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?

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • 3SI
  • 20 Feb 2022

I think this marked the end of Sony as a real competitor in the smartphone space. The Z and Z1 and especially the Z2 were really their peak. The Z3 and Z3 Compact still sold well, but quality problems like backs cracking on their own and touch screen problems were prominent (though the touch screens would also sometimes break on earlier models like the Z1, just I feel it was more often on the Z3). Then the Z3+ came around with the dreaded Snapdragon 810, as well as not-so-great availability, the Z5 series were like the last hooray even though they were still based on the heating 810. The X series brought some controversial design changes in hardware and software, and maybe more importantly some price changes. The X competed with the Galaxy S7 and such on the same price, because those phones had time to depreciate earlier. It felt like Sony released an upper-midrange phone at flagship price (which was true). They fell into irrelevance, and not even the improved XZ could stop that. Now they‘re merely a shadow of what they were, and the X series was the final nail in the coffin. Apart from the Snapdragon 810 and the quality issues, these phones are the most to blame for the downfall of the Sony Xperia brand (together with the Sony-typical bad availability and marketing performance)

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • nmM
    • 20 Feb 2022

    Same thing with their other products, Iike their home theater amplifiers that lack a proper room correction feature, along with other basic stuff. They also are overpriced for what they are, since competition offers better features. Same story with phones. Incomplete offerings for a high price - no thanks. Let's not forget their non-existent after sales support and overall customer service (they apparently don't care to reply to emails, at all). Sony, never again.

      Ahhh old 2016 Sony phones...
      X Performance defeated by S7
      X defeated by Redmi Note 3
      XA? anyone buy this?

      All of that still eMMC, under 3k battery and micro usb.. the price is over €300 lol

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • FT7
        • 20 Feb 2022

        AnonD-731363, 20 Feb 2022To me every Sony flagship was like something is missing. ... moreNo one is going to pay for just one update per year. Having a monthly security patch update is already a blessing in itself. Best of luck getting that from those Chinese phones.

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • FT7
          • 20 Feb 2022

          "Plus, the Galaxy S7, LG G6 and HTC 10 all had 1440p panels."

          I don't really think that the G6 is the right competitor since it was launched in 2017. V20 is the better choice.

            I had the Sony ZR for few months.. At that point I knew.. sony lost it's touch from the Eriksson days.. Never dared to touch sony phones ever again,, not to mention.. the resale value is lower than even copy cat vivo oppo phones

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • gy4
              • 20 Feb 2022

              Had Z3. It was great. However I switched to Samsung. It is the best right now. It isn't laggy anymore

                • M
                • Manish
                • 73@
                • 20 Feb 2022

                I have xperia x until now

                  vrvly, 20 Feb 2022Missed the date, always lag behind competition, once bezels... moreThose 100MP+ multibayer camera still looks like a gimmick since it mainly relies on the camera's software algorithm, especially when it comes to digital or hybrid zooming. I'm still surprised to see no modern Android smartphones with large MegaPixel cameras of today that can get the lossless zoom technique right, unlike the olden days of Nokia/Microsoft PureView cameras. At this point, I'd rather have a native RGB Bayer camera sensor with a large native pixel size like the Sharp Aquos R6 smartphone.

                    Missed the date, always lag behind competition, once bezels, then some sw features, even now while competition goes beyond 100mp multibayer and 10x normal /5x hi res they still use standard 12mp and zoom Ike from 2 years before.
                    From what I see, their line survived thx to no competitor with a jack and having full control and raw from all cameras. Having both those, no competition indeed.
                    The same as Samsung's Note line or Fold line.
                    Wish there was available such a device, with a jack, all FoV raw, pen and folding....

                      • D
                      • AnonD-731363
                      • SH3
                      • 20 Feb 2022

                      To me every Sony flagship was like something is missing.
                      They were overpriced and incomplete.
                      Its a Sony i know. Maybe the only phone which is not made from chinese made parts but anyway Sony could and Shoudl do always better.
                      Redmi K50 or Nubia red magic 7 does lot more tricks for much less money.
                      And paying 500 or 1000 more bucks for frequent updates instead of one per year its not an option.

                        I'm guessing that this is a bridge to the Xperia XZ lineup because the first XZ model did gained back the aluminum frame. About the screen resolution, for a screen that small, 1080p is more than good enough. After all, it's hard to notice the resolution difference on a small screen.

                        P.S: What really got me surprised about Android smartphones in 2016 is that pretty everyone, including Sony, is still using microUSB port when LG has gone way ahead of everyone by using USB-C 3.1 with HDMI ALT video output support. Man, I still miss LG smartphones a lot.

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