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Sony Xperia X review: Remaking the Xperia

By Liu Hongzuo - 5 Jul 2016
Launch SRP: S$848

Sony Xperia X review: UI & Features

UI & Features

The Sony Xperia X packs Android OS 6.0 (Marshmallow). It’s one of the first Xperia smartphones to come with Android Marshmallow out of the box. There are a few stealthy features we’d like to highlight, on top of Sony’s great job at keeping the interface clean while being unique, and staying lean when it comes to pre-installed apps. Not only can you remove Sony apps from the device, they are easy to differentiate from Android apps you get from Google Play. Proprietary apps tend to take on a round icon (although not entirely true for every app) instead of the standard square tiles you’d normally see. You can also switch the interface up with free or paid themes.

 

Tap To Wake

The Xperia X has the ability to wake its screen for notification-checking from a locked state. It’s not new to their user experience – we’ve seen it on the Z3 Tablet Compact before. Tap To Wake can also be found on LG, HTC, and even Nokia devices. We brought this feature up because Sony has it disabled by default. It can be found in the Settings app, under the Display options.

 

Smart Lock

This is an Android 6.0 OS feature we liked, and it works blazingly fast on the Sony Xperia X. Despite its name, this Smart Lock feature is more of a convenience than a security measure. Smart Lock simply lets you slide unlock your phone without a PIN, under certain conditions. You can select the conditions and enable them as you see fit. The phone can induce Smart Lock when you are near a trusted device, located at a trusted place, when it’s on your body, or when it recognizes your face or voice.

It’s up to the user to maximize its effectiveness without compromising the phone’s security. For example, you could set up Smart Lock to work with your face, so you can unlock your phone without having to unlock it with your PIN or pattern, but others cannot unlock your phone, unless they know your PIN or pattern code. You can enable multiple Smart Lock features at once, but that would make the phone less protected – for example, setting your home as a trusted location might give a child unrestrained access to your phone’s content, which may have its consequences.

 

STAMINA Mode for battery

Battery-saving settings are not new, but you definitely cannot forget about Sony’s proprietary STAMINA mode for extending battery run-time. STAMINA mode disables some features, such as GPS and vibration, while reducing the quality of image enhancement and rendering performance across the board. Apps like email will require manual syncing for updates. In return, your phone gets a longer run-time.

Ultra STAMINA mode takes it a little further by disabling Wi-Fi and mobile data (we wonder what the phone would be good for at this point). The phone will also only allow a handful of apps in this mode, such as Phone, Contacts, Messaging, Camera, Calendar, etc. Needless to say, Ultra STAMINA mode would probably be a choice when you want to save some battery, in the event where you really have to.

Note that Sony’s STAMINA mode does not override Android’s own battery management settings. If you have specific requirements set up in STAMINA mode, head over to Apps > Configure Apps > Battery Optimization and give it a glance, ensuring your stock Android battery management settings also agree with your preferences.

As a whole, the Sony features (coupled with its Android counterparts) are definitely practical and functional, and we like the interface for its look and feel.

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8.0
  • Design 8
  • Features 8.5
  • User-Friendliness 8.5
  • Performance 7.5
  • Value 7
The Good
Great UI
Decent camera performance
Functional design
The Bad
Expensive
Lower-powered "flagship"
Average battery life
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