Just a few days ago, Sony unveiled to the world their flagship phone for 2017, the Xperia XZ Premium, which features a 4K HDR display among other various things like its 960fps slow-mo video camera. But that’s not all – if a feature or spec existed, it’s likely that Sony shoved it inside the XZ Premium specs so let’s take a look at what exactly you’ll find inside their powerful new phone.
There is little doubt that the Xperia XZ Premium is Sony’s true flagship phone this year and features all the bells and whistles like increased battery, faster processor, and a glorious 5.5-inch 4K HDR display. There is also little doubt that it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg when it launches later this Spring. For some, that phone is overkill but that doesn’t mean they don’t want something new and that’s where the Xperia XZs comes in. If you’ve known last year’s model, the Xperia XZ, then you pretty much know this phone.
Instead of reengineering the phone from the ground up, Sony did something simple: they took everything good about the Xperia XZ and improved it in subtle ways like incorporating the 1/2.3-inch 19-megapixel Exmor RS camera which Sony refers to as ‘Motion Eye’ with its 960 frames per second super slow-mo video and predictive capture capabilities which are found on the Xperia XZ Premium as well.
Ever wanted to use a tablet as your phone? If so, you’re in luck. At MWC 2017, Sony announced the Xperia XA1 Ultra, the successor to the XA Ultra. Like the name is a mouthful, the device itself is also a handful at 6-inch with an edge-to-edge design that makes it feel like you’re holding a piece of glass.
If you’re into phablets, the XA1 Ultra has a ton of features for you to consider, all while addressing some of the biggest complaints about last year’s model like screen resolution which is now bumped up to 1080p. Like all smartphones, one of the most important features is its camera and the XA1 Ultra does not disappoint.
Earlier today, or late last night depending on your time zone, Sony took to stage at MWC 2017 to unveil their latest phones and as predicted by previous rumors, a flagship model as well. Named the Xperia XZ Premium, the name harkens back to the well received Xperia Z5 Premium. Since then, to many, Sony hasn’t had a true flagship phone but as the name suggests, all that changes and a beloved feature of the Z5 Premium has made its way to the XZ Premium as well – a 4K display.
Sony doesn’t often get credit for for their strategic vision as they more often than not skate to where the puck is, with a delay, rather than to where the puck is going to be. With smartphones this was no different but with their mobile division in disarray, the company did something many pundits thought to be suicide – they exited the entry market and instead focused on high-end devices like the Xperia Z5, Xperia X, and now Xperia XZ. The results? A division that was once reporting over a billion dollars in losses is now recording profits.
Now mind you there is a lot Sony could be doing to better the situation for themselves but their initial vision was correct – to put aside the volume driven mentality that drove the PC business and many Android makers into the ground and instead focus on profitability. Now another Android maker is looking to take a cue from Sony and drop their entry level phones with a focus on high-end devices.
When you can’t beat them, join them. Fun fact, despite the whole Galaxy S7 debacle which had Samsung recall the entire lineup, the South Korean giant still reported giant profits for Q4 2016. The reason? Their components division which has the likes of Apple and others buying chipsets, RAM, and flash memory by the truckload.
For Samsung, it’s a win-win. Compete with Apple in the phone space but also sell them to as well. Profits roll in either way. Now Sony is finding itself in a similar situation.
Just a quick heads up – due to some unforeseen issues, the previously released version of Android 7.0 Nougat for the Xperia Z4, Z3+, and Z4 Tablet was pulled as Sony worked out the kinks. Now Sony Mobile is once again releasing Nougat for the mentioned devices under build 32.3.A.0.372. So if you have one of these devices, be sure to fire it up and check for any available system updates. As always, it tends to take Sony a bit of time to push these updates in every country so if you haven’t seen it yet, keep checking.
Nearly a month ago, a rumor spread that come MWC 2017, Sony Mobile would be looking to introduce a handful of new phones, including a flagship model with a 4K display. Now this ran contrary to previous leaks which pointed towards two to three mid-tier devices launching at MWC with flagship models being reserved till likely summer or fall.
Frankly launching five different phones at one event made little sense, seeing how much Sony struggles with inventory and marketing. Now, Elyse Betters from Pocket-lint is putting a lid on previous rumors and reporting that we in fact won’t be getting new flagship models until IFA, which is what the birdies I’ve spoken with indicated as well.
Just a follow up on the will Sony SmartWatch 3 get Android Wear 2.0 or will it not saga. Sony has officially weighed in on the subject and it’s the latter of the two situations. Though Sony doesn’t specify why, it’s likely due to the old hardware on SmartWatch 3 which debuted all the way back in 2014.
Android Wear 2.0 not coming to Sony SmartWatch 3 technically isn’t news in of itself. We’ve known for some time that Sony’s smartwatch, which came to market in 2014, was one of the older Android Wear devices and it likely wouldn’t meet the requirements set by Google.
However last month, a user on XDA forums claimed during an email exchange with Sony, the SmartWatch 3 makers confirmed that Android Wear 2.0 would in fact be coming to the now three year old watch.
The title pretty much says it all. Patrick Seitz from Investors:
Apple accounted for 18% of smartphone unit sales in the fourth quarter, but it captured a whopping 92% of industry profits, Canaccord Genuity reported Tuesday.
Apple has a long history of taking the vast majority of smartphone industry profits. In some quarters, it accounts for more than 100% of smartphone profits because other vendors lost money, according to Canaccord Genuity.
Among six major vendors surveyed, four were profitable in smartphone sales in Q4, Canaccord analyst Michael Walkley said in the report. They were Apple, BlackBerry, Samsung and Sony.
So where does that put Samsung and Sony?
Just a quick heads up: Sony Mobile has now released Android 7.0 Nougat for the Xperia X Performance in Canada, joining the
Despite the hype today around Android Wear 2 finally launching after facing delay after delay, the truth is that Google’s vision of wearables, or lack thereof, is in free fall. Most original partners have all but abandoned ship, and with little attention from Google to truly push the platform forward, marketshare is quickly eroding.
Android Wear made up less than 10% of smart watches sold. Declining YoY.
FWIW
— Ben Bajarin (@BenBajarin) February 8, 2017
For the average smartphone user, their phone can either shoot at 120fp or 240fps, depending on the video resolution, and that tends to be enough. For Sony, which is likely the sensor maker for your phone, especially if you own an iPhone, that’s simply not enough. As Micah Singleton writes for The Verge, Sony’s latest camera sensor can shoot
1080p slow-motion video at a blistering 1,000 frames per second. The new 3-layer CMOS sensor — an industry first — can capture slow motion video about eight times faster than its competition with minimal focal pane distortion
and that’s not all.
We’ve heard Sony speak out about how they want to beat all other OEMs when it comes to Android OS releases and with Android 7.1.1 Nougat, they did just that. In fact, the only company to release that build of Android before Sony was Google, which almost comes as a given. Now the Xperia makers have achieved another milestone – beating Google to the release of the Android February security patch. Here is Kris Carlon from Android Authority:
