Since 2013, Sony has had some very important years in the high – end phones, which have not sold as wanted, but the Xperia Z have always set reference in some aspects and have had many followers. I especially like Compact versions, but none of them seems they will have more travel, as Sony gives priority to these new Xperia X.
We analyze the “normal” version of the X Xperia recently but the new family had an option to cover the high end would be recognized primarily by the name performance. They are really similar phones in appearance, but the protagonist of our analysis adds water resistance and a much more powerful heart.
What is certain is that competition no longer waits for no one , and phones brands are at a superlative level, not to mention what they offer Chinese brands for much less money. The Japanese company has complicated, but also has its weapons, we will know them…
| TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS | |
| Physical dimensions | 143.7 x 70.4 x 8.7 mm (164.4 grams) |
| Screen | IPS LCD 5 inches |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 (441 dpi) |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 – Kryo Four cores, GPU Adreno 530 |
| RAM | 3GB LPDDR4 |
| Memory | 32GB |
| Software version | Android 6.0.1 |
| Connectivity | Cat 9 LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11ac |
| Cameras | 23 megapixels. 13 megapixel front camera |
| Others | Water resistance, fingerprint sensor, fast charge |
| Battery | 2.700mAh |
| More information | Sony |
A recognizable and waterproof design
The design of the Xperia X Performance will not surprise anyone: Sony create a new family but still there Omnibalance lines present us remind many other phones. In fact it is nailed to the Xperia X who are born with it, so we have to look well to distinguish.
I liked Sony meet again, I was loyal user of the brand years ago and although things have changed a lot from the joint venture with Ericsson, there is still some of that time
It is a complicated section rate, beyond the subjective, since it does not present a very good screen size for size, has no particularly attractive feature, but it has something that does not have many: resistance.
We are facing a very tough phone, designed for us to be playing with him in the water without a problem – provided they do not do diving. – Certification fulfilled is IP68 for dust and water. Interestingly there is no special tool to protect the tray for microSD and SIM, yes, as we open a little, the phone is switched off.
A design is not groundbreaking but which I’m sure they’ll have a great year. I like the silver color, or dark
The lines are very simple, on each side we look at it, and that in the long run may be a plus, usually to better spend years with riskier or flashy designs. The phone can be bought in four colors: black, white, lime and pink.
What does seem different is in materials, there are no windows, but aluminum for the back cover. The frame is made of polycarbonate, but goes well with the whole structure, almost everything looks the same. The display has a rounded at the edges – 2.5D – improving a boring front design, in which the frames are quite striking.
The thickness is not the most accomplished in the Performance section. The frames are made of polycarbonate and aluminum rear. As well Sony has button dedicated to the camera
At least these frameworks leave room for two elements I value positively: an LED notification at the top, and the presence of stereo speakers, one above and one below the screen. They sound very good with power.
The right side of the phone is the busiest, there we find the power button that doubles as fingerprint sensor, also the volume, and a dedicated camera key. I do not like the volume placing so low, I guess it’s matter of getting used to . On the left side we have only the tray for SIM and microSD.
Being hard with Sony, we can make a quick comparison with the reference terminal design: Galaxy S7. The Xperia has a full dimensions of 143.7 x 70.4 x 8.7 mm, while the model Samsung wins you in all dimensions and weight, having a slightly larger screen, and much more battery. Cheaper and another level as a phone OnePlus X, also it gives an overview.
There you have next to a Galaxy S7 and Xperia Z5, as you can see is not particularly better than its older brother in any dimension, being a smaller per screen phone. The percentage of screen from the front is also noteworthy
Bright 5-inch screen
It’s one of the things that I think are best resolved in this phone, used to be using larger screens, I do not dislike anything to stay in 5 inches, which appears to be the least interesting dispatched today. We are facing an IPS panel with a resolution Full HD, which offers an experience very good use, but realistically it is not what we expect in midrange phones.
The definition is very good, we must take into account it maintained resolution regarding the Xperia Z5, but he had a slightly larger screen – 5.2 inches. It is also very remarkable for levels of brightness – 600 nits – and viewing angles, which facilitate outdoor viewing.
