Since the release of SONY's Xperia XZ2, the exterior design has become the first topic, like U11+? In the Creative Center, the team responsible for the design of the XZ2, Iishima Yoshizune, the head of the department, was invited to explain the design idea of the XZ2, what is Ambient Flow? Mr. Iijima, I asked a lot of people that this time the XZ2 is quite similar to the U11+.

The arc is made because it is centered on the feel

(The lens and fingerprint arrangement looks similar to the U11+)

According to Mr. Iijima’s introduction at the press conference, according to the survey, in the past 10 years, people’s time spent in contact with technology products has increased by 8 times, especially the time spent in contact with mobile phones, which takes an average of 5.5 hours a day (calculate by yourself: if you deduct it 8 hours of sleep, 1/3 of the time when awake is on the phone...).

Using the phone for such a long time, BP5234A33 , so the design of this XZ2 hopes to make technology something that can be close to life. The hand feel is very important here, so this kind of surface line is developed to make the phone and the palm appear the most comfortable. posted status.

On the back, the camera and fingerprint reader are arranged in a straight line, which makes people feel very similar to the U11+.

Many people have responded that the reason for the thick middle is that they want to be close to the palm and bring a comfortable feel.

I may have to say something for XZ2. In fact, although I was frightened by the figure of 1.11 cm when I looked at the specifications, I didn't realize that it was thicker when I actually held it.

Another reason is that Xperia attaches great importance to entertainment effects. Usually, it is used directly. When watching movies or playing games, it is used horizontally. The team hopes to provide a smooth experience in any use situation, such as fingerprint recognition position, four corners It is comfortable when it is attached to the palm of the hand, and there is no feeling of oppression. In addition to the aforementioned feel and integration into life, it is also because of these details of use, so it was finally decided to make the back of the arc.

Regarding someone's reaction, many small details are not like SONY anymore?

Maybe because it is similar to the U11+, or because the arrangement of the parts on the back becomes the same as many mobile phones, so some people think that the high-quality texture of SONY cannot be seen on the XZ2.

The source of the curved and shiny surface has been mentioned before. The remaining question is, why should the fingerprint be placed in this position? Why are the parts not grouped together to make the back clean? Why is the color of the fingerprint recognition different from the back cover to destroy the overall sense?

Why are the details like this.... (If you ask again, it will become a blacklist XD)

Because the side is thinner, the fingerprint is placed at the back, but why is it in the middle position instead of the upper 1/3 position that everyone often puts?

Mr. Iijima explained that according to the survey and observation, this position is for boys and girls. When holding a mobile phone with the left hand and the right hand, it will fall on average. When people put the four corners on the palm, the index finger is on the back. This position is not because of the internal Parts layout relationship, and put it here. The reason why it is not concentrated with the camera area is to keep the fingerprint recognition parts at a distance from the camera parts to maintain good heat dissipation.

I ask this question because I touch the Orz by mistake all day long, I usually hold the Orz in the middle, so I often touch the lens when I have to unlock it....

I don't know which one you are. In short, you have to get used to its fingerprint recognition position.

However, the color of the fingerprint recognition area is inconsistent, which is also a point of concern.

The rear fingerprints on hand like Xiaomi MIX2, Huawei Mate 10 Pro, Galaxy S9, Note 8, U11+ mirror black...etc., the colors are handled very well. In comparison, I feel that XZ2...one piece...

The designer told us that this is because the difference in the material of the glass back and the metal fingerprint recognition area causes the color difference in coloring. This is also a difficult part. In addition, the vacuum plating on the glass surface this time makes the mobile phone different in Angled, it looks like there will be a gloss of different colors, which may also deepen the sense of fingerprint recognition and the color difference on the glass surface. However, it means that there are also well-handled models on the market, and the process of material processing may hope to get better and better.

Color Inspiration

In fact, the challenge facing designers now is that under the trend of full-screen displays, the front panel will account for more and more, and the fronts of each will become more and more similar, and designers can play less and less.

Mr. Iijima mentioned that for them, they have to consider the originality of SONY in the product. On the XZ2, details such as color matching, more detailed corner arcs, etc., are used to express SONY's originality.

There is not much room to play on the front, so I use my brains on the back, and pay attention to the details of the sides and corners, make the place that touches the palm into a clear arc, and think about what kind of arc is the most comfortable.

In terms of color matching, this XZ2 has a total of four colors: clear black, clear silver, deep lake green, and purple pink.

