MWC 2016
The world's largest annual mobile event - Mobile World Congress - takes place the last week of February. We're on the ground in Barcelona to bring you all of the week's news. Tune in here for our full coverage, including hands-on with new Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5, plus new phones from Huawei, Alcatel, ZTE, Sony, and more.
Check out our wrap-up video summarizing the big news of the show.
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Sony Committed to US, Despite Lacking Carrier Deals
Sony today said it plans to bring its new X Series handsets to the U.S., even if only via its own online sales channel. The company reiterated its commitment to the U.S. market, where it currently sells the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact directly to consumers online. Sony representative Don Mesa told Phonescoop that the company is always talking to wireless network operators, but will sell the X Series phones in the U.S. whether it scores a distribution deal or not. The X Series do not replace the Xperia Z series, they are simply an expansion of the Xperia product range. The X Series is meant to showcase new design language and relies on metals more than the glass surfaces of the Z Series. Sony expects the new X Performance, X, and XA to launch over the summer months. Pricing has not been revealed.
Hands On with Sony's Xperia X Series
The X Series is an interesting new range of phones from Sony. Although they all look similar, the various specs cover a surprisingly wide range of the market from affordable to high-end, the models hit on a number of current trends. They look like excellent entries from Sony, but how are they in person? Read on for our impressions.
Sony Launches Xperia X Series
Today Sony announced the Xperia X series at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new phones focus on performance in two core areas: camera and battery. The first three phones in the X series are the Xperia XA, Xperia X, and Xperia X Performance. The new-generation camera in the X and X Performance sports predictive hybrid autofocus. The X series battery lasts two days and includes adaptive charging tech from Qnovo that extends battery lifespan up to 2x.
- The Xperia X is the base model with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor and 5-inch full HD display. It also sports a 23-megapixel main camera and 13-megapixel front camera. A fingerprint sensor, memory card slot, and NFC are also included.
- The Xperia X Performance steps up to a top-end Snapdragon 820 processor, faster LTE and a waterproof design, but it otherwise identical to the X.
- The Xperia XA is a lower-range phone with a 5-inch display that is 720p instead of full-HD. However the XA has a bezel-free design that makes the phone exceptionally narrow. The XA runs on a MediaTek processor and its cameras are 13 megapixel, and 8 megapixel in the front. It does not have a fingerprint reader but does have NFC and a memory card slot.
