You’re not getting the full picture, or the full experience until you’ve experienced Sony’s newest in their Smart TV models – the Sony Bravia X90J.

A TV that is not only Android based, the Bravia X90J is a tele with a brain, similar to ours and how we sense our environment and of course digital entertainment.

At 55 inches the 4K screen is crisp, sharp and precise to the utmost detail with 4K upscaling.

Built with Cognitive A.I. the XR chipset mimics how we as mere humans hear and see stuff and then in our mushy grey matter otherwise called a brain, process that info at lightning speed.

Adapting and enhancing what we see on screen and hear via the Bravia X90J’s XR chip sound and vision.

Is it noticeable – does it really make a difference?

Having one of these TVs for a couple of weeks there was many a gaming marathon (PS5 and Xbox Series X) aswell as Netflix, Disney+ and Shudder marathons.

Already owning a Sony Bravia 4K TV myself I wondered if making the switch from a 2020 model to a 2021 XR chip equipped one would be any different.

First up was the familiarity, for me, of the Google TV layout.

It was not until I started binging a series on Netflix (the new He-Man animated series, which I’m still conflicted about) that the processing of the brightly coloured animations and fluidity of the action scenes really popped out.

The audio was interesting. At times the XR chip seemed to favour voice over soundtrack (as it should) but there were, on very brief occasions, where the background track near faded the voice acting.

This split second anomaly occurred on more than one occasion on both live action and animated or CGI entertainment with differing streaming platforms.

Still, it didn’t really dampen the overall experience.

So, does the Bravia X90J have game?

It sure does.

During my time with the Bravia X90J I opted for TV audio only (I usually have all entertainment and music audio going through a 7.2 surround set-up).

Playing games like The Ascent, Resident Evil 7 and a favourite to test gear out with; Borderlands 3.

Utilising Dolby Atmos and with a virtual 3D surround sound built-in (excellent for PS5 games that support 3D Audio) it was as if I had an external soundbar.

There were times where after I’d switch the TV off I’d then ‘remember’ to switch off my 7.2 channel amp – to realise, oh yeah, I’m not even using it.

The full array LED screen has a 120 FPS refresh up there with some gaming monitors. There’s no ghosting, little to no blurring and of course no screen lag to speak of.

This is the ultimate gaming TV.

On board you have one ethernet port (I used wireless connectivity without any issue), satellite and terrestrial sockets, a generous four HDMI including HDMI 2.1, headphone 3.5mm jack, Digital audio socket and two USB ports.

Sony forgot to add recording to USB drive though.

The TV stand does require a minimal DIY, and there’s something to be said for Sony’s ease of construction for their stands – pretty much lock n load. You can of course wall mount.

The Bravia X90J also comes with a smart remote.

Being Android based, you can at the press of a button ask Google to load up your favourite channel or streaming service… or whatever else you’d like to search for including apps on the Google Play store.

As far as 55 inch Smart TV’s go and given the real smarts built in to their Bravia X90J the price of one of these is alot less than expected – far blowing out their nearest competitor by well over a thousand dollars.

An extreme TV at a less than extreme price, the Bravia X90J should be a serious contender for your next upgrade, or even as a secondary gaming tele.

It pops, sizzles, has the best audio I’ve experienced on a TV yet and it processes your entertainment the same way you do.

Sony Bravia X90J – welcome to the show.

The post Sony Bravia X90J Smart TV Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Experience audio like you’re right therewith the recording artist.

Sony are the fore-bearers of audio on the go, without the likes of the 80’s Walkman and the 90’s CD Walkman it’s possible that we would not have the digital music services we have now.

Sony are also serious about high quality audio experiences.

While they produce sound systems, soundbars for home entertainment and over the head headphones they also have wireless earbuds – their newly released WF-SP800N being one of those.

Built for those that are in to fitness regimes, the WF-SP800N is sweat-proof and has a in-ear stabiliser that ensures it stays put while you’re jogging, sprinting or just shaking your booty to your personal audio.

If you’re not used to wearing snug fitting earbuds the WF-SP800N will take a bit of getting used and getting them to fit – but once you’ve sussed the fitting, it’s like riding a bike – once you do it, you’ll be sweet from then on.

