As a long time Windows Phone user it has only been about 6 months since i switched to an Android device, this come about due to the collapse of the Windows Phone eco system and must confess to it being a reluctant switch, but suppose it is irrelevant as we are talking about phone camera's, its just for context. I always considered myself lucky in the phone camera department, as my previous 2 phones had exeptional shooters (Nokia Lumia 1020 (42mp) & Lumia 950XL).
After the obligatory research, especially as switching operating systems, I decided to plump for the Sony flagship phone the Xperia XZ Premium. Sporting a 4K HDR screen, a 19mp camera and 13mp front facer, it just seemed forward thinking!! I admit to be a little suckered in with specs, but rocking some of Sony's latest camera tech it stood out as a must buy, especially as it had been reviewing pretty well
Overall as a phone i cant complain, it does everything i need it to and more, it truly is a great phone.....But! For me personally i find the camera a bit lacking and had i had the oportunity to use it in a real world situation before purchase, my decision on purchase may have been different. The camera software itself seems quite clunky, half bakec and not that feature rich, furthermore i find that the sensor does not seem to handle dynamic range to well, with difficulty getting a decent exposure in challenging lighting situations like sunrise or sunset....most frustrating when you want a quick snap for social media! This could be partly a software issue as i have had a bit more luck using the camera through the Lightroom app, far from ideal. There are full manual controls which you can tease out better results, this takes time and is not ideal in most scenarios for a quick shot, to capture a moment.Overall as a phone i cant complain, it does everything i need it to and more, it truly is a great phone.....But! For me personally i find the camera a bit lacking and had i had the oportunity to use it in a real world situation before purchase, my decision on purchase may have been different. The camera software itself seems quite clunky, half bakec and not that feature rich, furthermore i find that the sensor does not seem to handle dynamic range to well, with difficulty getting a decent exposure in challenging lighting situations like sunrise or sunset....most frustrating when you want a quick snap for social media! This could be partly a software issue as i have had a bit more luck using the camera through the Lightroom app, far from ideal. There are full manual controls which you can tease out better results, this takes time and is not ideal in most scenarios for a quick shot, to capture a moment.
As an overall phone then yes i would still recommend, as it packs some impressive hardware in a little package, if mobile photography was going to be your main reason for purchase, then i would strongly recommend a hands on test, but most probably to look elsewhere first.
Scott