Sony Xperia XCompact smartphone review
In the third quarter of 2016, Sony released two promising new products: the stylish flagship Xperia XZ with a 5.2-inch screen and its smaller version, the Xperia XCompact with a diagonal of 4.6 inches. And if about 5 years ago a smartphone with such a display seemed incredibly huge, then in new realities it is considered compact. Past models - Xperia Z1 Compact, Xperia Z3 Compact and Xperia Z5 Compact - were very popular and were almost the only miniature devices among A-brands with top stuffing. Xperia XCompact continues the tradition, but appears to us in a completely different design. But what else will please the novelty? Let's see.
The Sony Xperia XCompact is definitely not the smallest smartphone on the market, but it looks like a toy compared to other new products of this year with a close screen diagonal. In a good way.
Sony offers a choice of three body colors: cosmic black, snow white and smoky blue. Last you can see in all photos here. In reality, the color is not pure blue, but rather gray-blue. It looks appropriate in both male and female hands. So I would recommend first of all to pay attention to this option.
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The display, as already mentioned, has a diagonal of 4.6 inches with a resolution of 1280x720. Pixel density at this ratio remains quite high - 319 ppi. So it’s almost impossible to discern individual points with the naked eye. Let it be trivial, but Xperia XCompact is extremely comfortable in the hand. Dimensions 129x65x9,5 mm allow you to fully manage with one hand - it is always possible to reach the upper corners of the screen without problems. The thickness of the case may seem rather large, but this is quite a sensible design move - a thinner case with similar linear dimensions would not be so convenient.
Almost all controls are located on the right: a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner, a camera key and a dual volume button. The latter is located at the bottom, which may seem unusual at first, but this approach is not without meaning - left-handers and right-handers will be equally comfortable. If you hold the Xperia XCompact in your left hand, the volume is adjusted with your middle finger.
On the left is a slot for the nanoSIM format SIM card and microSD card. And here it is worth noting that Xperia XCompact is available only in the version with one SIM-card. Dual SIM functionality is provided only by the flagship Xperia XZ.
On the top there is a 3.5mm headphone or headset jack. Sony does not plan to abandon it. And at the bottom you can see not the usual microUSB, but the new USB-C. Cable can be connected to it by any party, and thanks to this, it turns out to be more practical and more convenient than the previous standard. The previous line of Sony smartphones was equipped with another microUSB, but in the future only the new interface will be used.
The main camera of the Xperia XCompact is as serious as in the flagship Xperia XZ. That is, Sony clearly retains the same approach - a small model gets the same features as a large one. Resolution - the largest among the top-end smartphones, 23 megapixels. This will be enough to print a photo in A3 format without loss of quality. But in reality, this gives a large margin for "cutting out" individual fragments of the frame.
In addition, the camera is extremely fast and accurate autofocus. But if in the usual mode it is not particularly noticeable, then the tracking focus leaves no doubt - the smartphone confidently holds fast-moving objects in focus. There is even an optical stabilization and predicative focusing function that works when the subject moves towards the camera, rather than to the left or right. The quality of the shooting is very decent - evaluate yourself.
The front is traditionally more modest - only 5 megapixels, but for shooting selfies and video calls this is quite enough. The lens is wide-angle, and the maximum sensitivity of the sensor reaches 3200 units, so you can remove the self-portrait even in low light conditions.
Sony Xperia XCompact is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 with a six-core central processor (4 cores at 1.4 GHz + 2 cores at 1.8 GHz) and a graphics accelerator Adreno 510. Three gigabytes of RAM will be enough to open many applications and tabs in the browser without any slow down.
The memory for storing data is exactly 32 GB, but if necessary this volume can be increased using a microSD card, the smartphone supports any models up to 256 GB. Of course, all current wireless technologies are supported: NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, GLONASS, A-GPS, LTE and, of course, Wi-Fi.
Iron is enough with a large margin: 3D games, HD and Full HD video, Internet surfing, music with the maximum bitrate, instant messengers - the smartphone handles all these tasks.
