Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact vs Apple iPhone 8: the weigh-in

In a field full of ever-expanding screen and device sizes, Sony’s new XZ2 Compact is a smaller phone with some serious perks, packing a 5in, extra-tall 18:9 display along with top-of-the-line tech. In other words, it can hang with the other, larger Android flagships debuting this spring. Of course, if you’re looking for a smaller, flagship-level smartphone, it’s also hard to ignore Apple’s iPhone 8. Here’s how they compare, based on the specs and our hands-on with the Xperia XZ2 Compact.

DESIGN: NEITHER’S A STUNNER

The iPhone 8 is Apple’s fourth straight core model with the same overall design, and truth we told, it’s become a bit boring. That said, the Xperia XZ2 Compact isn’t going to win any awards for Android design. It’s fairly plain on the front, with a good amount of bezel here (much like the iPhone), and the backing goes simple with rounded polycarbonate.

SCREEN: THE SONY EDGE

The Xperia XZ2 Compact’s screen is comparatively small at 5in, and relatively modest at 1080p. However, it does go extra-tall at an 18:9 aspect ratio, providing more room to view photos, videos, games, apps, and anything else you can throw at it. By comparison, the iPhone 8’s screen still underwhelms. Apple is sticking with the 4.7in, 750p, 16:9 Retina LCD display we’ve seen before – and the sharp-looking Sony has a slight edge here.

CAMERA: PHOTO FINISH?

Sony isn’t known for the best smartphone snappers around, but the XZ2 Compact could buck that trend. It has a single 19-megapixel back sensor with ISO 51,200 sensitivity for better low-light performance. What’s more, it takes slow-motion video at a mad 960 frames per second. On the other hand, we already know that Apple’s iPhone 8 camera is stellar: there are few better point-and-shoot smartphone cameras out there, with the iPhone 8 delivering routinely excellent shots.

PERFORMANCE: HEAVY LIFTERS

The Xperia XZ2 Compact might be small, but it’s certainly mighty: Sony has packed in the same aforementioned Snapdragon 845 chip that we’re seeing in a lot of newly-announced flagship phones, along with 4GB RAM. And yet Apple has it beat, amazingly enough. The A11 Bionic chip, the same seen in the iPhone X, is an absolute barnburner of a mobile processor, driving benchmark numbers that still haven’t been equaled even after six months on the market.

BATTERY AND PERKS: XPERIA ADVANTAGES

When it comes to battery capacity, the XZ2 Compact has a big advantage: it wields a 2,780mAh battery pack, while the iPhone 8 has a paltry 1,821mAh. The iPhone 8 does have the advantage of wireless charging, however, which isn’t available on Sony’s Compact. Both of these handsets start with a solid 64GB of internal storage, but the Xperia XZ2 Compact has a significant edge with microSD support.

INITIAL VERDICT: AN XZ DECISION

Ultimately, it’ll depend on price. We don’t have a price point for the Xperia XZ2 Compact just yet, but the XZ1 Compact came in at £499/$599. If the XZ2 Compact comes in anywhere near that tally, then we think it’ll be easy to give the nod to Sony here. Why? Well, the iPhone 8 is a great phone – but it’s a £699/$699 flagship in an era of, say, the brilliant OnePlus 5T at £449/$629. Save your cash and get a phone that’s arguably better and fresher in several key ways? Absolutely.