IFA 2016: Sony Outs Xperia XZ and X Compact

Sony has added two more phones to its burgeouning X line of smartphones, in the form of the performance-oriented Xperia XZ and the smaller X Compact. Both phones are meant to compliment the company’s already strong linuep that the company launched in the PH a few months ago.

Sony Xperia XZ specs

Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor
3GB of RAM
5.2-inch full HD IPS display, Gorilla Glass 4, 1920 x 1080 resolution
32GB of expandable storage
23-megapixel rear camera, Sony IMX300 sensor, 1/2.3″ sensor size, 6-element lens, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, Laser AF, IR color sensor
13-megapixel front camera
Dual SIM
3G, LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, USB Type-C, fingerprint scanner
Android Marshmallow
2900mAh battery

The Xperia XZ is the most powerful of the two phones, sporting Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage. The phone also uses Sony’s new “Unified Design” philosopy, along with a new ALKALEIDO aluminum alloy that graces the back of the device. The phone is also IP68 certified, and has a USB Type-C connector, a first for the company.

Moving onto the camera, the Xperia XZ has a 23-megapixel rear camera and a 13-megapixel front shooter. The specs for the camera is impressive – Sony’s own IMX300 sensor, with a 1/2.3″ sensor size, 6-element lens and an f/2.0 aperture. There’s PDAF for faster focusing time, which is complimented by a laser AF system and an IR color sensor.

Xperia X Compact

Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 hexa-core processor
3GB of RAM
4.6-inch HD IPS display, Gorilla Glass protection, 1920 x 1080 resolution
32GB of expandable storage
23-megapixel rear camera, Sony IMX300 sensor, 1/2.3″ sensor size, 6-element lens, f/2.0 aperture, PDAF, Laser AF, IR color sensor
5-megapixel front camera
Dual SIM
3G, LTE
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, USB Type-C
2700mAh battery
Android Marshmallow

The Xperia X Compact, on the other hand, brings back that compact, powerful smartphone that we’ve all been lusting for ever since the Japanese company discontinued the Xperia Z line. Unfortunately Sony didn’t stuff in a Snapdragon 820 processor into the X Compact, settling for a Snapdragon 650 processor instead, along with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of expandable storage.

The X Compact has a plastic body and sadly Sony’s omitted the IP68 certification that’s present in the top end Xperia XZ. The phone is physically smaller, sporting just a 4.6-inch IPS HD display, protected Gorilla Glass 4.

Camera-wise the X Compact looks to have the same camera as the bigger XZ, namely the same 23-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 1/2.3″ Exmor RS sensor. The only downside here is that the camera can’t take 4K video