Synthetic tests have confirmed high speed, although the middle-class platform does not set records. 77 thousand points in AnTuTu, 1397 and 3384 in single- and multi-nuclear Geekbench 4, where the smartphone bypassed the NVIDIA Shield Tablet and Motorola Nexus 6.
Battery capacity is not a record, but quite impressive for such a compact smartphone - 2700 mAh. Work time, as usual, depends entirely on your usage scenario. For one day, the battery will definitely suffice, for one and a half or two - if you save a little charge. You can quickly charge the battery using the adapter with support for fast charging. There is also Qnovo technology that controls the charging current, considering the current volume of the battery. This allows you to significantly extend battery life.
The device out of the box comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Firmware with Android 7.0 will be available in December or in January, depending on your region. The Xperia Home interface is no different from other smartphones in the Xperia X line: neat icons, nice fonts and great customization options - but this is all Android concerned. A nice little thing - the default desktop theme matches the color of the smartphone itself. In our case, a light blue was installed. A black smartphone out of the box contains a dark theme. If desired, it can be changed in the settings without any restrictions.
What pleases is the unobtrusiveness of the shell - the system is not overwhelmed with all kinds of rubbish, but is almost a standard Android, but with a couple of Sony proprietary applications. For example, the PlayStation turns a smartphone into a gaming console and also quickly makes purchases and downloads to the console.
Another point that unspeakably happy in Xperia XCompact - the price. In the company's Sony online store, a smartphone costs 35,990 rubles . For this money, you get almost a flagship device, with a nice design, a fancy camera and an extremely convenient proprietary shell. The hardware stuffing, however, is slightly different from the Xperia XZ, but with such a significant difference in price, this is not critical. In general, Sony again has an excellent smartphone for those who can not accept the tendency to constantly increase the diagonal of the screen.
Main technical characteristics of Sony Xperia XCompact
Design, construction
The Sony Xperia XCompact is definitely not the smallest smartphone on the market, but it looks like a toy compared to other new products of this year with a close screen diagonal. In a good way.
Sony offers a choice of three body colors: cosmic black, snow white and smoky blue. Last you can see in all photos here. In reality, the color is not pure blue, but rather gray-blue. It looks appropriate in both male and female hands. So I would recommend first of all to pay attention to this option.
')
The display, as already mentioned, has a diagonal of 4.6 inches with a resolution of 1280x720. Pixel density at this ratio remains quite high - 319 ppi. So it’s almost impossible to discern individual points with the naked eye. Let it be trivial, but Xperia XCompact is extremely comfortable in the hand. Dimensions 129x65x9,5 mm allow you to fully manage with one hand - it is always possible to reach the upper corners of the screen without problems. The thickness of the case may seem rather large, but this is quite a sensible design move - a thinner case with similar linear dimensions would not be so convenient.
Almost all controls are located on the right: a power button with a built-in fingerprint scanner, a camera key and a dual volume button. The latter is located at the bottom, which may seem unusual at first, but this approach is not without meaning - left-handers and right-handers will be equally comfortable. If you hold the Xperia XCompact in your left hand, the volume is adjusted with your middle finger.
On the left is a slot for the nanoSIM format SIM card and microSD card. And here it is worth noting that Xperia XCompact is available only in the version with one SIM-card. Dual SIM functionality is provided only by the flagship Xperia XZ.
On the top there is a 3.5mm headphone or headset jack. Sony does not plan to abandon it. And at the bottom you can see not the usual microUSB, but the new USB-C. Cable can be connected to it by any party, and thanks to this, it turns out to be more practical and more convenient than the previous standard. The previous line of Sony smartphones was equipped with another microUSB, but in the future only the new interface will be used.
Camera
The main camera of the Xperia XCompact is as serious as in the flagship Xperia XZ. That is, Sony clearly retains the same approach - a small model gets the same features as a large one. Resolution - the largest among the top-end smartphones, 23 megapixels. This will be enough to print a photo in A3 format without loss of quality. But in reality, this gives a large margin for "cutting out" individual fragments of the frame.
