Sony phones. What's new in smartphones

Sony / Sony is the largest Japanese manufacturer of smartphones. The company launches its smartphones under the Xperia brand. Sales Sony Xperia make up about 25 million devices per year. Most smartphones in the Sony Xperia line are price category above average, but the price is offset by traditional Japanese quality, which is recognized not only by users of Sony smartphones, but also by other manufacturers: Sony is one of the largest suppliers of photomodules for smartphones in the world market, their products are also used by the world leader in the production of smartphones .

For those who want to choose best smartphone Sony available for sale, this rating is intended, which presents the best technical specifications, price-quality ratio and reviews in Yandex Market (the rating includes models that scored at least 40% of fives) smartphones of the Japanese manufacturer as of December 2017.

Sony Xperia L1

The average price is 10,140 rubles. The Sony model, released in March 2017, scored 54% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 67% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5.5 inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, operating system Android 7.0, 16 GB permanent and 2 GB random access memory, support external memory card up to 256GB. 4G LTE support. One sim. Battery capacity - 2620 mAh. 4-core processor MediaTek MT6737T.

Main camera 13 MP, front camera 5 MP.

5th place.

Sony Xperia X Performance Dual

average price in Russia - 22,240 rubles. The flagship of the X family scored 41% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 67% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system (after purchase, the OS will be updated to Android 7.0), 64 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM, support for two SIM cards and an external memory card up to 200 GB. Battery capacity - 2700 mAh. Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996. There is a fingerprint scanner.

Main camera 23 MP, front camera 13 MP. The Xperia X Performance is equipped with a predictive hybrid autofocus based on Sony digital imaging technologies, which makes this smartphone capture even moving subjects clearly. As soon as you focus on an object, the camera automatically starts tracking its movement, so the image is always clear and detailed. According to Strategy Analytics, the Xperia X Performance outperforms all of the world's leading competitors in autofocus accuracy. DxOMark gave the Xperia X Performance a score of 88.

Among other advantages of this model, it should be noted its water resistance.

4th place.

Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Dual 32GB - Sony's most popular smartphone

The average price in Russia is 18,500 rubles. The smartphone, which went on sale in the fall of 2017, scored 60% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market and 75% of purchase recommendations. According to Yandex-Market, this is Sony's most popular model today.Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3430 mAh. 8-core processor MediaTek Helio P20. There is a fingerprint scanner.

Main camera 23 MP, front camera 8 MP.

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra 32GB Dual - Sony smartphone with the largest screen

The average price is 22,000 rubles. The February 2017 model scored 67% of fives in Yandex Market reviews and 78% of purchase recommendations. Specifications: 6-inch frameless display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 7.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. 4G LTE support. Two sims. Battery capacity - 2700 mAh. 8-core processor MediaTek Helio P20.

The Xperia XA1 Ultra has a mini display feature that allows you to easily operate your smartphone with one hand.

The smartphone is equipped with a professional 23-ip main camera with hybrid autofocus, an Exmor RS sensor for low-light shooting, and a function quick launch, as well as wide-angle front camera at 16 mp.

Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact

The average price in Russia is 35,100 rubles. A smaller version of last year's autumn Sony flagship scored 77% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 83% of recommendations for purchase. This model is one of the three most popular Sony smartphones today.

Specifications: 4.6-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, Android 8.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. One sim. Battery capacity - 2700 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.

Main camera 19 MP, front camera 8 MP.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Average price - 35,000 rubles. Sony's flagship, which appeared in February 2017, scored 62% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market and 79% of recommendations for purchase. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, Android 7.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for an external memory card up to 256 GB. 4G LTE support. Two sims. Battery capacity - 3230 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 8-core processor. There is a fingerprint scanner. Waterproof body.

The Xperia XZ Premium is the first smartphone to feature a 4K HDR display based on the same technology as Sony's Bravia TVs. On this smartphone, 4K HDR content will be incredibly bright, clear and contrasty.

