Sony Xperia XZ Premium: Release date, price and specs of Sony's new flagship smartphone

Sony unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia XZ Premium, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

A successor to the Xperia Z5 Premium, which launched in 2015, the XZ Premium is a plus-sized device with a 5.5-inch screen.

It also boasts a host of "premium" features including a 4K HDR display, advanced camera technology and an attractive glass design.

Here's everything you need to know about Sony's new top-of-the-range device.

Price and availability

Sony says the Xperia XZ Premium will be available globally in two colours - Luminous Chrome and Deepsea Black. The Chrome version is available exclusively at Carphone Warehouse in the UK.

It will cost £649 when bought SIM-free, or £79.99 on a £39 per month 10GB contract.

The phone is set to be released in the UK on 2 June 2017 and pre-orders are currently being taken at both Sony's official site and Carphone Warehouse.

Design

The Xperia XZ Premium has what Sony describes as a "glass loop" surface, which means the glass continues all the way around the device, with metal caps on only the top and bottom.

The glass is Corning Gorilla Glass 5, which can supposedly survive 1.6-metre, shoulder-height drops onto hard, rough surfaces up to 80% of the time.

At 7.9mm thick, it is marginally thinner than its smaller sibling, the Xperia XZ , which launched in September last year.

All of the buttons are down one side of the device, and there is a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, allowing you to unlock it easily with one touch of your thumb.

The back of the phone is mirrored, which is handy if you want to check your make-up, but does mean it picks up fingerprints very easily.

Display

Based on Sony's Bravia TV technology, the Xperia XZ Premium is the first smartphone in the world to feature a 4K HDR display, offering exceptional brightness, colour, clarity and contrast.

To show this off, Sony has partnered with Amazon Prime Video to offer a selection of 4K HDR content to Xperia XZ Premium customers - including Amazon Originals series.

Specs

The Xperia XZ Premium features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, making it one of the first smartphones capable of "Gigabit Class LTE", offering download speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

This is possible because of the integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE modem, which claims to deliver "fibre optic speeds on the go".

The Snapdragon 835 platform also supports graphics-intensive gaming, and works with the PlayStation 4, so you can play games from your console on your smartphone.

The phone comes with a USB 3.1 connection which means file transfers are 10 times quicker than USB 2.0 with a transfer speed of up to 5Gbps, and a USB Type-C port for easy charging.

Camera

Sony has incorporated technology from its premium compact cameras to create the new Motion Eye rear camera system on the Xperia XZ Premium.

The camera has 19MP high resolution sensor, with 19% larger pixels to help you capture sharp, detailed images in low-light and backlit conditions.

It has "memory stacked image sensor" capable of recording in HD at a rate of 960 frames per second, meaning you can create videos and play them back in super slow motion - four times slower than on other smartphones.

The phone also includes a feature called Plus Predictive Capture, which automatically starts buffering images when it detects motion, even before you press the button, to ensure you don't miss the moment.

Software

Sony claims that the Xperia XZ Premium learns how you use your phone and adapts and makes recommendations.

Xperia Tips and new Xperia Actions offer you advice about the features you're using and suggest map downloads based on your location.

Meanwhile, the battery is maximised using something called Smart Stamina technology, which estimates how long your current battery will last based on your normal usage and warns you if you're going to run out of power later that day.

There's also something called Battery Care that charges your phone to 90%, waits, then charges to 100% just before your normal wake-up time. This is designed to protect your battery and keep it healthy up to twice as long.

Other features

The Xperia XZ Premium and XZs is water resistant and protected against dust, so you don't need to worry if you get caught in the rain, and you can wash off dirt under a tap as long as all the ports and attached covers are firmly closed.

However, it shouldn't be completely submerged or exposed to seawater, salt water, chlorinated water or liquids such as drinks.

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