In addition, the camera is extremely fast and accurate autofocus. But if in the usual mode it is not particularly noticeable, then the tracking focus leaves no doubt - the smartphone confidently holds fast-moving objects in focus. There is even an optical stabilization and predicative focusing function that works when the subject moves towards the camera, rather than to the left or right. The quality of the shooting is very decent - evaluate yourself.
The front is traditionally more modest - only 5 megapixels, but for shooting selfies and video calls this is quite enough. The lens is wide-angle, and the maximum sensitivity of the sensor reaches 3200 units, so you can remove the self-portrait even in low light conditions.
Iron and battery
Sony Xperia XCompact is based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 with a six-core central processor (4 cores at 1.4 GHz + 2 cores at 1.8 GHz) and a graphics accelerator Adreno 510. Three gigabytes of RAM will be enough to open many applications and tabs in the browser without any slow down.
The memory for storing data is exactly 32 GB, but if necessary this volume can be increased using a microSD card, the smartphone supports any models up to 256 GB. Of course, all current wireless technologies are supported: NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, GLONASS, A-GPS, LTE and, of course, Wi-Fi.
Iron is enough with a large margin: 3D games, HD and Full HD video, Internet surfing, music with the maximum bitrate, instant messengers - the smartphone handles all these tasks.
Synthetic tests have confirmed high speed, although the middle-class platform does not set records. 77 thousand points in AnTuTu, 1397 and 3384 in single- and multi-nuclear Geekbench 4, where the smartphone bypassed the NVIDIA Shield Tablet and Motorola Nexus 6.
Battery capacity is not a record, but quite impressive for such a compact smartphone - 2700 mAh. Work time, as usual, depends entirely on your usage scenario. For one day, the battery will definitely suffice, for one and a half or two - if you save a little charge. You can quickly charge the battery using the adapter with support for fast charging. There is also Qnovo technology that controls the charging current, considering the current volume of the battery. This allows you to significantly extend battery life.
operating system
The device out of the box comes with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Firmware with Android 7.0 will be available in December or in January, depending on your region. The Xperia Home interface is no different from other smartphones in the Xperia X line: neat icons, nice fonts and great customization options - but this is all Android concerned. A nice little thing - the default desktop theme matches the color of the smartphone itself. In our case, a light blue was installed. A black smartphone out of the box contains a dark theme. If desired, it can be changed in the settings without any restrictions.
What pleases is the unobtrusiveness of the shell - the system is not overwhelmed with all kinds of rubbish, but is almost a standard Android, but with a couple of Sony proprietary applications. For example, the PlayStation turns a smartphone into a gaming console and also quickly makes purchases and downloads to the console.
findings
Another point that unspeakably happy in Xperia XCompact - the price. In the company's Sony online store, a smartphone costs 35,990 rubles . For this money, you get almost a flagship device, with a nice design, a fancy camera and an extremely convenient proprietary shell. The hardware stuffing, however, is slightly different from the Xperia XZ, but with such a significant difference in price, this is not critical. In general, Sony again has an excellent smartphone for those who can not accept the tendency to constantly increase the diagonal of the screen.
Main technical characteristics of Sony Xperia XCompact
Display size: 4.6 inches
Display resolution : HD (1280x720 pixels, density ~ 319 ppi)
Chipset : Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 (4 cores at 1.4 GHz + 2 cores at 1.8 GHz)
Graphics : Adreno 510
Memory : 3 GB RAM, 32 GB non-volatile + microSD slot (256 GB)
Main camera : 23 megapixel, phase autofocus, flash, video Full HD
Front camera : 5 megapixel, without autofocus
Battery : Li-ion, 2700 mAh, non-removable
SIM card format : nano-SIM
Operating system version : Android 6.0 Marshmallow
Dimensions and weight : 129x65x9,5 mm; 135 g
Price in Russia : 35 990 rubles
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/400021/
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