Sony's flagship of the year. New Japanese flagship: review of the Sony Xperia X smartphone

Sony will return to the smartphone market this year with a new flagship. It's no secret that the Japanese manufacturer is preparing to release Xperia phone Z6, which, as is already known, will have a different name. We also do not know its characteristics and price, but we have analyst forecasts, leaks, and, of course, rumors.

Now we will look at the most realistic information regarding the upcoming flagship from Sony. Let's try to predict the release date of the Xperia Z6, characteristics and its cost.

Sony Xperia Z6 release date

For example, new phone The Z series comes out every six months, so we can easily estimate the situation and assume that the Xperia Z6 will be released in late May or early June this year. Fans of the flagship line should be patient as its newest member will arrive very soon.

You shouldn't expect drastic changes in the design of the future smartphone. There will be minimal differences between the Xperia Z6 and its predecessor, although we expect the edges of its body to be smoother for a better palm grip.

Specifications Sony Xperia Z6

Camera
The device will have excellent both main and front cameras. It is expected that it will be equipped with a 30-megapixel module with optical image stabilization, autofocus and automatic zoom. It’s not clear how this will affect the price though. Sony Xperia Z6.

Fast charging
According to rumors, Z6 will receive support fast charging. This function has long been standard on flagship gadgets, so it will not be an exception, and its battery will be fully charged in less than 1 hour.
Multitasking capabilities

Improvements are also expected in the multitasking department of this smartphone. Therefore, the user will be able to perform several tasks at once various tasks simultaneously. The speed and wide screen will greatly contribute to this.

Waterproof
Analysts believe that the new flagship Xperia Z6 will be certified to the IP68 standard, that is, dust and waterproof. The device can operate at a depth of up to 1 meter for 30 minutes without any problems. This is a very important feature, and many fans of the Japanese company will be more grateful than ever for this.

Estimated technical specifications of Xperia Z6

CPU
The smartphone will be equipped with 64-bit Snapdragon processor 820 from Qualcomm. On this moment this is one of the most powerful solutions on the market, and in synthetic tests it is in the top three. The chipset is 40% more energy efficient than the previous generation.

Display
Most likely, the new product will receive a 5.2-inch screen with 4K resolution, made using IPS LCD technology. It will be protected by durable Corning glass Gorilla Glass fourth generation.

Memory
Sony will increase the memory capacity of the next generation of gadgets in the Xperia Z line. The new Z6 will receive 64 GB of internal memory, expandable using a card microSD memory up to 256 GB. It is also expected that the device will receive a 4 GB module random access memory.

Battery
The smartphone will receive non-removable battery, the capacity of which can reach 4000 mAh. It will provide excellent autonomy to the mobile device with powerful characteristics, and this is good news. Moreover, coupled with fast charging technologies, the device will offer a truly great user experience.

Sensors
The upcoming flagship of the Japanese manufacturer will naturally be equipped with a fingerprint scanner and probably a barometer, accelerometer and hygrometer.

Rumors about the Xperia Z6 smartphone

Although we don't have official statements, rumors claim that Sony may try to speed up the development of 5G, and equip new technology your future flagship.

Xperia Z6 prices in Russia

Sony is committed to producing high quality products. We expect this smartphone to be one of them and that should be the reason to buy it. In addition, the price of a phone with such interesting functionality is very good.

The junior model of the line, Xperia XA, will offer a 5-inch display with a resolution of 720p. The new product is powered by a MediaTek MT6755 processor, in tandem with 2 GB of RAM. The main camera here is 13 megapixel. All three device models are equipped with a microSD memory card slot supporting cards up to 200 GB.

Prices for devices in the Xperia X line have not yet been announced, but all three gadgets should go on sale this summer.

While the Xperia X line (or rather the new flagship of the Japanese company) is a logical continuation (“faster”, “higher”, “stronger”, “more productive”). Smart accessories presented by Sony, aroused much greater interest among journalists. Especially considering that lately MWC has not been very happy with such things.

For example, take the new Sony Xperia Ear, which connects to a smartphone via NFC or NFC standards and is a compact hands-free voice assistant that fits in your ear. A kind of original Siri, only from Sony and in a more compact design. Thanks to the microphone built into the device, the user can recognize through the gadget various information(for example, about the weather), listen to received text messages, be notified about various calendar events, and also find out the further direction of the route (which can be very convenient if you are moving, for example, by bicycle or walking).

In general, a new product can turn out to be a really useful accessory, since situations often arise in life when you don’t want (or don’t have the opportunity) to take your phone out of your pocket and dig through the necessary settings and menus. The device itself proves that this voice assistant concept is even more convenient compared to smartwatches, many of which have similar functions. Xperia Ear in this case is much more practical and unpretentious. The device operates via special application Xperia, which runs on smartphones on Android based(iOS is not supported). Unfortunately, the company has not yet indicated the price of the new product.

Introduced by the company, Xperia Agent is home voice assistant. It will greet you every time you return home and is capable of, for example, controlling the lights in the room.

The new Xperia Projector, in turn, is capable of projecting photos, movies and even notifications from your phone onto any flat surface. At the same time, content management occurs not only through voice commands, but also touching these surfaces.

Last week, the new Sony Xperia X arrived in Russia. Despite the fact that this is not the brand’s most expensive smartphone, the model can be called the Japanese flagship of 2016, since it is the company’s main focus. What is interesting and not interesting about the new product from Sony? Is it worthy of users' attention?

In 2016, Sony confused everyone: both ordinary mobile technology enthusiasts and professional reviewers. Instead of the familiar Z series, three smartphones of the new X series were presented at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona: the most expensive Xperia X Performance, its cheaper twin brother Xperia X and the younger model Xperia XA.

At first, everyone decided that these devices would replace the top-end Z-series, but as Sony assured, the X series will be the main one only this year. What will happen next is not very interesting now, the main thing is the fact: these three devices will be the leading Japanese smartphones in 2016.

Why is Russia focusing on the Xperia X and not on the Xperia X Performance? The main thing is the price. Xperia X is cheaper. Pre-orders have already been announced for it in Russia. Price: 39990 rub. Not to say that it is cheap, but the amount is quite competitive compared to the flagship devices of competitors.

It remains to be seen what we get for this money.

Brief technical specifications

Why is design and performance less of an interest to users than before?

Taking into account the greatly increased productivity in recent years mobile processors and a limited number of user tasks that can be solved using a smartphone, now even an average device price category equipped with very powerful chipsets. Their performance is enough to solve 90 percent of problems. If you do not play the latest games with complex graphics, then it is simply impossible to distinguish by eye the speed of a mid-level processor from top models.

The Xperia X is powered by a six-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chipset and 3GB of RAM. This is a new generation of chipsets from Qualcomm in the mid-price category with a fairly powerful Adreno 510 video chip. It is still difficult to imagine scenarios for using a smartphone in which this technical solution could have problems due to lack of performance.

Audiophiles will be interested in the fact that the Xperia X can handle high-resolution Hi-RES files. True, to appreciate the beauty of this function, you will have to buy headphones that cost no less than the smartphone itself. So Hi-RES support is a nice audio option, but useless for most users.

Design and ergonomics

Appearance is an important thing, but most users believe (generally rightly) that smartphones different brands became very similar to each other. Yes, sometimes through the monstrous efforts of technologists and designers of a particular company, something interesting and successful is invented, but such solutions are quickly copied by competitors and cease to be unique. Given this state of affairs, it is not surprising that when assessing the appearance of a smartphone, users only pay attention to the color and material of the case.

It must be admitted that the design of Sony Xperia smartphones still has its own characteristics, which the company clearly values. The new model has a matte metal body, a now fashionable 2.5D glass screen with curved edges, and four color options: black, white, yellow-green, pink.