I’ve reviewed many a wireless earbud over the years. I gotta say that the WF-SP800N are the most secure fitted buds I’ve ever worn.

Connected via bluetooth to your Android or iOS (Apple) smart device you’ll also need to download the Sony Headphone Connect app.

While either bud has touch controls; Left being Alexa (or Google Assistant) and the Right being your playback control it’s within the app where you can tweak your audio output to your liking aswell as toggling Noise Cancellation and so forth.

But the WF-SP800N are not your run-of-the-mill wireless buds. They offer something that no other does – 360 Reality Audio via dedicated builtin drivers and micro speakers.

Once you begin the setup within the Headphone Connect app it will request to scan your ear. Our ears are very much like fingerprints, everyone’s is different. Once the scan is done via your smartdevice’s camera the smarts within both the app and buds will fine tune the audio, including the 360 Reality Audio to your ears specifically. This also aides the adaptive sound A.I. within the buds too.

While this is something that is still evolving with the likes of Amazon, Tidal and Deezer offering up a handful of selected tracks remastered in this glorious 3D-like 360 experience, it is a technology that Sony are placing in to a lot of their high-end gear, including the upcoming PlayStation 5.

360 Reality Audio is pretty much how it sounds. Think of watching a film in stereoscopic 3D (yeah I’m still a huge fan of SBS 3D), then apply that to listening to a song.

It’s more than 5.1 or 7.1 surround – a track remastered in to 3D audio has expansive, almost surreal range where your music has been split out so you can hear each and every instrument, vocal, treble, bass via differing channels – exactly as it would be if you were right there in the recording studio with the singer or band.

Sony offer up a voucher for an extended free trial with the WF-SP800N. For the review I chose Deezer as they tend to have a few more 360 Reality Audio tracks in their catalogue than others.

Going from 2D (traditional) to 3D audio is a beautiful thing. But again there’s only a hundred or so 360 Reality Audio tracks on offer at the moment.

This said traditional audio most definitely has that Sony touch listening via the WF-SP800N.

Deep bass with EXTRA BASS enhancement, granular detail in a superb listening experience that no other wireless bud is able to rival at this time of writing.

The WF-SP800N’s are IPS5 rated water proof and due to the technical smarts within are ever so slightly bigger than the others currently in the market.

They come with their own charging case and once removed from the casing you should expect around 9 hours of continuous playback.

On and off but not placing back in to their charging case I was able to squeeze around 7 hours from them – with the Right bud giving up first, probably because that is the master bud of the two.

The charging case will give you 18 hours of charge, so that’s two full rounds for the buds.

But, the case seems to be continually charging, or at least trickle charging the buds. I found that when I did not use the WF-SP800N’s for a couple of days and then went to grab them and go, both the case and buds were completely flat.

Charging the case via a 15 watt USB charger doesn’t take too long – around 20 or so minutes to full.

I did not experience any blips, drops or lag via the connection. Once you’re connected, you’re solid.

Making or taking calls, as you would imagine is easy as for hands-free (almost). Tap the Left bud to get Alexa or your chosen smart assistant to make a call to someone in your phonebook and the Right one answers an incoming call.

The WF-SP800N wireless buds may have been designed for sports but in all honesty they are the the current top-shelf personal audio solution for anyone who has a fine appreciation for an optimal listening experience.

Give your ears a taste of how music should be experienced, submerse yourself into a virtual reality of streaming audio to the likes of a live gig.

Sony’s WF-SP800N are in a class of their own. Theirs nothing like these out there right now.

The post Sony WF-SP800N Wireless Buds Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Go sleek in black and gold.

The forefathers in portable audio who back in the 80’s bought the cassette Walkman followed by the Discman.

Yep, Sony has been the mega innovators in audio and fast forwarding to present they have adopted Bluetooth wireless streaming like a hungry kid with a cream cake.

Serious about sound, Sony were also the first to bring in noise cancelling in to their headsets and headphones – so you can lose yourself in the moment.

