Japanese smartphone-maker Sony on Monday launched four new smartphones at the ongoing World Mobile Congress (WMC 2017) event in Barcelona, which includes two flagship models, Xperia XZ Premium and Xperia XZs along with two mid-range smartphones namely Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra. All four smartphones run the latest version of Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and the Sony UI over the top skin.
In terms of availability, Xperia XZ Premium will be available globally in Deepsea Black and Luminous Chrome color variants, from late Spring 2017, while the another flagship model Xperia XZs will hit markets from the beginning of April 2017 in Black, Warm Silver, and Ice Blue. On the other hand, the two mid-range smartphones, Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra are scheduled to be released “early this summer”. Xperia XA1 smartphone comes in four colour variants – White, Black, Pink and Gold, while other mid-ranger Xperia XA1 Ultra will be available in White, Black and Gold color options in most markets, but some markets will get the phone in Pink as well.
The Xperia XZ Premium model especially focuses on superior display and camera technology. The Xperia XZs, on the other hand, is an improved version of the original Xperia XZ. Similarly, the Xpera XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra are successors to the Xperia XA and Xperia XA Ultra smartphone, which launched by Sony last year.
Here we have all the news, price and specs::
Sony Xperia XZ Premium::
In terms of specifications, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium comes with a 5.5-inch Triluminos 4K (2160 x 3840) HDR display with a pixel density of 806 ppi (pixel per inch) and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 coating on top, like the Z5 Premium. The Xperia XZ is the world’s first smartphone with a 4K HDR screen, which Sony claims the resolution is 40% brighter and better than high-definition displays. The XZ premium is powered by the latest and fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor (Gigabit LTE speeds with X16 LTE modem) coupled with 4GB RAM and Adreno 540 GPU. In terms of storage, the XZ Premium sports a 64GB inbuilt memory with the option to expand further up to 256GB via a microSD slot.
For photography enthusiasts, the Xperia XZ Premium comes with a 19-megapixel rear camera with Sony’s new “Motion Eye” camera system (based its new memory stacked 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS CMOS sensor) that provides 5x faster image scanning and data transfer. “Motion Eye” camera is capable of shooting videos at 960 frames per second, providing Super slow motion video playback that is apparently four times slower than other smartphones. The Xperia XZ Premium also features a 13-megapixel front-facing camera with 1/3.06-inch Exmor RS sensor featuring with an aperture of f/2.0 and a 22mm wide-angle lens.
In terms of Connectivity, the device supports single SIM (nano-SIM)/dual SIM dual standby using the (nano-SIM + nano-SIM/microSD) slot. Connectivity options include 4G LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth v4.2, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, GPS with GLONASS/ BDS (region dependent), 3.5mm audio jack, NFC and USB 3.1 Type-C port.
The Sony XZ Premium packs with a non-removable Li-Ion 3230 mAh battery and supports Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging. The phone also includes Fingerprint (side-mounted, region dependent), Proximity, Compass, G-sensor, Magnetic, Gyro, barometer and color spectrum sensors. It measures 156 x 77 x 7.9 mm and weighs around 195 grams. The Sony Xperia XZ Premium will likely to be priced at $799 (or approx Rs 53,305).
Sony Xperia XZs::
The little smaller Sony Xperia XZs comes with a 5.2-inch (1080×1920 pixels) Triluminos display with a pixel density of 424 ppi and also with 2.5D curved glass running over the top. It shares a similar design as the XZ Premium, with IP65/IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor with Adreno 510 GPU. The Sony Xperia XZs is backed by 4GB of RAM and comes in two internal storage variants namely 32GB and 64 GB, that are further expandable by up to 256GB via a microSD card.
In terms of optics, the phone sports a 19-megapixel rear camera with 1/2.3-inch Exmor RS image sensor, hybrid autofocus, f/2.0 aperture, 24mm wide-angle lens, HDR mode and 5x zoom. The phone also has the new Motion Eye rear camera setup, which includes the 720p slow-motion video recording feature at 960fps.
In terms of Connectivity, the Sony Xperia XZs supports single SIM (nano-SIM)/dual SIM dual standby using the (nano-SIM + nano-SIM/microSD) slot. Connectivity options include 4G LTE with VoLTE, Bluetooth v4.2, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, DLNA, GPS with GLONASS, 3.5mm audio jack, NFC and USB 3.1 Type-C port.
The Sony XZs packs with a non-removable Li-Ion 2900mAh battery and supports Quick Charge 3.0 for fast charging. The device measures 146x72x8.1 mm, and weighs 161 grams. All of the other Sony Xperia XZs specifications are identical to that of Xperia XZ Premium. The Xperia XZs is said to be launched in April and pricing info on this device will be made available soon.
Sony Xperia XA1::
Apart from the two new flagship handsets, Sony also announced the mid-range Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra smartphones. The Xperia XA1 comes with a 5.0-inch (720p) with a pixel density of 294 ppi, its display also contains “Image Enhance Technology”. The Xperia XA1 is powered by a 2.3GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P20 processor with Mali-T880MP2 GPU. The Sony Xperia XA1 is backed by 3GB of RAM and comes in 32GB internal storage variant, that is further expandable by up to 256GB via a microSD card slot.
In the camera department, the Xperia XA1 sports a 23-megapixel 1/2.3” type Exmor RS rear camera unit with hybrid autofocus, 5x Clear Image Zoon, ISO 6400 support, SteadyShot and a 24mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens. Talking about front camera, the XA1 include an 8-megapixel 1/4” sensor on the front with a 23mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens, autofocus, and SteadyShot stabilization.
On the connectivity front, Xperia XA1 supports 4G LTE, LTE Cat 6/4, NFC, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, and other standard features. The Xperia XA1 is backed by a n on-removable Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery with Qnovo Adaptive fast charging tech and Pump Express+ 2.0 (It’s a fastest battery charging technology by MediaTek).
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra::
On the other hand, the Xperia XA1 Ultra features a large 6-inch Full HD resolution (1080p) display with a pixel density of 367 ppi and a borderless edge-to-edge design with Image Enhance Technology. The Xperia XA1 Ultra is powered by a 64-bit MediaTek 6757 Helio P20 octa-core (quad core 2.3GHz + quad core 1.6GHz) processor with Mali T880 MP2 GPU. The device is backed by 4GB of RAM and comes in two internal storage options namely 32GB and 64GB, that are further expandable by up to 256GB via a microSD card slot.
The rear camera unit on Xperia XA1 Ultra is the same as the Xperia XA1, but you do get a few extra features such as HDR support for photos. The front camera is where the upgrade comes in, with the front selfie shooter now being a 16-megapixel 1/2.6” Exmor RS sensor with a 23mm f/2.0 aperture lens, dedicated flash, optical image stabilization (OIS), and up to ISO 6400 for low-light videos and photos. On both the Xperia XA1 Ultra and the Xperia XA1, you will be able to click a selfie moment by simply waving at the camera, with the “Hand Shutter” feature.
The battery capacity of the device is 2,700 mAh, and it comes with Pump Express+ 2.0 fast charging support. Both the Xperia XA1 Ultra and Xperia XA1 will be available in March 2017 and the Pricing information has not been revealed by the company.