Of the 2.6 inch Sony Ericsson W950 Walkman at 5 inches of new Xperia. I speaking, I stay long with designs that made the brand in 2006
I like the quality of the panel at the minimum brightness level and can read in the dark without disturbing anyone else who is with us. In any case I let the phone chooses the best possible brightness level, optimizes it quite well depending on ambient light. The contrast seems significantly better than in a Z5.
The color reproduction is quite true, I like more than Huawei P9, by comparing with a mobile known and similar. We can touch the white balance settings, and we have three modes of “liveliness” color: offline, X-Reality, and SuperVivid.
That said, there is much proprietary technology to improve the image: Triluminous to expand the range of colors that can be represented, or the X-reality quoted, which also dynamically enhances images and video, getting to raise the contrast and detail of multimedia content. It may sometimes distort the content to display all very attractive, but we think worth it.
I have had occasion to read complaints about the touch sensor, but it works for me without problems, respond quickly in any position and situation – when in the water is something else -. With regard to protection, it is not Gorilla Glass, Sony uses a proprietary technology for it.
You may also like to read another article on YellowTube: The domain of Sony with sensors, cameras that fit in anywhere: phones, cars, drones, virtual reality
Top performance, a little step behind the best
The Xperia X Performance is the most powerful phone that created Sony in its long history, it is from the point of view of the chipset used, which is none other than the Snapdragon 820, common in high – end 2016, until the 821. Instead of coming with 4GB, as they carry Galaxy S7 or LG G5, or the 6GB of OnePlus 3, here we are content to 3GB.
The truth is that the Xperia X simple and handles very well Android 6.0 with Snapdragon 650 , but this model will have a life of more extensive updates, and when squeezed, with games, loading times, or multitasking, behaves to the perfection and differences are noted.
Compared with market heavyweights, and pulling benchmarks, we did not find large differences, possibly by the “luck” to bring a Full HD screen. In Geekbench he approaches S7 in 3DMark too, even better to many, is that the Adreno 530 will like that to work with less resolution. Care must be taken to have removed the economic modes battery, and that is not too hot, as it shows in the results.
The unit’s internal memory is 32GB – 64GB version there – and is expandable via microSD cards up to 200GB. Turning to connectivity, few niggles. It is a phone that connects to networks LTE Category 9, which allows downloads of up to 450Mbps.In his tray no place for a single SIM and the NFC happens to be in the front, in the upper right corner.
In Sony’s usual work well the audio portion of your phone, we will be more than satisfied in the sound quality on calls, the software implemented in the audio output, or stereo speakers that are in the front, which work very well hands free. The headphones that come in the package are pretty good.
As usual in demanding tasks, such phones it is heated, and the Performance noticeable in the metal back. When we recorded video over a minute on high quality, quickly warming is noticed.
How’s that fingerprint sensor ? Because it is fast and accurate, but I do not like his position on the side, or at least has not had time to get used this week I’ve been with him. Then there’s another thing I do not like to activate from idle phone, you must press the power button, which is where the sensor is integrated.
Normal autonomy helped by Stamina
Battery Xperia X Performance is 2700mAh. That is a little less than what they wear high – end rivals, but also has a smaller than those other screen. It is also a bit bigger than having a normal x Xperia, with 2.620mAh (which has better range thanks to a less powerful hardware and glutton).
For those who may be wondering about the connector used, then say it’s a microUSB 2.0 standard, which seems a little thing at this point where many have already decided to play with reversible connectors or higher speeds configurations USB Type-C.
In general we find a phone that endures the day – especially if you do not use the camera – as all those who bet on the 820, but being meticulous we can find evidence that we are determined that their life is slightly less than that of a S7, LG G5, or OnePlus 3. The Xperia is smaller on screen, but also has a battery less capacity.
It is positive to know that it has the fast charging Qualcomm, the Quick Charge 2.0, which allows the phone to fill completely – from scratch – in ninety minutes. It is not the fastest on the market – A 3 or S7 OnePlus take half – but less is nothing. Importantly, there are also special technology in loading signed by Qnovo, with her batteries have a useful life greater thanks to a system of protection during the process.
Pretty personalization things that you can spare
I remember the times we talked in detail the schedule of Android updates, fortunately now important phones come with the latest, and in the case of X Performance comes with version 6.0.1 Marshmallow.
