Sony Xperia XZ Premium G8142 64GB Deepsea Black, Dual Sim, 5.5", GSM Unlocked International Model, No Warranty

Firstly, let me get this information out of the way - I do get LTE+. I live in NYC, and use T-Mobile as my carrier. The phone initially booted for me in English, but required a reboot after my SIM was inserted. For whatever reason, the PIN I provided did not take and I had to do a full factory format. It later came back to life in Chinese - which I unfortunately could not read.After fumbling my way through the initial setup, I managed to change the language back to English. Here is where I redid the SIM insert. While successful, it initially only gave me H+ for data speeds. As a man who don’t mind settling, it didn't faze me. The speed was above 3G, and I relegated it to a con of being an international model.Ironically hours later, I came across a specific SIM setting called 'Preferred network type', under 'Mobile network settings'. There was a choice for LTE, so I selected it. After a momentary connection loss, H+ was replaced by LTE+. It definitely was good of me to continue fiddling around with the phone settings.As for how I came about in purchasing the Xperia XZ Premium (XZP), the story actually began several years ago. I was in the market for a new phone, after tiring of the 4” screen of the iPhone 5. I eventually came across the Xperia brand in a T-Mobile store. I really liked the blocky design, but the price versus specs was underwhelming. I eventually chose the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, and I was more or less content with my choice for a few years.My need to replace the Note 4 came about when the GPS became unreliable. As I had begun to drive for various rideshares, a wonky GPS was just asking for trouble. Since the need was immediate, and the Android selections lackluster, I went with an iPhone 7 Plus.I never chose a side when it came to the Android/iOS rivalry – I could use either, since both brands had their positives. And I could work around, or ignore the negatives. Still, it was only after several months of using my iPhone, that I wanted to go back to Android. I perhaps didn’t realize it early enough, but I did prefer the Google assistant over Siri.It was here that I looked at the Xperia XZs and XZ Premium as choice contenders. While the price point was good for the XZs, I wanted a bigger phone that was the XZP. With topnotch hardware specs rivaling the Samsung Galaxy S8+, I was convinced this time around to go with the Xperia XZP.I did look at other competitor phones such as the LG G6, and the Samsung Galaxy S8+. However, their designs were just not as appealing as the Xperia XZP. Ironically though, if the Samsung Note 8 had been theoretically available, it might have given me pause – I do have a particular fondness for the Note line.Xperia XZP Keynote and Observations:- The dimensions of the Xperia XZP is similar to the iPhone 7 Plus (my second phone). It is ever so shorter than the iPhone, but thickness and width are almost identical.- The Xperia XZP runs notably cooler than my iPhone 7 Plus. Driving all day during the summer has caused my iPhone to stop functioning at times, due to overheating. That is detrimental to my rideshare work.- The Xperia XZP is slippery, and a case is highly recommended. I’ve gotten used to not using a case with phones, but I fear a drop is inevitable without proper grip.- The fingerprint sensor works incredibly fast and accurate - the placement on the side is also ideal to hold and unlock. This makes me doubly happy to have gotten the international model.- While I do find iOS generally easier to navigate and intuitive to use, I did miss the ‘back’ button on Android phones.- There is a dedicated camera button on the Xperia XZP. While I’m no photo-enthusiast, it does make it incredibly convenient to launch the camera with a mere button press.- The Xperia XZP does not play nice with my car’s Bluetooth, unlike the iPhone. While I did manage to connect, it is still fickle with a tendency to not work properly.- The 960fps video capture requires great lighting – ideally outdoors on a sunny day. Attempting to use this feature indoors without floodlights, will cause the video capture to be dark and grainy.- The Xperia XZP has dual stereo speakers, so it should technically sound ‘better’ than my iPhone 7 Plus. I find this inaccurate, and actually prefer the iPhone speakers.- The iPhone has a ‘Night Shift’ function, that makes seeing the display at night easier on the eyes. I grew fond of that ability over time. Unfortunately, the Xperia XZP does not have it.In conclusion, I highly recommend the Sony Xperia XZ Premium to those who have an interest in purchase. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it is one of the best phones Android has to offer currently, and the Xperia does stand out due to its rarity – it is not available for sale in most retail stores. While a Note 8 release or flashy new iPhone may sway me in the future, I am thoroughly satisfied with the Xperia XZP now.IMPORTANT NOTE: For those looking for camera, processor, and general software details, I would highly recommend watching various YouTube reviews on the Xperia XZP. They can provide better explanations of functionality and limitations.

If you went out and purchased a good Hi-Res audio player it would cost as much as this phone. The phone is as good or better than any phone on the Market. Here's why,1. The Hi-Res audio DAC makes regular mp3's actually sound good.2. Real Hi-Res recordings are like going from ntsc to 4k video.3. 4k screen is great looking.4. Not bogged down with intrusive software like Bigsby.5. I really like the placement of the fingerprint reader. It is like R&D decided every time I hold my phone my finger is here. Unfortunately the next generation they are moving to the back of the phone.6. Sony has always made world class cameras. Slow motion is pretty good even though I rarely use it.7. Great speed, faster than the competition . Might be due to not as much brand apps loaded on phone.I originally purchased the phone for the Hi-Res player. I went in this direction because a good Hi-Res only player starts at around $600.00. The obvious choice was to get a unit that also functions as a smartphone, great camera included. I didn't expect much as a smartphone but Sony has far exceeded all my expectations. The only thing I don't like is the search function in phone contacts. Not a big deal but just put the alpha characters on the side. I'm looking forward to purchasing the next generation. Sony has done a terrible job in advertising the whole Xperia lineup. It looks like Xperia is better know in overseas markets. You get so much more for your money compared to the other smartphones. If you like music Hi-Res audio is as important as 4k-8k high definition video. I'm sold on Xperia smartphones.

The phone worked fine for a few months, but it started getting very hot even when the screen was off, and the charging port seemed to have become loose, causing it to be unable to charge. I have never had this issue on any other phone, and I cannot recommend this phone to anyone, especially not for the price.Later software updates also caused the phone to slow down greatly, making the phone very difficult to use, but most Android phones have this issue.

Best high end android phone currently available.Pros:1 superb ergonomics: clean left edge of the phone so you can hold it comfortably while reading in bed, for example.2 dedicated camera button3 stereo, front facing speakers sound great and other phones sound mediocre in comparison4 screen looks great and is on par with amoled. Wish Sony provided option for display to always be in 4k5 camera 960 fps video is amazing. Regular 1080 HD video is excellent and clear with quick exposure adjustment and image stabilization and with superb audio quality6 excellent camera, excellent audio7 very fast phone and is responsive and not too much stock android customization8 excellent battery life on par with top end phones such as the Pixel9 SD card slot accepts up to 256 GB !10 fingerprint reader is accurate and fast! and is embedded in the side power button (international version)Cons:1 on the heavy side, but still not unformatable to hold in hand2 screen can be made bigger and phone smaller by trimming down the bezels3 Does not run 4k resolution all the time leaving some embedded images pixelated that otherwise show up much sharper on a LG G6 for example (Amazon music album covers, for example).4 volume rocker can be made a bit bigger5 display auto-adjust brightness shifts around in darkness