Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium arrives to take on Samsung Galaxy S9

New Xperia brings 4K HDR display and upgraded cameras

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

The Sony Xperia XZ2 has only just gone on sale but it's already been surpassed by Sony's latest launch, the Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium, which replaces the XZ Premium.

Perhaps in the hope that it can topple the Samsung Galaxy S9, Sony has given its new phone a few upgrades over the XZ2.

The XZ2 Premium gets a 4K 5.8-inch screen, which improves on the 5.7-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2160) display you'll find on the original XZ2.

The handset also gets an upgraded battery, too (3,540mAh, up from 3,180mAh) while RAM goes from 4GB to 6GB.

On the rear, you'll now find two cameras instead of one, while the front-facing selfie cam is 13 megapixels, up from 5 megapixels.

Sony says the new cameras are better in ultra low light, which is a feature that the company has always been keen to promote on its phones. The 'Motion Eye Dual camera system' uses a second black and white sensor to capture additional image data, which Sony says "creates a high quality, low noise image previously never possible on a smartphone".

Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

The XZ2 Premium will be available from the middle of the year in Chrome Black and Chrome Silver, but Sony has no plans to sell it in the UK and Ireland, according to TechRadar. "Given the strength of the existing Xperia XZ range, specifically the XZ2, XZ2 Compact, and XZ Premium, there are currently no plans for widespread ranging of the handset in the UK and Ireland," a spokesperson said.  Sony did add that it would review this decision when the phone launches elsewhere this summer.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium price has not yet been announced.

Sony Xperia XZ2 vs Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium

Here are the key differences between the two Xperia XZ2 variants.

Sony Xperia XZ2 screen: 5.7-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2160)
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium screen: 5.8-inch 4K HDR

Sony Xperia XZ2 RAM: 4GB
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium RAM: 6GB

Sony Xperia XZ2 battery: 3,180mAh
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium battery: 3,540mAh

Sony Xperia XZ2 front camera: 5MP
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium front camera: 13MP

Sony Xperia XZ2 rear camera: Single 19MB camera
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium rear camera: Dual camera 19MP and 12MP black & white

A full spec rundown can be found on Sony's site.

Paul Douglas
Global Digital Editorial Strategy Director, Future

Paul Douglas is Global Digital Editorial Strategy Director at Future and has worked in publishing for over 25 years. He worked in print for over 10 years on various computing titles including .net magazine and the Official Windows Magazine before moving to TechRadar.com in 2008, eventually becoming Global Editor-in-Chief for the brand, overseeing teams in the US, UK and Australia. Following that, Paul has been Global Editor-in-Chief of BikeRadar and T3 (not at the same time) and later Content Director working on T3, TechRadar and Tom's Guide. In 2021, Paul also worked on the launches of FitandWell.com and PetsRadar.