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

Sony will return to the smartphone market this year with a new flagship. It's no secret that the Japanese manufacturer is preparing for release Xperia phone Z6, which, as we already know, 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 take a look at the most realistic information regarding the upcoming flagship from Sony. Let's try to predict the release date of the Xperia Z6, specifications and its cost.

Sony Xperia Z6 release date

For instance, new phone the Z series appears every six months, so we can easily assess 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 a new member is coming soon.

Do not 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 to be smoother for a more comfortable palm grip.

Specifications Sony Xperia Z6

Camera
The device will receive excellent main and front cameras. It is expected to be equipped with a 30-megapixel module with optical image stabilization, autofocus and automatic zoom. However, it is not clear how this will affect the price of the Sony Xperia Z6.

Fast charging
According to rumors, Z6 will receive support fast charging... This feature has become standard on flagship gadgets for a long time, so it will be no exception, and its battery will fully charge in less than 1 hour.
Multitasking capabilities

Improvements are also expected in the area of ​​multitasking of this smartphone. Consequently, the user will be able to perform several different tasks simultaneously. Performance and a wide screen will do a great job of this.

Water resistance
Analysts believe that the new flagship Xperia Z6 will be IP68 certified, that is, dust and water resistant. The device will be able to work without any problems at a depth of 1 meter for 30 minutes. This is a very important feature and many fans of the Japanese company will appreciate it more than ever.

Estimated specifications of the Xperia Z6

CPU
The smartphone will be equipped with 64-bit Snapdragon processor 820 from Qualcomm. On the this moment it is one of the most powerful solutions on the market and in synthetic tests it is in the top 3. The chipset is 40% more energy efficient than the previous generation.

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

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

Battery
The smartphone will receive non-removable battery, the capacity of which can reach 4000 mAh. They will provide excellent autonomy to a mobile device with powerful characteristics, and this is good news. What's more, together 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.

Xperia Z6 rumors

Although we do not have official statements rumors claim that Sony may try to accelerate the development of 5G, and equip new technology your future flagship.

Prices Xperia Z6 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 for buying it. Besides, the price of a phone with such interesting functionality is quite good.

The younger model in the lineup, the Xperia XA, will offer a 5-inch 720p display. The novelty works on the basis of the MediaTek MT6755 processor, in tandem with 2 GB of RAM. The main camera is 13-megapixel. All three models of the device are equipped with a slot for microSD memory cards with support for 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 featured by Sony, aroused much greater interest among journalists. Especially when you consider that recently MWC is not very happy with such things.

For example, take at least 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 learn various information through the gadget (for example, about the weather), listen to received text messages, be notified of various calendar events, as well as find out the further direction of the route of movement (which can be very convenient if you move, for example, by bicycle or walking).

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

The Xperia Agent is a home voice assistant... He will greet you every time you return home and is able, for example, to control the light 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 due to voice commands but also touching these surfaces.

The new Sony Xperia X reached Russia last week. Despite the fact that this is not the most expensive smartphone of the brand, the model can be called the Japanese flagship of 2016, since it is on it that the main stake in the company is made. What is interesting and uninteresting about the new product from Sony? Does it deserve the attention of users?

In 2016, Sony confused everyone: 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 will replace the top-end Z-series, but as assured by Sony, 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, then, in Russia the focus is on the Xperia X, and not on the Xperia X Performance? The main thing is the price. The Xperia X is cheaper. Pre-order in Russia has already been announced. Price: 39 990 rub. Not to say that it is cheap, but the amount is quite competitive against the background of the flagship devices of competitors.

It remains to find out what we get for this money.

Brief technical characteristics

Why have users become less interested in design and performance than before?

Considering the performance that has grown strongly 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 are equipped with very powerful chipsets. Their performance is sufficient to solve 90 percent of the tasks. If you do not play the newest games with complex graphics, then it is simply unrealistic to distinguish by eye the speed of a mid-level processor from top-end models.

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

Audiophiles will be interested in the fact that the Xperia X can handle Hi-RES high resolution files. True, in order 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 important, but most users believe (generally fairly) 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 are no longer unique. Given this state of affairs, it is not surprising that users, when assessing the appearance of a smartphone, pay attention only to the color and material of the case.

