1.11.2016

*Journey*So, I bought this phone after a hard month of research and returning a Nexus 5X phone. I read techradar, arstechnica, etc and they weren't exactly encouraging of this phone as a purchase. I was upgrading from an HTC One X Plus, which is maybe 3% bigger than the Xperia X Compact. I didn't want to go any bigger than a 4.6 in or 4.7 in screen because even at that size, a smartphone just about fits into pockets, etc and I also like to easily one-hand a phone without fear of dropping it.*Looks*This is a very pretty phone. Besides the size, one of the reasons I returned the Nexus phone is that it was a soul-dampening, very plain cuboid.The front glass of the X Compact is actually coloured very dark grey-blue in bright light but comes off as a glossy black indoors. The screen blends in seamlessly into the front glass panel. All eight edges are gently rounded, which makes them soothing to look at. All in all, I think it's the prettiest Android phone out there - besting even the Samsung Edge phone because there's no miserable lozenge-shaped button sticking out into your eye. Unlike the Nexus phones, the manufacturer is not embarrassed to put their name on this beauty.*Transfers*To me, the next stroke of genius from Sony is the Xperia Transfer Mobile app, which copied my SMS, phone logs and contacts, photos and video from my HTC phone over wi-fi. It took a couple of hours (it's a lot of data) but I can't overstate how that transforms the new phone from something that you own, into a new phone that is truly yours. It removed any distance I felt from the phone because all the calls I had made and messages I had sent and received were all there. Not to mention feeling I had always had the new phone when it showed the past photos and videos with the same dates and ordering as before. Along with my other apps sycing up from where they left off to the Xperia X compact, it was like a brain transplant had been done. Brilliant.*Battery, Sound & Camera*My battery was at 100% last morning. It's currently at 78% and I haven't charged it. This has been normal in my use of phone - though I admit I don't watch movies or play games, but I'm often messaging, using news, collaboration and email apps. Call quality is great and for audio, it has an array of stereo/Dolby surround options I haven't got to try yet.I've used the camera in different ranges of light and haven't been disappointed. In dim light, the phone seems to switch on the LED light to help you frame the shot before firing the flash if needed. The screen is very rich in detail - you no longer have to go to a quality desktop screen to see what you'll be getting - love the dedicated camera button.*Final Words*While I initially resisted the idea of the fingerprint reader, I have to admit it's a sweet improvement on drawing/entering an unlock sequence. It's simply a better experience to automatically unlock as switch on the screen.Lastly, a lot of reviewers said they didn't get headphones. I got them along with a charger and USB C cable. If you want a high spec, good-looking phone at a well-balanced size, look no further.

5.10.2016

Very happy with my choice to upgrade to this from the Xperia Z5. My poor Z5 bit the dust a couple of weeks ago after tumbling face-first onto a cobbled street so I decided to go for a smaller phone that was easier to use single-handedly, and this is certainly that. It's the perfect size, has a nice weight to it, and is well balanced so feels less likely to topple out of hand. The finger-print sensor is far superior to any others I've used - it's so quick that I wasn't even sure it was working at first, but then I tried using an unregistered finger and that didn't unlock it, so it does work but it just feels like pressing the button for immediate unlock rather than "press and slight hold".The camera is exceptionally good in natural light,and pretty good in low light. They're never as good in low light as they're advertised to be (at least for the non-professional photographers among us) but it's still a pretty decent effort. The auto settings generally produce very good results and for those who are so inclined, manual settings include focal length, shutter speed, exposure, ISO and white balance.Processor speed is good and everything loads quickly. I've noticed a very slight lag on some games but this isn't a priority of mine so I don't really notice. In general everyday use, it's pleasingly nippy. The battery is also very good - I've not yet had less than a day out of it, and this week I got a full 4 days out of the battery - it obviously wasn't getting a huge amount of use over those days, but much better performance than I've been accustomed to. Time will tell whether the intelligent charging will increase battery life in reality, but it sounds like it should work well as long as you have a predictable charging schedule. There also hasn't been any overheating which has been a problem with Sonys in the past.I can't comment on Sony's Android overlay as I use a custom launcher (Smart 2 Launcher - it's fast, free, customisable and really nice to look at!), but there is a fair amount of pre-loaded bloatware. I do wish phone manufacturers would realise that we're quite capable of picking the apps we want to use for the various jobs, and stop pre-loading useless apps that we can't remove without rooting the phone and voiding the warranty. I get around these useless icons by hiding them from the launcher - out of sight, out of mind!The casing doesn't feel as premium as other high-end models but the first thing I do is stick it in a case, so it really makes no difference that it's a bit plasticky. Also helps to keep the unit price down which is always welcome. The screen is wonderfully bright and is slightly curved at the edges which makes for a lovely touch-screen experience, however it does mean that tempered glass protectors don't reach right to the edge of the screen.Overall, I fully recommend this phone (unless you do a lot of resource-intensive gaming, then it might get a bit laggy) and am extremely happy with my decision to switch! I hope it stays with me for a good few years to come.

