Gadgetory

Sonne isn't the most hyped up company at MWC 2018 but you do have to give them credit for pushing the boundaries on what's possible in a smartphone we already did a hands-on with the new Sony xz2 but we wanted to give you a rundown of the coolest new features of the device so let's get started first up we've got ultra slow motion 960 FPS video at 1080p resolution we first saw this framerate in last year's xz1 but only recorded 720p resolutions so this is a huge step up in video fidelity you did need a huge amount of light to get a good quality image and you probably still do but this would be great for video producers who are trying to shoot some experimental video without the need for a super expensive camera rig next we've got the newly redesigned vibration motor Sony is using a new proprietary algorithm which analyzes the audio data from your movies music and games to help you become more immersed in the content sony says this idea is taken in part from the dual shot controllers on the PlayStation 4 but I would characterize it more similarly to the HD Rumble capabilities of the Nintendo switch you can adjust this motor with an additional slider in the system so you won't have to hear your YouTube videos rumbling if you're watching them on the table third we've got an updated 3d imaging feature the XZ 1 gave us the ability to scan people's faces with the bat camera to create a 3d model but the XZ 2 is making this even easier with the addition of the front camera you only have to pass the phone by your face a few times to get an accurate model of yourself and somebody says this iteration should have more detail as well you can still use the back camera to scan other objects and you can bring any of these models into programs like blender Maya and unity to use as assets in your projects even though this is a pretty niche feature it could be really valuable for 3d oriented creatives next we have the ability to record 10 bit 4k HDR video now this is pretty crazy because we're just now getting this feature in high-end mirrorless bodies like the Panasonic gh4 cording on now you can playback this content on the phone and on other HT are capable screens and the phone can even convert regular content into faux HDR content using a special upscaling algorithm it's also certified to play official HD are certified shows from streaming services like Netflix Amazon Prime video and YouTube that means there's finally a device to compete with the razor phone in terms of streaming fidelity lastly we've got front-facing speakers with a built-in DAC for high resolution audio now Sony did remove the headphone jack on this phone but that DAC and front speaker combo will hopefully make you feel better about needing to use a dongle for Wired listening it also supports high res Bluetooth codecs like apdex HD so as long as you're using supported Bluetooth headphones you should get some great sound quality there are a few other new features in the XC 2 and XZ 2 compact but we'll be addressing those in the full review when we've got some more time with the device until then make sure you check out the rest of our MWC coverage and stay tuned to our social channels for more content like this because of course we are your source for all things Android