Sony Xperia X2: Rumours, specs and release date

Alan Martin January 17, 2017

Below, we outline everything we know about Sony’s next smartphone, which may or may not be called the Sony Xperia X2. However, if you’re not wedded to a Sony handset, you should be sure to check out the other upcoming handsets of 2017, to see if there’s something else out there you’d rather have…

Sony Xperia X2: Rumours, specs and release date

Sony’s smartphone naming convention used to be simple. There was the Xperia Z, then the Xperia Z2, Z3 and Z5. Ignoring the lack of a Z4 and the short lived Z3 Plus, you’d have thought last year’s outing should have been the Xperia Z6, but no. It was the the Xperia X, followed quickly by the Xperia XZ. So what do we have this year? The Xperia Z7? The Xperia XZ2? The Xperia X2? Something entirely different?

We don’t know, is the short answer, but for consistency in this article, we’re sticking with “Sony Xperia X2”. Whatever it is, we may have caught the first glimpse of it, courtesy of Slashleaks. And yes, in this context, a glimpse is all you’re getting, because the image is incredibly blurry. sony_xperia_x2_leak

Still, it does show a Sony handset in gold, and there are a few other interesting things to pick out from this. Firstly, there seems to be almost no edge to speak of, although it does have a generous bezel along the top and bottom of the handset. We also can’t make out any physical buttons, or even a power button. Does this mean that the Xperia X2 will power on from the top, or even from the back?

Sony Xperia X2: Specifications

Rumours suggest that the Xperia X2 is going to come in two sizes: 5.2in and 5.5in. Not a huge difference between the two, but there are whispers that there’s going to be a whole difference in terms of pixel density. While the 5.2in version is said to be sticking to the tried and tested 1080p route, the 5.5in model might just have a 4K screen.

That last sentiment may sound ludicrous, given the human eye isn’t sophisticated enough to tell the difference between that many pixels on such a small space, but Sony has precedent here. And while I described Sony’s previous smartphone experiment in 4k as “magic beans” (it really was: despite the comments calling me an idiot, it only worked in two Sony apps, neither of them VR related), this time around it might make a bit more sense, thanks to virtual reality really catching on in a big way. In short, VR puts out an image for each eye, and is held very close: for that reason, a resolution higher than you would need for day-to-day use is actually quite sensible.

In terms of what’ll be powering it, an educated guess would be the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chip, given Sony’s long-running association with the processor manufacturer. Which chip specifically is up in the air, and largely dependent on when the handset launches. If we’re looking for an imminent post-MWC release, then the Snapdragon 821 looks likely. If it’s later in the year, it could be packing a Snapdragon 830.

Other than that, you’d expect at least 4GB RAM and 32GB storage. With Sony’s historical love of long-life batteries in their handsets, 3,000mAh would be a bare minimum, I suspect – especially if the 4K rumour turns out to be true.

Sony Xperia X2: Release date

Unlike their rivals in South Korea (Samsung – April/May) and America (Apple – September), Sony don’t have much consistency to when they release handsets, making a release window hard to predict. In the past four years, Sony has released flagship phones in February 2013, March 2014, September 2014, September 2015, June 2016 and September 2016.

Still, if – as rumours seem to be suggesting – Sony will be unveiling something at MWC 2017, then one on the earlier end of the spectrum seems likely. If not March/April, then September 2017 seems like a good bet. All will become clear based on what Sony do (or not not) reveal at MWC.

Sony Xperia X2: Price

Obviously, it’s extremely hard to predict a price for an unannounced, unreleased and as yet unnamed handset, but taking a look at Sony’s history in the hardware game, it’s probably safe to make one assumption: it won’t come cheap, whatever it is.

Here are the prices of last five Sony flagships:

	Price
Sony Xperia Z	£498
Sony Xperia Z2	£535
Sony Xperia Z3	£549
Sony Xperia Z5 Premium	£649
Sony Xperia XZ	£549

Ignore the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium – which was a 4K anomaly in addition to the Z5 range – and you’d imagine that somewhere between £550 and £600 is about right for the Xperia X2.

That’s my best guess, but we’ll know more if Sony unveil their latest flagship at MWC 2017 as expected.