Sony’s Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are now available in Australia

After unveiling their Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, Sony has today unveiled local availability of their 2018 flagships in Australia.

Features

The 2018 flagships for Sony bring a brand new design for Sony, gone are the boxy rectangles of their OmniBalance design, replaced with a sleeker curved design that still retains the essence of what a Sony Xperia mobile has come to be known for. The XZ2 family now incorporates 18:9 aspect ratio displays in a new design language called “Ambient Flow”, though the symmetric bezels top and bottom and minimal side bezels on the sides of the phones that Sony is known for remain.

Those top and bottom bezels above and below the screen are well utilised with the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact incorporating front-facing stereo speakers featuring ‘S-Force Surround Sound for cinema-quality audio.

Sony’s audio experience also now includes a new immersive audio feature in the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact called Dynamic Vibration System (DVS). DVS is the system that interprets sounds in games, movies and videos and awakens the haptic motor on-board allowing the vibrations to really let you feel the action.

As well as new design and updated audio, Sony has brought new features to their vaunted camera system, with the video on the Xperia XZ2/XZ2 Compact both incorporating 4K HDR video recording – a worlds first for smartphone cameras. Sony has also updated their Super Slow Motion video technology in another worlds first, bringing back their 960fps video capture which has now been updated to FullHD 1080p resolution.

Sony Mobile’s Managing Director of Oceania, John Featherstone said of the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact

The immersive entertainment features available in the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are inspired by a significant shift in consumer behaviour in Australia. According to our new consumer research, 40 per cent of millennial Australians consider their smartphone their primary source for creating and consuming entertainment content. Because of this, there is a growing desire for mobile technology that elevates the emotional and sensory experience of consuming content on the go. With camera, screen and sound technology that is world-first for a smartphone, we’re excited the Xperia XZ2 will make mobile immersive entertainment a reality for Australians to both create and consume.

For those excited about Sony’s 3D Creator technology first introduced on the Xperia XZ1, Sony has announced that the XZ2 will also be bringing advanced improvements to the feature. The 3D processing is now all done onboard on the phone, with improvements to both speed and quality of the 3D renders captured by the phone.

Hardware

Sony’s new XZ2 series are more alike than previous generations of full size and compact versions, both incorporate the latest processor technology utilising the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 platform, with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of on-board storage (both have microSDXC support up to 400GB as well). Sony has incorporated a 19MP rear camera sensor on the back of the XZ2 series, with the sensor sitting just above a rear fingerprint sensor – another change to their design. The XZ2 also incorporates a 5MP sensor on the front of the phone for those all important selfies.

There are of course differences between the phones, with the Xperia XZ2 incorporating a 5.7″ display vs the Xperia XZ2 Compact with a 5.0″ display – though both screens have a 1,080 x 2,160 resolution. The battery sizes also differ with the Xperia XZ2 getting a 3,180 mAh battery, while the XZ2 Compact has a slightly smaller 2,870 mAh battery.

Availability and Pricing

The good news is that the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact will be available through retail, online and through Telstra – though details on the Telstra availability aren’t yet available.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 is coming to Australia where it will be available from JB HiFi, Kogan and amaysim in the Liquid Black colour for $1,099 or if you want a broader colour choice, you can get it in Liquid Silver, Liquid Black, Deep Green, and Ash Pink colour options from Sony Mobile kiosks and online. The Xperia XZ2 Compact is available from Kogan and amaysim in Black for $949, or from Sony kiosks and online in White Silver, Black, Moss Green, and Coral Pink.

As well as outright, amaysim is offering payment plans for both the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. The Xperia XZ2 can be purchased over 12 months for $96 upfront and $96 per month or over 24 months for $53 upfront and $53 per month. The XZ2 Compact can be had for $84 upfront and $84 per month over 12 months or for $45 upfront and $45 per month over 24 months

The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are both exciting new phones, and we’ll be checking out both, with the XZ2 first on the Ausdroid test bench. You’ll be able to see our review in the near future.