The Sony Xperia XZ is the newest entry in the ring of flagship handsets, and it packs everything a smartphone aficionado could want, from specs to battery and from camera to a posh design.
We looked at the potential of Xperia XZ and compared it with top-of-the-line smartphones from Android and Apple to see which one has the edge.
Water Protection
Where fingerprint sensors were the rage last year, waterproofing phones has now become the new trend.
You can safely pack the Xperia XZ next to the Samsung Galaxy S7 to take to the pool party, as both devices feature IP68 certification. This means that rain or the accidental flop in the soup bowl will not harm either of the devices.
The iPhone 6s, on the other hand, does not feature the certification, but a number of videos show it faring well when dropped into liquid.
Performance And Interface
The Sony Xperia XZ and Samsung's Galaxy S7 are sharing the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 CPU, but the speed of the devices differs somewhat.
When it comes down to Android systems, Sony ranks as one of the fastest and easiest experiences, as the interface remained roughly the same since its debut. Meanwhile, Samsung's TouchWiz UI had some improvements, but holds on to the stutter and sluggishness of old.
Keep in mind that Samsung still excels in its keyboard experience and neatly tweaked tactile feedback, granting quick and satisfying typing experiences. In comparison, Sony's on-screen keyboard feels less responsive and accurate.
It is complicated to compare iOS to Android, but user feedback remains positive about the keyboard behavior and interface of Apple's phones, and iPhone 6s is no exception.
Sony's fingerprint scanner could have been better received if the company took the classic path of placing the sensor front-facing rather than sticking it on the side of the phone.
Camera
Sony's long-lasting ambition to provide users with the best cameras on the market is present in the Xperia XZ as well. However, the camera's interface shows some notable lacks, such as the fast one-tap shortcut present in Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6s. Comparing it to its rivals, Sony's camera also takes its time between shots.
So far, it is apparent that the Galaxy S7 packs a more functional and responsive camera than the Xperia XZ.
Depending whether you value color hue or general sharpness, you might prefer the camera from Galaxy S7 over iPhone 6s. However, the S7's camera fares better than iPhone 6s in low-lighting conditions due to its larger aperture.
Looking strictly at image quality, some of the images captured via Xperia XZ are more natural looking than the ones from Galaxy S7. This is little surprise, as Samsung packed a Dual Pixel focusing system in its snappers, which can distort photographs by oversharpening them.
Although iPhone 6s' raw pictures are less spectacular than the ones from Sony or Samsung's flagships, they yield themselves better for post-processing. Also, Apple's phone seems to deliver slightly more realistic pictures than the ones from the Galaxy S7, especially when shooting indoors.
When looking at video output, the Xperia XZ and Galaxy S7 feature 4K recording at 30 frames per second. Sony touts that its 5-axis stabilization software will grant promising results, and it might stand a chance against the combo of Samsung's OIS and electronic stabilization.
Meanwhile, the iPhone 6s also can record videos in 4K at the same FPS rating, but it will take a few extra taps to trigger the capability.
Battery
Sony embedded a 2,900 mAh non-removable battery into its latest flagship, and it claims that the whole Xperia lineup focuses on preserving battery life and longevity.
A neat thing about Xperia XZ is that it pauses charging when the phone reaches 90 percent during the night and resumes at your standard wake-up time. This ensures that users go about their day with a 100 percent charged phone.
The Galaxy S7 comes with a 3,000 mAh battery, which has a lot more oomph after Android Marshmallow rolled out and optimized its life cycle via Doze.
Apple is far behind its competitors with a 1,715 mAh battery in its iPhone 6s, but the manufacturer features one of the best optimizations between software and hardware.
