Sony Xperia X Compact - Unlocked Smartphone - 32GB - Black (US Warranty)

The media could not be loaded. Update 02/04/2019: Its been more than two years and this phone is still my daily driver. The lack of new comparably sized Android phones and the fact that this phone hasn't skipped a beat since I've bought it has kept me a happy camper.I recently purchased the White US version of the X Compact for $350 after a great two years with this phone’s grandfather the Z3C. After debating whether to purchase the X Compact, Galaxy S7, Google Pixel and Honor 8, I’m quite happy with my decision to choose the X Compact. There have been some extremely critical reviews of the device - discrediting it as no longer being the compact flagship, but for the niche market that enjoys small-form factor android phones, the device is top of class. This review will highlight some of the unique features that I’ve encountered as well as addressing some of the harsh criticisms I’ve seen in other reviews.Design:I’ve always been a fan of Sony’s clean and minimalist design language for its Xperia line and this phone is no exception. In a market where every phone seems to have a utilitarian brushed metal or flashy, shiny design, the white model of this phone is a refreshing change. The looped edges (which are very akin to the Lumia Windows Phones) and small size of the device offer the perfect dimensions for one handed operation without performing a balancing act with your fingers. The 2.5D curved glass that seamlessly loops into to back of the unit offers a unique feeling I’ve never experienced. The phone also does a great job of catching the light in interesting ways and it's been the first phone I’ve used that has literally turned heads when walking down the street.Build:Many people have been really harsh on this phone for having a plastic rear. While it is true that it can be easily scratched, I think Sony has gracefully addressed one of the biggest complaints of their previous lines while keeping true to their design aesthetic. Let me explain: the two predecessors to this phone, the Z3C and Z5C both had glass panels on the rear of the phone. While elegant and more scratch resistant than plastic, the phones were prone to spontaneous cracking, even while in a case. Sony could have gone the route of using a metal back, but at the cost of poor reception or having a plastic chin (like the Xperia XZ). Ultimately, it would go against their clean slab design language they’ve retained for the previous lines. As someone who has always used his phone with a case or a skin, having the plastic back is not a problem.Another pain-point with this phone has been the lack of waterproofing - a feature that the Xperia phones have become iconic for. After seeing videos online of people testing the waterproofing and conducting my own tests, I can confirm that this phone is in fact waterproof. I can’t make any claims for the actual ingress rating, but I’ve been able to use my phone in the shower everyday since purchase without problems. My theory is the Sony omitted waterproofing as an official feature because they knew that labor costs of warranty claims would not be cost effective for the volume sold to the US and UK markets, where larger devices reign supreme. If that isn’t evidence enough, the X Compact in Asian markets have the waterproof rating where Sony has more resources to make warranty claims and where smaller devices are more popular.Update 01/05/2017: I took the phone with me to the Caribbean decided to take the risk by using it while diving. The phone performed wonderfully and took stunning videos. The only downside was that it didn't seem to have the same touch rejection that the official waterproof phones have so the screen had random touch events while it was under water due to the salt water triggering the capacitive touch sensor.The final pain-point I’ve seen with this phone is the fact that the US version does not have a fingerprint scanner. It does indeed have a fingerprint scanner, but because of a patent conflict with Hewlett-Packard, Sony had to disable it for the US markets. If you’re willing to get your hands dirty with android development, you can actually download and install the signed, UK firmware of the phone to enable the fingerprint scanner. As a plus, since the firmware is official and signed by Sony, you will not lose your warranty if you conduct the procedure. And boy, what a fingerprint scanner it is. The scanner is extremely accurate, placed in the perfect position and unlocks my phone before I can even pull it out of my pocket.As for the rest of the phone, the device has the signature dual front facing speakers that are a huge improvement from the Z3C speakers. They won’t wow anyone with their loudness, but they’re perfect having crisp clean audio for sharing media with friends. The camera button is always welcomed and has a tactile dual click to allow focus lock before capture when taking pictures. The volume controls, on the other hand are in an awkward place. Sony has a tendency to place the volume buttons close to the camera shutter for use as a zoom keys, but I’ve noticed that I more often than not pinch the screen to zoom in so I would love to see those keys moved to the upper-left side of the device.Display:This is hands down one of the most gorgeous displays I have ever used. I’ve held this phone up to a Google Pixel (which has an AMOLED screen) and this device can go toe-to-toe with the Pixel’s Brightness and Saturation despite having a LCD panel screen. It's absolutely incredible how beautiful the display is. The colors are juicy and watching movies on the device is an absolute pleasure. That being said, unfortunately because it is an LCD panel