I must admit that the design of Sony Xperia smartphones still has its own characteristics, which the company clearly values. The new model has a matte metal case, the now fashionable 2.5D-glass of the screen, rounded along the edges, four color options: black, white, yellow-green, pink.

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

Screen

The Xperia X features a 5-inch IPS display with 1080x1920 (FullHD) resolution. 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 in the direct rays of the bright summer sun, the display is perfectly legible.

Of course, the Xperia X has an adaptive screen brightness control, depending on the ambient light. In the settings, you can turn on the X-Reality option. This is a branded software technology Sony, which visually enhances 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-end professional video and still cameras.

On the other hand, often Sony photo modules in competitors' smartphones worked better than the same cameras in Sony Xperia smartphones. It seems strange only at first glance. A good smartphone camera is not only good hardware, but software algorithms for image processing, which Sony was not as good as some of its competitors. Last year, the company's management, realizing the absurdity of this state of affairs, attracted large internal resources to close the gap in this area.

What can you say about the X Xperia camera after a few days of using your smartphone? I liked the camera. 23 megapixels. G Lens, a fast (0.03 sec.) Hybrid Predictive AF that tracks moving objects, analyzes movement patterns, predicts where the subject will be in the next second and focuses on that exact spot. The camera itself "wakes up" very quickly, in 0.6 seconds, it shoots well and on full automatic, in the "point-click-and-forget" style, and with preset shooting modes.

Preset modes and additional photo applications can be downloaded from the store Google play... In doing so, 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

Defocusing the background

Back light

Night

A traditional set of "augmented reality" for Sony. Looks pretty funny.

There were no special complaints about the video mode. Fast, slow motion - it's all there. Working microphones in the wind? Despite the digital noise reduction, alas, the miracle did not happen. As with most competing smartphones, there is still a problem with this.

The Xperia X lacks optical image stabilization. Usually it is needed when shooting movies and at long exposures of the camera, for example, at night. The Xperia X has proprietary SteadyShot digital stabilization, which helps compensate for camera shake when shooting handheld, but as you can see from the night shot, it does not always cope with this.

A separate conversation about front camera... The selfie camera on the Xperia X is just fire. The Japanese got down to business thoroughly and equipped the device with a 13-megapixel selfie camera. 13 megapixels is a lot!

Battery life

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

Flaws

We did not find any obvious shortcomings in the Xperia X during testing. But there is something to complain about.

Firstly, it's a shame that, unlike the Z series, the Xperia X is not a water-resistant device.

The main camera could not be completely removed into the body. It sticks out a little.

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

As for ergonomics, the specific location of the control buttons, on the lower half of the right side edge, and the mechanical camera shutter button (a kind of Sony proprietary chip) are not to everyone's liking. So, for example, when you take a selfie, you involuntarily press the camera shutter button. Yes, you can take a smartphone in your hand in a different way, but nevertheless, there is some discomfort.

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

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 a good thing, but many expected a more radical design update.

Outcomes

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

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

The Xperia XZ is Sony's second flagship for 2016. By some criteria, it is slightly better than the X Performance, and at the start of sales is only $ 100 more expensive. Because of this, it looks more like a potential competitor than an updated model. Sony Xperia XZ has come to conquer the market with a fresh design, dust and moisture protection, super-fast hybrid autofocus, and newfangled USB-C.

The model is produced 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 a two-SIM version (F8332). At the start of sales, the cost of a smartphone in Russia was 804 USD. In Ukraine, by pre-order, you can purchase it for 780 USD (actual at the time of the review).

Judging by the characteristics "on paper", the smartphone is on a par with the top models of other manufacturers.

Design, connectors and case features

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

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

The screen is hiding Gorilla glass Glass (probably 4 generations) has 2.5D bends around the edges. On the right side are: volume rocker, button for quick launch cameras, and a large power button combined with a fingerprint sensor. By the way, it recognizes prints correctly, but does not react to touch. To scan, you need to press the button, and slowly release it.

On the left edge is the card tray. The 3.5 mm minijack is nestled 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 has received protection against ingress of 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 was created using a 14-nm process technology, received 4 Kryo cores (2 at 1.6 GHz, and 2 more at 2.15 GHz). The most powerful graphics accelerator Adreno 530 is engaged in graphics processing. For everyday tasks, the performance is excessive. Its real benefits can be felt when processing and saving weighty 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 differ 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 get warm. But there are no overheating problems.

