Flashback: the Sony Xperia X series left us feeling like something was missing

20 February 2022
The original trio from early 2016 left us scratching our heads - where is the Premium model? The compact model?

Sort by:

Boriseto, 20 Feb 2022I used the X until this summer without any hiccups. I even ... moreYou didn't have any hardware faults? I had 2 Xperia X phones and both had different hardware faults. I loved their Android 7 beta ROM. That was the best software experience I've ever had on a non Google phone.

    Ja1, 20 Feb 2022seriously the biggest thing missing are compact Compacts! t... moreThere are a few smaller phones for Android again now after a couple years like one or two per year. There are the Galaxy S22, Xiaomi 12, Xiaomi 12X, Zenfone 8 and the Pixel 6a will come in a few months. I'll probably buy the 6a even though it's ugly as sin just because I prefer plain Android.

      SMIRNAS, 20 Feb 2022as former Sony fan,, I'd say Sony Xperia FAIL to Adapt... moreI bought quite a few Sony phones before moving on. For me the main thing was price. I was always a year behind on Sony because they would make something that was ok and charge like $200 more than everyone else. Eventually price creep kind of equalized this, but the damage had already been done.

        Nick Tegrataker, 20 Feb 2022The original XZ series as well as XZ Premium both had a pla... moreSony was making glass phones way before everyone else (except one from LG and two from Apple) and all the reviewers said it was bad. They all trashed the side mounted fingerprint sensor as well, but I've seen some reviewers in 2020 and 2021 say the side mounted position is good. Something Sony was doing like 6 years ago. They just couldn't win. They were either way ahead of their time or too far behind in other ways (bezels).

          Anonymous, 20 Feb 2022I think this marked the end of Sony as a real competitor in... moreI don't think Sony is 100% to blame for their downfall. IMO the biggest problem (which still exists today) is consumer convergence. Consumers and reviewers all decide which manufacturer is the best and anything else can't compete. That's been Apple and Samsung for Android. People don't examine the phones on their individual merits and shop around. Apple has it easy being the only company with iOS, but a lot of those Galaxy S phones were straight garbage and people still bought them by the tens of millions. They have been really good again the past few years, but it doesn't matter if no one considers the competition. This is a major problem across many different product sectors. It usually just becomes winner take all. With that being said... Sony phones were way too expensive!!!

            rizki1, 20 Feb 2022Ahhh old 2016 Sony phones... X Performance defeated by S7... moreOne thing the X and X Performance had that those other phones didn't have was the fingerprint sensor in the correct position on the power button.

              I had 2 of these phones after the usual Sony price drops. There wasn't anything missing. The Snapdragon 650 was fine for the time. The bigger problem I had is that both of these phones wound up having hardware faults. One of them I sent to Sony for repair and it broke again less than a month later. I also used the Sony beta program on these. I forgot what they called it. It was nice running the newest version of Android nearly stock from the manufacturer. All in all these phones were a good experience for the $330 I paid for the first one I bought; atleast until the camera broke. The vibration motor broke on the other one.

                • S
                • Scram
                • TqI
                • 21 Feb 2022

                Hemedans, 21 Feb 2022I think its Long Topic and we can debate more, one day i sa... moreWe are saying the same thing with different words.

                My first reply on this thread was to a commenter who observed that Japanese consumer electronics brands were declining.

                My response was that they were leaving the low-tech, low-priced consumer electronic segments for hi-tech segments where they have IP advantages. Reason for limited brand exposure among regular consumers.

                Your argument is at a tangent as the developed powerhouses have tens of thousands of hi-tech component manufacturers and suppliers; including Japan. That is not in doubt.

                The discussion is about conglomerates that put together components to make branded functional products not the obscure component manufacturers that are mostly unknown to anyone but procurement specialists.

                I'll give you an example, TSMC is the leading fab on the planet. It is a conglomerate.

