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Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium's camera could be better than Galaxy S9's

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium could have a better camera than the iPhone X, Galaxy S9 and the Huawei P20 Pro.

Jessica Dolcourt Senior Director, Commerce & Content Operations
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Expertise Content strategy, team leadership, audience engagement, iPhone, Samsung, Android, iOS, tips and FAQs.
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Jessica Dolcourt
2 min read
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Sony

First there was the Samsung Galaxy S9 and then there was the Huawei P20 Pro. Now it's Sony's turn to boldly claim that its phone camera is the most advanced there is.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium has the highest-reaching hardware specs of all three phones in its line. It follows the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact announced this past February.

At first glance, the camera specs are a tangle of terms: "highest ISO 12800 sensitivity for video recording" and "ultra-high sensitivity 51200 for photos". That's just the tip of the iceberg, but if your mind's racing, don't worry. 

What you really need to know is that the Xperia XZ2 Premium promises to take crystal clear photos from its dual-lens camera on the back, and ultra low-light photos and videos using technology only seen on DSLR cameras with interchangeable lenses.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium also has super slow-motion that captures video at a rate of 960fps. No big deal, right? The Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus can do that, too, and so can the Huawei P20 Pro. But it is a big deal because Sony's phone shoots at a much higher resolution than the Galaxy S9 phones -- 1080p and 720p resolution versus only 720p -- which means that the Xperia XZ2 Premium's super-slow video should be clearer and more detailed.

Here's one other thing to know. The dual camera has one color lens and a monochrome lens. While it will have a dedicated black-and-white mode and a portrait mode (also known as the bokeh effect, that softly blurs the background to make the subject pop), Sony says these will roll out sometime in "Q3" to Sony's global markets, so sometime between June and September.

Xperia XZ2 Premium specs

  • 5.8-inch screen with 4K pixel resolution
  • Dual camera lens (RGB and monochrome), with portrait mode
  • Super slow-motion video capture in 720p or 1080p resolution
  • 13-megapixel front-facing camera
  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
  • 3,540mAh battery
  • Water resistance: IP65/IP68
  • Android 8.0 Oreo
  • Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides
  • Colors: Chrome black, chrome silver
  • Selling summer 2018

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