The Xperia XZ had top-of-the-line spec lines for 2016 and it did rather well for a little while, but it's not a blockbuster. It's still a hot deal, though.
The post Sony Xperia XZ on eBay going for $430, more than a third off appeared first on Pocketnow.
Is the Galaxy S8 running out of buzz and wow factor now that the Sony Xperia XZ Premium is confirmed to roll out first with Snapdragon 835 inside?
The post That surprising Sony Xperia XZ Premium is apparently the first commercial Snapdragon 835 phone appeared first on Pocketnow.
The surprisingly hot new Sony Xperia XZ Premium tries to make 4K screen resolution happen again, packing a lot of impressive technologies... on paper.
The post Sony Xperia XZ Premium comes with 4K HDR display, Motion Eye camera, Snapdragon 835 appeared first on Pocketnow.
Sony's 2017 flagship Android phones are likely still a ways off, but when they eventually come out, the XZs and XZ Premium should wow with their cameras.
The post Next-gen Sony Xperia XZ and XZ Premium expected to launch with ‘Motion Eye’ cameras… eventually appeared first on Pocketnow.
Not only are Sony smartphones unprofitable or barely profitable these days, also selling in negligible numbers worldwide quarter after quarter.
The post Sony Mobile had another weak quarter, selling just 5 million Xperias over the holidays appeared first on Pocketnow.
In the market for one of Sony's two robust late 2016-released smartphones? Both the Xperia XZ and X Compact are now cheaper than ever before at Best Buy.
The post Best Buy shaves $200 off unlocked Sony Xperia XZ, $100 off Xperia X Compact appeared first on Pocketnow.
A bill in South Carolina would force consumers to pay a fee to access pornography from any computer purchased in the state. HTC is prepping a big announcement for January, but will Samsung launch the Galaxy S8 later in the year?
Those stories, plus we answer YOUR viewer questions, so make sure you’re charged and ready for the Pocketnow Weekly Podcast!
Watch the live video broadcast from 10:00pm Pacific on December 21st, or check out the high-quality audio version right here.
For folks watching live, you can comment and ask questions by using the #PNWeekly hashtag on Twitter during the broadcast. For folks watching later, you can shoot your listener emails to podcast [AT] pocketnow [DOT] com for a shot at getting your question read aloud on the air the following week!
December 21, 2016
This week’s episode of the Pocketnow Weekly Podcast is made possible by:
Jamf Now is a cloud-based Mobile Device Management solution for the iPads, iPhones, and Macs in your workplace.
Jamf Now makes device management accessible and affordable for everyone, so businesses can support their users without help from IT.
You can configure settings on all of your Apple devices quickly and consistently over the air and manage your devices by centrally deploying apps anytime from anywhere.
Use Jamf Now to ensure the sensitive company information your employees access on their Apple devices remains secure.
Enforce passcodes and encryption over the air. Even remotely lock or wipe a device.
See how easy it is to set up, manage, and secure your Apple devices anytime from anywhere.
Manage your first 3 devices for free. Add more for just $2 per device per month.
Create your free account today at http://jamf.com/pocketnow!
This is the home stretch, people: the final days of the Christmas shopping season. And you’ll be using all of them with extreme prejudice. Amazon Prime two-day shipping won’t save you at this point, so you’ll either have to search the store shelves or be okay with yourself shipping a late gift.
However timely it may be, the question has to be, “What’s that gift I’m going to give?” This guide was written to help you out, last minute shopper!
16:28 | iPhone 8 to join a 7S and 7S Plus?
29:45 | Samsung to Confirm Note 7 cause of death in January. Galaxy S8 launch in April?
38:56 | HTC dropping something big in January?
49:31 | Lenovo prepping Chrome OS variant of Yoga Book.
56:22 | Sony Xperia XZ highest selling flagship for second half of 2016?
1:05:53 | T-Mobile sales goals led to insurance fraud?
1:14:08 | AT&T and Verizon respond to FCC over zero-rating, we rant on the diminishment of Pat Kiernan
(01:18:31)
Don’t call it a tax, call it a fee for pornography. And if you buy a computer of any sort that connects to the internet, — hello, smartphones, tablets and maybe even wearables — then you might have to pay up soon.
The post Year End Tech Sales and Paying for Porn? | #PNWeekly 232 appeared first on Pocketnow.
