After yesterday morning’s launch at the beginning of MWC 2016, we ventured back to Sony’s booth today to take a closer look at the Xperia XA and Xperia X premium range. Sony has been criticised before for announcing new products too quickly after the latest releases, and while the Xperia Z5 is only six months old now, the Xperia X line won’t actually be released for four months or so, giving existing owners a bit more time with the “latest” product.
We were initially a bit unsure about Sony’s intentions with the Xperia X-line of devices, but it seems now pretty clear that the Xperia Z line may well be retired, with no Xperia Z6 in the wings. Instead, the Xperia X line seems destined to take its place, with the Xperia XA as the entry-level (albeit, super mid-range) device, and the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance as the high-range, flagship contenders.
This certainly seems to be a valid option for Sony, instead of engaging in an endless numbers race where we end up with an Xperia Z13 in a few years time.
We went hands on with the Xperia X and Xperia XA today, and they both feel absolutely premium in design and construction. Sony are known for making beautiful handsets and this new line is no exception, upholding Sony’s clear design prowess.
Without further ado, I present our two hands-on videos. I have to apologise for the audio as our video editing capability on the ground is limited, but you can still get a good feel for the devices and my thoughts (though there were some noisy people in the booth which made clear audio recording a bit difficult!)
Xperia XA:
Xperia X:
We’re expecting the new Xperia X-line in Australia come mid year, and we’ll be in touch with Sony between now and then to establish local availability, colour range and pricing.
If the Z series ends up being retired, it’ll be a real shame. No one else makes compact phones under 5″ better than Sony. Unless there ends up being a X series compact to replace the Z compact.
Having owned the Z1 Compact and currently using the Z3 Compact I concur. However at 5″ I’d be willing to give the X performance a go but only if it was priced similarly to the compacts. Yes, I’m a Scrooge 😉