Sony revealed price points and U.S. plans for its first Xperia X series of Android smartphones and announced a fourth model, the midrange Xperia XA Ultra.
All are GSM/LTE smartphones, which feature stepped-up camera and battery technologies. They will be available unlocked through Sony and select retailers at suggested retails of $279 to $699. All feature Android M OS and 5-inch displays but the Xperia XA, which comes with 6-inch screen. All also feature a curved glass display within a rounded frame for a more comfortable grip.
The phones will be available in the U.S. at SonyMobile.com/us, Amazon, Best Buy, B&H Photo Video and Reagan Wireless, with the Xperia X available June 26, Xperia X Performance and Xperia XA on July 17, and Xperia XA Ultra on July 24.
The Xperia X Performance is priced at a suggested $699 with free 128GB MicroSD card, with the Xperia X at $549, Xperia XA Ultra at $369 with free 64GB MicroSD card, and Xperia XA at $279 with free card whose capacity was unavailable.
Preorders by consumers are available for the X, and preorders for the others start June 19. Pre-order offer for all four devices includes three free Sony Pictures movies, and a $35-suggested UCH10 Quick Charger is included with the Xperia X Performance and Xperia X.
All but the XA Ultra were unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress.
The top two models feature Predictive Hybrid Autofocus, which predicts the motion of a photo-shoot subject to capture the action without blur. The top two models also feature 23- and 13-megapixel cameras. And all three feature Sony’s previously available SteadyShot technology to remove shakiness from on-the-move videos.
To boost battery life, the X series adds Qnovo’s adaptive charging technology to double the battery’s lifespan.
Games and music: For media enthusiasts of different types, the Xperia X Performance and Xperia X both feature PS4 Remote, which lets consumers walk away from their PlayStation 4 console but continue game play on their phone’s screen while on their home network.
Like other select Xperia phones, the top two models play high-resolution audio playback of DSD, PCM, FLAC and ALAC music files. The two also feature stereo speakers. The top model adds proprietary LDAC technology, which sends near-high-res music over Bluetooth to LDAC-equipped Sony headphones, Bluetooth speakers and home A/V receivers.
