A highlight at Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year is the efforts of manufacturers to create capable smartphones accessible to a wide range of consumers. As attractive as flagships may be, the high prices associated with top-tier devices prevent many people from buying them.
With the Xperia X, XA and X Performance, Sony has sought to bring high-end features down to mid-range devices, opening them up to a larger group of buyers.
The Xperia X series is distinguished from Sony’s other Xperia phones with a new design and brand look that incorporates some decidedly premium elements, including an edge-to-edge display on the XA, curved glass across the range, a selection of premium materials and a textured finish. The screen resolution is 1080p on the Xperia X and X Performance but only 720p on the Xperia XA, one of the corners Sony has had to cut to keep the price low on the edge-to-edge panel.
The base model Xperia X is powered by the hexa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The XA has only 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage but incorporates a more powerful processor, the octa-core MediaTek MT6755. At the top of the range, the X Performance sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820, the processor used in many flagship devices unveiled at this year’s MWC.
The X Performance also has a 23-megapixel rear camera with a few nifty features of its own. Sony’s new autofocus system can track moving objects and predict where the focus will need to be for the shot, making it easier to capture images of subjects like sporting events.
Additional hardware components across the range include a fingerprint sensor, micro SD card slot for expandable storage and an average but serviceable battery capacity. The X has 2,620mAh, the XA 2,300mAh and the X Performance 2,700mAh. Given the comparatively low screen resolutions, this should be sufficient for a day’s careful usage, although as always it’s hard to tell just from the spec sheet.
Sony is keen for the new Xperia X brand to differentiate itself from the competition, pitching it as a platform of connected devices to assist in everyday life. A selection of new Xperia smart accessories will be sold alongside the handsets as an additional product category for Sony.
Xperia Ear is an intelligent wireless ear-piece that automatically notifies you of useful information throughout the day. It is controlled by voice commands and can search the Internet, keep you up to date with your schedule or just handle voice calls.
Sony has ideas for other smart accessories too. It has developed proof-of-concept versions of Xperia Eye, Xperia Projector and Xperia Agent, a 360-degree camera lens worn around the neck, interactive projective surface and voice-controlled personal assistant respectively. Sony describes the products as “intelligent devices that understand preferences, activities and behaviour, to provide useful and contextual information.”
“Sony Mobile will continue to create increasingly personalised and intelligent products and services that empower you to do more, and live more creatively than ever. Our products and services will connect you to each other and become essential and beloved parts of your lives.” said Hiroki Totoki, President and CEO of Sony Mobile Communications.
“With our continued passion for technology, we will keep adding new and exciting features to evolve our smartphones. At the same time, we want to change how you access information and interact with friends and family in a closer, natural and more meaningful way.”
The Xperia X series is not intended to rival or supersede Sony’s current mobile flagship, the Xperia Z5. The company’s rapid release cadence means the Xperia Z6 will arrive in the next few months, possibly with the same design used on the Xperia X, XA and X Performance.
The new phones will be available in white, graphite black, lime gold and rose gold and will be complemented by a selection of swappable “Style Covers.” Sales are set to begin in the summer but the X Performance will be limited to markets in Asia.