The Xperia XZs features the latest 19MP Motion Eye camera, capturing motion in super slow motion (up to 960fps) that the human eye can't normally capture. The Motion Eye camera uses revolutionary intelligent capture technology. It detects motion in the frame and starts buffering the image as you prepare to take the shot. If you release the shutter too late, all you have to do is rewind time a little and choose one of the four frames that were taken before the button was pressed. Xperia XZs has larger pixels than previous models to capture more light and capture more detailed images. Intelligent exposure adjustment adapts the exposure to the level of ambient light, so even shots taken at night look clear and crisp. SteadyShot technology with 5-axis image stabilization allows you to shoot video without frame shake.

The 13MP front camera has a 22mm wide-angle lens.

Smartphones Sony Xperia, all models of which have their own characteristics, appeared after the termination of the agreement with Ericsson.

Sony Mobile (formerly known as Sony Ericsson Mobile is a division of electronics giant Sony Corporation.

Xperia is a unique lineup of the company, which was originally released under Windows Mobile OS.

Then the technical management decided to switch to .

At the moment, this line occupies a solid niche in today's market.

Some of the company's smartphones can compare favorably with water resistance and moisture resistance.

Smartphones Sony Xperia - all models

All Xperia models

The Japanese giant is one of the world's largest manufacturers of mobile devices, every year they completely update their line.

Their sleek, sophisticated design, serious technical features attract new fans year after year.

Over the past few years, this manufacturer has often experimented with its new products, delighting its followers with both premium flagships and very budget models.

Everyone could find a sample for every taste and budget.

In the last 2 years alone, the company has launched 12 models on the market. Not to mention the light versions.

At the beginning of 2016, at MWC 2016, the company announced that it was completely restarting the line of gadgets beloved by many.

As conceived by the company, Xperia (which stands for experience) smartphones should provide users with a unique experience of interaction between gadgets and their owners.

It is these updated devices that our review will be devoted to.

First, let's break them down by years. Separately, it should be noted that we will not separate them by colors and modifications with different memory sizes.

Xperia 2016 models

• Xperia XZ
• Xperia X Compact
• Xperia X
• Xperia XA Ultra
• Xperia XA
• Xperia E5

2017 Xperia models (list current as of end of April)

• Xperia XZ Premium
• Xperia XZs
• Xperia XA1 Ultra
• Xperia XA1
• Xperia L1

Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Those who expected to see a revolution in the design of the XZ Premium will be disappointed.

Over the years, the design has become more refined, and loyal fans have realized the high value of corporate recognition. It's not just a recognizable trademark, it's a brand.

The company has certainly focused on the details for the new XZ Premium.

The main innovation is support for 960fps video playback.

This frame rate is still unavailable for many manufacturers.

At MWC, not many could boast of this advantage.

The FDR-X3000 was required to manage such a high frame rate video that clearly outshines the performance of other devices and even last year's own flagship 4K action camera.

This is the patented know-how of the Digital Imaging Department.

Cameras such as the RX1000 IV are famous for its use. It's all about its memory and a set of sensors that allow you to capture images more quickly.

The XZ Premium is powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC.

At first glance, the XZ "Premium" looks like last year's Xperia XZ. To give it a more expensive look, the engineers used .

Moving on to the specs, the XZ Premium features a 5.5-inch 4K (2160x3840) Triluminos HDR display.

The gadget is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 (Gigabit LTE speed is achieved through the use of X16 LTE modem).

Also, the device has a video chip Adreno 540 GPU and 4 GB. 64 GB internal memory, which is expanded with microSD cards(up to 256 GB).

The front of the device received a 13-megapixel camera with a 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS sensor. Phone OS - Android 7.0 Nougat, battery capacity 3230mAh.

In fact, we can talk about this excellent flagship for a very long time.

On the Internet, there are photographs of copies that showed more than 150 thousand points on the Antutu test. This is a very impressive result.

Without a doubt, this flagship will haunt the minds of users of modern gadgets for a long time to come.

Surely it will be compared with similar, in terms of characteristics, devices. But it's safe to say that at the time of writing this review, it's the best.

