Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Review

+ Pros

• Vibrant images
• Easy to use camera app
• Good level of manual controls
• Compact model has same camera specs as XZ2
• 4K HDR video recording
• Impressive battery management
• Shutter release button
• Fast and responsive
• Water resistant

- Cons

• Low-resolution selfie camera, and poor results
• Low-resolution creative effects
• Noise is an issue at full resolution
• No headphone socket

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact was announced in February 2018, and replaces the XZ1 Compact. It was announced alongside the bigger brother, the XZ2. Both the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact feature the same cameras - a 19 megapixel MotionEye on the back and 5-megapixel wide-angle selfie camera on the front. Both phones are also water resistant and have the same processor, along with 64GB storage and 4GB RAM. The XZ2 is available for £579.99, and the XZ2 Compact can be picked up for £529 on Amazon. Black, white and green editions are available for both models.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Features

The Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 compact have a lot of the same specs and features, in two different sized bodies. Sony is one of the only manufacturers currently putting some effort into high specification smaller smartphones, which is great for those of us that don't want a huge smartphone. 

The XZ2 Compact features a 19-megapixel MotionEye camera on the back, with 4K HDR recording capability. It is also capable of capturing super slow motion footage in FullHD. Sony says that MotionEye technology allows the camera to capture exceptional images in low light thanks to the ExmorRS memory-stacked BSI CMOS sensor, which is the same size as you'd find in many compact cameras. 

The sensor uses predictive capture for better images, and a redesigned 25mm f/2 Sony G lens is said to capture detail and texture accurately for higher optical clarity from corner to corner. Bionz for mobile image processing gives accurate motion detection and fast image processing.

There is also SteadyShot technology built in, offering 5-axis electronic image stabilisation (with a Gyro sensor). HDR photos are also possible. On the front, you'll find a 5-megapixel 1/5inch Exmor R sensor, and 23mm wide-angle f/2.2 lens, which also features 5-axis electronic image stabilisation.

Below the camera, on the back, you'll find the fingerprint sensor. On the left-hand side of the phone is the SIM/MicroSD card tray, which supports up to a 400GB MicroSD card, and on the right is the volume rocker, on/off button and dedicated camera shutter button. Holding this down takes you straight to the camera app in seconds. 

The design of the phone is a lot more smooth and curved than predecessors in this range, which were very angular, sharp and blocky in their design. The sides and back feature ergonomic curves which feel good in the hand, although the XZ2 Compact has become. The matt finish of the XZ2 Compact makes it a lot more resistant to fingerprints than the shiny glass back of the larger XZ2, which looks stunning but is easily smudged. 

There are only a handful of differences between the XZ2 and XZ2 Compact. The obvious one is the size - the XZ2 has a 5.7-inch screen compared to the 5-inch screen of the XZ2 Compact. Both are 18:9 screens, bringing Sony Xperia smartphones up to date with competitors. They're also vivid HDR displays featuring Sony Triluminos technology. 

The XZ2 has a slightly more powerful battery, at 3180mAh compared to 2870mAh in the XZ2 Compact. The XZ2 also features wireless charging - something that the Compact model doesn't have.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is water resistant, but Sony recommend you don't submerge the phone under water, as there is an exposed USB connection. Both smartphones have a powerful processor - a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and the phone features 64GB storage and 4GB RAM which is impressive especially for a compact smartphone. 

Key Features

• 19-megapixel MotionEye rear camera with 5 axis e-image stabilisation
• 5-megapixel front camera with 5 axis e-image stabilisation
• Bionz for mobile image processing
• Manual shooting mode
• Dedicated camera shutter release button
• 5inch, 18:9, 1080x2160, HDR Corning Gorilla Glass 5 screen with Triluminos technology
• 4K HDR video recording
• 960fps, HD super slow motion video
• Water resistant
• Fingerprint sensor
• 64GB storage, 4GB RAM

Sony Xperia XZ2 / XZ2 Compact Handling

The XZ2 Compact feels very solidly built and has a quality, premium look. For a small phone, the XZ2 Compact feels heavy in the hand and weighs 168g. The sides are made of aluminium, and the buttons are also made out of metal, giving them a solid feel. 