Their recently released WH-1000XM3 Bluetooth headphones keep within that top shelf quality realm with both audio filtering and comfort technology built in.

Offering up an impressive 30 hours of continued playback with a minimal 10 minute charge for 5 hours use from totally flat, the WH-1000XM3 have been engineered to keep within the latest and greatest mobile and home tech – as we add smarts to pretty much everything; Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Siri.

The Noise Cancelation on the WH-1000XM3 has also had a do-over, encompassing a dedicated NC processor specific to blocking atmospheric sounds – placing you in your own personal rock stadium.

No other headset does this like Sony.

The WH-1000XM3 will connect to any Bluetooth enabled device. During my time with them, I tried out on Android (Note9), iPhone XS Max and an Asus Zenbook.

The smart devices worked seamlessly as expected – Windows being Windows connected straight away – but was a bit finicky with connection drops. If your device has NFC – then it’s even easier to connect and go with the WH-1000XM3.

The WH-1000XM3 really does ensure you are handsfree. You can take make and receive calls when connected to your smart phone or via Skype on a PC – but you also have touch sensors on the side of the medium sized headset to control your audio you are popping to or media you are watching.

Infact I received a cinema-like experience watching Netflix on the Note9 using the WH-1000XM3 for my audio.

The mid-sized ear cups are pressure sensitive – the WH-1000XM3 will adjust to differing environments, so if you’re in a plane as an example, expect the same audio experience as if you were at home zoned out on the couch.

Foldable and ready to go – the WH-1000XM3 is a supreme Bluetooth headset for travel, at home, anywhere and everywhere.

The post Sony Bluetooth WH-1000XM3 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Sony’s Xperia mobile phones are classy devices and the Xperia XA2 is no exception. It’s not the best Xperia, and it is a bit chunky compared to its Samsung brethren, but it’s feature packed and feels, well, nice in the hand.

I swear by my Xperia XZ Premium, without a doubt, the best mobile phone I’ve ever had. And, as a gamer, the Sony phone’s integration with its PlayStation ecosystem- enabling the XZ to stream PlayStation 4 games and use a PS4 Dualshock. Sadly, the XA2 omits this feature.

Sony’s Xperia XA2 wears its status as a mid-range phone on it’s sleeve.

So, what do you get for your AUD $550? For starters you get a choice of colours. Silver, black, blue or pink. The review unit the Sony sent to us is the black model, which looks very cool with the shiny Corning Gorilla Glass 4 touchscreen contrasted nicely by the matte, metallic-looking rear. Don’t think you’ve escaped finger-prints on the back, as the matte finish shows up all your greasy marks.

Being an Android phone, currently running Android 8, you have access to the Google store. There’s also a few pre-installed apps like Xperia Assist and Xperia Lounge.

As well as the twenty-three mega-pixel rear-facing camera, the back of the phone also has a circular finger-print reader. That camera can also shoot Full HD at 60fps and 4K at 30fps. Bizarrely, unlike the Xperia XZ Premium where it’s a proper camera setting, the XA2 tucks the 4K option away in one of the creative modes, alongside the AR effects and panorama option.

Selfie fans will have a lot of fun with the 8MP front camera. The 120° super wide-angle lens allows you to get more in your selfies than ever before.

The virtually borderless 5.2” screen allows the phone to sit nicely in the hand and, with a full HD 1080p display, has enough pixels to give a crisp display. The slightly curved edgeless screen looks stylish, even if it will make fitting a screen protector a bit of a chore. On the whole, it’s a nice-looking phone.

The real selling point for me the Xperia XA2’s ability to use two Nano SIMs. The issue of carrying two phones, one for work and one for personal is over. Similarly, drug dealers around the globe, who also lament at having to carry two phones, will be well pleased.

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 with an Octa-core ARM Cortex-A53, clocked at 2200mhz, and an Adreno 508 GPU pushing pixels. In real terms, you should have no problems playing PUBG or Fortnite (when we get it on Android).

The Sony Xperia XA2 a sensibly-sized and sensibly-featured phone for someone that wants a nice-looking device that does the job well and for a reasonable price.