A distinctive feature of the “Japanese” is the unusual arrangement of control buttons. The fingerprint sensor, used to unlock the smartphone, is combined, as usual, with the on/off button. The interesting thing here is that it is not located under the screen, but on the right side. This is branded Sony solution, and very successful.

Screen

The Xperia X features a five-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1080x1920 (FullHD). The screen is good, but in terms of contrast and brightness it is still inferior to the latest Super AMOLED screen Samsung Galaxy S7. However, even under direct rays of the bright summer sun, the display is perfectly readable.

Of course, the Xperia X has adaptive screen brightness adjustment depending on external lighting. In the settings you can enable the X-Reality option. This is branded software technology Sony, which visually improves photos and videos, but at the same time slightly increases battery consumption.

Camera

Sony has always had a rocky relationship with smartphone cameras. On the one hand, Sony is the world's leading manufacturer of smartphone photo modules. They are installed in millions of devices from other vendors. Sony also has extensive experience in creating high-quality professional video and photo cameras.

On the other hand, often Sony photo modules found in competitors’ smartphones worked better than the same cameras in Sony Xperia smartphones. This seems strange only at first glance. A good smartphone camera is not only about high-quality hardware, but also about image processing software algorithms, which Sony's were not as good as some of their competitors. Last year, the company's management, realizing the absurdity of this state of affairs, attracted large internal resources to eliminate the backlog in this area.

What can you say about the X Xperia camera after several days of using the smartphone? I liked the camera. 23 megapixels. G Lens, fast (0.03 sec.) hybrid predictive autofocus, which tracks moving objects, analyzes the nature of the movement, predicts where the object will be in the next second and focuses exactly on this place. The camera itself “wakes up” very quickly, in 0.6 seconds, and shoots well both on full automatic, in the “point and click and forget” style, and with preset shooting modes.

Pre-installed modes and additional photo applications can be downloaded from the store Google Play. At the same time, they are integrated directly into the camera interface.

Below are examples of how the Xperia X camera works in different modes. All photos are published without post-processing in a photo editor. That is, you see exactly what happened as a result of the shooting.

Landscape

Defocus background

Backlight

Night

Sony's traditional "augmented reality" set. Looks pretty funny.

There were no special complaints about the video mode. Accelerated, slow motion - it's all there. Do microphones work in the wind? Despite digital noise reduction, alas, no miracle happened. Like most competing smartphones, there is still a problem with this one.

The Xperia X does not have optical stabilization. It is usually needed when shooting video and at long camera shutter speeds, for example, at night. The Xperia X has proprietary digital SteadyShot stabilization, which helps compensate for camera shake when shooting handheld, but as you can see from the night shot, it doesn't always cope with it.

A separate conversation about front camera. The Xperia X's selfie camera is simply fire. The Japanese approached the matter thoroughly and equipped the device with a 13-megapixel selfie camera. 13 megapixels is a lot!

Battery life

The battery capacity of Xperia X is 2620 mAh. Decent, but not record numbers. The most interesting thing here is the optimization of the hardware and applications. The company claims that Xperia X can work up to two days without recharging. However, let’s make a reservation right away: in order to achieve this, you need to do some magic with the smartphone’s settings: adjust the power consumption and use the special Stamina mode, which limits some background processes of the smartphone. If all these manipulations are not performed, the battery lasts for about a day.

Flaws

During testing, we did not find any obvious shortcomings in the Xperia X. But there is something to complain about.

Firstly, it’s a pity that, unlike the Z series, the Xperia X is not a waterproof device.

It was never possible to completely remove the main camera into the body. It sticks out a little.

When shooting at night, digital stabilization does not always compensate for hand shake and the frames may turn out blurry.

As for ergonomics, the specific location of the control buttons is on the lower half of the right side edge, and mechanical button The camera shutter (a kind of proprietary Sony feature) is not liked by everyone. So, for example, when you take a selfie, you involuntarily press the camera shutter button. Yes, you can hold a smartphone in your hand in another way, but nevertheless there is some discomfort.

