Sony had multiple issues in the past with their flagship Xperia Z line, from spotty carrier availability to fans lamenting over the release cycle and even overheating issues with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chip that made the Xperia Z3+ hard to use to its full potential. In the face of all these challenges, the Xperia Z series still managed to survive until a 5th entry, which came with a premium variant and, despite great reviews, got a rather chilly reception in most markets. In the face of this, Sony announced thw beginning of the new Xperia X series yesterday and that there wouldn’t be an Xperia Z6. Today, they officially announced that the Xperia Z series is completely defunct. According to Sony Mobile US Marketing Head Don Mesa, the Xperia X line is not a replacement, but a departure.
Sony’s PR department confirmed, after receiving requests for comment from the media, that the Xperia Z series is not on hiatus and is gone for good. Sony’s official statement on the matter read, “The Xperia Z line has reached its culmination – Xperia X series represents a new chapter and evolution of our product strategy.” It looks like they’ll be making good on their word in that department, with the Xperia X launching in three different variants. The Xperia X and XA boast Sony cameras, with the X having a 23 megapixel shooter and the XA having a more humble 13 megapixel snapper. Both have huge battery life and a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, while the Xperia X Performance will boast Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 processor, a strictly top-shelf affair. None of the trio, however, has a display to match the Xperia Z5 Premium, painting a picture of an expanded push in the midrange market segment while lowering the expectations for the top end just a bit.
While the Xperia X series seems to share a lot of DNA with the defunct Xperia Z series, it’s quite clear that Sony is shifting gears with their mobile business in the hopes of saving it after a fairly scary and near-fatal dip last year. The release cycles and future plans for the X line have not been released, with the only comment so far being that the first members of the new series will be seeing the light of day in June.