Sony Smartphone Xperia X Dual First Impressions

HIGHLIGHTS

• Three new Sony Xperia models have been launched: X, XA and XA Ultra.
• Flagship Xperia X will launch on June 7 at Rs. 48 990.
• Xperia X is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC

Sony has been using a 'Z' suffix for its flagship Xperia smartphone over the past few years, but 2016 will see things change. After completely redundant with the specifications of the Xperia Z5 Premium, the Japanese electronics giant has changed its position slightly, and now has unveiled what it sees as a wiser choice for the Indian market: the range Sony Xperia X.

The new range includes three smartphones: Sony Xperia X Dual, Dual and Xperia Xperia XA XA Ultra. Xperia X Dual will launch in India on June 7 at Rs. 48 990, while the Dual XA is scheduled to begin on June 18 to Rs. 20 990. We do not yet have word on Xperia XA Ultra, but we did not get a chance to check out all three phones nearby, and examine them in depth camera features.

Sony Xperia X Dual stick to the tried and tested design that Sony has gone by over the last few years, with only minor tweaks to the way the phone looks. All metal body gives the phone a real sense of durability and sturdiness, while seamlessly back and rounded corners make it feel generally satisfactory to withstand. It is a wonderful device, and will be available in four colors: black, white, lime gold and rose gold. We particularly liked the option of lime gold.

You get a 5-inch screen full-HD IPS LCD which has a stunning black levels and high contrast ratio, and generates a good level of detail as a result. glass slightly curved at the corners, which adds to the way the phone feels in your hand.

The main camera is a 23-megapixel shooter, while the front has a 13-megapixel sensor. The camera is the signature feature Xperia X Dual, with a few new touches were great to add that we have the opportunity to test. One of them is the prediction of a hybrid autofocus, which uses an algorithm to track moving objects even faster so that you can focus and capture detailed images of them. There is also a catch, increased narcissistic low light, and excellent detail in the full-HD 60fps video.

However, there are some major drawbacks. the camera can not shoot in burst mode, and also can capture 4K video. The maximum recording resolution is limited to 1920x1080. Moreover, the picture is not always as detailed as that produced by some competing phones available around the same price as the Sony Xperia X Dual will launch in.

We did not have a chance to properly test the performance of Xperia X Ganda, but built around a highly capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 SoC, and also has 3GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage (expandable up to 200GB), and Android 6.0.1 out of the box. However, it is important to remember that the same SoC can also be found at Rs. 9,999 Xiaomi redmi Note 3 (reviewed), and users may find that Rs. 48 990 is too high a price to pay when you can expect a performance roughly equivalent to phones that cost less than a quarter as much. Stay tuned for our full review to find out whether Sony can justify the price difference is very large.

Also launching at the same time with the Xperia and Xperia XA XA Dual Ultra. XA Xperia Dual powered by MediaTek MT6755 SoC Helio P10, and has 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 200GB), 2GB of RAM, and Android 6.0.1. Its most prominent weakness is the screen; Xperia XA Ganda has 720x1280 pixel 5-inch panel. However, it does not have nearly bezel-free front screen with a practical edge-to-edge, which gives the phone an amazing display. The camera is not quite as capable as the Xperia X Ganda is good, with 13-megapixel one on the back and an 8-megapixel camera on the front.

XA Xperia Ultra is a phablet with a screen edge-to-edge 6-inch full-HD. It has a more impressive set of shooter, with a 21-megapixel sensor for the primary camera and sensor 16-megapixel front camera. Interestingly, both have optical image stabilization and blink. There's also 3GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable up to 200GB) and MediaTek MT6755 SoC Helio P10. Sony has not announced availability or pricing of the Xperia XA Ultra in India yet.