Sony at IFA in Berlin, Germany, has today announced two new smartphones in its Xperia X family. The first is the Xperia XZ, a new 5.2-inch flagship that features a much-improved camera and look, and the second is the Xperia X Compact, a new 4.6-inch entry that compliments the rest of the Xperia X line providing an option for those looking for something a bit smaller…
Now that Android 7.0 Nougat is rolling out to Nexus devices, it seems appropriate timing that Sony would finally come out and announce which of its phones will be getting the update. Here it is, straight from the horse’s mouth:
We will make Android 7.0, Nougat available for: Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, Xperia Z5 Premium, Xperia X, Xperia XA, Xperia XA Ultra and Xperia X Performance*.
One of Android’s least desirable aspects is updates. There are new updates available constantly, but depending on the device you have, you may not see if for quite some time. Some OEMs are good at pushing updates, and others, well, not so much. Thanks to a new report from Apteligent, we now know who is best, who is worst, and much more…
Earlier this year, Sony began offering an early Developer Preview version of Android Nougat to owners of older Xperia Z handsets. Now, the company (via XperiaBlog) is apparently offering an early beta of Android 7.0 Nougat to owners of the Xperia X Performance as well. Unfortunately, it’s only available to people in select countries…
Sony’s Android smartphones have never truly been the best of the best, but picking up an Xperia from time to time has always been something I’ve enjoyed. Now in 2016, Sony has ditched their Xperia Z lineup in favor of the new Xperia X lineup. This new line brings a lot of changes, but is it worth your attention? I’ve been using Sony’s Xperia X for the past several days now, and here are some of my thoughts on it.
Sony’s camera sensors are some of the best available today, but several of their devices have suffered when recording video. In a recent video, YouTube user Damir Franc showed in real-time (via Xperia Blog) how quickly the Xperia X would shut down the camera due to heat even when shooting nothing more than 1080p.
In the myriad of flagship devices that get announced almost every month, we tend to forget that a big chunk of Android customers comprises people that care little about all the fancy features higher-end devices carry, and mostly need a tool to get a few things done.
That’s the market Sony is targeting with its latest handset. After quickly retracting all mentions of the Xperia E5 from social media briefly after unveiling it last week, the Japanese firm is officially announcing the device today…
Sony‘s moves in the mobile space continue to be somewhat confusing, as the company’s dedicated division continues to underperform, but that is not stopping the Japanese firm cranking out new and increasingly weird smartphones.
Today is the turn of the XA Ultra — which we had previously seen rumored as C6 Ultra — which packs fairly unique specs, namely its 16MP front facing camera and a monster 6-inch panel…
Despite having unveiled its new Xperia X lineup at MWC earlier this year — replacing its Z series of flagships — Sony seems to have taken a confusing path. The X Performance, which is the highest-end model of the three, can’t claim to be a true successor to its older Z5 brother, because of both largely identical specs and scarce worldwide availability.
In the UK, for instance, the X Performance is the only unavailable model of the family. According to a Sony spokesperson, however, the device “may ultimately make it to the country” (via TechRadar), while fans of big phones may soon get their hands on the C6 Ultra model, a 6″ monster that @OnLeaks is now showing in all of its 3D-rendered glory…
At the beginning of the month, HTML code suggested that the Android N Developer Preview would make its way to non-Nexus devices. Working with Google, today Sony is the first OEM to follow through with a developer preview of Android N for the Xperia Z3.
While the biggest smartphone news of the day belongs to the HTC 10, Sony has announced that the over-specced Xperia Z5 Premium will now come in pink. Nothing has changed internally and the device will be available in select countries starting in May.
Announced at CES and spotted last week, the Huawei Watch for Women now has a Google Store listing. While not yet available for purchase, it confirms that the watch will be available to purchase in the US sooner rather than later. Additionally, the Marshmallow Android Wear update for the Sony SmartWatch 3 is finally rolling out today.
It’s 2016, billions of smartphones are in use across the globe, and traditional video game companies are only just coming around to the idea that there’s some money to be made from smartphone gaming. Nintendo only recently launched its first mobile app, and plans to release a more familiar character-based game soon. Sony, likewise is about to make another foray in to the world of smartphone-based gaming with its newly-formed corporation, ForwardWorks.