We expected more battery life from the battery, but the effect of inflated expectations may have worked here.

And yes. Whatever Sony and other vendors think, it is obvious that the headphone output should be located not on the top edge of the smartphone, but on the bottom.

It can also be noted that the Xperia X is too similar to last year’s flagship Xperia Z5. Continuity is good, but many were expecting a more radical design update.

Results

The device turned out to be certainly interesting and balanced. Fans of the brand will definitely like it. The price also cannot be called prohibitive. In Russia, when purchasing a device, the company added a six-month subscription to music Google service Play, the opportunity to download 12 movie hits for free and an extended warranty on the screen.

In general, everything is very, very good, but we must admit that competitors are not asleep. The 2016 models of all leading brands turned out to be exceptionally successful. Plus, many vendors are “insidiously” lowering prices on their last year’s flagships. In general, Xperia X falls into a market niche with unrealistically high competition. The presence of which is very good for us customers.

Xperia XZ is the second flagship from Sony in 2016. By some criteria, it's slightly better than the X Performance, and at launch it's only $100 more expensive. This makes it look more like a potential competitor than an updated model. Sony Xperia XZ came to conquer the market with fresh design, dust and moisture protection, super-fast hybrid autofocus, and with the newfangled USB-C.

The model is available in two modifications. F8331 is designed for 1 SIM, has 32 GB of internal memory. F8332 has a slot for 2 SIM, and the storage capacity is already 64 GB. Officially, we will only sell the dual-SIM version (F8332). At the start of sales, the cost of the smartphone in Russia was 804 USD. In Ukraine, it can be purchased for pre-order for 780 USD (current at the time of creation of the review).

Judging by the characteristics “on paper”, the smartphone is on par with top models from other manufacturers.

Design, connectors and case features

In appearance elements that make the device recognizable from its predecessors have been preserved. But there are still some innovations. The design of the case is now called Loop Surface, its idea is smooth, streamlined symmetrical shapes, and edges that flow into one another. Here I immediately remembered the design of the Nokia N9: new - well forgotten old.

The body is made of metal (with plastic inserts), it feels matte to the touch, but when exposed to light, a glossy reflection appears. Body colors: shade of blue, black and silver.

The screen is covered with Gorilla Glass (probably 4th generation), and has curves at the edges using 2.5D technology. On right side located: volume rocker, button for quick launch cameras, and a large power button combined with a fingerprint sensor. By the way, it recognizes fingerprints correctly, but does not respond to touches. To scan, you need to press the button and slowly release it.

On the left side there is a card tray. The 3.5 mm minijack is located on the top edge, and the USB-Type-C connector is on the bottom. Together with the miniature X Compact, these are the first smartphones from Sony with such a connector.

The case received protection against dust and moisture, corresponding to the IP65/68 standard. Diving with a smartphone is highly undesirable, but getting caught in the rain is not scary. Product dimensions: 146 x 72 x 8.1 mm. Device weight: 161 g.

CPU

In terms of hardware, everything is flagship. The installed processor is one of the most powerful and successful solutions of 2016: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 8996. This 64-bit chip is created using a 14-nm process technology, has 4 Kryo cores (2 at 1.6 GHz, and 2 more at 2.15 GHz). Graphics processing is handled by the most powerful Adreno 530 graphics accelerator. For everyday tasks, the performance is excessive. Its real benefits can be felt when processing and saving heavy pictures and videos, as well as in games.

If anything, they run at maximum speed. In Antutu, performance is estimated in the range from 120 to 140 thousand points (the final result may vary depending on a number of factors). When performing trivial tasks, the case remains cold, and only in the heaviest games and when recording 4K video does it become warm. But there are no problems with overheating.