Just because it has a crippled fingerprint sensor in the United States doesn’t mean that it can’t be a hit phone everywhere else.
App metrics company Apteligent has put out a “2016 Mobile Year in Review” on what it has tracked with its performance-tracking APIs. Those APIs are integrated into apps big, small, mobile and PC.
But strictly speaking about Android smartphones that were launched in the second half of this year, the data seems to say that the Sony Xperia XZ has come out on top as the most used in the global market right now.
Yep, thanks to that Galaxy Note 7 melting down and the subsequent recall, it’s Sony that has the far-and-away lead on its competition with nearly 0.15 percent in share.
At its peak, the Note 7 snagged more than 0.35 percent in early October. The XZ passed by the Note on its way up in mid-November. The Note 7 currently stands at below 0.05 percent and handily beats the LG V20, HTC 10 evo (or HTC Bolt) and even the OnePlus 3T — though all three phones only got started with sales within the last couple of months.
The Moto Z strikes just above Note 7 territory while the Google Pixel and the Pixel XL follow on respectively at around 0.06 percent.
The post The Sony Xperia XZ is the most popular flagship from the second half of 2016 appeared first on Pocketnow.
Early on, it seemed like Motorola and LG would vie for the heavyweight title of fastest and most reliable Android smartphone manufacturer as far as Nougat updates were concerned. But then Sony jumped in to quickly hog the spotlight, sending official over-the-air 7.0 goodies to the Xperia X Performance, XZ and now, standard X and X Compact.
We’re no longer talking beta tests here either, but the real deal, free (at least in theory) of all bugs, minor system instabilities and experimental software features. Sure, rollouts are still “phased”, so not every Xperia X and X Compact user in every market around the world can pull the update OTA just yet.
Worst case scenario though, it’s going to take a couple of weeks for the 1.2GB or so care packages to go global, December security patches baked in and all. That’s probably the same timeframe needed for Samsung’s very first such UI makeover to finally exit the open pre-release beta stage. So, yeah, don’t forget to give Sony a big thumbs up, maybe on your e-way to Amazon, where the Android N-ready Xperia X Compact currently costs $400, and the larger X sets you back as little as $300.
Oh, and before long, the Nougat-powered Xperia model tally should further rise from four to five… or ten, with the XA, XA Ultra, Z5, Z5 Compact, Z5 Premium, Z3+ and Z4 Tablet also confirmed for the crucial OS promotion.
The post Sony steals the spotlight with Nougat updates for Xperia X and Xperia X Compact appeared first on Pocketnow.
Was Sony’s leaked Android Nougat update timetable from back September just a little too good to be true? Well, yeah, since October came and went, and the Japanese device manufacturer couldn’t even roll out a public preview of the latest OS build for one of its two recent flagship phones.
But it really didn’t take the Xperia X Performance very long to iron out all beta kinks and spread the 7.0 love to the masses, and already, the newer, slightly beefier and prettier Xperia XZ reportedly follows suit.
That’s right, there are now two different Sony smartphones on Android 7.0 Nougat, at least in “select regions” around the world, both of which launched earlier this year with Marshmallow loaded up. Quite an accomplishment for an OEM not exactly celebrated for its software makeover promptness, considering Samsung is yet to update a single Galaxy model, while HTC and LG each boast one updated phone, and one released with N goodies out the box.
Of course, in a way, you could draw parallels between the Sony Xperia XZ/X Performance duo and the OnePlus 3 and 3T. The latter two devices, remember, are also slated for 7.0 promotions this month. But right now, we must admit we’re rather impressed to see Android Nougat dispatched OTA to single and dual SIM XZ variants. Nicely done, Sony!
The post Sony Xperia XZ quickly follows X Performance on Android Nougat bandwagon appeared first on Pocketnow.
Even though it’s not explicitly labeled as an early Black Friday “Deal of the Day”, Amazon’s latest Sony Xperia XZ discount will probably last a measly few hours from the time of our writing. One or two days tops, after which we fully expect the 5.2-inch flagship Android handheld to go back up to $650 or so.
First sold stateside for $700 unlocked, the expert cameraphone currently costs just $581.98 in a “Platinum”, aka silver, coat of paint, $589.19 in “Mineral Black”, or $599.99 if you prefer the “Forest Blue” shade.
