Sony Xperia XZ2 vs iPhone X: how does Sony's best compare to Apple?

For years, Sony phones have been more or less the same. Different than all the other smartphones and easily recognizable with their rectangular, sharp looks. Well, it seems somebody told Sony that they could do better and the new XZ2 looks exquisite, luxurious. It features a curved glass back with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 protection and a metal frame. We used the the silvery white model, but there are three other models available: a dark, black one, as well as pink and teal. The lighter colors come with one important advantage for those who use their phones without a case: fingerprint smudges are not that noticeable as they are on the darker colors. Despite the XZ2 being listed as fairly thick at 0.44 inches, it does not feel thick per se, but that thickness is likely measured at its thickest point in the center, while the phone becomes thinner towards the edges. After using it for a while, we could not help but notice how the XZ2 design reminded us more and more of the HTC U11, the similarity is quite obvious.

The iPhone X is a somewhat similar phone: it has a flat glass back and a metal frame, while the XZ2's curved, convex back feels a bit better fitting in the hand. The iPhone X, however, is the smaller and more pocketable of the two.

There is one unfortunate similarity shared between both the XZ2 and the X: no headphone jack. You have to use wireless earbuds, or connect headphones via a dongle.

Then, both phones are water resistant. The XZ2 has an IP68 rating, while the X has an IP67 certification, meaning that hte XZ2 can theoretically survive being submerged in slightly deeper water (5 feet vs 3 feet on the X).

The Sony Xperia XZ2, as the newer phones, has a bag of new tricks and the first one is a new vibration motor that Sony calls a "Dynamic Vibration System". What it does is make the XZ2 vibrate, a bit like a game controller, when you play a game, listen to music or watch a video. The vibration motor has three levels of strength, from weaker to stronger, or you can completely disable it, if you don't like it. The interesting thing about it is that it vibrates to the music and to do that it analyzes sound output in real time. At the end of the day, we found it to be a fun gimmick, but we are not sure we want to keep it in the long term.

Apple's Taptic Engine might not be as new, but seems a bit more discreet and precise in everyday notifications. Of course, the iPhone does not support any fancy vibrations like the XZ2.

The XZ2 features smaller bezels than all previous Sony phones and that is largely due to its new, 2:1, taller screen. The XZ2 features a 5.7" 2:1 IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels, while the iPhone X has a 5.8-inch OLED screen with 1125 x 2436 pixels of resolution.