19.2.2017

Better than the Z5C, outstanding screen, with a fabulous "smooth" feel. I debated for long enough whether to get this in place of my Z5C, delighted that I did.Pretty much perfect in all respects. A really nice size, similar to "full size" phones of about 3 years ago, before things started getting silly!Please ignore those idiots at which.co.uk who give this 65% and the S7 93%, I have both and this is better!If I really think hard to come up with slight negatives, they are as follows:Runs Android 7.0, disappointingly hasn't got 7.1 yet. That said, my Samsung S7 hasn't got Android 7 (Nougat) at all!The plastic back is prone to scratching.No wireless charging and the fast charger doesn't come with it and is hard and expensive to obtain.A little disappointing to only have a 32GB option,

5.5.2017

I have owned this phone for 3 months so now feel able to give a balanced review. I gave my excellent Samsung S7 to my wife, and bought the X Compact as a replacement. My basic summary is that this is the best phone you can buy at the moment if you don't want a huge 5" plus behemoth in your pocket! It is not perfect but it gets close. Pro's and Con's below. Despite the cons, I would definitely buy this phone again and do recommend it.Pros:- Lightweight, small, the thickness is good and helps handle the phone. I would even prefer the phone a little shorter!- The "Phone" app and "Messaging" apps are both lightning fast. Faster than the S7. A joy to actually hang up a call with virtually no lag.- Noise cancelling.

11.2.2017

My Motorola Moto G 4G was on its last legs and I wanted a small and compact phone to replace it. I hate these 5 inch plus mobile phones that have become the norm. My basic requirements were;-• Its less than 5 inch diagonal• It has more than double (ideally quadruple) the RAM of my Moto G, which has 512mb of RAM.• It has to have more than double (ideally quadruple) the internal hard drive of my Moto G, which has 8gb.• It has to have a SD card slot (as Apps are getting larger you need more space – see above point)• It has to have Android Marshmallow and be upgradable to the latest version.I narrowed it down to the Samsung A3 (2016) or the X Compact. The Sony won out because of more RAM and internal memory.

8.5.2017

I must point out that I got this phone via my network provider as a free upgrade and did not purchase via Amazon. However I would like to review this phone in case it helps anyone.I last had an Android phone 7 years ago which I found complicated to use and did not like, and a tablet 4 years ago that had drawbacks. Subsequently I've had three iphones. My main reason for moving to iphones was their simplicity compared with android and the build quality. However over time I have realised that despite the phones being quite good, they are expensive to have on a contract and I find icloud and itunes difficult to use.So having looked around for an alternative I chose Sony as they are a quality brand and I have other sony products.

30.10.2016

Amazon appears to have bundled all the reviews from the Xperia X line all together, which isn't helpful.In any case, I bought the X Compact from giffgaff.First of all, ignore the negative reviews of the X Compact from tech reviewers. Most of them are overly concerned about specs, but I can tell you the phone is buttery smooth.Display is 'only' 720p but honestly that won't matter to the vast majority of people (including me) - it looks great.Performance is snappy with no lag so far. Opening apps and web browsing is fast and I've had no slowdowns multitasking so far despite there only being 3GB RAM. But judging from the YouTube videos I've seen, it's a split second behind the considerably more expensive iPhone 7,

25.3.2017

This phone will never get any marks for bling; it's just black plastic and a bit brick shaped.Get past that and you'll discover a fabulously produced phone.I was a bit worried about the appearance in real life, but the pictures don't do it justice.It's a very handsome phone and sits in the hand perfectly.It's also very robust - that plastic case will take many knocks without flinching.Just buy a case and screen protector for added resilience.All the buttons are in the perfect place. Just pick it up with your right hand and your thumb is perfectly placed over the off/on button(your first finger if left handed).The only gripe I had was the camera button down the RH side was too easy to press accidentally,

