Review: X-pecting the Un-X-pected - Sony Xperia X

Tested

Review: X-pecting the Un-X-pected – Sony Xperia X

Growing up, I was and still am a huge fan of Sony. From the early days of PlayStation to its VIAO series of laptops, Sony has never made me doubt its ability to provide great products time and time again. As a proud owner of the Sony Xperia Z3 for the past two years (which has lasted longer than most of my past relationships), the Sony Xperia X was definitely something different. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, read on to find out more…

That’s It?
That’s what she said *cue pre-recorded laughter*.

After putting the Xperia X through the benchmark test, it scored a meager 78,261, placing it much lower than I thought it would be. I’ve never been one for mobile games as I view it as a waste of time and memory space, which could be used to accommodate more pictures of hipster-esque cafes filled with mismatched chairs, exposed lighting, and obscure hipster quotes.

My experience with using the Xperia X to stream 1080p videos for a solid two hours were met with no disappointments as I never noticed any drop in its frame rates; guess looks can be deceiving. Be that as it may, I’d suggest staying away from the Xperia X if you are a heavy-duty mobile gamer.

Originally Unoriginal
At a first glance, I could not tell the difference between my own Xperia Z3 and the Xperia X. Aside from size, both devices are eerily similar to each other. The only significant difference and certainly an improvement would be the brushed aluminum back casing. After cracking my Z3’s back casing on more than one occasion (I unintentionally performed a drop test on it), a sturdier option is much preferred. Aside from that, the Xperia X sadly looks almost like a carbon copy of the Xperia Z series, which shows the lack of imagination the renowned Japanese company was supposed to be known for. If I really wanted another smartphone that looked a lot like mine, I wouldn’t bother paying that sort of price for it.

Immortals… We Put Their Name To The Test
One of Sony’s main selling points when it came to its smartphones was its long-lasting battery. Although I did get a full two days out of my Z3 when I first started using it, the capacity in the battery has slowly dipped over time and now I can only get a full day out of a single charge. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s impossible to survive for two whole days but it is pretty difficult.

To do so, one would have to enable every power-saving mode available in the device, which will definitely affect the performance of the Xperia X. By turning on all power-saving modes, you will only receive messages that require Internet data when you turn the screen on (you have no idea how angry my current girlfriend got when I didn’t reply her message after a minute). This would then ruin the overall experience of the smartphone, which I highly recommend against.

The Android M Experience
My Z3 is also running on the Android M (thank the Lords!) and I’m enjoying every minute of it. Over time however, the Xperia X has caused me to hate my Z3 as the clean and simple user interface you get on the Xperia X is on a totally different level as compared to the Z series. Essentially a stock version of the Android M, Sony has outdone themselves in this department, making the Xperia X so much easier and comfortable to use on a daily basis.

Don’t Shake It Like A Polaroid Picture
Another one of Sony’s main selling points for its smartphones is of course the built-in camera into the device. The Xperia X is packed with 23-megapixels and Sony’s very own SteadyShot software, which in turn produces some pretty decent shots, even in low light. Although I wouldn’t compare it to the Galaxy S7 Edge or even the HTC 10, the Xperia X is still capable of making even the most dull cup of coffee on a wooden box look stunning (I’m a hipster in denial, help me).

Price: Rm2,499
Dimensions (HxWxD): 143 x 7.7 x 69 mm
Weight: 152g
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 hexa-core 64-bit
Memory: 3GB
Storage: 64GB
Operating System: Android OS v6.0.1 Marshmallow
Display: 5 inch Full HD IPS w/ TRILUMINOS Display
Graphics: Adreno 510
Connectivity: WLAN, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC
Ports: microUSB 2.0