Sony’s Xperia handsets have consistently gathered fans – whether it’s the flagship Sony Xperia Z5 that was good enough for James Bond, or the mid-range Sony Xperia E4 and E4G that offered great specs for a reasonable price. We’ve come to expect a lot from Xperia – so do the two new handsets deliver?
The X series
First unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, the X Series promises more intelligent technology in the features that have always set Sony apart: design, battery and camera.
If it’s high specs you’re looking for, you’ll want to plump for the Xperia X. While the XA shares many of its exciting features, such as long battery life and crisp 5-inch screen, the X has a better processor and better camera and will go further on a single charge.
Design: While the Xperia X and XA don’t represent a huge departure from the Xperia Z5, the brushed aluminium rear is a nice, high-end touch. The fingerprint sensor is positioned on the side.
The LCD display is bright and colours display beautifully. Although this isn’t the 4K display of the Xperia Z5 Plus, the 5-inch screen size means spotting any pixels would be a serious challenge.
Both the X and XA will come in black, white and lime gold – a colour that’s exclusive to Vodacom.
Battery: Smart battery management means up to two days battery life – perfect for heavy users on the move. There are plenty of tricks that help you extend your battery life even further, which is a helpful touch. Quick Charge 2.0 takes you from 0-100% in just over an hour when you use a compatible charging block and cable. The Sony Quick Charger comes free with the Sony Xperia X.
Camera: Packing 23 megapixels, the camera is impressive. It has an f/2.0 aperture, and great post-production software makes for sharp pictures.
Predictive Hybrid Autofocus is an innovation from Sony that means super-fast focussing for capturing fast-moving subjects.
The front-facing selfie camera is an impressive 13 megapixels with a wide-angle lens that means you can cram more people into your shot.
Specs: Sony Xperia X
- 5-inch 1080p display
- 153g, 7.9mm thickness
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor plus 3GB RAM
- Android OS 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
- 32GB in-built storage plus microSD slot
- 2 700mAh battery
- Stereo speakers
- 23-megapixel camera with hybrid autofocus
- 13-megapixel front-facing camera
Specs: Sony Xperia XA
- 5-inch 720p display
- 137.4g, 7.9mm thickness
- Octa Core processor plus 2GB RAM
- Android OS 6.0.1 (Marshmallow)
- 16GB in-built storage plus microSD slot
- 2 300mAh battery
- 13-megapixel camera with hybrid autofocus
- 8-megapixel front-facing camera
The bottom line
Sony fans will love the familiar look and feel of the Xperia X series. For business users, it ticks many boxes – for the design, battery life, crisp screen and camera.
You can get the Sony Xperia X and XA from Vodacom Business online from 7 July from:
- Sony Xperia XA + screen insurance on Smart M @ R 459
- Sony Xperia X + screen insurance on Smart XL @ R799
Sign up or upgrade on any of these devices and get screen insurance to the value of R2 500.
Plus, you get a FREE Quick Charger with the Sony Xperia X only.