Best Buy has the same three colors on sale for a limited time both on and offline, charging however 600 bucks across the board, with GSM LTE connectivity covered by all authorized American retailers.
An evolved version of the underwhelming Xperia X Performance, the Sony Xperia XZ mainly stands out in the photography department, courtesy of a triple image sensing 23MP rear shooter and 13MP wide-angle lens selfie cam.
But you have to also commend the phone’s super-sharp Triluminos display, premium metal build with curved glass, water resistance, Snapdragon 820 processor, USB Type-C port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and microSD support.
Still, it’s hard to recommend this over the unlocked Samsung Galaxy S7, once again available from Best Buy at $550, free fast wireless charger included.
The post Unlocked Sony Xperia XZ available as low as $582 ($118 off) right now on Amazon appeared first on Pocketnow.
Still unsure which of Sony’s frequently discounted Xperia X-series phones to pick up for some pre-holiday cheer? Well, they all seem like sensible choices from a software support standpoint, at least in the short term, but you might be surprised to find out the X Performance gets the first official Nougat taste.
Not the newer, arguably superior and significantly pricier XZ, but the February-unveiled, June-released Sony Xperia X Performance, powered by a Snapdragon 820 processor, 3GB RAM and 2,700 mAh battery, currently going for $500 on Amazon unlocked, US warranty included.
It’s not enough to own one of these to be able to try out Android 7.0 via an over-the-air update delivered between yesterday and tomorrow, as this is still a pre-release beta build whose participants were selected way back in August.
Odds are however that an official, polished, wide-scale goodie pack will follow in a matter of weeks, before spreading to other members of the X family, from the low-cost XA to the diminutive X Compact powerhouse to the full-size XZ flagship. Fingers crossed there aren’t too many bugs crippling this long-awaited Android Nougat beta rollout.
The post Beta testers are finally treated to Sony Xperia X Performance Nougat previews appeared first on Pocketnow.
For Sony and its arguably overpriced, not exactly in vogue Xperia X smartphone family, every day is starting to feel like Black Friday, at least stateside, where authorized third-party sellers are trying their best to make hits out of the standard X, XA, X Performance, XZ and now X Compact.
That’s right, the diminutive but powerful Sony Xperia X Compact’s newest markdown comes hot on the heels of the larger, stronger, speedier XZ’s 50 bucks Amazon rebate. Technically, we’re looking at a $100 MSRP trim here, valid both on Amazon and Best Buy, although the Snapdragon 650 puny puncher was actually never sold for $500.
It launched stateside at $450 not long ago, going $50 off today, possibly for a limited time. But most likely not, since the 5-inch Xperia X still costs $380, down from a list price of $450, with extremely similar specs.
The Xperia X Compact is redesigned to include sharper corners, a smoother finish and USB Type-C port, also squeezing a bigger battery into a smaller footprint with a chunkier figure, featuring an even better 23MP rear-facing camera, but only a 5MP selfie shooter and 720p 4.6-inch screen vs. 13 megapixels and 1080p display resolution.
Bottom line, $400 still doesn’t feel like an ideally low tag, though it’s a definite step in the right direction, unlocked GSM support, US warranty, three color options and all.
The post Sony Xperia X Compact follows the XZ’s suit with an extra $50 discount to $400 appeared first on Pocketnow.
Sony’s big kahuna for the back half of 2016 is cutting its teeth at Amazon with a discount.The $699.99 GSM-unlocked phone, which debuted on the 2nd of this month, has now dropped $50 or 7 percent to $649.99. Pair that with free one-day shipping for Prime subscribers and now we’re starting to talk a little more sense.The discount is applied to all three colors ...
The post Sony Xperia XZ discounted by $50 on Amazon in its first month appeared first on Pocketnow.
We last left Sony feeling fairly underwhelmed. The Xperia X Performance was priced in the upper tier of premium flagships, but felt like a step behind the competition.Moving forward, it would seem the Xperia XZ is aiming to address some of the concerns we had with our last experience using a Sony flagship. To be sure, this isn’t a radical departure from the Xperia line we were familiar with, but we’ll be happy if these small adjustments represent actual progress.Sony still uses a 1080p display, now a tiny bit larger at ...
The post Sony XPERIA XZ First Impressions: The Real Sony Flagship? appeared first on Pocketnow.