Specifications

• Display Size: 5.5
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
• Rear video camera: 19 MP with Motion Eye technology
• Front camera: 13 MP
• Memory capacity: 64 GB

Sony Xperia XZs

Smaller version of XZ. Both devices use the same flat top and bottom design with rounded sides.

On the right side of the device is the power button, which also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

The XZs features a 5.2-inch (1080×1920 pixels) Triluminos display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with an Adreno 510 GPU and 4GB of RAM.

The internal memory is 32 GB and 64 GB expandable thanks to the slot (up to 256 GB).

Specifications

• Display Size: 4.3
• Processor: Qualcomm MSM8230
• Rear video camera: 23 MP with Motion Eye technology
• Front camera: 8 MP
• Memory capacity: 8

Sony Xperia Z1

It seems that with the release of this smartphone, the Japanese giant may have finally learned its lesson. This time they are the first to launch a 5″ smartphone with 1080p support.

The specification allows you to understand that the Z model is half a millimeter larger than, say, samsung galaxy S III. It was a technical necessity, the smartphone has a fairly powerful battery.

The Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait chipset chipset is fully capable of handling all of these pixels.

Summing up this smartphone, I would like to say once again that Sony is a broadly oriented company.

By releasing a line of their products, they try to fully cover the market.

At this point, it's a near-perfect premium mobile device, offering everything you'd expect from a flagship phone.

If you have not had a smartphone of this Japanese giant before, you should think about purchasing it.

conclusions

Turning to the line of smartphones in 2016, it became clear that they are easier to divide into subgroups.

We will not dwell on them in our review in as much detail as on the representatives of 2017. We will simply provide comparative tables with the most significant characteristics.

• X, X Compact
• XA Ultra and XA

Comparing X and X Compact is much easier with the help of a table.

In addition to the obvious difference in size, the following characteristics allow you to see a more complete picture.

Also, many users may be interested in a more complete comparison of the smartphone line.

Considering that as many as 12 devices of this line entered the market last year, I would like to compare only the most remarkable ones in terms of characteristics.

Comparing the E5 and Z1, we came to the conclusion that they are similar in many ways.

E5 wins only in terms of battery capacity, in terms of other characteristics, Z1 turned out to be more powerful, and we'll talk about it later.

After all, in fact, if we consider the entire model range, it is easy to get confused in the variety of processors and other hardware stuffing.

The Xperia X line is now Sony's main line, and the Xperia X Performance is the top model in the line. Compared to the Xperia Z5, there is an all-metal body with rough grinding, the same camera, but with a new autofocus, which should predict the trajectory of movement and focus more accurately, water protection is preserved, and new QNova technology is responsible for energy saving and long battery life, which replaced STAMINA.

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What's new with smartphones?

Technically, everything is similar to the Xperia Z5: 5-inch Full HD screen, 3/32 GB of memory, a fingerprint scanner, but the processor has been updated to the Snapdragon 820, so the Xperia X Performance has become Sony's most powerful smartphone.

We liked the all-metal case: nevertheless, the glass that has been used for so many years is tired. Solid, metal bar. At the same time compact and very powerful, no compromises.

What surprised me was the battery capacity, now there is 2700 mAh. Qnova technology is good, but with the same battery capacity, even more runtime could have been achieved. Let's check this point in the review.

The Sony Xperia X is a "regular" flagship that will be cheaper than the Xperia Z5: it has the same specs, but only splash protection. We liked the pretty colors, but the rather thick bezels didn't.

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So against the background of the simplest, but the prettiest Xperia XA, the usual X does not look very good. But the Xperia XA is a handsome man, a direct competitor for the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016).

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The metal case with cool colors, the absence of side frames, rounded 2.5D glass - in terms of design, everything is cool. But there is no protection against water and a fingerprint scanner, they tried to make the model cheaper.

All smartphones will be on sale in the summer: for now, the main focus is on the Xperia Z5 line. Accordingly, nothing is known about prices either, what will happen to exchange rates in the summer - who knows. The Xperia XA will likely sit between the Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5, the Xperia X will be slightly more expensive than the Xperia M5 in our opinion, and the Xperia X Performance will replace the Xperia Z5.