When introducing the color inspiration at the press conference, it was mentioned that the color matching of the XZ2 is based on the flow of light, and the arc and 3D glass on the back show the light of nature and the brilliance after passing through the glass.

For example, silver is the expression of light shining on the water surface, reflecting the appearance of silver-white waves.

Black represents the faint light in the deep sea at night.

Dark green is Mr. Iijima's own favorite color (me too!), which is to show the dark blue-green changes that the light in the deep sea presents.

Purple powder is like the color of the waves in the evening when the setting sun shines on the water surface.

The performance of color is related to the fluctuation of water.

In addition, the glass performance is added with vacuum plating treatment, which improves the gloss.

Future super flagship style?

Here you can also see the challenges of the full-screen trend to designers:

The proportion of the screen is getting bigger and bigger, the designer can do less and less places, and the difficulty of design will also increase.

But we remember that the Xperia XA2's extremely narrow frame on the left and right is quite distinctive, and it is also very recognizable by SONY. Why is this design not used on the XZ2?

The reason is that the XA series has a narrow frame and cannot provide a waterproof mechanism. For flagships like the XZ2, waterproofing is a must, so the frame is still retained on the XZ2, instead of using the beautifully narrow one. design.

In addition, the upper and lower frames should be placed with cameras and reinforced speakers. The frames of the XZ2 should be the best condition that the material can do at present. Of course, if these components can be made smaller in the future, then of course, the upper and lower frames can be reduced. The screen-to-body ratio can also be expanded.

So in the future, will the flagship of the dual-lens be designed with a design like the XZ2, or will it maintain the classic mirror surface of Premium? Of course, Mr. Iijima did not say, but he emphasized that Ambient Flow is the latest design language at present, and the concept of follow will still be used. (You can imagine for yourself below)

But it means that after the full screen is popularized, the fronts are indeed very similar, but we have also seen many examples of handling the backs well. Every designer will face the same challenges. Some people are trapped in Me too, but some people can It can only be said that there are more and more challenges for making specialties, everyone, come on. (That's not the case in that industry... [sigh])

The reason for boldly removing the 3.5mm headphone jack

Some students also wailed that the XZ2 had removed the 3.5mm headphone jack. During the design, the team will also refer to some information provided by other departments, and learned in the process of communicating with the SONY audio-visual department,

Since 2017 last year, the ratio of wired earphones to wireless earphones has been reversed, and the number of wireless earphones sold is more than that of wired earphones. Therefore, the team believes that this is an appropriate time to cancel the earphone jack and let consumers gradually use wireless earphones to listen to music. , so boldly cancel the headphone jack on the XZ2.

If you want to listen to high-quality sound, you can still use the included adapter cable, or use a Bluetooth headset that supports LDAC (well...but most of them are earmuffs or neck-mounted).

In the settings of Xperia, there are also settings such as Clear Audio+ to optimize the sound quality of listening through Bluetooth headphones.

Under-screen fingerprint recognition

Fingerprint recognition under the screen should be a design that various companies will actively try to add this year, but Mr. Iijima told us that the designer cannot decide what parts to use in this section (it is higher, the unit that develops and plans the product, which means asking the wrong question People XD), so I can't answer the progress of my SONY family's search for fingerprint recognition under the screen.

In addition to fingerprints under the screen, OLED is also a material that reduces the footprint and makes the design better.

Although these two items (under-screen fingerprint recognition, OLED screen) can free up more space for designers, there are also issues of technological maturity and cost.

Attitudes towards the adoption of new materials The team's thinking will still depend on whether the new materials perform as desired.

For example, although the cost of OLED may gradually come down, the technology of LCD will be improved at the same time as the price is reduced, but the price will still be maintained. Therefore, whether to use new materials will ultimately depend on the demand at that time.

However, if the fingerprint recognition under the screen and the way of using it are mature, I still hope that SONY will adopt it as soon as possible, and don't take it any longer. Many people should be looking forward to this function.

In short, the XZ2 is already like this, and the designers who can discuss the appearance have also answered. I hope this interview will let you know the source of the design ideas and what the team cares about. In the next few days, you should also be able to experience mobile phones at storefronts or official events.

It's time to focus on functionality

Finally, congratulations to Xperia XZ1 for winning the 2018 iF Design Award Smartphone Gold Award. Although many people disliked the Loop Surface that looks the same, but in the eyes of the design industry Academy Awards judges, XZ1 has superb manufacturing technology, and rigorous The details, materials and colors strike a good balance, making it a comfortable phone.

I don't know if XZ2 will have a chance to be favored next year...