Xperia XZ2 Durability Test Redeems Its Predecessors

Sony made a huge gamble this year. At long last, it finally changed the design of its flagship phones, but it may not be what fans have been longing for. Especially after it visibly and tangibly increases the thickness of the devices. But that design change may also have some added benefits as YouTuber Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything found out in his trifecta of durability test performed on the Sony Xperia XZ2.

The new Xperia XZ2 design might not be as striking as other flagships this year, though it's still a change nonetheless. Sony has employed a glass-metal-glass sandwich with the back curving very visibly. It is that curve that adds to thickness of the smartphone.

Sony used Gorilla Glass 5 on both front and back sides of the Xperia XZ2, which is no match for keys, coins, and even razor blades. The fingerprint scanner on the back does scratch easily but continues to work regardless. Unsurprisingly, Sony is sticking to its LCD guns, which does have a recovery advantage over OLEDs in the practically useless burn test.

It is in the bend test, however, where the Xperia XZ2's mettle is truly tested. The new design and new materials used added to the smartphone's structural integrity, making it more rigid and nearly impossible to flex, unlike the Xperias before it. Sony may have indeed come upon a successful formula, at least as far as durability goes.

Of course, durable phones don't always translate to good sales. Despite Sony's lackluster sales, however, it remains committed to smartphones but not for the sake of the devices themselves but for being portals to the company's other technologies and ambitions.