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"Smart" headphones

Together with smartphones, they showed the Xperia Ear earphone, which will appeal to motorists. The device is controlled by voice, will remind you of the schedule, tell you about the weather and the latest news, make a call or build a route to your destination. The Ear connects to an Android smartphone (not just Sony) using NFC or Bluetooth and is controlled through a customizable host app. You can set the settings that suit you, including touch commands, notifications from certain applications, and other information.

The earbud is IPX2 waterproof and has a battery life of a day.

The Japanese company was not going to show any significant products related to Xperia or SmartWear wearables.

CES every year is becoming more and more a small-town event, manufacturers and companies have long lost their former interest in this technological exhibition, not considering it right to show interesting and significant new items at this time.

This year, this manifested itself especially sharply, almost the main news of the exhibition was a transparent refrigerator from LG (more precisely, it has a transparent one from the door) and a Samsung washing machine, the main feature of which is loading laundry during washing (!). These examples are the best illustration of the attitude towards CES on the part of large companies.

Sony is no exception here. The company clearly does not understand why it is necessary to make important announcements during the American techno exhibition. But still, some interesting products were shown, below they are briefly described.

Sony key announcements at CES 2016

Sony has gracefully sidelined its mobile product lines, but has shown some exciting new additions to its traditional electronics segments, with a particular focus on consumer devices.

TVs

The new top-of-the-line XD93 Bravia 4K LCD TV was introduced. During the press conference, not much time was devoted to him, despite his super premium and new technologies.

They talked about the new unique Slim Backlight Drive backlight technology, which will bring the quality of 4K pictures to a new level. They also mentioned TRILUMINOS and 4K HDR.

The new TV, of course, runs on Android TV, just like previous models released in 2015. The design has changed markedly compared to the previous generation.

Photo and video

There were no loud announcements of cameras, but there were some new video cameras of various formats. Sony showed a top 4K camcorder and a new generation of Action Cam, a competitor to GoPro. By the way, in many respects, the Sony Action Cam is much better than this hyped brand.

This device is Sony's new flagship in the amateur camcorder segment. The FDR-AX53 takes 4K video to a whole new level. The camera has expensive Carl Zeiss T-Sonnar optics with 20x zoom, 16.6 megapixel Exmor R matrix. There is a five-axis optical stabilization. At the presentation, they talked about the very cool microphones of the novelty.

The FDR-AX53 will cost a lot, something around $1,000. But I think there will be demand for it, after all, Sony has no competitors in this market. “Bloggers” from PornHub will definitely like the novelty. 😉

Action Cam HDR-AS50

Sony's latest action camera. Equipped with a 11.1 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a lens from Carl Zeiss. There is SteadyShot stabilization. It can shoot video with a huge bitrate of 50 Mbps.

Audio

In this segment, Sony showed a whole bunch of interesting new products. Everything in order below.

h.ear range

Sony decided to unify its lineup in the Audio segment as much as possible, so they reduced the number of products and created a single h.ear line, which includes various types of headphones and wireless speakers.

• h.ear go is the world's first portable speaker with Hi-Res sound quality.
• h.ear Wireless NC– Wireless Bluetooth headset with Digital Noise Cancelling, like wired headsets NC31 or . Claimed long working time. The headset is similar in design to the .
• h.ear in Wireless– on-ear wireless headphones with Hi-Res.

Vinyl player PS-HX500

A new turntable from Sony with Hi-Res sound support. They promise uncompromising sound quality. I don't see any reason to doubt it, it's really cool. For those who need it.

Walkman WS410

An updated line of sports music players Walkman. The design has become even more perfect. Improved moisture protection, with WS410 series players you can do water sports without the slightest fear.

Large speaker GTK-XB7

This device is worth mentioning at least for the sake of appearance. The new audio system is perfect for parties or summer cottages. The system is completely autonomous, can be connected to anything.

