Sony’s Xperia XZ premium has the same screen technology as the company’s Bravia TVs

SONY has just released its latest flagship smartphone and it has one feature the iPhone doesn’t even come close to matching.

WHAT if I told you it was possible to buy a Sony 4K television small enough to fit in your pocket?

And what if the product could also record 4K/super-slow mo video, capture photos and offer the ability to surf the internet, download apps, send messages or make phone calls.

If this sounds appealing, it’s time to get excited because the product is currently on the market and will set you back just over $1000 — not bad, all things considered.

The product in question is Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium smartphone and it’s every bit as impressive as it sounds.

If you’re a little confused about how a smartphone could double as a 4K TV, let me explain.

Featuring the same technology used in Sony’s Bravia TVs, the company has developed the first

smartphone in the world to include a 4K HDR display.

This means it has enough pixels to be able to display four times the level of detail seen on Full HD 1080p screens, while High Dynamic Range transforms your viewing experience by offering greater detail in bright and dark areas.

To put this into perspective, the XZ Premium’s display has 3840 x 2160 pixels, which far exceeds the 1080 x 1920 and 1440 x 2960 pixel resolutions offered by the iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S8, respectively.

While the smartphone obviously delivers very sharp and clear images, it’s hard not to think the benefit of such technology is slightly lost on a 5.5-inch display — plus setting the device to its most vibrant and bright settings will burn through the phone’s 3,230mAh battery.

It must also be mentioned that you need internet over 15 Mbps to stream content available in 4K, which is extremely limited for mobile devices in Australia at this point in time.

That aside, I still can’t help but love the feature — if only for the fact I get to tell people my smartphone is better quality than their TV.

Sony’s motion eye sensor has a memory layer that acts as an image buffer.

CAMERA

The 4K HDR display isn’t the only trick shot on the device, with the XZ Premium holding the ability to record incredibly slow motion video.

While all of the competitor smartphones on the market can only record slow motion at maximum of 240 frames per second, the XZ Premium can record video at 960fps — making it four times slower than any other smartphone.

Unfortunately Sony has downgraded from the 23MP rear camera seen on its predecessor, although its 19MP replacement still offers high quality images.

The device also has a 13MP front-facing snapper, which is capable record videos in Full HD resolution.

One of the best camera features is Sony’s “Predictive Capture”, which takes up to four photos a second before the shutter button is even clicked to ensure you don’t miss the moment.

EVERYTHING ELSE

Sony might not have moved too far away from the brand’s signature rectangular shape, but the XZ Premium has been tweaked to have a much curvier body than its predecessors.

Sadly there is a thick bezel around the screen — especially at the top and bottom — which looks slightly ugly when compared to the sleek design of Samsung’s S8.

Sony has once again placed fingerprint scanner on the side of the device and the headphone jack at the top, while the bottom is home to the USB-C charging port.

The glossy Gorilla Glass 5 finish of the XZ Premium adds a nice touch of class to the design, although it is very susceptible to grubbily little fingerprints, which is something to keep in mind.

Sony’s strong links to audio can be seen on the device, which delivers detail and clarity from the stereo speakers.

Like the earlier model, the XZ Premium is protected against water spills and dust with IP65/68 certification.

The XZ Premium also has 64GB of storage, with the ability to expand with a microSD card.

All in all, I am a massive fan of what Sony has done with the XZ Premium, much like I was a fan of its predecessor.

While I still think Samsung’s S8 is the best phone currently on the market, I would have no problem recommending this device for anyone looking to mix things up.

With 4K content already increasing in popularity, Sony are setting the benchmark for phones to come.

What do you think of the XZ premium? Continue the conversation in the comments below or with Matthew Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.