Sony Xperia X, X Performance and XA

Introduction

As others focus on phablets, Sony showed the 5" market a lot of love with the new Xperia X series. The Xperia X Performance is essentially a Z-phone in disguise. Better yet, not even the Z5 has a brushed metal back.

The Xperia X family

This one has it all - waterproofing, stereo speakers, a Snapdragon 820 chipset, 23MP worth of still images, the works. If money is no object, this would be our pick.

Sony Xperia X Performance at a glance:

• Form factor: metal body, beveled screen; IP68 waterproofing
• Screen: 5" Triluminos display, 1080p resolution (441ppi)
• Camera: 23MP/2160p with 1/2.3" sensor, f/2.0, Predictive Hybrid AF; 13MP selfie camera
• Chipset: Snapdragon 820 (2+2 custom cores); 3GB of RAM
• Storage: 32GB, expandable via a microSD cards
• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Audio: stereo speakers, Hi-Res audio, DSEE HX, LDAC
• Battery: 2,700mAh

The Sony Xperia X is the middle sibling. The same metal exterior (without the brushed finish) and 5" 1080p screen, the same still resolution and stereo speakers. It's just not waterproof, though, and the chipset is a Snapdragon 650.

Sony Xperia X at a glance:

• Form factor: metal body, beveled screen
• Screen: 5" Triluminos display, 1080p resolution (441ppi)
• Camera: 23MP/2160p with 1/2.3" sensor, f/2.0, Predictive Hybrid AF; 13MP selfie camera
• Chipset: Snapdragon 650 (2x A72 + 4x A53 cores); 3GB of RAM
• Storage: 32GB, expandable with microSD cards
• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Audio: stereo speakers, Hi-Res audio, DSEE HX, LDAC
• Battery: 2,620mAh

The Sony Xperia XA is for the price-conscious. It still has a 5" screen, but of 720p resolution. No metal finish, no stereo speakers either. The camera obviously took the biggest slash, a 1/3" Exmor RS sensor of 13MP resolution.

Sony Xperia XA at a glance:

• Screen: 5" Triluminos display, 720p resolution (294ppi)
• Camera: 13MP with 1/3" sensor; 8MP selfie camera
• Chipset: MediaTek MT6755 (8 Cortex-A53 cores); 2GB of RAM
• Storage: 16GB, expandable with microSD cards
• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Battery: 2,300mAh