                However, the advanced photolithography systems it uses come from Dutch ASML. Hundreds of components in the photolihography machines and other systems in their fab are supplied by Taiwanese, South Korean, Japanese, German, Israeli, and American component manufacturers. Most of whom we've never heard of.

                If in a decade, TSMC isn't competitive in the fab space like AMD after they sold their fabs, the discussion will be about Tawianese innovation not the innovation of the countries supplying components to their fabs.

                Apply the same thought process to Sony, Panasonic, Sharp, Fujitsu and other Japanese consumer electronics brands.

                  Watson , 20 Feb 2022Sony should move away from making phones..its disasterExcept the fact that sales are going up and the Xperia 1/5 series are becoming amazing? And the only option that doesn't leave out the headphone jack and SD card slot?

                    • w
                    • wanderer
                    • Stp
                    • 21 Feb 2022

                    Watson , 20 Feb 2022Sony should move away from making phones..its disasterHave to disagree. Some Sony offerings are pretty much unrivaled for some users. For example, show me another new phone with a relatively powerful processor, accurate display, 3.5mm jack (overall very high sound quality - referring to DAC and FLAC support), micro sd port, and doesn't feel like a matchbox in hand (referring to the awful plastic designs). On the other hand, Sony has some drawbacks, like auto camera imaging processing or relatively slow software updates. Of course, not everyone needs these parameters, but it is good to know that some manufacturer looks after those more conservative users.

                      Scram, 21 Feb 2022You have problems with comprehension. They aren't i... moreI think its Long Topic and we can debate more, one day i saw An article from Forbes,
                      https://www.forbes.com/sites/eamonnfingleton/2015/11/22/it-is-japan-not-the-u-s-that-leads-in-serious-technology-says-top-reagan-technology-advisor/?sh=64dd55044023

                      Almost Anything which create Buzz Nowadays Japanese are Behind, they are not mentioned until you do more research.

                      1. The most purified Silicon only Japan can made them
                      2. The steppers which print circuit in semiconductors market and Display only them can create.

                      So they Are behind TSMC, Samsung, Intel etc in those NM wars we hear everyday. Companies like Shin Etsu, Sumco etc are behind this.

                      Check TSMC appreciation to supplier Article
                      https://pr.tsmc.com/english/news/1915

                      Almost all of them Are Japanese.

                      Also Display Market From Samsung Amoled to Lcd those Key Chemicals to make Todays Display Are From Japan,

                      If you go to Batteries Japan is Behind those lithium used in our daily life.

                      From Nuclear to Aeorospace to companies like Boeing and Airbus, all of them they cant Be Made without Japanese Companies.

                      Phones like Samsung Galaxies or Iphone more than Half of Components come from Japan.

                        • W
                        • Wolfie0007
                        • XEj
                        • 21 Feb 2022

                        I used to be a big supporter of Sony for about 10 years. Thought Xperia X was amaizing, just to find out that Sony will never distribute phone in South Africa again after XZ. What to do...
                        Sad, very Sad

                          • A
                          • Adi
                          • KiM
                          • 21 Feb 2022

                          Worst Sony lineup ever. They seems confused with their direction. Should use the trio Z-series combo IMO.

                            • S
                            • Scram
                            • TqI
                            • 21 Feb 2022

                            Anonymous, 20 Feb 2022- Playstation only has Xbox as rival. Switch is another pur... moreThank you for this.

                            I believe most people would understand this if they spent more time tying the pieces together.

                            I mean they understand why store-bought beef in a city will be more expensive than a butcher-cut beef in a rural area; but they find it difficult to parse why products made by the Japanese are more expensive than products produced in China.

                            The good thing is that eventually China will become expensive and then maybe folks will start talking about Indian, Indonesian, or Bangladeshi tech.

                              • S
                              • Scram
                              • TqI
                              • 21 Feb 2022

                              Hemedans, 20 Feb 2022Or They are just Smart and innovate where it Matters? 1. S... moreYou have problems with comprehension.

