You’ll pay £699 for the XZ2 and £529 for the Compact.

Order Sony Xperia XZ2

It costs  $799 in the US.

Order Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

It costs $649 in the US.

Also see:  Sony Xperia XZ2 vs XZ1

Overview

The differences between the two phones, apart from their size, are actually fairly small.

Both phones are powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 845 processor that will be found in the majority of new android phones this year, and both contain 4GB of ram and 64GB onboard storage – with the option for a MicroSD.

The designs of these phones has been vastly improved, all thanks to an ‘Ambient Flow’ design language, which is fancy speak for ‘it doesn’t look like a brick anymore’. The bezels that were once very large at both the top and bottom of the screen have been reduced in size, but are still very present.

The back of the phones are curved outward, which makes them look and feel slightly more bulky that other modern competitors, but it does make them feel very comfortable in the hand.

Sadly, both versions have ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack in favour of USB-C, following the industry trend that no one asked for but for some reason is still happening.

Both phones are covered in Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and the back, which is extremely durable – and the fingerprint scanner on the back is now active at all times, meaning unlocking your phone should now be instant.

The main difference between the two is obviously the size, as the bigger brother features a 5.7in display while the Compact holds a 5in screen. However, the screen on the compact is still 18:9, offering full HD resolution and HDR, and so is capable of showing off HDR photos and videos.

It can also upscale standard content into HDR, meaning that if the content you’re watching is stored on your phone or streamed over the internet, you’re going to get better visual quality no matter it’s source.

The camera hardware is the same as on the XZ1 release last year, but with a new image processor designed together with Qualcomm, Sony promises reduced noise, better colour reproduction and improved contrast compared to the older model.

The XZ2 phones will also be the first phones in the world capable of recording video in 4k and HDR. The super slow motion feature has been upgraded too, as it will now capture 960fps at 1080p resolution – this will eat your phone’s storage at an astounding rate however, so do be careful.

So what are the differences between the two phones?

The differences are really quite minor. The compact is obviously smaller, but the features are almost identical apart from the lack of wireless charging and Dynamic Vibration System, which makes you phone vibrate in sync with video and audio content.

The compact will also have less battery capacity due to its size, but that may not impact the run time – we’ll test this out in our full reviews, but check out our Sony Xperia XZ2 hands-on review and Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact hands-on review in the meantime.