Curious LED lamp with music playback function. Due to the correct appearance, the gadget does not look like a household item. The luminaire should enter the market in early 2016.

What do you think about CES 2016? Write in the comments if you are disappointed or not with what was shown at the exhibition.

For half of 2017, Sony Mobile managed to release a whole bunch of smartphones. But which ones are the most relevant to buy? And is it worth choosing only from new products, maybe the “oldies” from 2016 are still good for something? Find out in this post!

This top was created solely in the opinion of the author and the main criteria are the price / quality / relevance of the gadget. All prices are current as of 06/19/2017.

TOP 5 current Sony Xperia phones in 2017

5. Sony Xperia XZ Premium

The technology flagship introduced this year will be a great purchase for all Sony lovers and not only. The smartphone has become the heir to the Z5 Premium, has the most top-end features and will receive fast android updates at least 24 months.

XZ Premium received a 4K screen, HDR support, Hi-Res Audio, a Motion Eye camera that can shoot video at 960fps, Snapdragon 835.

The smartphone also has other features, for example: USB Type-C 3.1, IP65 / 68 water and dust protection, the “Xperia Actions” function, which gives useful tips, and others.

Sony Xperia XZ Premium will be an actual smartphone for at least 2 years, and the performance will be enough for all 4 years.

Price: 55000 rubles, sales in Russia have already begun.

The closest competitors from other manufacturers are:

• Galaxy S8 (55,000 rubles),
• LG G6 (52,000 rubles),
• HTC U11 (45,000 rubles, a great price for a flagship from an A-brand),
• iPhone 7 plus (63,000 rubles).

Each of them has its own characteristics and disadvantages, but the Xperia XZ Premium stands out with its distinctive design and innovative camera.

4. Sony Xperia XZ

Yes, yes, it is Xperia XZ (). It also has a fancy camera with its own “chips” - an Exmor RS ™ matrix, a BIONZ image processor and an RGBC-IR sensor. All this allows you to get good photos in any conditions.

The Xperia XZ is based on the Snapdragon 820, which will last for a couple more years. The smartphone must be updated to Android 8.0 update.

And all this splendor can be bought for 39000 rubles.

3. Sony Xperia X Compact

Xperia X Compact () is a very nice smartphone. It was created specifically for those who love compact and powerful devices. It has the same camera as the Xperia XZ, 3 GB of RAM and Snapdragon 650, 4.6 inch HD screen.

The smartphone runs all the games at high settings, gaining more than 70 thousand “parrots” in AnTuTu. The 2700 mAh battery makes it possible to use the smartphone for up to two days with a moderate load. The X Compact will also receive updates to Android 8.0.

And the best part is the price: 25000 rubles.

2. Sony Xperia XA1

The mid-range Xperia phone presented this year has good specifications: 23 megapixel camera from Xperia Z5, MediaTek Helio P20, 3 GB of RAM.

B can confuse MediaTek (application optimization and stuff), but everything works smoothly, energy efficiency is also good.

Antutu Xperia XA1 scores a little over 60 thousand points. It is worth mentioning that the screen is HD, for 5 inches it is normal, but there are people for whom this may not be enough.

Using the smartphone with one hand is easy, and the bezel-less design will appeal to many.

The Xperia XA1 runs Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and should be upgraded to android 8.0 in the future.

Price: 22000 rubles.

1. Sony Xperia X Performance

Sony Xperia X Performance became the winner of this TOP for several reasons:

• Snapdragon 820
• good camera
• good autonomy and
• High quality FHD screen
• Guaranteed update to Android
• Excellent price: about 29,000 rubles.

If you love Sony smartphones, then the most rational thing to do would be to buy the Xperia X Performance.

***

It is worth mentioning IFA 2017, where Sony Mobile will show a new flagship and a number of more affordable phones. If that happens, Xperia XZ and X Performance prices will drop even lower, so think before you buy.

Also, we must not forget about the second-hand world and gray shops. You can always find much cheaper, but be careful - on Avito not only the prices are sweet, but the scammers are skilled. 😉