At MWC 2018, I got to play with the Galaxy S9 and Xperia XZ2, launched by Samsung and Sony Mobile, respectively. After the two new phones were launched in Taiwan, I also got my hands on both to try them out. This article analyzes the design, camera features, and overall user experience of the two new phones and analyzes which one is better.
For a more complete hands-on experience, please refer to the following:
- Sony Mobile Interview with Yosuke Sometani: Ambient Flow design symbolizes the next generation
- Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ 2 Compact: New haptic design and digital audio output
- Unboxing/Galaxy S9+ actual shots, compared with Galaxy S8+ and iPhone X
- Galaxy S9 series appearance, peripheral accessories and Galaxy S8+ appearance comparison
Xperia XZ2 has a noticeable design change, and Samsung focuses on the camera shooting experience
Overall, compared to last year's flagship Galaxy S8, Samsung's Galaxy S9 series doesn't really differ significantly in appearance. While the company emphasizes narrowing the top and bottom bezels to increase the screen's display area, consumers likely won't notice much.
As for size, the Galaxy S9 also comes in 5.7-inch and 6.3-inch screen sizes, essentially the same as last year's Galaxy S8 series. However, the larger Galaxy S9+ features a dual-lens design, forcing consumers to consider whether they need a secondary lens for shallow depth of field photography with the main camera when choosing between the two phones. Otherwise, the smaller Galaxy S9, which also offers a variable aperture main camera, is also very convenient and even easier to hold and carry than the Galaxy S9+.
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| Galaxy S9 appearance | Galaxy S9 appearance | Maintain the ultra-narrow bezel design of Infinity Display |
Sony Mobile, often criticized for its failure to make significant changes in the past, launched its new flagship phone, the Xperia XZ2018, at MWC 2. This significantly changed consumers' impression of the Xperia series. The phone's exterior no longer retains the traditional boxy design, and the long-standing fingerprint sensor has been moved from the power button to the back. For the first time, it has added a full-size screen and wireless charging capabilities, and has removed the 3.5mm headphone jack that it had previously insisted on retaining. This has led many consumers to believe that Sony Mobile's new phone reforms are too obvious, and many have expressed their disapproval.
However, despite the numerous innovations incorporated into the Xperia XZ2, Sony's commitment to mobile phone usability remains evident in its design. For example, while following market trends by adopting a full-size screen, Sony has managed to maintain a low display-to-body ratio, ensuring that touch controls aren't affected by fingertips simultaneously touching the screen. Furthermore, while the 3.5mm headphone jack has been eliminated, Sony has invested in Bluetooth headset and LDAC technology development over the past few years, allowing users to familiarize themselves with wireless headphones. The Xperia XZ2 also comes with a USB Type-C adapter with digital amplification, allowing users to continue using their existing wired headphones.
Therefore, in comparison, the Xperia XZ2 has a more significant overall reform ratio. At the same time, the Xperia XZ2 Compact with similar hardware specifications, lacking only some functions such as wireless charging, was also released in the international market to meet the needs of small-sized models. Unfortunately, due to the poor sales of small-sized models in the Taiwanese market, it was not considered for introduction.
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| The Xperia XZ2, which introduced a full-size screen design for the first time | The body design is obviously different from previous Xperia series phones | The independent camera shutter button is still retained on the side of the body |
The hardware specifications of the Taiwan version are not much different, but the operating experience is different.
In terms of the basic hardware performance comparison between the two new models, although the versions sold in Taiwan use different processor specifications, resulting in differences in communication and networking efficiency, as well as processor computing performance and battery life, the actual differences are not that large. In addition, both new models use 6GB of memory specifications, so the operating fluency is not much different.
However, if you really want to compare, while the Xperia XZ2's design emphasizes a comfortable grip and a center of gravity that's ideal for natural use, it's still a bit heavier than the Galaxy S9 series. Furthermore, the centrally placed main camera lens, designed to fit the design, makes it easy to accidentally touch it. In contrast, the Galaxy S9 series maintains the flat design of the Galaxy S8, while the Galaxy S9+ adopts a vertically arranged camera module to address the issue of accidentally touching the lens when using the fingerprint sensor. However, due to the thin design, some users with larger hands may still have difficulty holding the phone firmly.
Each smart app has its own strengths, but the Galaxy S9 has the added bonus of Bixby, which is still growing.
