Sony XZ2 Premium now available for the low, low price of $1,000 (Updated)

Update 07/30/2018 at 5:57 p.m. EST: The Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium is now available from Amazon and Best Buy for a whopping $999.99. We have yet to get our hands on one to tell you whether or not the high price tag is worth it, but we were quite fond of the less expensive Xperia XZ2. If you’re interested in reading more about this phone, check out our original coverage below.

Original Article: Sony’s Premium-branded Xperia devices generally represent the company’s most cutting-edge efforts. The Xperia Z5 Premium offered a 4K display, the XZ Premium delivered a 4K HDR screen and the slowest slow-motion on a phone, and the Xperia XZ2 Premium, well… it has a dual-camera setup.

A first for the company’s flagships, the phone combines a 19MP f/1.8 main camera with a 12MP f/1.6 monochrome shooter. Sony claims that the pairing, in conjunction with the “AUBE” image signal processor, enables ultra low light results “previously only seen in interchangeable lens cameras”. The firm adds that the pairing can hit ISO levels of 51,200 for stills and 12,800 for video.

The pairing also delivers monochrome shots (naturally) as well as a “Bokeh” mode for portrait-style effects. But in a twist, you’ll have to wait until the third quarter of the year for an update to bring these features. Otherwise, the front plays host to a 13MP f/2.0 shooter for your selfies. Much like the Xperia XZ2 duo revealed at MWC 2018, the Xperia XZ2 Premium offers 960fps super slow-mo in both 720p and 1080p flavors.

Sony has also been making a big deal out of the 5.8-inch 4K HDR screen which, when coupled with 4K HDR recording, allows you to watch your recorded clips at native quality. You’ve still got what appears to be a 16:9 display and sizeable bezels here, although the latter plays host to stereo speakers.

As for horsepower, the Xperia XZ2 Premium packs a Snapdragon 845 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 64GB of expandable storage. All of this is kept chugging along by a 3540mAh battery that features Qi wireless charging.

In the design department, you’re looking at a rear-facing fingerprint scanner and an IP65/68 water/dust resistant body with no headphone jack. Sony is promising a headphone adapter in the box if you don’t care for Type-C headphones or Bluetooth sets.

Taken together, the new phone definitely seems like one step backward and one step forward, and the large bezels and lack of a headphone jack certainly make it look like a compromised design. Usually phones ditching the 3.5mm jack serve up a modern design too. Here’s hoping the dual-camera system is as good as Sony claims.

The Xperia XZ2 Premium will be available globally this summer with pricing TBC. Let us know your thoughts on Sony’s latest in the comments!