There was quite a bit of excitement in Canada when we found out the new Sony Xperia X Performance was coming by the middle of July. The top-of-the-line Xperia X Performance is a solid $700 on a no-term contract, and if you are on a plan costing $80 or more, you could have it for $200 on a two-year plan. Bell has now drastically lowered the price to $0 as long as you subscribe to a two-year plan starting at $80 with data.
There is no word on why the sudden decrease in price – was it selling too poorly that the carriers what to unload their stock or is Bell just trying to haul in some new customers into its fold? Either way, it is a great buy for those Sony lovers eager to get their hands on their flagship model. Sony may be preparing a new design to replace the Xperia X Performance this fall.
When Sony made the jump from Xperia Z to Xperia X, they also changed the design – ever so slightly in looks and very much so in materials. Sony went from their traditional metal trim with a glass front and back to a new all-metal design, although the metal looks and feels a little like plastic. Other than the materials, its basic shape, large top and bottom bezels, and FHD display are still there.
The Sony Xperia X Performance sports a small 5.0-inch IPS LCD FHD display with 441 pixels-per-inch (PPI.) The Performance does use the same 64-bit Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor along with an Adreno 530 GPU for outstanding graphics – the same combo used in many flagship devices this summer. The Performance does pack only 3GB of RAM rather than 4GB like its competition – it also comes with 32GB of expandable memory.
The primary shooter is Sony’s 23MP camera sensor with an aperture of f/2.0, 24mm lens, Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF,) and LED flash – but still no OIS. The front-facing camera (FFC) increased from 5.1MP to a large 13MP and gave it an aperture of f/2.0 and 22mm lens for great selfies and video chats. A 2700mAh non-removable battery with Quick Charge 2.0 capabilities supplies the power. The Performance also has the IP68 certification for dust and water usage and retains its dual front-facing stereo speakers. It measures 143.7 x 70.4 x 8.7 mm and weighs in at 164.4 grams. The colors are White, Graphite Black, Lime Gold, and Rose Gold.