Sony has rolled out some pretty cool handsets in the past, and I remember back in the days when smartphones were unheard of, there was this Jog Dial function on one of their handsets which let you scroll through whatever lists there were on your phone in a quick manner -- pretty cool then, accompanied by its orange backlight that was very different from the standard yellowish-green colored backlight for all the other dumb phones back then. Well, Sony also made a push for waterproof handsets with several notable releases, but somehow the brand never really caught on with the masses, commanding only a very small portion of the Android-powered market today. How then, does their latest flagship, the Sony Xperia XZ stack up against the rest of the competition?

The Sony Xperia XZ would be the Japanese company’s best flagship smartphone that has rolled out in the past few years, sporting not only a vastly improved industrial design that is aesthetically pleasing but also a far more improved camera. The big question is, has Sony done enough with the Xperia XZ in order to make it worthy to jostle for some elbow space with the iPhone 7 and the Galaxy S7?

One thing is for sure -- the old Z series design is no longer part of the Sony Xperia XZ, and for good reason, too. You will now come face to face with a smoother metal and glass exterior, accompanied by perfectly rounded edges as well as joints, and the new shade of blue is also soothing to the eyes.

You might want to stock up on your microSD memory card collection though, with the presence of a 23MP camera at the back that will no doubt fill up your internal storage very fast if you are an avid shutterbug. This 23MP camera will rely on triple image sensor technology which claims to be able to deliver that superior image compared to other smartphones in the market. Theoretically speaking, that is, but when one take a look at some of the sample images from regular users who have taken the older LG G5 and Samsung Galaxy S7 out for a spin, then it is very difficult to digest such a claim.

However, Sony has certainly done its homework in touching up the Xperia XZ’s front-facing camera, where it will now boast a whopping 13MP -- and arrives with a wide angled lens, ensuring that your selfie shots need not be done in an acrobatic manner so that you can pack your merry bunch of friends in as well.

Other hardware specifications of the Sony Xperia XZ would be a fingerprint reader that is located on the right hand side -- although left-handed folks like me might find this to be a nuisance. It has also retained the IP68 dust and ­water resistance rating from its predecessor, while the tired 5.2” Full HD display should have been revamped by now, taking into consideration how its rivals like the Galaxy S7 have a Super AMOLED display, or the Super LCD in HTC’s flagship offering.

Perhaps Sony intends to target the upper mid-range market as opposed to jostling for market share in the high end smartphone market, and if that is the case, then it is definitely a decent offering that does not break the bank. Get this if you are a selfie aficionado, if nothing else.