As for the operating system, both new phones use the latest version of Android 8.0 or higher, and each also adopts artificial intelligence technology applications. For example, the Xperia XZ2 can extend the phone's battery life through the Xperia Assistant, Stamina intelligent power saving and battery protection mechanism, while the Galaxy S9 series can use Bixby Vision to allow users to directly use the camera to find the object in front of them, assist with text translation, and even directly confirm the location of nearby restaurants through the lens frame.
In terms of digital assistant services, the Xperia XZ2 also collaborates closely with Google on the Google Assistant digital assistant service, and will add support for more language interfaces and application functions as Google updates in the future. However, the Galaxy S9 series models, in addition to collaborating with Google, also come equipped with Samsung's own digital assistant service Bixby. Although it currently only supports English, Korean and Simplified Chinese, it is expected that more language interfaces and application services will be added in the future.
Camera function: Samsung's shooting effect may be more in line with everyone's appetite
In fact, when comparing camera functions, not only are there inherent differences in mobile phone camera design, but the actual tones, light intake, and color performance presented in photos are also very different. In particular, Samsung and Sony also have different directional concepts in camera function design.
For example, Samsung emphasizes the performance of aperture light intake, allowing users to shoot brighter images in low-light environments. At the same time, the newly added variable aperture design allows the system to automatically switch according to different lighting conditions. Therefore, in some low-light environments, the amount of light entering can be increased by switching to a large aperture, allowing the camera to avoid unilaterally increasing the sensitivity value, which may cause more noise in the image.
Many consumers tend to prefer a relatively brighter visual experience, and therefore often use their ability to capture clear photos in low-light environments as an intuitive judgment of a camera's quality. Furthermore, the camera's variable aperture automatically adjusts the amount of light entering the camera under different ambient light sources, making it possible to synthesize multiple photos in bright conditions to avoid overexposure. This may lead many consumers to prefer images captured by the Galaxy S9.
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| Galaxy S9's main camera uses a variable aperture design | In addition to the appearance of Xperia XZ2, even the main camera position has been adjusted |
Sony's camera design philosophy, in addition to increasing the aperture size, further emphasizes the performance of the ISO value, hoping to maintain better image quality. However, in some conditions, in order to avoid overexposure, the overall light intake may not be as good as that of competitors, but it can retain a color performance that is closer to reality.
Sony explained that it will not simply increase the amount of light entering through the aperture to improve image capture performance. Instead, it will moderately increase the sensitivity to make the camera's operating mode closer to the way the human eye sees the scene. Even the dual-lens camera module expected to be launched in the future will compare the vision produced by both eyes. The results of the scene captured by the two lenses are automatically synthesized on the photosensitive element to achieve the goal of capturing the image content seen by the human eye.
Xperia XZ2, Galaxy S9 and iPhone X camera comparison:
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
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| Galaxy S9 | Xperia XZ2 | iPhone X |
Which one is better?
Comparing the two new models, the Xperia XZ2 is indeed the most noticeable change in various aspects. While its exterior design may not please everyone, the overall hardware design is superior to previous Xperia models, including HDR upscaling, built-in force feedback that vibrates with the rhythm of sound, and brighter built-in speaker playback, providing users with a deeper immersive experience. Furthermore, enhanced image capture capabilities allow users to capture beautiful images with a single press of the shutter, as well as fun features such as super slow-motion recording with 1080p resolution and 3D modeling. These are all features that make the Xperia XZ2 so appealing.
The Galaxy S9 continues the design of the previous Galaxy S8, attracting more consumers by further improving its camera functions. It also adds AR emojis, wide-angle selfies, and super slow-motion recording functions that are equivalent to the specifications launched by Sony Mobile last year, but with more interesting applications and content. The Galaxy S9 further enhances the product appeal of the original Galaxy S8 series models. However, the differences in the overall phone design and improved functions are not as obvious. Meanwhile, compared with the Xperia XZ2, which removed the 3.5mm headphone jack, Samsung retained the headphone jack design in the Galaxy S9 and also improved the body amplification effect.
Therefore, if you're comfortable with the Xperia XZ2's many noticeable design changes and have confidence in its sound, image quality, and camera performance, the Xperia XZ2 is a good choice, especially since Sony Mobile has put considerable thought into the design of this new phone. Samsung, on the other hand, has leveraged the success of the Galaxy S8 series to further enhance camera performance, even using a variable aperture to enhance performance in varying light levels, allowing users to capture beautiful images with intuitive operation. However, the majority of the new phone's updates are focused on the camera, a feature many consumers frequently use on their phones. Therefore, Samsung's emphasis on camera functionality is well-founded, but the overall changes are relatively few.