Memory

The device is equipped with 3 GB of RAM. Yes, the volume has not changed compared to its predecessor, and most other flagships of the current year received 4 GB of RAM. But is it worth complaining about this? Hardly. Performance on high level, at simultaneous launch multiple applications and switching between them is no problem.

The amount of internal memory can be 32 and 64 GB, depending on the version.In the dual-SIM version, it is possible to install an external MicroSD drive up to 256 GB (instead of the second SIM). Owners of a single-SIM device will be a little more lucky. They can only install one card anyway, so the MicroSD slot remains entirely at their disposal.

Autonomous operation

Sony does not strive to install batteries with the largest possible capacity in its devices. But it concentrates on optimizing the software part and offers advanced energy saving capabilities. This time the manufacturer has relied on technologies that can extend battery life. With intensive use, the 2900 mAh battery easily lasts a whole day.

There is support for Quick Charge 2.0, in half an hour the charge is replenished by about half. The proprietary power supply for fast charging is sold separately. And with the help of a complete charger, 90% is gained in 2 hours, the remaining 10% reaches within 40 minutes. This is a kind of “gentle charging”, which, according to the manufacturer’s idea, should slow down battery wear.

Camera

The smartphone uses a 23 MP Exmor RS matrix, with 24 mm G-lens optics and F/2.0 aperture. Implemented the ability to change exposure by tap. To ensure natural color reproduction and correct determination of white balance, an RGBC-IRi sensor is provided. It uses sophisticated autofocus of 4 types: laser, phase, contrast and predictive. Each of them is responsible for shooting in certain conditions. But, if necessary, all 4 sensors can be used.

The physical button for calling the camera simultaneously serves as a two-stage shutter release, with the ability to focus. When you press it in sleep mode, the smartphone takes a photo in 0.6 s, and even if the subject was in motion, it will be “in focus.”

Despite a bunch of megapixels and many technological improvements, no miracles happened. Sony is still inferior to such flagships as Samsung S7 and HTC 10 in terms of photo quality.

The pictures lack sharpness and dynamic range not very wide. Blur zones often form along the edges of the frame. Due to the too high resolution, for a relatively small matrix, when the image is enlarged, noise is visible even in daytime frames.

If we put aside comparisons with competitors, then we are dealing with a very sophisticated mobile camera. The finished photographs are characterized by natural color rendition and high detail. The results are very good panoramas, and the macro is generally “fire”.

Children or animals - the camera easily captures any moving objects, even in difficult conditions. When there is a lack of light, noise reduction works, while the XZ tries to preserve details.

The camera is capable of recording videos with FullHD resolution (30 or 60 fps), and you can activate SteadyShot digital stabilization. There is no stabilization when shooting in 4K. But, it seems like the problem with overheating has been solved (now there is no limit on shooting time). The quality of the resulting videos is very decent.

The wide-angle (22 mm) front module with autofocus allows you to take photographs with a resolution of 13 MP. By default, the nasty “beauty filters” are not activated, so the photos are not blurry. The result will please connoisseurs of high-quality selfies: they are clear and detailed. Even with artificial lighting you can get good results.

Display

The IPS display with a diagonal of 5.2" received FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080). The pixel density is very high – 424 PPI. The screen is good in all respects, and fully corresponds to flagship quality. The maximum brightness level is absolutely prohibitive – 629 cd/m2. There are also proprietary technologies that visually improve image quality. And also, the Japanese took care of the ability to control the screen with gloves. The screen area occupies 70.9% of the entire front panel. The chin and cap are quite high.

Someone may find fault with the color rendering, saying that the colors are unnatural. So, in the settings there is an item where you can configure all this yourself.

Networking capabilities

The dual-SIM Sony Xperia XZ is equipped with almost all communications, with the exception of the IR port. Can work in 2G/3G/4G networks, with all the most important frequencies. There is an NFC module, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5 GHz). Navigation capabilities include support for GPS (with A-GPS), GLONASS, and BeiDou. The positioning accuracy is high, the connection speed to satellites is 10-15 seconds, and this is with a cold start.

