Rather than the much-anticipated Xperia Z6, Sony has surprised everyone with its announcement of the X Performance at the MWC 2016 in Barcelona, alongside Xperia X and XA.
Did Xperia X Performance Replace The Xperia Z6?
AndroidPIT originally reported that the much-awaited Xperia Z6 will never be released, citing a Sony spokesperson. Rather, the company has unveiled the Xperia X Performance to replace the Z6.
This statement, however, was later retracted by a Sony spokeswoman who also reached AndroidPIT.
"A Sony spokeswoman contacted AndroidPIT this afternoon to retract the original statement. The spokeswoman said the country manager who told AndroidPIT Italy that Xperia's Z line would be dropped had 'mistakenly' revealed product roadmap details," says the report. "The spokeswoman also said Sony would not publicly discuss the roadmap at this stage."
Android Authority likewise reported that the Xperia X Performance is "simply the Xperia Z6 with a new name."
"In all honesty, if the Xperia X Performance had come out under the Xperia Z6 name no one would have bat an eyelid," it says. "It would reproduce the same familiar Sony recipe: an 80 percent identical specs sheet with a couple minor changes and a slight design shift."
Specs
Powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 820 processor, the Xperia X Performance rocks a 5-inch (1080p) and runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This smartphone also sports a brushed metal finish.
In terms of its camera, the phone has a 23-megapixel rear camera with super-fast hybrid auto focus of 0.1 seconds.
The X Performance features a 32 GB of expandable storage space plus a 2,700 mAh battery. On top of that, this phone also includes a fingerprint scanner.
Last year, rumors of the Xperia Z6 surfaced, indicating that Xperia Z6 could sport a 5.5-inch IPS LCD 4K display and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.
Price And Release Date
While Sony has not yet revealed the exact price tag for the X Performance, word has it that it will possibly be priced at least $500 off contract.
Details are light as well with regard to the exact release date of this smartphone. The company only says that this phone would be available beginning June this year.
In terms of where the phone will be released, the official Sony Mobile website in the United States already started showing off this phone and allowing consumers to register for more details. This suggests that Sony plans to sell the phone in the United States.
What's not clear at the moment is if the company intends to offer the phone through any carriers or just sell an unlocked version.
XperiaBlog, in the meantime, claims that X Performance may not reach important markets in Europe, in the likes of Germany and the United Kingdom.
Allegedly, Sony's PR team said that this phone would be rolled out "in most global markets with a key focus in Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan)."
