Sony shows off the new Xperia XZ at IFA 2016. What can we conclude so far?

Sony Xperia XZ vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 specs comparison: Design

The Redmi Note 4 sports a good design. It is slim and sleek although Sony Xperia XZ is thinner and lighter. However, Sony is fond of making rectangular smartphones and this is a deal breaker if you are not a fan. The Redmi Note 4 gets slight curves on the edges - making it more good-looking than Xperia XZ.

Sony Xperia XZ vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 specs comparison: Hardware and software

Moving on under the hood, both smartphones run Android Marshmallow but Xperia XZ might receive OS upgrade to Android Nougat, as reported by GSM Arena.

Xperia XZ is shipped with Snapdragon 820 chipset whilst Redmi Note 4 gets Helio X20. On the paper, Helio X20 has better raw processing power with clock speeds up to 2.5 GHz compared to Snapdragon 820 with 2.2 GHz. However, Snapdragon 820 support Adreno 530 for ultimate graphics quality, Android Headlines reviewed. Hence, this is another part where Xperia XZ outshines the Chinese phone.

The Redmi Note 4 offers two options: 16 GB - 2 GB RAM and 64 GB - 3 GB RAM; whilst Xperia XZ offers 3 GB of RAM for its 32 GB or 64 GB of internal storage.

Both gets fingerprint sensor but apparently Xperia XZ only sports 2,900 mAh battery. Redmi Note 4 offers huge power with its 4,100 mAh although both feature turbo-charging.

Sony Xperia XZ vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 specs comparison: Camera

Sony is the biggest manufacturer of camera smartphone and it does pretty impressive on Xperia XZ. Sporting 23 MP rear camera, Xperia XZ comes with LED flash, phase detection and laser autofocus. It is able to record 2160p@30fps video. The front camera uses 13 MP with HDR feature.

The image quality is undoubtedly beautiful and vivid. And this is definitely the winner in the competition. Redmi Note 4 packs only 13 MP of rear camera and 5 MP selfie shooter although it is able to go into details of the captured object when zoomed.

Sony Xperia XZ vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 price comparison

It is obvious that Sony and Xiaomi flagships are categorized in different range but it seems that Xiaomi has learned a lot these days. It is able to make affordable phones look expensive on the design and offer great specs under the hood as well. In the YouTube video that Android Authority published earlier, many users are actually disappointed with Xperia XZ - saying that Sony could've done better with their new phone.

The hefty price of around $699 and the not-so-breathtaking features except for the camera, might be a deal breaker. Probably, Android fans should wait for what the Google Nexus 2016 has to offer?

Sony Xperia XZ hands-on review