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Peak Sony with a fresh design & excellent features.
Sony is a global premium brand that has been well-known since its time in the upper echelon of consumer electronics back in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, and though it may not be as big as it once was, there are still some things that have never changed, such as Sony’s attention to detail and ensuring that it still puts out quality products. Sony’s smartphones carry on this level of quality and its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia XZ2 that was officially announced at Mobile World Congress 2018, shows that Sony isn’t a company that puts out what is perceived to be the same phone every year just with new internals. On the contrary, the Xperia XZ2 is Sony’s proper evolution of its best ideas, taking on a completely new design language that moves away from the more square-shaped, boxy look of the OmniBalance aesthetic. Sony has paired this with top-tier internals, as usual, which is why the Xperia XZ2 is worthy of the ‘Best Of MWC 2018’ award.
With the Xperia XZ2, Sony is keen on offering a top-of-the-line smartphone. It’s aiming high, like it always does, but has finally made some changes that may just be able to make the Xperia XZ2 more recognizable than some of its predecessors. This can be seen in simple changes like implementing the fingerprint sensor for every single market where Sony plans to sell the phone. Ever since Sony began putting fingerprint sensors in its devices, the U.S. has been a market where the feature was left out, and that changes this time around, so there is immediately a new reason to love the phones from Sony.
This addition of the fingerprint sensor isn’t the only thing about the Xperia XZ2 which has made it worthy of the Best Of MWC 2018 award. The new design language is also a strong point, because for quite a while Sony has kept the same design language through most of its devices and it has finally stepped outside that “box” to do something new. Officially called the Ambient Flow design language, the phone’s design is inspired by the flowing nature of water, which appears to be evident in the smoothness and seamlessness of the lines and edges around the phone. Though Sony is still using a metal frame with a glass back like before, as are many smartphone vendors, the back actually now has a slight curve to it that is ever so subtle, where Sony’s phones used to be entirely flat on the back. Beyond the curvier back, Sony’s decision to also move the camera sensor module and fingerprint sensor more towards the center of the phone makes for what Sony believes to be a more comfortable position for use. Whether or not it’s more comfortable would have to be determined with use over time, but it certainly makes for a more streamlined and “flowing” look that follows along with the overall idea of the new aesthetic.
Its these decisions and more which have helped Sony really knock it out of the park with the Xperia XZ2, at least at first glance. Time will tell if its latest smartphone is able to hold a candle to the other big brands, and though it may be a challenge for Sony to surpass the likes of phones such as the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus on a larger scale, Sony will no doubt have earned the right to be appreciated as one of the best phones of this year. It’s dedication to the software experience has always been ahead of the pack compared to many manufacturers and especially so in recent years, and it would seem that Sony has kept that dedication intact with the Xperia XZ2, and with the new design on the outside along with the powerful internals and excellent software, the Xperia XZ2 has a good chance of being a big hit with consumers.