Sound

The manufacturer paid special attention to the sound component. Two stereo speakers mounted on the front panel demonstrate good level volume. At the same time, they do not wheeze, and even lower frequencies can be heard by ear.

The LDAC protocol allows audio to be transmitted to wireless headphones with virtually no loss of quality. The built-in proprietary player is stuffed to capacity with various “improvers”. At telephone conversation The sound is excellent, HD Voice wideband audio is supported.

Software part

At the time of the announcement, the device came with Android 6.0.1 OS on board. But, since this is a flagship, an update to the seventh version is not far off. Sony uses its own shell, but its interface has much in common with “pure” Android. Design themes are replaceable, with the ability to download new ones. The firmware has a lot of proprietary applications and software features built into it. For example, modes for advanced energy saving management STAMINA and Ultra STAMINA.

Individual characteristics

The device is equipped with a thermometer. Software reads the sensor readings, and at sub-zero temperatures automatically activates the screen control mode using gloves. And the SIM tray is made of elastic material, you can get it out without a paperclip by picking it up with your fingernail. True, hot swapping is not provided; when you remove the tray, the smartphone will immediately reboot.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pros:

• design with individual features, excellent assembly;
• protection from dust and moisture;
• good audio quality;
• serious focusing system, the camera does an excellent job of shooting objects in motion;
• high-quality, very bright display;
• good front camera;
• presence of a hardware shutter button.

Minuses:

• The quality of the images is noticeably behind the level of the main flagships of 2016.

Who is a smartphone suitable for?

Mostly for those who want to buy a top-end quality smartphone. Reasons to choose Sony Xperia XZ: if devices from Samsung and LG seem boring, and Chinese flagships are far from perfect. And finally, the Sony Xperia XZ can be considered a good choice if the owner is calm about the fact that the camera in his smartphone did not make it to the list of the best.

Our review of the Sony Xperia XZ smartphone

Everywhere you look, the smartphone is good from almost every angle. Of course, I would like more powerful battery, and optical stabilization. But the ideal smartphone that can please everyone has not yet been invented. There are minimal significant differences between the Sony Xperia XZ and X Performance, but the XZ will be more interesting due to its design and focus. But Samsung can offer the Galaxy S7 for the same money (and even cheaper). There is an AMOLED screen, with somehow better battery life, and the excellent camera is not included in any comparison. Based on the results of the review, there are some mixed impressions from the device in question.

Previously, every new flagship smartphone was “wow” and “super”. Now it's just rational evolution, with very rare exceptions. At the same time, the emergence of a new top-end smartphone causes last year’s flagship to drop significantly in price. Now it’s time to buy it: the gadget hasn’t really become obsolete, but it already costs 1.5 times cheaper than at the start of sales. In this material we have collected great smartphones from 2016, which dropped significantly in price in 2017. And they're still wow!

Xiaomi Mi5S

While fans of the most beloved Chinese smartphone manufacturer by geeks are declaring their love for Xiaomi Mi6, last year’s Mi5S managed to fall in price to an impressive 16,000 rubles. Of course, the price is not official, but there is no need to wait for the device to arrive from China - that’s what Russian “gray” sellers are asking for it.

For this money we get a very nice device with a metal body, a decent Snapdragon 820 processor, 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. And also with normal battery life (3200 mAh battery) and a pretty decent camera. But there are also disadvantages: you may be unlucky with the firmware and will have to change it yourself.

Honor 8

Last year Honor 8 from Huawei was one of best smartphones in terms of price and quality ratio. Now it has been replaced, and the G8 has dropped in price from 27 thousand rubles to 22. Yes, this is the official price with a full guarantee.

In terms of money it turns out to be “average”, but in fact the owner receives much more. Firstly, excellent build quality and an impressively shimmering glass case (it is, however, easily soiled and slippery). Secondly, good performance. Thirdly, remarkable for such a price category dual camera. Plus one of the best fingerprint scanners, a decent screen and a reliable day of work from morning to evening without recharging.