The camera app, as with the cameras themselves, is the same on both models. This hasn't changed much if at all from previous incarnations. The camera app opens up in the Superior Auto mode, and a quick swipe to the left takes you to manual mode, while swiping right takes you to video recording mode and then in-camera apps mode. Only 3 are included as standard - more can be downloaded. Creative Effect, Panorama and Sound Photo can be selected. Selecting these takes you through to a separate camera mode - no manual controls are available with these 3 apps. 

Creative Effect mode is pretty basic, with a range of effects that can be applied to the image including things like fisheye, vivid and pencil sketch effects. There are 18 in total to choose from, however the images produced are only 2mp in size, so you would be better off using a different app for creative effects. 

In manual mode, focus, shutter speed, ISO, EV (exposure), and white balance can all be adjusted by tapping on the one you want to adjust and using the slider that appears below. HDR can also be selected in this mode by tapping the cog icon.

There are 4 resolution / image sizes to choose from - 16:9 (17mp) 16:9 (12mp) 4:3 (19mp) and 4:3 (12mp). The 4:3 resolution leaves a black column on the screen whereas 16:9 fits the phone screen. Self-timer mode, object tracking, metering and auto capture can all be adjusted by tapping the cog on the camera screen. 

Flash has 5 mode options - auto, fill flash, red-eye reduction, off and torch for a constant light when recording video. 

The front camera only has fill flash and auto flash options. Manual mode is selectable on the front camera however only EV and white balance can be adjusted. 

Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC are built-in for easy transferring of your images to cloud storage or to friends. GPS is also built in, allowing you to see where your images were taken. 

The camera app appears very responsive, and pressing the shutter button down and holding it from standby mode opens everything up ready to shoot in a second or so. Swiping through the modes is very responsive and an intuitive way to quickly select the ideal mode. The shutter button is very responsive and the camera focuses quickly and accurately. 

We tested the smartphone speed using Geekbench 4, and AnTuTu:

The phone gives impressive speed, and performance, thanks to the latest SnapDragon 845 processor.

Battery life - The battery of both models is designed to last all day, with Sony's Smart Stamina mode built in designed to predict your usage habits, warning you early if you're going to run out of power and lets you enable stamina mode to cut energy consumption. Sony's battery management has often been very good, and we found the phone would last an impressive amount of time, particularly when not in use. However, if you're going to be away from a power source, we'd recommend getting yourself a portable power bank just in case. 

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings. If you want to see images from the Sony Xperia XZ2 (non-compact version) then have a look here.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Sample Photos

Sample Photos - Colour reproduction is particularly good, and exposure is reliable. Auto mode does a good job of detecting the scene and automatically selects the best settings. Using the HDR modes you can capture a good level of dynamic range. 

As long as you don't look at images at 100%, or assuming you shoot images at 8mp (or simply share images to Facebook), then photos look great. It's when you view images at 100%, that noise (and noise processing) makes image quality suffer. One of the portrait photos has come out well, others images showed high levels of noise over areas of detail. 

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Lens test images

Lens Performance - The lens performs well, with good image quality into the corners of the frame. Using the Bokeh camera app (an app accessible from within the camera), you can shoot up to 8mp images with adjustable levels of bokeh (or background blur), and results are an improvement over the camera's own ability. Close focus performance is good, with the camera able to focus on subjects relatively close to the camera.

The lack of optical image stabilisation means that the camera can struggle in low-light, and it took us a few attempts to get a sharp shot for the low-light photo above.

Lens flare was an issue at times, however, we did not notice any vignetting except at the highest ISO speeds. Purple fringing and chromatic aberration was difficult to spot.

There are options for lens correction, and you can select to prioritise image quality or distortion correction. 

