Two smartphones that were released this Mobile World Congress 2018 is put side-by-side to find out which one looks better on paper. This time it’s the Sony Xperia XZ2 versus the Samsung Galaxy S9.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 is the newest flagship of the company that has the latest flagship processor of Qualcomm. 5.7″ 18:9 Full HD+ HDR TRILUMINOS display with 2160 x 1080 resolution, Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, 19MP rear camera, 5MP front camera, 3,180mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and Qi Wireless Charging.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is the newest flagship smartphone of the company. It has a 5.8″ 18.5:9 WQHD+ Super AMOLED display with 2960 x 1440 resolution, an Exynos 9810 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, a 12MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, an 8MP front camera, and 3,000mAh battery with fast charging and wireless charging.
Here are their detailed specs:
| Xperia XZ2 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
|---|---|
| 5.7-inch 18:9 Full HD+ HDR TRILUMINOS display @ 2160 x 1080px | 5.8-inch WQHD+ 18.5:9 Super AMOLED display @ 2960x 1440px, 568ppi |
| Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Gorilla Glass 5 (front and back) |
| 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core | 2.7GHz Samsung Exynos 9810 octa-core |
| Adreno 630 GPU | Mali G72-MP18 GPU |
| 4GB RAM | 4GB LPDDR4 RAM |
| 64GB UFS internal storage | 64GB UFS 2.1 internal storage |
| Single SIM/Dual SIM w/ expandable via microSD up to 400GB | Dual hybrid nano-SIM card and microSD card up to 400GB |
| 19MP rear Motion Eye camera (1/ 2.3”, 1.22μm, 25mm Sony G Lens f/2.0) | 12MP f/1.5-f/2.4 dual pixel, OIS, 2x optical zoom w/ Dual-tone, dual-LED flash |
| 5MP Exmor RS front camera (1/ 5”, 23mm f/2.2 wide angle) | 8MP f/1.7 front-facing camera |
| 4G LTE | 4G LTE Cat. 18 6CA 1.2Gbps |
| WiFi, Miracast | WiFi 802.11ac |
| Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| NFC | NFC |
| - | Iris scanner |
| Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner |
| GPS with aGPS, GLONASS | GPS with aGPS, GLONASS, BeiDou |
| IP65/IP68 Dust and Water Resistance | IP68 dust and water-resistance |
| Stereo Speaker with S-Force Front Surround, Qualcomm aptX HD audio | Dual AKG speakers, Dolby ATMOS |
| Android 8.0 Oreo | Android 8.0 with Samsung Experience 9 |
| USB Type C 3.1 | USB Type-C |
| - | Samsung Bixby, Bixby Vision 2.0 |
| 3180mAh battery w/ Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, Qi Wireless Charging | 3,000 Li-Po battery with Fast Charging and wireless charging |
| 153 x 72 x 11.1 mm | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5mm |
| 198g | 168 grams |
| Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash Pink | Midnight Black, Lilac Purple |
Here are the advantage of each smartphone:
Sony Xperia XZ2
+ Higher rear camera resolution
+ Higher CPU clock speed
+ Slightly larger battery capacity
Samsung Galaxy S9
+ Larger screen aspect ratio
+ Larger screen aspect ratio
+ Higher screen resolution
+ 3.5mm audio port
+ Higher front camera resolution
+ Heart-rate scanner
+ Iris scanner
+ Lighter mass
Both have excellent displays with almost the same aspect ratio but the Galaxy S9 has a larger screen size and screen resolution compared to the XZ2, making the former a more suitable device for watching videos, viewing photos, or gaming.
Both devices are equipped with the latest flagship chipsets which are the Exynos 9810 for the S9 and Snapdragon 845 for the XZ2. Based on clock speed alone, the XZ2 has a faster chipset than the S9, but users won’t notice the difference in real-time use. Gaming potential for both devices shouldn’t be a problem since both GPUs are capable of running light-to-heavy graphics games at highest settings.
The XZ2 boasts that it can perform well in low-light conditions due to the new camera technology. The Galaxy S9, on the other hand, also claims good low-light performance with its switching aperture of f/1.5-f/2.4. As for the front camera, the S9 has the advantage with its higher resolution sensor.
The XZ2 has a larger battery capacity than the S9. But we’ll know for certain which one has better power management once we’ve tested both devices. As for charging capabilities, both support fast charging and wireless charging.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 is priced at Php45,990, while Sony is yet to reveal the pricing of the XZ2. We’ll know soon once it reaches the local market.
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Snapdragon 845 is powering S9 as well on selected variants.
Regarding battery life, I’ll bet on XZ2 considering bigger capacity and lower screen resolution than S9 on paper. Still, I am waiting for the actual test.
Camera? I can’t tell.
Audio? WTF Sony for ditching 3.5mm jack.