it cannot achieve the absolute blackness that an AMOLED screen can. It’s not noticeable enough to bother me, but I can see how that could be an issue for people coming from AMOLED devices.Many people have been hyper-critical of the fact that this phone uses a 720p display in 2016. A 720p display is perfect for a display this size. iPhones have had similar resolutions for years without any complaint. Here is a comparison with the current generation iPhone handsets:iPhone SE: 4.0inch Screen at 1136 x 640 (320 pixels per inch)X Compact: 4.6inch Screen at 1280 x 720 (319 pixels per inch)iPhone 7: 4.7inch Screen at 1334 x 750 (326 pixels per inch)Yes, you can get Android phones with 400+ pixels per inch, but why have a screen that is more demanding on performance and battery life if you can’t even discern the individual pixels with the naked eye? Sony has realized this and chose the optimum screen for the form factor.Performance:Many people have criticized the fact that this device uses a Snapdragon 650 Processor instead of an 820 like its big brother. I think Sony chose this processor for a couple reasons. The smaller resolution of the X Compact means that similar rendering performance can be achieved with a scaled back processor. The 650 is also more power efficient than its big brother, which allows it to achieve the ludicrous battery life that the Compact line is known for. Yes this phone might not have the same raw performance numbers as some of the other top of the line phones on the market, but I have yet to experience any hiccups in any applications I’ve tried. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what really matters?Photo Quality:This is still one of the primary reasons why I buy Sony phones. Sony devices have one of the most powerful imaging devices for android - if you know how to dial in the settings. The 23 MP Camera allows for fidelity I’ve never been able to achieve in any phone I’ve tried. The camera app has all of the controls you’d expect from a DSLR, but in a compact size. One of the biggest improvements from the previous camera app is the ability to control shutter speed now. Also, compared to the Z3C, the automatic mode is much better at finding the right settings for the current scene. Handheld and low-light pictures are also much clearer thanks to the new laser auto-focus and improved capture speed. I can speak for the camera all day long, but I’ll just attach some pictures so you can see for yourself.Battery:This is the most battery efficient smart phone I’ve ever used. My usage habits typically involve using GPS and streaming music on my way to work, checking social media, news and dating apps throughout the day, photo taking in the afternoon and casting media in the evening. I would consider myself someone with heavy use with the exception of playing 3D games. I’ve been able to go from 8am to 10pm with over 40% battery left without any active battery saving features.I’ve always been a huge fan of Sony’s built in battery saving features. I’ve tested the device with Stamina Enabled for the full duration of the battery and a more normal usage pattern, and it is a breeze to get up to 3 full days of use. If you want to stretch it even further, you can turn on Ultra Stamina Mode which turns off all your apps sans the basic. With that mode enabled, my phone has predicted that it can go up to 2 weeks.The phone also supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 and comes included with a QC 3.0 charger out of the box.Software:Sony’s build of android is almost entirely stock save a couple of power saving features and minimal bloatware. The included Sony’s apps have varying degrees of use. Sony makes one of the best Album apps I’ve used but apps like LifeLog, Xperia Lounge and What’s New I could do without. As for the third party software, Sony actually includes some useful ones including Amazon Shopping and Swiftkey. Luckily if there is anything you don’t like, you can easily disable any apps you don’t like.Accessories:One of the biggest downfalls for the device is the accessory support. Two things I usually buy when I get a new phone are a tempered glass screen protector and a Ringke Fusion Case. Because of the negative reception to the phone and low volume, many of the common accessory manufacturers have elected to pass up this device in their production line up. In my attempts to find a tempered glass screen protector, I’ve been unable to find any that have a complete adhesive hold to the entire screen; the screen protectors either omit the curved edges or they only attach from adhesive on the edges, leaving a noticeable air gap between the screen and protector. Thus, I’ve had to resort to using Skinomi’s TPU screen protector in the interim which doesn't offer the same drop protection, but offers adequate scratch protection. Ringke does not have any plans to make their Fusion case for this device, but fortunately I was able to find the MicroP TPU case which achieves some similar design aesthetics as the Ringke cases.TLDR:Pros:- Beautiful design- Small form factor phone- Gorgeous display- Fast fingerprint sensor- Unofficial but present waterproofing- Insane battery life- Great cameraCons:- Very little accessory support (Cases / screen protectors)- Activating fingerprint sensor requires some tinkering- Volume buttons in an awkward location for use with volumeVerdict:The Xperia X Compact is one of the best options if you’re looking for a small form factor phone with an excellent camera and battery life. This phone does have its fair share of nuances that make it less approachable than offerings by Samsung, Xiaomi and Google, but with a little work you can turn the device into an absolute pleasure to use.

