Sony Xperia X Performance release date: Unlocked version arriving in the U.S. next month; carrier versions not available

Sony Xperia X Performance is bound for the US this July. Sony Mobile

Sony Xperia X Performance is headed to the U.S. this summer. The Japan-based tech firm will release an unlocked version of its flagship in the said region, an unprecedented and rather surprising move by Sony.

The company has always released its mobile products in the U.S. via carriers. This ends with the Sony Xperia X Performance, which will be sold in the region through select retailers.

Users in the U.S. interested in taking home a Sony Xperia X Performance unit for themselves and could do without a telecom service bundled can purchase one from Best Buy, Amazon and B&H on July 17.

It is unclear why Sony is not releasing the flagship through carriers although it is believed it may have something to do with the cancellation of the Verizon release of the Sony Xperia Z4v after Sony failed to meet the deadline.

Unveiled by Sony at the Mobile World Congress last February, the Sony Xperia X Performance serves as Sony's top of the line flagship for this year. It comes with a 5-inch (1080 x 1920) Triluminos display with a pixel density of 441ppi.

Humming under its hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, which is complemented by 3GB RAM and 32GB storage space expandable up to 200GB with a microSD card.

Sony takes pride in the Sony Xperia X Performance's imaging department. It comes with a hefty 23MP rear-facing camera with "predictive hybrid autofocus."

The feature basically reduces the chances of users taking a blurred photo. It does this by "predicting" where the moving subject will end up in the frame.

On the front is a 13MP front-facing shooter, which should be more than enough to take stellar selfies. The Sony Xperia X Performance also has a fingerprint sensor and is scratch-resistant, thanks to its oleophobic coating.

The Sony Xperia X Performance is priced at $700. It lands this July along with the moderate-specced Xperia XA while the standard variant Xperia X is headed to the U.S. as early as June 26.

News
Bangor Cathedral spending frozen after debt concerns 
Bangor Cathedral spending frozen after debt concerns 

Spending at Bangor Cathedral has been halted after whistleblowers raised concerns about debt and how money is being spent. 

How American Gospel teams helped to revive British evangelicalism
How American Gospel teams helped to revive British evangelicalism

From the war and into the 1960s, Gospel teams formed by American servicemen on military bases helped revive many local British churches. This is the story …

Trussell Trust urges urgent policy change as food bank use hits record high
Trussell Trust urges urgent policy change as food bank use hits record high

Food bank use in the UK has soared by more than 50 per cent over the past five years, raising fresh concerns over the effectiveness of Universal Credit and wider welfare reforms in addressing the growing poverty crisis. 

Franklin Graham wraps up European evangelism congress with call to be unashamed of the Gospel
Franklin Graham wraps up European evangelism congress with call to be unashamed of the Gospel

Europe needs an "army" of "unafraid" and "unashamed" evangelists to reach it with the Gospel, Christian leaders heard this week.