Sony announced a new line of devices at MWC 2016 known as the Xperia X series. The three devices in this series consist of flagship Xperia X Performance, midrange Xperia X along with the affordable Xperia XA. They seem to standard smartphone offerings from Sony and they have a greater focus on camera and battery performance. In terms of design, the Xperia X and the X Performance are very similar in terms of hardware and design.
They come with slender, light-weight builds and at the same time, they have a metal back and rounded frame. The glass of the display curves slightly while the bezels are slim. It is certainly a departure from Sony’s traditional, aggressive rectangular design. Both of the devices feel rather nice to hold. There is a wide power button set in the middle right of the frame of the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance.
Similar to the Xperia Z5, it doubles up as a fingerprint sensor in the global markets but unless there is demand, it won’t have the same functionality in the US. There has been a popularity of fingerprint sensors in phones like the iPhone 6S, Samsung Galaxy S6 and Nexus 6P and the demand was pretty clear.
Below the power button, we have the power button and the mushy physical shutter key. The shutter key is great for snapping photos. It is not very clicky and sometimes, it is difficult to say whether you have fully pressed it. Both of the devices have a 5-inch 1,920-by-1,080 curved Triluminos display. It’s sharp and bright and has a screen temperature that leans toward warmer colors.
The Xperia X features a Snapdragon 650 processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage while the Performance variant runs on a Snapdragon 820 processor. The Xperia X has dual-SIM capabilities while both devices come with micro-SD support.
Sony is not sure whether the dual-SIM model will come to the US. Meanwhile, the X Performance is also the only model which comes with a waterproofing that is best associated with the Sony brand.
Sony has also focused greatly on the camera capabilities of this new device. Both of these devices have a 23-megapixel rear camera which focuses faster and more accurately, thanks to the predictive hybrid autofocus technology from Sony.
It tends to keep moving objects in focus as well. The rear camera is capable of 1080p and the 13-megapixel front facing camera is great for taking photos under low-light conditions.
At the same time, battery life management has been a great focus. The Xperia X can get two days of battery life with the Qnovo adaptive charging technology from Sony. There is a 2700mAh battery in the Performance variant while the Xperia X has a 2620mAh battery.
Both of these devices will further run on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The Xperia XA is a mid-range offering from Sony and it is much more affordable while not compromising on build quality. It has a polycarbonate back along with a rounded metal frame. There is a nice seamless feel imparted by the edge-to-edge display and it feels satisfying, swiping on the 5-inch 1280×720 display.
The key layout in the XA is same as the X and Performance. It has the standard circular power button but does not include a fingerprint sensor. However, there are big differences when it comes to internal hardware.
It has a MediaTek MT6755 processor with 2GB of RAM and features a smaller 2300mAh battery. It has a downgraded 13MP front shooter and an 8MP rear shooter. There is hybrid autofocus feature in the camera but it lacks the predictive feature that keeps track of moving objects as well.