Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium lands in NZ and it’s not cheap

Sony Mobile announced the availability and pricing of what promises to be their most groundbreaking smartphone to date, the Xperia XZ Premium.

The latest addition to the Xperia X series family, the Xperia XZ Premium, will be available for purchase online and in-store from its exclusive carrier Spark.

Consumers can get their hands on the Xperia XZ Premium in 'luminous chrome' for the low, low price of $1,200.

Announced at Mobile World Congress in February, the Xperia XZ Premium features the new Motion Eye, a camera said to be so advanced it captures motion that the human eye can't see, which just seems a little pointless to me.

It also has a 4K HDR display, super-fast download speeds, and loop design.

Officially named Best New Smartphone at MWC 2017, the award winning Xperia XZ Premium aims to be the pinnacle of Sony's mobile innovation.

John Featherstone, Sony Mobile Oceania managing directors says, "The Xperia XZ Premium is our most technologically capable smartphone ever featuring a number of world-first hero specifications, we're thrilled to finally introduce the product to the New Zealand market.

"At Sony Mobile, we thrive to be at the forefront of smartphone technology, from 960fps Super slow motion video playback, predictive capture, to 4K HDR display, the Xperia XZ Premium is packed with premium and ground-breaking technologies.

"We want our customers to experience everyday life in a truly unique and personalised way like no other, the Xperia XZ Premium Super slow motion video capability allows consumers to reveal the magic of seemingly ordinary moments."

David Redmore, Spark's head of consumer said the company is thrilled to be partnering with Sony Mobile.

• World's first 960 frames per second super slow motion video playback in a phone.
• Predictive capture that automatically starts buffering images when it detects motion.
• World's first 4K HDR display.
• Fast 1Gbps download speeds.
• Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 mobile platform.
• Water resistant.
• The battery is maximised with smart stamina. 
• High-resolution audio playback.

Redmore says, "As the exclusive carrier partner for Xperia XZ Premium, we are excited to offer our customers this ground-breaking innovation from Sony Mobile.

This phone does seem to be chock full of technological innovations, yet at that price point, those premium features may not be enough to entice consumers to switch to Sony's phone.

Only time will tell if the Xperia XZ Premium performs as well as its Galaxy and iOS competitors.