The post Sony Xperia XA2 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Sony’s Xperia Ear Duo kit turns what you think you want from a pair of premium wireless earbuds on its head.

Of late I seem to be the go-to guy when it comes to wireless earbuds. Ironically, I usually like my audio loud and preferably via dirty great speakers. Stuffing dainty little bits of plastic in my ears isn’t really my cup of tea. Apart from worrying about the things failing out, unless they are plugged into a car battery, there’s no way I’m going to get my usual deafening audio levels.

The fact of the matter is that I need a lot more than music to sell me on the idea of wireless earbuds.

Hello Sony Xperia Ear Duo.

For starters, these earbuds have the word Xperia on the box. My Sony Xperia XZ Premium is the best phone that I’ve ever come across.

Whilst every other earbud manufacturer is offering you an audio experience that isolates you from the outside world, the Xperia Ear Duo buds are happy to share with you a sublime audio experience without blocking out what’s going on around you.

Opening the compact charging case, the first thing that you notice is just how much Sony’s earbuds look like hearing aids. They are rather bulky, as if they are prototypes still waiting for refinement.

The devices take bit of practise to learn how to put them on without faffing about. The bulk of each ear bud fits behind your ear, anchored in place by a ridged piece of metal the connects to the innovative assembly that sits across your ear canal.

They sound uncomfortable, but they are not, once you get them positioned correctly. They are also not going to fall out easily. I’d argue that they fell a lot more natural that having a traditional earbud screwed into your lughole. They are no more uncomfortable to wear that a pair of sunglasses.

The speakers sit inside the parts tucked out of the way behind your ear with the sound directed through the metal tube to your ear. The actual rubber earpiece (of which there are a few included of different sizes) is circular, allowing you to still hear what’s going on around you.

Whilst you can still turn up the sound to drown out background noise, being able to still hear makes the Xperia Ear Duo a lot more versatile that your average earbuds. Not only are you less likely to get knocked down by the car that you didn’t hear, you can also engage in a conversation without the other party thinking you are ignorant. These are earbuds that you don’t actually need to take out.

The piece behind your ear has a touch sensitive strip that can be used to control your experience. The left side can start and stop music, as well as fast forward and rewind. Sliding your finger up or down either unit with increase or decrease the volume, something missing from many wireless earbuds. The right side has a number of customisable options in which different tap combinations can be configured to open phone apps.

You can set the Ear Duos to have the Xperia Assistant’s ethereal voice fill you with the weather and news as soon as you put them on. You can also set taps on the right headpiece to launch Google assistant and get useful, mis-heard and confused answers to your questions delivered to your ears. They also work with Siri.

The Xperia Ear Duo charging case is compact and practically-sized. The power connector to the charging case is the new USB-C, so be mindful of that, but this is becoming the standard now, so chances you are already using a compatible cable to charge your phone. The case holds enough charge to recharge the ear pieces three times.

You should get around four hours of listening and two and a half-hour of talking from a single charge. Seven minutes in the charge case should get you an hour of listening. This means if you are listening music, you can be away from power for sixteen hours. Let’s face it, your phone will probably run out of juice first.

The Sony Xperia Ear Duo is a fantastic piece of kit.

The parts behind your ears are a bit on the large side for my taste, but not as visible as you’d think, especially if you have long hair. The sound quality is good and they are feature-packed. Being able to hear the world around you whilst listening to audio is the real selling point, bringing us one step closer to being accompanied by a true digital personal assistant wherever we go.

The post Xperia Ear Duo Headset Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Become the party with Sony’s illuminated, strobing mega sized bluetooth speaker.

The GTK-XB60 is not only a weighty beast, yet still portable, it is a one stop party zone for any indoors or outdoor activity.

Designed with Mega Bass – the GTK-XB60 features four in built spakers, two subs and two tweeters. The range that just one of these units is able to put out is incredible, even more so in a closed space, such as a bedroom or small office.

If you REALLY want to get the party pumping you can link up to ten of these together, wirelessly to create a wall of trembling bass.

This said, every party atmosphere needs lighting. Sony have included two white strobe lights at either end of the unit and a surrounding strip light which can pulsate or change (or be customizable) to your audio or environment.

