Sony Xperia XZ2 vs Samsung Galaxy S9: A Head-to-Head Showdown
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🏆 Quick Verdict
The Galaxy S9 edges out the XZ2 thanks to its superior sunlight display, slightly more refined software experience, and generally better camera versatility. While the XZ2 boasts impressive battery endurance, the S9's overall package makes it the winner.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Sony Xperia XZ2 | Samsung Galaxy S9 |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 (dual-SIM model only) |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 - Global, USA |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 26, 28, 29, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66 - Global |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat18 1200/200 Mbps | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (6CA) Cat18 1200/200 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE |
| - | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66, 71 - USA | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2018, February 26. Released 2018, April 20 | 2018, February 25. Released 2018, March 09 |
| Status | Discontinued | Discontinued |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame |
| Dimensions | 153 x 72 x 11.1 mm (6.02 x 2.83 x 0.44 in) | 147.7 x 68.7 x 8.5 mm (5.81 x 2.70 x 0.33 in) |
| SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM |
| Weight | 198 g (6.98 oz) | 163 g (5.75 oz) |
| IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 | Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio (~424 ppi density) | 1440 x 2960 pixels, 18.5:9 ratio (~570 ppi density) |
| Size | 5.7 inches, 83.8 cm2 (~76.1% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.8 inches, 84.8 cm2 (~83.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | IPS LCD, HDR BT.2020 | Super AMOLED, HDR10 |
| Triluminos display X-Reality Engine | 3D Touch (home button only) Always-on display | |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) | Octa-core (4x2.7 GHz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.8 GHz Cortex-A55) - EMEAOcta-core (4x2.8 GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7 GHz Kryo 385 Silver) - USA/LATAM, China |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) | Exynos 9810 (10 nm) - EMEAQualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 (10 nm) - USA/LATAM, China |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Mali-G72 MP18 - EMEAAdreno 630 - USA/LATAM, China |
| OS | Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10 | Android 8.0 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 10, One UI 2.5 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only | microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot) - dual SIM model only |
| Internal | 64GB 4GB RAM, 64GB 6GB RAM | 64GB 4GB RAM, 128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM |
| UFS 2.1 | UFS 2.1 | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Laser AF, color spectrum sensor, LED flash, panorama, HDR | LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama |
| Single | 19 MP, f/2.0, 25mm (wide), 1/2.3", 1.22µm, predictive PDAF | 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4, 26mm (wide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS |
| Video | 4K@30fps, 1080p@60fps, 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS), 1080p@960fps | 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, 720p@960fps, HDR, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS & OIS (30fps) |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dual | - | 8 MP, f/1.7, 25mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.22µm, AF 2 MP (dedicated iris scanner camera) |
| Features | - | HDR |
| Single | 5 MP, f/2.2, 1/5.0" | - |
| Video | 1080p@30fps (gyro-EIS) | 1440p@30fps |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | No | Yes |
| 35mm jack | No | Yes |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with stereo speakers | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio Dynamic vibration system | 32-bit/384kHz audio Tuned by AKG | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.0, A2DP, aptX HD, LE | 5.0, A2DP, LE, aptX |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO |
| Radio | No | FM radio (USA & Canada only) |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1, OTG | USB Type-C 3.1 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass | Iris scanner, fingerprint (rear-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, heart rate, SpO2 |
| - | ANT+ Bixby natural language commands and dictation Samsung Pay (Visa, MasterCard certified) | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | - | 15W wired, QC2 Wireless (Qi) (market dependent) |
| Type | Li-Ion 3180 mAh, non-removable | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable (11.55 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Liquid Black, Liquid Silver, Deep Green, Ash Pink | Midnight Black, Coral Blue, Titanium Gray, Lilac Purple, Burgundy Red, Sunrise Gold, Ice Blue |
| Models | H8266, H8216, H8296, H8276, 702SO, SOV37 | SM-G960F, SM-G960, SM-G960F, SM-G960U, SM-G960W, SM-G9600, SM-G960U1, SM-G960N, SCV38, SM-G960X, SC-02K |
| Price | About 360 EUR | About 110 EUR |
| SAR | - | 0.63 W/kg (head) 0.96 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU | - | 0.36 W/kg (head) 1.18 W/kg (body) |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Audio quality | Noise -90.6dB / Crosstalk -89.2dB | Noise -93.4dB / Crosstalk -93.9dB |
| Battery life | Endurance rating 88h | Endurance rating 78h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: 1434 (nominal), 3.58 (sunlight) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal), 4.630 (sunlight) |
| Loudspeaker | Voice 66dB / Noise 71dB / Ring 78dB | Voice 68dB / Noise 74dB / Ring 81dB |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 259244 (v7), 281749 (v8) GeekBench: 8466 (v4.4), 2060 (v5.1) GFXBench: 33fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 250156 (v7) GeekBench: 8830 (v4.4) GFXBench: 14fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Sony Xperia XZ2
- Exceptional battery life
- Clean Android experience
- Water and dust resistance (IP68)
- Powerful Snapdragon 845 chipset
- Sunlight display performance could be better
- Camera lacks some versatility compared to S9
- Design can feel a bit bland
Samsung Galaxy S9
- Vibrant and bright display (especially in sunlight)
- Versatile camera system
- Feature-rich software
- Wireless charging (market dependent)
- Battery life slightly shorter than XZ2
- Software can feel bloated to some users
- Design is somewhat dated now
Display Comparison
The Galaxy S9's display is a clear winner. While the XZ2 has a respectable contrast ratio (1434:1), the S9's 'Infinite' contrast ratio and significantly better sunlight performance (4.630 vs 3.58) make it more enjoyable to use outdoors. Both use OLED technology, offering excellent colors and deep blacks.
Camera Comparison
The Galaxy S9's camera system is more versatile. While both offer excellent photo and video capabilities, the S9's image processing tends to produce more pleasing results, especially in challenging lighting conditions. The S9 also benefits from a variable aperture, allowing for better depth-of-field control. The XZ2's camera is still very capable, but lacks the S9's refinement.
Performance
Both phones are powered by high-end chipsets – the Snapdragon 845 in the XZ2 and either the Exynos 9810 or Snapdragon 845 in the S9 (region dependent). Performance is generally comparable for everyday tasks and gaming, though the S9's slightly newer architecture might offer a marginal edge in some scenarios. The XZ2's 10nm process is identical to the S9's.
Battery Life
The Xperia XZ2 takes the crown in battery life, boasting an impressive endurance rating of 88 hours compared to the Galaxy S9's 78 hours. This translates to noticeably longer usage between charges, a significant advantage for power users.
Buying Guide
The Sony Xperia XZ2 is a good choice for users prioritizing battery life and a more stock Android experience. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is ideal for those who value a vibrant display, a versatile camera system, and a more feature-rich software experience.