Huawei P9

Huawei P9 is the “big brother” of the Honor 9 described just above. It’s also very cool design(unlike the “iPhone-like” one), but instead of glass there is metal, so the gadget is stronger. The performance is about the same, but the camera is much better: much faster and with full optical stabilization.

In general, there is something to pay an extra thousand rubles on top of the price of Honor 8. And, yes, these 23,000 rubles are also the official price with all the ensuing advantages.

OnePlus 3T

Once upon a time, this mighty “Chinese” stood at the top of the AnTuTu benchmark rating with the tag “the most powerful smartphone in the world.” Now, of course, this is no longer the case, but the phone still remains relevant. Initially, the product is “geeky”, but of high quality - without problems with software, like Xiaomi. So we can confidently recommend it and ordinary users who just want to buy a reliable piece of hardware and never dance around it with a tambourine.

The gadget has a metal body, the screen is based on an AMOLED panel, inside there is a Snapdragon 821 and 6 GB of RAM. Energy consumption is well optimized, and the battery capacity is decent - 3400 mAh. Even from the old Sony IMX 298 photo module, the engineers were able to squeeze a lot out of it - it takes decent pictures of the phone. One problem is that there is no slot for microSD, but 64 GB of memory in the basic version automatically solves this problem for many. The issue price is 25,000 rubles unofficially or 31,000 with a full guarantee.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Samsung Galaxy S8 and are the best flagships of this year, but, alas, very expensive. However, last year's Galaxy S7 is still good. Yes, it’s not as powerful and there’s no frameless screen, but otherwise it’s a cool phone!

Here you have water protection, a gorgeous AMOLED display, a new convenient Grace UI shell, and support Samsung Pay. The camera is completely the same as in the S8 and S8+; the Koreans did not change the photo module this year - they just improved the software processing algorithms. And it is still one of the best in the premium class!

In general, if you are not afraid of unofficial suppliers, then today you will not find a more suitable smartphone for 28,000 rubles. With the exception, perhaps, of the S7 edge - it looks more impressive than the regular S7, due to the curved edges of the display and the battery there is “fatter” - 3600 versus 3000 mAh. It costs only 2 thousand more.

Sony Xperia XZ

Sony as a big global company - well done. But Sony as a smartphone manufacturer is not doing well: the Japanese’s conservative approach to everything does not allow them to make a phone as breakthrough as the Xperia Z once became.

However, some people still like it. And if there was no point in buying last year’s Xperia XZ at full price, then for the unofficial 32-33 thousand this is quite an option. Pros: water protection, interesting colors, signature “square” design, good screen, an okay (but far from the best among 2016 flagships) camera. Cons: weak battery and strong heating under load.

Huawei Mate 9

Love you really large smartphones? Then here's another Huawei for you. The Chinese never officially started selling their flagship Mate 9 with a 5.9-inch screen in Russia, but this did not stop it from falling in price quite quickly. Now “gray” sellers are asking less than 30,000 rubles for this cool shovel.

It has exactly the same hardware as the flagship Huawei P10 and the same camera: also dual with a resolution of 12+20 MP. It takes excellent macro shots, takes cool black and white photos, can programmatically blur the background, and is equipped with a 2x optical zoom. And all this in a minimalist, masculine, strict metal case. Big but comfortable.

iPhone SE

Well, if even 5 inches is also a “shovel” for you, then there is only one salvation: nowadays compact and powerful flagships Only Apple does. Introduced in March 2016 iPhone of the year The SE simply doesn't have equally high-quality competitors with 4- or even 4.5-inch screens. In the Android world, life begins with those five inches.

I advise you not to look towards the younger version with 16 GB of internal memory - modern applications very heavy, updates operating systems too, and file system And there is no slot for memory cards in iPhones. A reasonable minimum is 32 GB for quite an official 20,000 rubles with a full guarantee.