Newsletter
In addition to the Xperia 1, Sony also has a pair new mid-rangers that it is debuting at Mobile World Congress this week. The Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus also sport the 21:9 aspect ratio displays, and run on the more battery efficient Snapdragon 630 & 636 chipsets. While these are technically “mid-range” smartphones, they definitely don’t look or feel like they are.
Inside, you’ll find the Snapdragon 630 as already mentioned, along with 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage on the Xperia 10. While the Xperia 10 Plus has the Snapdragon 636, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Some slight differences here in terms of performance, so unless you really want a smaller smartphone, the Xperia 10 Plus is going to be the better option.
The Xperia 10 also sports a 6-inch full HD+ resolution display, with the Xperia 10 Plus having the larger 6.5-inch full HD+ resolution display. With 2870mAh and 3000mAh capacity batteries, respectively.
These two smartphones do look very similar to the Xperia 1, though it does have a larger forehead on the front, with an aluminum unibody casing included. It does still sport that 21:9 aspect ratio, which is going to be good for multi-window, as you have more space for each app in multi-window.
There are 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras on the Xperia 10 and 12-megapixel with a 8-megapixel camera on the Xperia 10 Plus. These two do not have all of the features of the Xperia 1, unfortunately, but these are still very capable cameras. You can shoot in 4K with these cameras, and watch it in the full 21:9 aspect ratio – the same aspect ratio that movies are shot in. The Xperia 10 Plus also has 2x optical zoom – not available on the Xperia 10 unfortunately. If you were looking to get the best camera experience from Sony, then the Xperia 1 is the one you want to get.
Sony has also made sure that the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus get the best audio experience available. With Sony’s High-Resolution Audio and LDAC included, you’re going to get high-fidelity audio quality out of both smartphones. Unfortunately, Sony did not bring back the headphone jack on either of these smartphones, so you will need to resort to the dongle life or using Bluetooth headphones.
The Xperia 10 is going to be priced at $349 and the Xperia 10 Plus at $429 in the US. Sony says that these will be available starting March 18. Both will be available in the US, unlocked only. So you won’t be able to go to your local carrier store and pick one up, unfortunately. However, you will be able to take it to Verizon. As both are certified to work on Verizon. Of course, they do also work on AT&T and T-Mobile. Which means the only carrier left out is Sprint.
Sony is also touting the fact that if you take the Xperia 10 or the Xperia 10 Plus over to Verizon and open a new account, you will be eligible for a $250 prepaid Visa card. Which can come in handy, seeing as that card can be used anywhere, it’s like getting free money for jumping ship to Verizon.