Selfie camera - 5mp is low by today's standards, and for some reason, even with skin softening switched on, the camera produces images with overly sharpened face details (in good light). This is not flattering in the slightest. Your best bet is to use the main camera if possible.

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - Due to levels of noise in all images, particularly where there is any detail, we would recommend using the lowest ISO speeds where possible, or alternatively shooting at 8mp. If you plan on sharing images on social media then this might not be as much of an issue. Noise is well controlled in smooth areas in images, and colour saturation remains good up to ISO3200. 

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) gives a slightly warm result under tungsten lighting, and the tungsten preset gives the same result. AWB gives an excellent image in fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent preset giving a strong yellow colour cast. AWB perfoms well under mixed lighting conditions. 

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact Digital filters

Digital Filters - The Creative Effects app takes 2mp images - and there is no option to take larger images. This is unfortunate as some of the effects are quite good, but you'll need to use another app, such as Snapseed if you want larger images. The panoramic mode can produce a very high-resolution image, with a 3500pixel vertical resolution, we took a 360 panoramic image equal to 73mp. 

Video - The XZ2 Compact can record video using an ISO speed up to ISO4000. It's also unique in offering HDR 4K video recording. There is the option to record 4K video in H.264 or H.265 compression.

Electronic image stabilisation is available for 4K and FullHD video, however, 5-axis image stabilisation is only supported up to FullHD resolution at 30fps, and to use this you need to select "Intelligent Active" Steadyshot.

The HDR mode improves dynamic range recorded in video, boosting shadows, and retaining more detail in highlights. 

You can also record slow-motion video at 960fps, in FullHD or 720p resolution, however, the length of video recorded at the high-speed is quite short. While recording high-speed video, sound stops recording. You can find more XZ2 Compact videos on the ePHOTOzine YouTube Channel.

Value For Money

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is available for £529. This seems expensive when you consider the size, however, when you remember the impressive spec and realise that this phone is just as powerful as its larger counterpart, the price can be forgiven. Some people want a smaller phone but don't want to compromise on quality - this is a good solution. 

It's difficult to compare phones of the same size, as there really isn't another manufacturer still making compact phones on the same level as Sony. Samsung ceased making their 'Mini' range 4 generations ago - with the last one being the S5 mini. This features a 4.5-inch screen so is very compact, and is still available for £236 however only has an 8-megapixel camera and 1.5GB ram, which is quite low compared to more up to date offerings. 

The Google Pixel 2 also has a 5-inch screen, however, has wider top and bottom bezels, making it a larger phone overall, it's available for £575.

Have a look at more smartphones in our Top 10 Best Smartphones for Photography or have a look at the Best Smartphones under £300 for Photography if your budget is a little tighter. Our Best Compact Smartphones for Photography article could help if you're looking for more smaller handsets.

 

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact  Verdict

The Sony Experia XZ2 Compact is capable of producing images with excellent colour reproduction, although noise can be an issue when shooting at full resolution, and when you view images at full size. The camera app is intuitive and hasn't changed much through the generations, making it familiar to use for those upgrading from older Sony handsets. Video recording is good, offering 4K HDR video, although the smartphone doesn't offer 4K video at 60fps. The lack of optical image stabilisation hampers low-light performance, however, this is partly made up for by the use of electronic image stabilisation, which does a good job, particularly for video recording. 

The phone is stylish, well built and the new curvy, ergonomic design makes a big difference to the feel of the phone in the hand. The XZ2 Compact is one of the few smaller handsets to feature exactly the same camera setup as its larger counterpart, making it a viable alternative for smartphone photographers that want to keep things pocketable but not compromise on features and performance. Previous Compact generations lacked the processing power or larger counterparts, but not here - this small powerhouse of a smartphone currently stands out in the market.

The Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact is worth looking at just for the unique size it offers, and high specifications, however there were some issues which we'd like to see improved.

View Full Product Details