Earlier this month Sony announced a new R&D initiative called the “Future Lab Program” and a mysterious device simply called “N” was concurrently shown off in a YouTube video. Details on this audio-based wearable were light until today, but the Japanese company set out to fix that by heading to the capital of Texas at SXSW Interactive to take the wraps off…
A couple of days back, it came to light that Samsung had opted not to include Qualcomm’s latest fast-charging technology in the Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge. This decision was made despite the fact that US, China and Japan’s models are equipped with the Snapdragon 820 processor, which we know is capable of supporting Quick-Charge 3.0. Sony, likewise it seems, has opted not to include Quick Charge 3.0 support in any of its new Xperia X phones.
After much rumor and speculation floating around over the last couple of days, Sony has now confirmed in a statement that its Z series of flagship smartphones is now dead. The Z line has “reached its culmination,” according to the Japanese company, and it’s now time for a “new chapter and evolution” in its product strategy…
Sony has unveiled three new Xperia phones, known as the X-series. The entry-level device is the XA, with a MediaTek MT6755 processor rather than a Snapdragon chip. With a 720p display and 16GB storage, Sony’s description of it as a “super mid-range” device seems to be pushing it, though you do get 2GB RAM and 13MP/8MP cameras.
The standard X gets much better specs and should make photography fans happy. It boasts a Snapdragon 650 processor with 3GB of RAM plus 32GB of storage. The display is a good if unexceptional 5-inch 1080p one, but the standout element here is the camera combo. The X gets the same 23MP rear camera as in the Z5 (though with improved firmware) and a 13MP front camera Sony says offers 6400ISO for ultra-capable low-light performance – and a new predictive auto-focus that can track a moving object in the frame …
Not more than a couple days after saying that his fans “criticized [themselves] out of any leaks for a while,” (in reference to hateful comments about the LG G5) Evan Blass is on fire once again. Now, he has shared images of a mysterious Sony “Xperia PP10” smartphone (he says that might not be its launch name), as well as Moto Hint-like accessory called the Sony Smart Ear…
Sony has unveiled a new mobile camera sensor which could ensure the smartphones of the near future pack way more punch. If Sony’s claims are true, they’ll produce better images with less motion blur, and way faster and accurate autofocusing. All of this in a ‘stacked’ sensor which is smaller than its current version.
As previously announced by the manufacturer, Sony has now started selling the unlocked, fingerprint sensor-free versions of the Xperia Z5 and Z5 Compact in the US for $599 and $499 respectively. They’re available from Amazon, Best Buy and B&H plus a few other popular online retailers from now, although they’re not all selling them at the suggested retail price. Best Buy has already discounted the Compact version by $50.
Sony has published full financial results for its third fiscal quarter (Q4 for everyone else), and things are looking pretty flat for the Japanese tech giant. Overall, the company made just over $1 billion USD in profit in the three months ending on December 31, 2015. Sony saw a significant increase in PS4 software sales, and in its motion picture department. Sadly, a substantial decline in smartphone sales means the company as a whole only increased its revenue by 0.5% on the same quarter a year ago…
Sony will be acquiring an Israeli chip maker called Altair Semiconductor for $212 million, the handset maker announced in an official press release this week. Altair Semiconductor is known for its advancements with LTE (Long Term Evolution) modems. They’ve been working on making LTE chips that are faster, with lower power consumption, all while at a lower cost. This possibly means that Sony can deploy LTE technology to markets that may not have it as of yet. The acquisition is slated to be all wrapped up early by February 2016, just a few weeks away.
With the Xperia Z5 having only just been officially confirmed for the US market (albeit without a fingerprint sensor), you could be forgiven for assuming Sony won’t announce anything at MWC in Barcelona this year. Turns out, you’d probably be wrong for doing so.
The Japanese tech giant is reportedly sending out invitations to an event which is due to take place at the main MWC venue, Fira Gran Via on Monday, February 22nd. According to the invitation published by XperiaBlog, the event is set to kick off at 8:30 Central European Time (2:30am Eastern).
We’re not exactly sure what to expect from Sony in Barcelona this year. We’d like to see a new Android Wear smartwatch, perhaps one with a little more style than its current offering. As much as we’re not ready to see the next Xperia Z generation yet, it wouldn’t surprise us at all if Sony unveiled the Z6 (or slightly boosted version of the Z5). They might even announce the recently leaked C-series device.