INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
heads.This is the phone that should have been launched in Barcelona in February
for nearly two months laterAnd on top of that, why on earth is it not coming to places like the UK, and yet is being sold in the US, where
to the Xperia XZ Premium - one of the top phones of 2017
of everyday use, it had a bezel-heavy front where Samsung and LG were pushing screens to the edge of the phone with the Galaxy S8 and G6,
days, and Sony was offering some premium technology in the mix.So when the time came for the new phone launch in 2018, most people expected
awareness nonetheless.But what we got was confusing: the Sony Xperia XZ2, a phone that finally brought the 18:9 screen format with fewer
bezels and a powerful new chipset running things
But it feels like the base model - the iPhone 8, the Samsung Galaxy S9
Both of those had a bigger, more expensive sibling (the iPhone 8 Plus and the Galaxy S9 Plus), and it felt like Sony was missing a part of
the puzzle.Things got more confusing when Sony unveiled a sensor at MWC too, a dual camera that was capable of fantastic video quality in
low light and much-improved image quality
The mystery deepened.The new Sony Xperia XZ PremiumWhy do this nowIt was really tough to see why Sony would do this: unveil a new phone, and
then spend time talking about how the next one was going to be even better
Was it actively trying to put off potential buyers No, as it turned out
Mobile told me at MWC this year
Sony over whether to even show off the sensor at MWC this year, mindful of the fact it might cannibalize the lustre and excitement around
of the new sensor on show at MWC was very, very impressive for low-light video.Image 2 of 3It's not clear which phone it was being
compared to, but the vibrancy was unquestionable.Image 3 of 3This is a still image of the same scene taken with the Samsung Galaxy Note
just sell that and blow the competition away.But making a phone requires far more than just assembling the parts
It needs to have a bundle of power in an ever-slimmer frame, which means a high engineering cost to miniaturize components and runs the risk
of failure (just ask Samsung about the Note 7 debacle).It needs to be rigorously tested in terms of camera, battery and CPU performance
powerful chipsets spewing out all the time.Even if all of that is achieved, a certain portion of the development budget has to be given to
market to invest heavily in the next generation of smartphone creation, which would explain why it seems to bring out phones with technology
crack the premium market.Is Sony's dual camera the real dealBad timingOne thing this low-key unveiling of the Xperia XZ2 Premium does show
is that MWC is a terrible time to be launching phones for some brands
lost.But for those that feel Sony should have just shown off XZ2 Premium in Barcelona last month anyway, to whet appetites, consider that
everyone can buy.3oV6n4MbHk9G5KgkZh8Che.jpg#