Memory

The device is equipped with 3 GB of RAM. Yes, compared to its predecessor, the volume has not changed, and most of the 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 several applications with no problems switching between them.

The built-in memory can be 32 and 64 GB, depending on the version.In a two-symbol version, installation is possible external storage MicroSD up to 256 GB (instead of the second SIM). Owners of a monosyllabic device will be "lucky" a little more. They can install only one card anyway, so the microSD slot remains completely at their disposal.

Autonomous work

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

There is support for Quick Charge 2.0, the charge is replenished by about half in half an hour. Proprietary fast charging power adapter sold separately. And with the help of a complete charger, 90% is recruited in 2 hours, the remaining 10% reaches within 40 minutes. This is a kind of "gentle recharging", 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 the exposure by tap. An RGBC-IRi sensor is provided to ensure natural color reproduction and correct white balance determination. Used sophisticated autofocus of 4 types: laser, phase, contrast and predictive. Each of them is responsible for shooting under 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 pressed 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 the heaps of megapixels and many technological improvements, the miracle did not happen. Sony is still inferior to flagships such as Samsung S7 and HTC 10 in terms of photo quality.

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

If we leave out comparisons with competitors, then we are dealing with a very sophisticated mobile camera... The finished photographs are characterized by natural color reproduction and high detail. It turns out very good panoramas, and macro is generally "fire".

Children or animals - the camera easily captures any moving object, even in difficult conditions. In low light conditions, noise cancellation works, while the XZ tries to preserve detail.

The camera is capable of recording videos with FullHD resolution (30 or 60 frames / s), while SteadyShot digital stabilization can be activated. There is no stabilization when shooting in 4K. But, it seems, the problem with overheating has been solved (now there is no time limit for shooting). The quality of the videos received is very decent.

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

Display

The 5.2 ”IPS display has a FullHD resolution (1920 x 1080). The pixel density is very high at 424 PPI. The screen is good in all respects, and is fully consistent with the flagship quality. The maximum brightness level is generally prohibitive - 629 cd / m2. Not without proprietary technologies that visually improve the image quality. And also, the Japanese took care of the possibility of controlling the screen with gloves. The screen area occupies 70.9% of the entire front panel. The chin and cap are quite high.

Someone can find fault with the color rendition, they say, the colors are unnatural. So, in the settings there is an item where all this can be configured with your own hands.

Networking capabilities

The two-SIM Sony Xperia XZ is equipped with almost all communications, with the exception of the IrDA. It 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 speed of connecting to satellites is 10-15 seconds, and this is with a cold start.

Sound

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

LDAC protocol allows you to transfer audio to wireless headphones with virtually no loss of quality. The built-in proprietary player is stuffed to capacity with various "uluchshayzers". At telephone conversation the sound is excellent, the wideband HD Voice is supported.

Software part

At the time of the announcement, the device was shipped with Android 6.0.1 OS on board. But, since this is a flagship, an update to the seventh version is just around the corner. Sony uses its own skin, but its interface has a lot in common with "pure" Android. Themes are interchangeable, with the ability to download new ones. A lot of proprietary applications and software chips are built into the firmware. For example, the advanced energy management modes 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 gloved screen control mode. And the SIM tray is made of elastic material, you can get it without a paper clip by picking it up with your fingernail. True, hot swapping is not provided; when you remove the tray, the smartphone will immediately reboot.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• customized design, excellent build;
• protection from dust and moisture;
• solid audio component;
• serious focusing system, the camera copes remarkably well with shooting objects in motion;
• high-quality, very bright display;
• good front camera;
• the 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 the smartphone for

Mostly for those who want to buy a top-end quality smartphone... Reasons for choosing Sony Xperia XZ: If devices from Samsung and LG seem boring, and Chinese flagships seem far from perfect. And finally, 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 smartphone Sony Xperia XZ

Everywhere you look - the smartphone is good from almost any 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 few significant differences between the Sony Xperia XZ and X Performance, but the XZ will be more interesting due to the design and focus. But Samsung can offer the Galaxy S7 for the same money (and even cheaper). There is an AMOLED screen, with some better autonomy, and a great camera does not fit into any comparison framework at all. As a result of the review, there are some mixed impressions of the device in question.