18.11.2016

I wanted a replacement for my Xperia Z1 Compact, because its battery was dying, so, naturally, I've looked for the newer Sony compacts. The decision came to Z5 Compact vs X Compact. I've read the specs and extensive reviews of both phones. I've talked to a friend who has a Z5 Compact and, finally, I went with the X Compact (mist blue), despite its disadvantages. And I don't regret it. The phone is better than I've expected.Yes, it's not waterproof, but in my 2+ years of using the Z1 Compact, I've taken it once in the pool and that was just for a test. Otherwise, I've never needed the extra protection. And I am sure the X can take a few rain drops.Yes, it's plastic made, but it's a quality glossy plastic and,

2.7.2017

I use my X Compact as my second phone and I chose it purely for the size. I could have gone down the iPhone SE route (its main competitor) but I wanted a better camera, stereo speakers and quick charing (the X Compact has them all).The phone is built and designed really well and feels secure in the hand. It has plenty of pros: camera, speakers, build, 3GB ram, SD card expansion slot and mine is running Android 7. I can't fault it's performance and pocket friendly size. The only downside for me is the screen, (brightness and colours are fine) it has quite a low/mid range Pixel Per Inch (321) i.e. 720p resolution - its not bad by any means, but it has a fuzziness around the app icons and some other widgets.

11.1.2017

Having had sony xperia handsets since the xperia ray, this compact handset I have to say inpresses me somewhat. Don't get me wrong its definitely got it's downsides but mostly it's great. The camera is fantastic, it's light weight brilliant picture quality and the battery is as one expects from a Sony lol. However the lack of waterproofing isn't a big put off but would of been nice to see as it's a huge selling point for me. The plastic back might also be a put off for some people too but I kind of like it it's also nice to see the auto superior camera mode finally use the full 23mp the phone has. As for the USB type C it's a nice touch but a little annoying as you'll have to buy new spares for other rooms in the home,

8.2.2017

A bit heavier than I wanted (in an ideal world I'd go back to my Nokia push-button jobbie, best phone I ever had). But compared to the Samsung SIII mini I had before, the battery is fantastic, esp with STAMINA mode activated. It says that restricts some functions, but I haven't had any problems. Of course the Samsung was great when it was new too, tho' a new battery failed to restore it to those early heights.Delighted to find it can do predictive text in all sorts of languages, inc French, Welsh, Gaelic. Though the settings to do that aren't easy to find. Very easy to transfer data - but CHECK it's all there! That fooled me into thinking all my contacts would have gone over,

21.10.2016

Great phone. Fits perfectly in the hand. Had a Z3 Compact before, was happy with it. The 3GB of RAM vs. 2GB of the Z3C can really be noticed, since the apps are being restarted much less often, with multitasking of "modern" RAM hogger apps being much easier. The edges are curved so it fits really nicely in the hand. The fingerprint sensor is a great addition which I feel improves security a lot, as I now don't need to care about PINs or patterns, I just press the power button and it instantly unlocks with my finger like there was no lock at all. Screen is great as ever, battery is decent, lasts a day and a half or so. Love the new USB-C, no more worries about trying to plug the microUSB the wrong way as on previous generations of phones.

14.6.2017

The Xperia X compact is almost my dream phone! I fantasised about the Z5 compact before this and ardently believe a handheld device shouldn't be above 5 inches. The X compact has better RAM, ROM, battery management, chipset performance and picture production AND USB C as pros against Z5. Based on this I've brought this 2mnts ago on a discount(£269). It's feels and looks gorgeous. Doesn't slow or stumble. Doesn't heat or hang. Charges shockingly fast and lasts for unbelievable durations. The camera is an unbelievable 23MP, but the pics take dreadful amount of time to process fully. The fingerprint on the power button is super-classy and brings a certain Wow-factor! The volume keys are just bad design..

14.11.2016

Great phone, great camera, used to a Samsung and the Sony android interpretation is a little quirky (more so than Samsung). For example there is seemingly no way to set the ring to silent vibrate mode - no really! Instead there is a quiet mode that is silent, no vibrate but you can white-list some contacts so they can text or ring you with ur, sound! The phone clearly vibrates as you can have sound and vibrate, just not for quiet times apparently. And the list of quirks goes on... too many to go into here without rant. That said this is a solid phone, heavier than the Samsung phones of a similar size, but you can't fault the screen, camera, speed of operation etc. etc. it is a solid phone,

Sony Xperia X Compact - Reviews

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