Being bluetooth, you can connect up to your i-Device or Android smartphone with the mentioned bluetooth, or USB / RCA, and blast out your playlist to get your friends’ booty’s shaking.

Or if you’re brave enough, plug in a mic and wow you’re friends with your sing-a-longs to your fav tracks.

Setting up the speaker to your bluetooth device is simple as – but to get the most functionality I’d recommend downloading the App. For i-Devices or Android, this will not only allow you to play around with the speakers settings a bit, but also turn you in to a Party DJ with motion control.

Having a decent weight to it means that it is not going to get knocked over or trampled on at a party venue, and while the GTK-XB60 is designed for indoors or outdoors, it’s major shortfall is that it is not waterproof or dust proof.

So before you have that lawn dance off, check the weather forecast.

Rechargeable, the GTK-XB60 will give an astounding 14 hours of continuous use. Superb for those that REALLY want to do a dance marathon.

On the go, or at home the GTK-XB60 is a formidable speaker and I imagine a winner in any teenagers bedroom.

The post Sony GTK-XB60 Bluetooth Speaker Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Tune out and rock out. Wirelessly with Sony’s smartest headset yet.

The full sized over ear Sony WH-1000X M2 Headset is built for music aficionados who prefer to block out the world around them and lose themselves within their media or playlists.

Featuring a Personal MC Optimiser Noise Cancellation, the builtin Smart Listening Adaptive Sound Control will adjust automatically to differing environments and air pressures. You can allow the headset to adjust automatically or fine tune it yourself via the Sony Connect App for your smart device.

Been on a plane and felt the music through your existing headphones change as your ears are affected by the pressurization? The WH-1000X M2 purports to change this for a full and fluent audio experience.

Sony sent STG a review unit and while I was unable to test this on a plane, I did try these out in various environments. Public transport, in a park, on a busy street and at a local Cafe.

The WH-1000X M2 exceeded expectations. The tight fitting headset managed to block out all outside interference no matter where I was.

Whatsmore, being wireless you have the freedom of just wearing the headset and keeping your phone in your bag or pocket, once connected up via Bluetooth.

There were zero connection drops and an outstanding connection range when using at home.

The WH-1000X M2 also has handsfree calling via the headset and you can control your audio / answer calls via touch on the side of the earcup.

The headset is also Voice Assistant functional (Google provided service) and when trying out with a connection to a Samsung Note8, Bixby Voice also worked.

In the box the headset comes with a zip carry case and a 3.5mm cable – keep this handy incase you fall short of battery power on the go. Although you are unlikely to, as the battery will last up to 30 hours nonstop music playing, or around 1 hour after only a quick 10 minute charge via the supplied charging cable.

The WH-1000X M2 are a beast. High definition audio with superb bass (although this can be affected by the device that you are connected to). I also connected up to a Windows based Laptop and an iPad Mini 4.

The best performance came from the Note8 (Android). iPad in my opinion was okay but didn’t ramp up the volume as much as I’d hoped. The Windows based laptop sounded okay, but was a huge pain to connect up via Bluetooth. This was the functionality, or fail of Windows 10’s handling of Bluetooth audio devices being a hit and miss.

Via the two smart devices, I was able to notice the DSEE enhancement which the WH-1000X comes with already, processed by the onboard QualcommaptX HD chipset.

The WH-1000X M2 are costly, at around $600.00 – but this is top shelf stuff with enough smarts builtin to this headset to make it worthy of it’s price tag.

All in all, a superb Bluetooth headset to travel with, whether it be short distances or long haul flights. If you are serous about your sounds – the WH-1000X M2 should be a part of your on-the-go arsenal.

The post Sony WH-1000X M2 Wireless Headphones Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Get the party pumping with super bass – on the go.

Sony’s Extra Bass Bluetooth Speaker (Model: SRS-XB30) sets the mood with it’s multi-coloured neon like speaker frame and strobing whte LEDs which will pulse to your playlist.

The Extra Bass unit offers up an all day and all night party with a whopping 24 hour battery life, yet with only  few hours charge from empty.