Before, every new flagship smartphone was "wow" and "super". Now it is just rational evolution, with very few exceptions. At the same time, the emergence of a new top-end smartphone makes last year's flagship fall in price. Then it's time to buy it: the gadget didn't really have time to become outdated, and it already costs 1.5 times cheaper than at the start of sales. In this article, we have collected great smartphones from 2016, which fell significantly in 2017. And they are still wow!

Xiaomi Mi5S

While fans of the most beloved by geeks Chinese smartphone manufacturer confess their love for Xiaomi Mi6, last year's Mi5S managed to drop in price to an impressive 16,000 rubles. Of course, the price is not official, but on the other hand, there is no need to wait for the device to arrive from China - this is how much Russian "gray" sellers ask for it.

For this money, we get a quite nice device with a metal case, a worthy Snapdragon 820 processor, 3 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory. And also with normal autonomy (3200 mAh battery) and a pretty decent camera. But there are also disadvantages: you may not be lucky with the firmware and you 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 he has come to replace him, and the "eight" has dropped from 27 thousand rubles to 22. Yes, this is the official price with a full guarantee.

For the money comes "average", but in fact the owner gets much more. Firstly, the classy build quality and the spectacularly iridescent glass body (it is, however, easily soiled and slippery). Secondly, good performance. Thirdly, wonderful for this price category dual camera... Plus one of the best fingerprint scanners, a decent screen and a confident day of work from morning to evening without recharging.

Huawei P9

Huawei P9 is the "big brother" of the Honor 9 described just above. Here, too, is very cool design(as opposed to "iPhone-like"), but instead of glass - 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 for which to pay a thousand rubles on top of the price of Honor 8. And, yes, these 23,000 rubles is also an official price with all the advantages that follow from this.

OnePlus 3T

Once this mighty "Chinese" flaunted at the top of the AnTuTu benchmark rating with the mark "the most powerful smartphone in the world." Now, of course, this is no longer the case, but the phone is still relevant. Initially, the product is “geeky”, but of high quality - without problems with the software, like in Xiaomi. So you can safely recommend it and ordinary users who just want to buy a reliable piece of iron and never dance next to it with a tambourine.

The body of the gadget is metal, at the heart of the screen is an AMOLED panel, inside is a Snapdragon 821 and 6 GB of RAM. Power consumption is well optimized, and the battery capacity is decent - 3400 mAh. Even from the old Sony IMX 298 photomodule, the engineers were able to squeeze out a lot - the phone takes off with dignity. One problem - there is no microSD slot, 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 - the best flagships of this year, but alas, very expensive. However, last year's Galaxy S7 is still good too. Yes, there is no less powerful and frameless screen, but otherwise a cool phone!

Here you have protection from water, and a gorgeous AMOLED display, and 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. Except, perhaps, the S7 edge - it looks more impressive than a 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 is great. But for Sony as a smartphone manufacturer, things are not going very well: the conservative approach of the Japanese to everything does not allow them to make such a breakthrough phone as the Xperia Z once became.

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

Huawei Mate 9

Really love big smartphones? Then here's another Huawei for you. The Chinese in Russia did not start selling their flagship Mate 9 with a 5.9-inch screen officially, but this did not prevent it from falling in price quite quickly. Now for this cool shovel "gray" sellers ask for less than 30,000 rubles.

Here, exactly the same filling as in the flagship Huawei P10 and the same camera: also double with a resolution of 12 + 20 MP. Excellent macro shots, great black-and-white photos, can blur the background programmatically and is equipped with 2x optical zoom. And all this in a minimalistic, masculine-style metal case. Large but comfortable.

iPhone SE

Well, if even 5 inches is also a "shovel" for you, then there is only one salvation: now they are compact and powerful flagships only Apple does. Presented in March 2016 iPhone years SE simply doesn't have the same quality competitors with 4- or even 4.5-inch screens. In the Android world, life starts from those five inches.

I advise you not to look towards the younger modification with 16 GB of internal memory - modern applications very heavy, updates operating systems too, but 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.