The Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact are two of the nicest phones at MWC this year.

Just like every other high-end device made by the company, both phones come with top-of-the-line specs, beautiful displays, and some impressive new camera features.

The biggest news with the XZ2 line isn’t what’s under the hood — rather, it’s the hood itself.

Ever since the Xperia Z, pretty much every Sony phone has looked the same. The gigantic bezels above and below the display and angular design were defining features of the Xperia lineup, and that wasn’t always a negative thing. Back in 2013, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t find the Xperia Z line attractive.

Back in 2013, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t find the Xperia Z line attractive.

Smartphone design drastically changed in 2017, when OEMs started adopting taller 18:9 displays and shrinking bezels. We were introduced to smartphones like the Galaxy S8 and Essential Phone which really stood out with their sleek, nearly bezel-less designs.

Sony obviously needed to change up its four-year-old design to keep up with the competition. We all knew it had to be done.

Then word got out the company was actually going to do something, and I was hyped. I always wanted to like Sony’s phones so badly, but the lack of emphasis on design had been an instant turn-off for me. Would Sony’s new phones ditch the sharp angles? Would they finally adopt 18:9 displays? I had so many questions.

When it came down to finally redesigning its phones, what did Sony do? It copied a company that knows how to design smartphones.
From the back, the Xperia XZ2 looks like a repackaged HTC U11. Is this really the best Sony could do?

I don’t think the XZ2 is an ugly device — I really don’t. The addition of an 18:9 display is very welcome. But the company had a long time to introduce original ideas, and it didn’t. It took HTC’s Liquid Surface design instead of even trying to make a unique looking device. Sony, we deserve a little more than that.

Innovation at Sony has stopped.

This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, though. Sony CEO Kaz Hirai recently told The Guardian Sony is staying in the smartphone business to “play in the next paradigm shift,” not because it thinks smartphones are the future. At this point, it seems like innovation at Sony has stopped.

Sony is hardly the worst offender. Asus’ new ZenFone 5Z is a blatant ripoff of the iPhone X. Leagoo isn’t any better. For a company that once led the smartphone world, it’s now just a follower.