Want to make a long story short here. I can't... Here we go then. I bought an older xperia a little while back, also of the compact line. I really enjoy the small size and other things myself nostalgic for how the first couple generations of smartphones were. If fact I'm also nostalgic for when phones didn't run or live but... Hey... I may not fall into the social media trap like most millennial but the online banking and instant account access is just so darn convenient...But I digress. The first xperia I bought was a 2014 model on a certain site that shan't be named but you all know which one. You know... The auctions and such. I can't say for sure but I think the international location that sold it to me for so cheap cannibalized the better parts because for some reason the serial registered as a Nokia lumina. Go figure. Won't buy a phone on that site again. However, cannibalized or not I was impressed by Sony's phone. I disregarded the pitfalls of it being an older model, and it was great for a year until I dropped it, but that was the glass panel model without the re-enforced gorilla like this model has. We'll get to that in a moment.The phone is fantastic, actually the favorite of any phone I've ever used but a long shot. I've had models from about every brand mind you; iPhone, Samsung, Motorola, LG, Nokia, and blackberry are just a few that come to mind. I get bored easily and like to switch things up, until of course I met the Sony Xperia line. I never buy another phone brand now.For this generation, love the compact size, think I covered that. Body of the phone is plastic. I hear from a lot of people "doesn't that make it look and feel cheap?". No not really, what a silly analysis. Actually the glossy polished finish looks good, and the plastic makes the thing loads lighter. It's not low quality plastic like they made it out of recycled milk cartons or something man. Furthermore, most people have a case on their phone anyway, even though this plastic is likely to take a hit much better than these new ultra-thin glass panel phones nowadays.I'm not saying don't get a case in fact I advocate the exact opposite, remember how I dropped my last phone? The glass is great because it's some type of gorilla glass at least in accordance with what I have read. So far not a scratch, just the everyday super tiny mini scuffs that no one who isn't anal retentive notices, and is course nothing shows at all when the screen is on. You can still get a tempered glass front panel if concerned, but at least in my experience those things are bullocks. Either their only good for a couple hits, or in my case man, one blow against the concrete at the right angle or on a cold day in the Midwest will still wreck your screen like the Austrian school of economics keeps wrecking or economy. Sorry, had to pop that in, kudos to anyone that enjoyed it. If anyone is worried about it, better off just buying the plan with whatever joint Amazon had set up, that's what I did. Better yet I didn't have to register it or anything.What next, how about performance? Exceeded expectations. I knew going on the processor wasn't going to be like in those tablet phones Samsung sells, then again I also don't need an industrial crane to carry this around. Honestly the processors in smartphones are getting too be a bit excessive anyway, beyond the scale of nessesity for any normal or even power - user under most circumstance. Not to say this thing isn't fast, because it is. Feels like going from a 4 cylinder to a supercharged v6 as I was using a 2014 model before. It handles games and streaming like a champ, as well as multitasking. 3gb of RAM is heavenly mate.Android is up to date of course as it's a newer model. Pretty basic OS release for Android, with a half dozen new futures I'll never have the time to bother with. The new app privacy settings I do enjoy though. There is bit of promotional stuff and blistered, I disabled a bit of it but honestly even leaving all of it wouldn't show down performance much at all. Some of the promo ware is even kinda fun like the xperia sketch with my new adonit snap stylus. The swipe keyboard thing (SwiftKey software included) and the adonit snap (not included but the only decent stylus I have found) make texting only a few seconds chore by the way. Some may whine about the graphics at the lower res, but again I'm of the opinion that things like super processors and full HD screens are excessive for phones by merit of practical use. The partial HD looks awesome and complements the screen size perfectly. Things like the plastic and the lower red screen really helps our prices for affordable but top quality phones people.The camera is great, so is the advanced sound engine that can play high - res audio files if indeed one is an "audiophile" like myself. It also has a great up scaling program built in the non - high res audio, which of course needs the conjunctive hardware Sony uses to work. I'm sure it's patented it sounds amazing. Zeppelin never sounded so good. Wait, what an I saying I'd listen to Zeppelin on an 8-track while running from an angry bear! All the same though. Oh camera, yeah it has about of megapixels and an automatic... and manual mode for annoying people that think they're photographers. Ie) any millennial chick with a camera. I hate to break it to these types but technique is obsolete now. Automatic mode snaps a shot and photoshop can do nearly everything else. In almost I wasted my time including this segment, but shite, someone had to say it out loud. You heard me hipsters get a real job!Finally, remember this is GSM, so check your network. As in AT&T yes Verizon no, etc etc etc look it up. Which is fine with me because as fast as Verizon is or whatever their thing nowadays international travel is an expensive pain with CDMA carriers. That's why CDMA sucks, no one else uses it outside North America. With this unlocked GSM Experia I can travel to EU, but a prepaid Sim, pop it in, and have service there. Have domestic carrier calls and texts forwarded over a VOIP app, use wifi and EU service data for it and bam! Hefty fees avoided.My only two complaints are 1) no dual sim card, but I can buy an adapter for that. 2) the Fingerprint scanner on the American version is deactivated on the US firmware. Probably something legal like Sony doesn't want to mess around with patent challenges from a more jerk-ish, egotistical company... Probably named after a common fruit that always believes because it did something first it alone can use it forever even if both the hardware and software are entirely different. Maybe they're sue-happy dudes and and afraid of becoming has-beens. Or maybe Sony doesn't want to bother with licensing fees for it, or walk through the endless maze of US federal fed tape that always ends with bending over for a full cavity search. Cough cough, Sony give us your customers Fingerprint or we'll crash Japan's economy -signed the US intelligence agencies cough cough.Anyway, that's it. I've covered everything. I defy the world to name one thing relevant that I left out. The phone is not just great, it's my favorite and I've really shopped around over the years. Looks like I'm home. I wanted to make a "no one does radioactivity better than Japan from power plants to cell phones" but I thought it better if I didn't. Wait... I just did. Well my foreign exchange when we were in high school laughed, I can use it as long as I don't point out the more obvious example. That was fun, anyone else think I should get paid for this? Right?! 😂. Goodnight Amazon