The dual front facing speaker unit will connect up to any Bluetooth enabled device, we tried the unit that we were sent with an Android smartphone, a Windows laptop and an iPad.

Connection was simplistic, as you would hope, and instant.

The better performance came from the Android smartphone where volume limits nearly didn’t exist.

The Sony Extra Bass Bluetooth Speaker goes well loud… no wait, louder than loud. Perfect for the outdoors in a social gathering environment.

If you have more of these units they will pair up and give you that all necessary surround audio with an easy-to-setup chain wireless connection.

Atop of the Extra Bass Bluetooth Speaker are a series of hard control buttons.

If you have your smartphone connected you can use the Extra Bass speaker as a handsfree (given how loud this beast can go – if the volume is up the entire neighbourhood is likely to hear your convo). Alongside the phone connection button is the play controls, then ADD enables you to chain up more speakers.

Volume keys are to the near right and then asides from the isolated Power On switch (which doubles as the Bluetooth connection setup)  there is the large EXTRA BASS toggle.

Now you will really notice the Bass on this small snack sized portable entertainment unit. Switching the Bass function off, the audio to be fair is a bit clearer, but also a tad quieter as the built in Clear Audio+ filter takes over your ears.

So if you want to chill out on your own with your private stash of Kenny G, turning the bass off would be ideal to mellow out.

But I really do not feel that this is what the Sony Extra Bass Bluetooth Speaker with it’s onboard S-Master Digital Amplifier was designed for.

It’s rubber coated hard plastic casing and IPX 5 water resistance means it’s ready for the hard life, but not a dip in the pool though.

Now what’s even more cooler than flashy lights and large sounds is that this beast has enough juice in it’s battery (when fully charged) that it will charge your smartphone, via the hidden USB port at the rear of the speaker. (I still recommend though that you have the Extra Bass Speaker plugged into the mains so your smartphone doesn’t completely drain the battery and kill the party). Having a charge dock is forward thinking on Sony’s part and an impressive inclusion.

On the not so cool side, the Extra Bass speaker is slightly heavier than some other similar models and the price tag of around $300 NZD maybe a bit steep for those that are wanting a rough and ready portable unit.

But, it is a true wireless DJ-like nightclub that you can place in your bag and rock out with anywhere.

With Sony’s Extra Bass Bluetooth Speaker there is no excuse to stop the party. Ever.

The post Sony Extra Bass Bluetooth Speaker Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Sony do it all, and they do it exceedingly well.

From video gaming (as we all well know), through to home entertainment, personal computing and mobile.

Their Xperia series of Android smartphones may not be the first kiosk or stand that you see when you walk into your local phone store, but their smartphones should not be overlooked.

Last year I was privileged to review the Xperia XZ, basically the first iteration of the high end XZ series.

Having chewed through a few phones throughout 2016, the XZ was one of my personal top devices for the year.

Now, poised for release is the XZ Premium Creator Edition.

One of the first handsets to take on Android 8.0 (Oreo) and with this new OS, Sony upgraded the functionality to get your 3D Creator juices going.

The XZ Creator Edition includes 3D scanning software, which allows you to scan any object with the rear 19MP Motion Eye camera lens, including a face, in real time, then save the scan to be used in the Sony AR app, or share to Social Media.

With 3D Printers having been affordable to the general public for some years now you can directly print, wirelessly (if the 3D Printer supports wireless) your 3D scanned model.

Whatsmore the XZ Premium has also retained the AR Games, as experienced in 2016’s XZ. Sony have always been at the forefront on affordable AR, the PS Vita championed AR Gaming aswell as the PS2 , PS3 EyeToy.

Placing the 3D awesomeness aside, as a smartphone the XZ Premium will not disappoint.

Super powerful  with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and 4GB RAM ensures that the phone does not stutter, especially when scanning.

While other phone manufacturers are opting for an almost invisible bezel or no bezel at all around their large screens the XZ Premium has a prominent frame surrounding the devices’ 5.5 inch 4K resolution screen.

