Impressions: DEVILCASE Xperia XZ Premium Aluminum Frame

I pre-ordered this one and slapped it on the moment it arrived.

The fit is pretty good all around.

The only real flaw is that the fingerprint sensor ends up recessed behind a raised lip.

There’s plenty else worth arguing about here — not flaws exactly, just debatable.

For starters, the frame is big. Once it’s on, your phone is visibly one size larger. The build quality is great and it feels solid in the hand, but whether you want to carry something that’s a whole size bigger is your call.

The frame has a lanyard hole, but the moment you use it you’ve basically given up the official Sony charging dock for good — with the frame on, the phone won’t fit the dock anymore.

Devilcase is a Taiwanese brand with its factory in mainland China; you can buy it on eBay. The build is decent. My order also came with a free screen protector set (front and back). I tested it after it arrived — the film itself is fine quality and the included tools are well worth it, but the big problem shows up once it’s applied: poor light transmission, like there’s a layer of gauze over the screen.

If you’re really going to use a screen protector, go with Banana’s high-transparency film. For the back film, where clarity doesn’t matter, Devilcase’s is fine — or 方少’s back film works too. I ordered the Banana high-transparency film from Japan; it’s cheaper than on eBay. Banana also makes a back film, but it’s worse than the ones on eBay, so don’t bother.

For more thoughts on screen protectors and cases for the XZP, see here.