Sony Xperia X Series Android Smartphones Hit U.S. Shores Unlocked June 26th
In the United States, the smartphone market feels almost like a two-horse race between Apple and Samsung, with HTC galloping a fair distance behind. But lest anyone forget, Sony offers some intriguing handsets under its Xperia banner, four of which are arriving unlocked in the next couple of months.
Forgiveness is easily granted for anyone who forgot about Sony's Xperia line. Sony doesn't put the same level of effort in pushing its smartphone line up in the U.S. market as it does in other territories, though perhaps this is the beginning of a changed mindset. Not only is Sony bringing four new Xperia handsets to U.S. soil, but it's sidestepping wireless carriers with unlocked phones.
Specifically, Sony's releasing unlocked versions of its Xeperia X, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XA, and Xperia XA Ultra. All four sport premium finishes reminiscent of past Xperia handsets, but with updated guts.
The Xperia X and Xperia X Performance are the two top-end models, the former with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC and the latter wielding a Snapdragon 820 SoC, both of which are hexa-core parts. Both also boast 3GB of RAM (LPDDR3 on the Xperia X and LPDDR4 on the Xperia X Performance), a 5-inch Full HD 1080p display, 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage flanked by a microSD card slot, 13MP front camera, 24MP rear camera, and Android 6.
Sony's other two Xperia handsets, the XA and XA Ultra, are more affordable options with toned down specifications. The Xperia XA features a 5-inch 720p display, MediaTek Helio P10 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage + microSD card slot, 8MP front shooter, 13MP rear shooter, and Android M.
The Xperia XA Ultra is a larger handset with a 6-inch Full HD display powered by MediaTek's MT6755 SoC and 2GB of RAM. It also has a 16MP front camera, 21.5MP rear camera, and Android M out of the box.
Here's how pricing breaks down:
Forgiveness is easily granted for anyone who forgot about Sony's Xperia line. Sony doesn't put the same level of effort in pushing its smartphone line up in the U.S. market as it does in other territories, though perhaps this is the beginning of a changed mindset. Not only is Sony bringing four new Xperia handsets to U.S. soil, but it's sidestepping wireless carriers with unlocked phones.
Specifically, Sony's releasing unlocked versions of its Xeperia X, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XA, and Xperia XA Ultra. All four sport premium finishes reminiscent of past Xperia handsets, but with updated guts.
The Xperia X and Xperia X Performance are the two top-end models, the former with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC and the latter wielding a Snapdragon 820 SoC, both of which are hexa-core parts. Both also boast 3GB of RAM (LPDDR3 on the Xperia X and LPDDR4 on the Xperia X Performance), a 5-inch Full HD 1080p display, 32GB or 64GB of built-in storage flanked by a microSD card slot, 13MP front camera, 24MP rear camera, and Android 6.
Sony's other two Xperia handsets, the XA and XA Ultra, are more affordable options with toned down specifications. The Xperia XA features a 5-inch 720p display, MediaTek Helio P10 SoC, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage + microSD card slot, 8MP front shooter, 13MP rear shooter, and Android M.
The Xperia XA Ultra is a larger handset with a 6-inch Full HD display powered by MediaTek's MT6755 SoC and 2GB of RAM. It also has a 16MP front camera, 21.5MP rear camera, and Android M out of the box.
Here's how pricing breaks down:
- Sony Xperia X: $550 (June 26th)
- Sony Xperia X Performance: $700 (July 17th)
- Sony Xperia XA: $280 (July 17th)
- Sony Xperia XA Ultra: $370 (July 24th)
The Xperia X is available to pre-order today, while the others will go up for pre-order on June 19th.