                              They aren't innovating "where it matters." They're innovating where they have a comparative IP advantage.

                              1. The Chinese and Koreans can't just flood the gaming market with new cheap consoles. They'd have to build an ecosystem and establish tight relationships with studios. Japanese gaming giants like Nintendo and Sony do not have this problem.

                              2. Toyota is the OG of lean manufacturing. With cars, it's not all about cheap, it's also about reliability. Completely different set of concerns than with a mobile phone. Again the Japanese have core IP advantage over their Asian rivals.

                              3. Need I say anything about the camera market? Those gizmos are expensive and are almost exclusively for pros and enthusiasts. Folks that can pay top dollar for the best equipment. Even then, Japanese companies have been trailblazers in motion tech for decades.

                              Every other sector where Japanese companies don't have a comparative advantage; they're taken apart by the competition.

                              Japanese companies also have other issues like aversion to change unless they're the ones pushing for the change. For instance, Sony could have released an iPod before Apple did. They had all the elements to make it work and already set the trend with Walkman CD Players. But they didn't. Meanwhile, Sony moved the camera market forward with mirrorless.

                              Another issue is internal politics. It also affects South Korean and American companies. Different parts of the companies are like on different planets.

                              One other major issue is the tech scene in Japan. In the US, Germany, Israel; most innovation are driven by small enterprises that the giants later gobble up or partner with. In Germany, they're called Mittelstand. In Japan, every exceptional talent wants to work at the giants, rather than do their own thing.

                              Go look at Google or Microsoft acquisitions and compare with Sony or Panasonic. In fact, Sony's most profitable divisions are actually acquisitions. Sony Entertainment they got after the Columbia deal. They got their groove back in Imaging after acquiring Konica Monita.

                              Innovation is not easy. It's very difficult, expensive, and unreliable. Furthermore, no company exists in a vacuum. Which is why Apple is pushing forward with its own chips, tap into Services, trying to build a car, get into AR/VR/MR.

                              I really hope more hi-tech like robotics reach the mass market. As the range for regular buyers to get Japanese products is shrinking not expanding. Japanese tech is amazing. I own a Sony mirrorless, flagship OLED TV, and console. I'd get more Japanese tech if I could, like their refrigerators.

                                • Z
                                • Zael
                                • N1q
                                • 21 Feb 2022

                                Zaelmy Sony Xperia xz3 is amazing. Sony is the best

                                  X series was a straight downgrade from Z. There was no big screen model, the s820 not properly taken care off etc.

                                    • u
                                    • ulu
                                    • Lfv
                                    • 20 Feb 2022

                                    X compact is my phone for more almost 5 years now. Best phone i ever had.

                                      • ?
                                      • Anonymous
                                      • JT5
                                      • 20 Feb 2022

                                      Hemedans, 20 Feb 2022Or They are just Smart and innovate where it Matters? 1. S... more- Playstation only has Xbox as rival. Switch is another purpose.

                                      - Almost all 📷 makers are japanese.

                                      Do not compare with car. Car makers have tons of stuff they can do to keep prices similar to each other. Honda and Toyota do well because none (not even from China) is capable of offering cars for much lower price without compromises, since cars also need high security against impact , so you cant go much cheap on the hardware.

                                      Not even Samsung that has many in-house components and buys huge volumes is able to offer devices with SD7xx/8GB/256GB/HM2/120Hz for $300. How are Sony and Sharp supposed to?

                                      Retail price of the upcoming K50 gaming edition is less than the price of hardware of iphone 13 pro 512GB.

                                      You can see that xiaomi is only very popular in places where very low % can afford expensive devices.
                                      All developed nations are dominate by Samsung or Apple.

                                        All these phones are still working in my collection and my friends (also having them)! Compared to any shamesung or icrap none can have such fine proof in time. Those who were so bad maintaining them now are saying they were crap, but, who's who?! They were made for intelligent and amazing users! Xperia forever!

                                          2 of 5