Sony XZ2 Premium is a heavyweight in more ways than one

It's been some time since Sony had a bona fide smartphone hit on its hands and it will be hoping that the new Xperia XZ2 Premium fits the bill. It packs a lot of features, and at US$999, it matches the heavyweight iPhone X in price. However, it looks like it might have failed at the the weigh in of this battle of the heavyweights, tipping the scales at a whopping 232 grams.

This detail was spotted by the folks over at Phone Arena who point out that Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is also heftier than the already hefty iPhone 8 Plus and Galaxy S8 Active which both tip the scales at 202 grams and 208 grams respectively. This writer has had his hands on the 5-inch Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact and can report that it also feels surprisingly heavy at 168 grams, which is only slightly lighter than the much larger 5.8-inch iPhone X at 174 grams. The regular 5.7-inch Xperia XZ2 is no featherweight either at 198 grams, but is still considerably lighter than its 5.8-inch Premium stablemate, which otherwise shares similar dimensions.

The XZ2 Premium is the first Sony smartphone to feature two rear cameras and also comes with the world's first 4K HDR display on a smartphone. It also packs in a slightly larger battery (3180mAh versus 3540mAh) and an additional 2GB of RAM (for a total of 6GB), all of which undoubtedly add some bulk. The XZ2 Premium also offers a traditional 16:9 display ratio versus the more contemporary 18:9 ratio of the regular XZ2, that also increases its overall footprint.

Sony has traditionally prided itself on delivering thin and light products, but it seems to have abandoned that philosophy for the XZ2 range for some reason. One can only speculate, but it wouldn't surprise to learn that Sony's market research showed that the additional heft in hand lent the impression of a more well-made and premium product. It remains to be seen whether the wider market agrees.

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