The Chrome cased XZ Premium that I was sent by Sony to review is stunning with it’s brilliant mirror finish and indented power button on the right side which also doubles as the finger print scanner to unlock the phone.

The front camera will see you right for selfies with 13MP and the XZ will record video in 4K. There is also a super slow-mo option built in, Steadyshot (which Sony pioneered back in the day on their camcorders) and a super low light for both photo and video.

The XZ Premium boasts it’s very own dedicated image processor called BIONZ. A proprietary engine that relieves some of the image processing task weight from the Snapdragon phone processor, and keeps both the handset and all pics optimal.

The Xperia XZ Premium is dual sim, although one slot also makes way for the optional microSD card.

Internal storage is 64GB.

Audio strength was a sore point though.

I always think back to the Walkman days. Sony had the cassette and CD portability market. They owned it. Sounds on the go was their signature.

The Xperia XZ (2016) impressed me with their audio overhaul. The XZ Premium seems to have gone back to the earlier days of Xperia.

While clarity and detail can be experienced with your playlists and media watching via headphones with the dedicated Qualcomm aptX HD audio chipset and built in DSEE HX and Noise Cancelling filters, the internal speakers are a mere whisper.

At home, this is fine, but if you are on public transport, in a cafe or any other outside noise filled area, you’re not going to hear the media playing.

If you’re a PlayStation 4 gamer, then owning one of these XZ Premium bad boys is a must, with the PS4 Remote Play, which works exceedingly well.

The device never heated up while 3D scanning or with Remote Play, which I think is a testament to the XZ‘s technical architecture and battery life made this phone one of the more reliable devices I’ve experienced this year, with a whopping 3 to 4 days charge from full to empty on moderate use.

The Xperia XZ Premium Creator Edition is alot of fun. I still REALLY love the AR Effect App. Adding the 3D scanner functionality in to that makes it all the more satisfying.

Xperia phones have always trumped on their cameras, and while the XZ Premium is still a single lens device, the quality, detail and macro of the rear camera compensates for the lack of a dual lens.

Priced at just under $1K in New Zealand, the Xperia XZ Premium Creator Edition is a superb handset to own with future proofed tech built in and at the ready.

The post Xperia XZ Premium (Creator Edition) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Since Sony’s inception into the smart phone market they have created a strong fan base among Android users. Their phones have gone for a flat edged look that has appealed to many, splitting their line into the premium and compact phones. Playing with their latest compact, the Xperia X Compact, there was certainly immense eagerness to see how it improved on the Z5 compact.

There was a bit of curiosity and surprise taking the phone out of the box. Sony has gone for an interesting design choice with the X Compact, that even two weeks after first using, it is hard to be sold on it. Looking straight on, it has the normal square shape, but the left and right edges are curved, which gives a one surface feel to it. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing but it is a very odd design choice which may not appeal to everyone.

The next noticeable thing is the phones interesting surface texture which feels very plastic, giving the feeling that it has a case on it. This feeling is reinforced by the back of the phone which has the camera and flash in an indented area that looks identical to the holes in a case.

Strangely, outside of the screen, on the black version of the phone, the surface has a slightly greyish black, which when the phones screen isn’t active it becomes apparent that the colour is different.  This was annoying to no end, but will be negated if you get a non-black one. These design choices would be perfect for people who prefer the look of a phone case, but without the practicality of a phone case.

When it comes to using the phone the X Compact is surprisingly comfortable in the hand, and certainly more comfortable to use than the previous compacts, but that’s about the only noticeable improvement. Battery and power wise there have been no significant upgrades from the Z5 Compact. Honestly when it came to using the phone it could have been the older phone in a new case.

Fortunately, they have kept the power button and fingerprint scanner combo. It’s helpful being able to activate the phone, and unlock it at the same time with daily use. Unfortunately, the waterproofing has been dropped again and that’s disappointing. One of the Xperia hallmarks has been their waterproofing, and to see it dropped is a major mark against the phone.

Ultimately the Xperia X Compact is a decent mid-range smart phone. It has some design choices that didn’t click so well, and has lost its waterproofing, but if you need a cheap way into the Sony ecosystem it’s a decent little phone.

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