Sony, like others, is turning its personalization to a simpler level, more Material Design. Where did you put heavy it is with own applications: gallery, fitness recommendations, video service of the house, time, mail and messages, etc. They are well designed, but duplicate things that are already done well on Android.
There are others who can bring things like PlayStation – to play the PS4 from the phone – the Swiftkey keyboard, to perform skits, AVG antivirus, or direct access to Amazon. The system, applications and eat each added services 12GB 32GB by your phone (there is also a version with 64GB).
From the aesthetic point of view the system is very attractive, with its round icons and a selection of topics and very flashy backgrounds – free – any color according to phone you choose. With Marshmallow consumption control is better, but Sony has the stamina and Ultra Stamina modes (lets vital things like phone, messages, contacts, camera and clock) that allows us to manage many phone options and possibilities to consume less.
I know I’m a pushy with this, but I think all companies should focus rather on optimizing Android that work well on your hardware, create good software for the camera, and little else. Should think carefully about whether they want to put added value, it really is.
You may also like to read another article on YellowTube: The best camera smartphones currently facing
A powerful camera to which you limp video
The Sony Xperia X share camera, both the standard model and the Performance: a sensor Exmor RS house type, with 23 megapixels and a size of 1 / 2.3 inches. The quality is marginally better in this model, mainly for the processing capacity of the Snapdragon 820, but really nothing major.
As the optics is equivalent to 24 millimeters with a maximum aperture of f / 2.0. Unfortunately no stabilization in it, we have to be content with a digital system called EIS, which significantly improves the fluidity of the videos, but that does nothing really special when it comes to taking pictures, and something that is seen in the approaches, or when the light in the scene is poor.
A Sony camera likes a priority on the phone, so he created a physical button that serves as the trigger. Works in two steps, one to focus and another for the taking, and it is possible to start the camera to let down (it takes 0.6 seconds to get the camera ready).
The great added regarding Sony technology is the hybrid autofocus system, it can leave subjects with marked and the camera will pursue. The reality is that the system is fast booting and focusing, but that does not ensure that everything goes well on the first take, sometimes it is better not to have such a hurry with this camera.
For anyone who is not a photographer, and generally for use as a mobile camera, it is best that the system is smart to do things well without that we touch anything. For that we can trust mode Superior Auto – enters the HDR when necessary, it is useful -. There is also the manual mode, but it is not very powerful in options (do not touch or speed or approach). I do not understand the absence of a RAW recording mode for those who like to stretch the end result, I’m sure that sensor goes a long way.
On the phone things look too gaudy and saturated, but when opened on a PC look better colored and contrasted. The level of detail is high but sometimes noise reduction puts too hand with artificial results to try to improve taking. Nor is it a wonder in dynamic range, normal in mobile phones, but here we expected more.
One thing we had seen in phones Oppo is a kind of application store for the camera, there are things that leave a bit of normal use, such as applications related to augmented reality, filters, or panoramas (decent, nothing spectacular ).
The quality level is similar to an older like the Z5, which is not a bad thing, but honestly I expected more from a phone of a new generation, with a fairly high price phone. If you want a camera phone, rather point to the quality of the S7 or iPhone or useful configuration Dual Camera LG G5.
The front camera
The front camera is now 13 megapixels, with a size of 1/3 inch Exmor RS sensor technology. The sensor is paired with an optical disc with a maximum aperture f / 2.0. Its quality is more than adequate with a wide viewing angle enough and quick operation.
As usual, if there is good light we have great shots, and if you want more definition removes the filter to smooth faces, quite destructive. It is remarkable to be able to record video in 1080p, 30 frames per second.
Where is 4K?
Rare find with Sony high – end phone in which no recording in 4K format because they develop many sensors and hardware that deals with that amount of information. If we have a Snapdragon 820 over to manage that quality, we do not understand the absence. The same is the enable in the future, but the phone tends to heat with the use of the camera, so do not bet too much about this.
We stayed with a more than capable video recording format 1080p at 60 frames per second , which records a data rate of 30Mbps (there 30fps with 17.5Mbps). In both cases, the audio is recorded in stereo 156kbps.
The fluidity and stability is good in the videos, but accustomed to detail and colorful fierce competition, leave me the feeling that it is a step down, and made to pay these prices, I like it all.