Sony quickly followed Huawei’s lead with the Xperia XZ and X Compact, two smartphones that shun the modern obsession with big screens in favor of 5.2-inch and 4.6-inch displays, respectively. The Xperia XZ is the more powerful of the two, with a Snapdragon 820 chip inside, but it’s the X Compact that impresses more in the real world. Both have the same 23-megapixel camera, but neither have an active fingerprint sensor, a feature irritatingly omitted on U.S.-bound Xperia phones.
Finally, ZTE showed off the Axon 7 Mini, a slightly smaller version of the excellent Axon 7 that has the same superb audio prowess and impressive camera. The tech inside isn’t as powerful, and the screen is smaller at 5.2-inches, but the resulting price drop means the Axon 7 Mini is a great value, and crucially undercuts the new Huawei Nova phones.
The IFA show officially opens its doors Friday, and while the big-name press conferences are all over, there will be plenty more to come over the next few days as we explore the show floor. We’ll be back again tomorrow.
