Sony Xperia X Pro Reviews

The Xperia X doesn't really fall into any camp as a smartphone. It's not the best-performer in any category, but it's not the cheapest of its kind either. It's lost some of the magic that Sony usually offers, and adds in some annoying bugs, but the base components of good audio and a capable camera will still win some hearts.

With its more elegant body, better camera, faster chipset, and record LTE band support, the iPhone 6s seems destined to remain the popular choice compared to the Xperia X. Moreover, Sony priced its midranger just a hundred lower than the iPhone 6s, which wouldn't help its cause at all.The Xperia X is a decent phone with a stylish appearance. However, the iPhone 6s is a superb phone that's also stylish. And with the current pricing schemes employed by the two manufacturers, there really doesn't seem to be that much actual competition going on here. Apple's proposition comes across as the much better one, all things considered.

At the end of the day, the Sony Xperia X turns out to be a good phone with a beautiful and refined design, while performance is decent in practically every department, but never great. The phone is priced at $550, upper mid-range territory and $150 less than the Galaxy S7, which typically retails for around $700.The Xperia X feels a bit pricey, especially in this fiercely competitive market. Its display might look good to lay-men, but upon closer inspection, you’d notice that it's a bit bluish and colors are not well-balanced; its Snapdragon 650 is a noticeable step below the Snapdragon 820, which will be noticed for those who edit pictures, browse the web a lot, and play games on their phones. And then, the image quality and camera experience is a bit below expectations. It also lacks catchy new features that the Galaxy S7 has aplenty in the form of Motion Photo, Always-on Display, Game Center, and so on.In a direct comparison, regardless of price, we’d pick the Galaxy S7 without hesitation: it’s faster, has a mind-bogglingly speedy camera, as well as waterproofing and wireless charging – two very nice extras. While a bit overpriced, the Xperia X will still appeal to lovers of great design and the Sony brand name, but looking at the bigger picture, it underdelivers.

Available for order at $549.99, the Xperia X is a smartphone that doesn't disappoint, but feels a bit too expensive for what it offers. And thanks to its seniority, the Xperia Z5 is dangerously close in terms of pricing—nowadays you can score one for as little as $600.Taking these prices in mind, we're unable to recommend the Xperia X over the Z5. We like the way it feels in our hand better, sure, and its display is truly summer-proof, but in terms of camera and game performance, it's just not quite up there. The Z5 also comes with a great perk: water protection. A saving grace is the X's better battery life, but we didn't find that to be large enough of a lead to warrant a reconsideration on our part.

An edge in a world of round, the Sony Xperia X is a familiarly, but still rather uniquely, designed smartphone that we can't help but feel attracted to. It doesn't look or feel mellow at all, but it isn't overly imposing as are the likes of the HTC 10. It's balanced, really, and comes across as approachable. A nice blend, and a decent job from the Sony design team. We would have loved a more grippy texture for the back, though.The display is a mixed bag. It offers great brightness and gamma response, but whites are visibly overcast with blue and colors are, throughout, decidedly overstated. You'll either love or hate the latter effect. Thankfully, performance is pretty good and the UI is simple, friendly, and works well. We're no fans of the included SwiftKey keyboard, so we had to get another, but perhaps you won't mind it. As for battery life, it's better than average, but not by a whole lot.

A reliable and likable midrange phone, the Xperia X stands out for its palm-friendly build and strong camera, but we can't recommend it for US customers.