Hands on: Sony Xperia X Performance, X, and XA

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http://l3.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/7EHBXoKvG1MQMicNlx8FaA--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/e79283b4733d8553dfdc3cb25170c15d (http://news.yahoo.com/hands-sony-xperia-x-performance-105249555.html)Sony just delivered something of a surprise at MWC in Barcelona by unveiling a trio of new Xperia smartphones.-Hiroki Totoki, President and CEO at Sony Mobile Communications took to the stage at a low key press conference to show off the high-end Xperia X Performance, the Xperia X, and the mid-range Xperia XA. We went hands-on with all three. These new Xperia X phones all sport 5-inch displays and stylish aluminum finishes available in White, Graphite Black, Lime Gold, and Rose Gold. But the similarities are only skin-deep. Sony Xperia X Performance The top-of-the-line Sony X Performance has-an aluminum body with-rounded edges, and it’s super-comfortable to hold, with a satisfying weight and solidity. There’s a brushed effect on the metallic back panel. It doesn’t mark a major departure from Sony’s Xperia Z line-up in terms of design, though Sony has ditched the glass back and decided that a 5-inch 1080p display is enough. Related:- Everything you need to know about Sony’s Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact Sony talked up the speed up of the 23-megapixel main camera, and the X Performance retains a dedicated physical camera key. A soft press on the key allows you to focus, and a harder press takes a shot. It is very fast, and you can pivot and take a photo-with no sign of blur. The front-facing camera is rated at 13-megapixels. This is a powerful phone with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor under the hood backed by 3GB of RAM. It’s running the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Sony’s light user interface on top and a smattering of Sony apps. It will feel familiar to any Android user, but Sony has added a customisable app menu and search box that’s accessible by swiping down in the middle of the screen.-Storage is 32GB, but there is a MicroSD card slot for expansion by up to 200GB. Simon Hill/Digital Trends Simon Hill/Digital Trends Simon Hill/Digital Trends Simon Hill/Digital Trends Just like the Z5 range, there’s a fingerprint sensor on the lozenge-shaped power button on the right spine, but it seems to have been slimmed down. In fact, the phone feels very compact, and that’s largely down to the 5-inch screen. Sony has received a lot of positive feedback for the Z5 Compact, so that may explain the fact that all three X phones have 5-inch displays. It makes them easy to handle compared to a lot of the current flagships. We picked up on two other differences with the X Performance compared to the X and XA. Firstly, it is IP65 and IP68 rated, so liquids shouldn’t be a problem. Secondly, it has a slightly bigger battery at 2,700Ah and it doesn’t have a bigger screen or higher resolution to power, so we would expect the battery life to be good. The charging port on the bottom is MicroUSB, but it does support quick charging. The X Performance also has dual front-facing speakers. We cranked up a couple of tunes on the show floor and could hear them above the general din, so the volume level is quite impressive. Sony has moved the volume rocker to right spine between the power button in the middle and the camera button at the bottom. It feels slightly odd when you’re using the phone in portrait, but flip to landscape and you get the sense of it. Sony Xperia X The middle child is the Xperia X, and it is a fraction smaller than the X Performance, but it’s very tough to tell them apart. The display, the cameras, the software, the fingerprint sensor, and the general design are almost identical. The X Performance has that slightly nicer brushed effect on the back, but you have to dip inside to find other differences. Related:- Sony Xperia Z5 review The processor in the X is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650, the battery is a touch smaller at 2,620mAh, and there’s no IP rating listed in the specs, so we assume it’s not waterproof. In terms of weight and feel, there’s very little to distinguish it from the Performance. Sony Xperia XA The runt of the litter is the mid-range XA, which sports a new MediaTek Helio MT6755 processor, 2GB of RAM, and a 720p display. It is noticeably smaller with a much thinner bezel at the edges of the display when held in portrait. There’s no fingerprint sensor on the power button, in fact the XA has Sony’s old signature round silver button. Sony Xperia XA Simon Hill/Digital Trends It also has a much smaller battery inside at 2,300mAh and it only has a single speaker. The cameras are rated at 13-meapixels and 8-megapixels respectively, but the software is identical. Sony has included a detailed manual mode in the camera app for all three phones, which should please photography fans craving a little more control. The fact that it’s slightly slimmer doesn’t make the XA stand out in a bad way, and the aluminum body still feels quite luxurious. The big question is what will the Xperia X line cost and will they come to the States? Sony mentioned a summer release, but there were no details on countries or pricing.



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