Most small Android phones fall into the budget category these days. So where does that leave users looking for a device with flagship-level specs in a sub-5-inch form factor? Sony's Compact line used to be the answer, with miniaturized phones boasting the same internal hardware as their larger siblings. But the Sony Xperia X Compact is a bit different. Rather than being a smaller version of the high-end Xperia XZ, it's actually a variant on the midrange Xperia X. It's one of the nicer small Android phones you can buy, but for $499.99, it's priced a bit too high for what you get.
Design. Features, and Display
The Xperia X Compact (available in blue, black, and white) looks like a shrunken Xperia XZ, except it's clad in plastic rather than metal. Measuring 5.1 by 2.6 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and weighing 4.8 ounces, the X Compact is significantly smaller than the XZ (5.7 by 2.8 by 0.3 inches, 5.7 ounces), the X (5.6 by 2.7 by 0.3 inches, 5.4 ounces), and the Samsung Galaxy S7 (5.6 by 2.7 by 0.3 inches, 5.4 ounces). It's closest in size to the Apple iPhone SE (4.9 by 2.3 by 0.3 inches, 4 ounces). One-handed use is easy, as the phone truly fits in the palm of your hand.
The Compact has the same button and port placement as other phones in the Xperia X series. The power, volume, and camera shutter buttons are all located on the right side. The top edge has a 3.5mm audio jack, while the bottom features a USB-C charging port, a departure from the micro USB port on the Z5 Compact. The left is home to a combined SIM/microSD card slot that that worked fine with a 256GB Samsung Evo+ card. Unlike the Xperia XZ, the X Compact is not waterproof, so you don't want to get it wet. There's no fingerprint sensor, which is a feature that is quickly becoming common in this price range.
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The Compact's 4.6-inch, 1,280-by-720-pixel display is lower resolution than the 1080p panel on the Xperia X. Working out to 319 pixels per inch (ppi), it's also not as sharp as the Quad HD ZTE Axon 7 (538ppi). That said, it's still a nice screen, with bright colors and great viewing angles. I had no problem seeing the phone under direct sunlight.
Network Performance and Connectivity
The X Compact is unlocked, and supports LTE bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/19/20/26/28/38/39/40/41. It'll work on GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, but not CDMA carriers like Verizon or Sprint. I tested the phone in midtown Manhattan on T-Mobile and saw strong network performance, recording a high 25Mbps download. The phone also supports dual-band Wi-Fi, as well as NFC, allowing you to use Android Pay.
Call quality is good. There's some muddiness in transmissions on the receiving end, but it doesn't impact overall clarity. Noise cancellation blots out almost all background noise, and earpiece volume is loud enough to hear in a noisy environment.
Processor and Battery
The X Compact is powered by a midrange Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor, a far cry from the top-of-the-line Snapdragon 820 that powers the S7, or the A9 chip under the hood of the iPhone SE. On the AnTuTu benchmark, which tests overall system performance, the X Compact scores 76,566. The doesn't come close to the S7 (123,993) or the iPhone SE (132,500).
But benchmarks are only a part of the story. With 3GB of RAM, the X Compact handles multitasking easily. I didn't encounter any instances of sluggishness, even with a dozen apps open. The 720p display also helps with high-end games; I was able to play GTA: San Andreas and Asphalt 8: Airborne without a hint of slowdown.
Battery life is good, though not spectacular for the screen size. The phone clocked 5 hours and 49 minutes when we set screen brightness to maximum and streamed full-screen video over LTE. That's over an hour more than the Xperia X (4 hours, 58 minutes), and nearly the same as the iPhone SE (6 hours). But it's no match for the Galaxy S7, which manages 9 hours despite having a higher-resolution display.
That said, Sony includes a Stamina mode, which tamps down screen brightness and background processes to increase battery life. There's also Qnovo battery management, which keeps track of battery health and temperature to make the phone last longer. I didn't really notice a tangible improvement in day-to-day use, but it seems like Qnovo is intended for longer-term payoff. The X Compact supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0, though the phone only comes with a standard power adapter.
Camera
Camera performance is solid. The X Compact has a 23-megapixel rear camera with laser autofocus to improve the speed and accuracy of low-light shots, an RGB color sensor to improve color reproduction, and Predictive Hybrid Autofocus with five-axis image stabilization to improve video recording, especially of moving objects. Accordingly, the phone takes crisp and accurate shots. It focuses fast, video is steady, and it does well tracking moving objects with little blur or distortion. Thanks to the RGB sensor, the pink tinge we've noted in our studio test shots of many previous Sony phones is gone.
The camera app has manual controls, letting you adjust settings like focus, ISO sensitivity (up to ISO 12800), and white balance. One thing you won't find, however, is 4K video recording; the X Compact is only capable of capturing 1080p video at 30fps.
The front camera uses a 5-megapixel sensor that takes clear and detailed shots in most settings.
Software
The phone ships with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and should get an update to Android 7.0 Nougat at some point in the future. While that's certainly a plus, Sony's software customizations are pretty intense. The biggest changes are to the lock screen, which is replaced with a custom clock widget, and the app drawer, which has an integrated search function and recommended apps when you swipe left. There are also alterations to the settings menu, the aforementioned battery features, and a Smart Cleaner that automatically optimizes storage and memory.
There's also some bloatware. Amazon Shopping, AVG Protection, PlayStation, Sketch, Spotify, Sticker Creator, SwiftKey, What's New, and Xperia Lounge all come preloaded, and cannot be uninstalled. Out of 32GB of internal storage, you're left with a disappointing 19.02GB. You can add a microSD card, but Android's Adoptable Storage feature is disabled.
Conclusions
The Sony Xperia X Compact is a capable midrange phone with a good camera, but at $500, it's priced higher than most of its competition, including our Editors' Choice for compact phones, the Apple iPhone SE. For $100 less the SE gets you a more powerful processor, a fingerprint scanner, and Apple's superior app ecosystem. If Apple is out the question, the $400 ZTE Axon 7 also gets you a faster processor and a fingerprint sensor, as well as a much sharper display. But it's significantly larger than the X Compact, and not ideal for one-handed use. That makes the X Compact one of the best compact Android phones you can buy, though you'll get a lot more bang for your buck by going larger.
The Sony Xperia X Compact is a sleek unlocked Android phone you can easily use with one hand, but its price is out of proportion with its size.
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About Ajay Kumar
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