Premium ‘Sony Xperia XZ’ Fails Scratch Test, Mostly Made Of Plastic

Launched just this September, the Xperia XZ is Sony’s newest flagship phone, which the company claims to be the high-end premium smartphone in their slate. However, there are tests revealing otherwise.

Sony reveals a “unified” design that features a loop surface that, the company claims, easily fits in the hand. The company also mentions the Sony Xperia XZ has a “metal back” with premium ALKALEIDO™ metal that enhances its design. But, there are tests that reveal otherwise.

The scratch test performed by JerryRigEverything and WitRigs in Sony Xperia XZ, unfortunately, did not pass with flying colors. In fact, the videos reveal that the casing that Sony claims as “metal” is actually made of plastic. The rectangular back bottom bar, the LED flash cover, the top, bottom, and side edges, the top speaker grille, as well as the sim card tray. In addition to that, the fingerprint scanner of the Sony Xperia XZ totally tanked it, as when it was scratched, it didn’t work any longer.

While the plastic material is not at all that bad, there are disadvantages to it. Slash Gear enumerates the consequences being that the metallic paint might fade or peeled off over a period of time, and the plastic side edges easily cracks when the Sony Xperia XZ is bent.

On the flip side, however, Sony Xperia XZ has a relatively strong structure. JerryRigEverything’s video shows that the phone did not break at all. This means that the glass covering the screen, front camera, and front NFC sensor are fairly sturdy. The burn test, for whatever reason is performed, shows that the Sony Xperia XZ turned black after 13 seconds, and bearing AMOLED tech screen, the device was able to fully recover.

The torture test reveals that while Sony Xperia XZ has impressive specs, Sony’s flagship phone might need more refining than the company might think.