Sony"s three new phones for CES 2018 take 120-degree selfies

Sony has a trio of new Xperia phones that are designed to fit more of the world around you into your selfies.

Unveiled at the annual CES 2018 show here in Las Vegas on Monday, the Xperia XA2, XA2 Ultra and L2 feature a camera that can shoot 120-degree selfies at 8 megapixels. (The XA2 Ultra also lets you shoot 16-megapixel selfies without this wide-angle option.)

The very wide angle means you"ll be able to see more of your environment than with other cameras: more friends, or a sweeping landscape, or maybe the hijinks behind you.

Some phones tackle the problem of cramped selfies by forcing you to take a three-pane panorama from the front-facing shooter, which takes more time to set up and shoot.

Image quality and solid performance are typically high points with Sony phones, but in past years the company has struggled to maintain its edge against rivals with bolder designs or lower price tags.

The three Xperia devices kick off Sony"s midrange lineup for 2018, with the X2 Ultra taking the lead in higher-end hardware, followed by the X2 and L2.

"New" fingerprint sensor finally comes to Xperia

In addition to sharing the same front-facing wide-angle lens, many regions will also get a fingerprint sensor on the back of the phone, which will likely become a fixture in future Xperia phones this year. If you know Sony phones, this placement is a design change; the reader used to integrate into the power/lock button.

Here"s something else that"s new: the finger unlock button will actually work in the US, whereas before Sony turned it off on Xperia phones sold Stateside. Hallelujah!

All three phones will sell in select markets in late January. Sony says it will announce prices closer to launch. Skip to the end for the full specs!

Xperia XA2 Ultra highlights

• 6-inch display with 1,920x1,080p-pixel resolution


• Android 8.0 Oreo


• 23-megapixel rear camera (Sony Exmor RS image sensor)


• 16-megapixel front-facing camera with optical image stabilization (OIS)


• Option to shoot 120-degree wide-angle images at 8 megapixels


• Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor


• 3,580mAh battery


• 32GB or 64GB internal storage


• 4GB RAM


• Up to 256GB external storage

Sony Xperia XA 2 Ultra, XA 2, L2

	Sony Xperia X2 Ultra	Sony Xperia X2	Sony Xperia L2
Display size, resolution	6-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.2-inch; 1,920x1,080 pixels	5.5-inch; 1,280x720 pixels
Pixel density	367ppi	424ppi	267ppi
Dimensions (Inches)	6.4x3.1x0.37 in	5.6x2.8x0.38 in	5.9x3.1x0.39 in
Dimensions (Millimeters)	163x80x9.5 mm	142x70x 9.7 mm	150x78x9.8 mm
Weight (Ounces, Grams)	7.4 oz, 210g	6oz, 171g	6.3oz, 178g
Mobile software	Android 8.0 Oreo	Android 8.0 Oreo	Android 7.1.1 Nougat
Camera	23-megapixel	23-megapixel	13-megapixel
Front-facing camera	16-megapixel (with 8-megapixel 120-degree option)	8-megapixel with 120-degree lens	8-megapixel with 120-degree lens
Video capture	4K	4K	4K
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 630	Qualcomm Snapdragon 630	1.5GHz quad-core
Storage	32GB; 64GB	32GB	32GB
RAM	4GB	3GB	3GB
Expandable storage	256GB	256GB	256GB
Battery	3,580mAh	3,300mAh	3,300mAh
Fingerprint sensor	Back	Back	Back
Connector	USB-C	USB-C	USB-C
Headphone jack	Yes	Yes	Yes
Special features	120-degree sefie photos	120-degree sefie photos	120-degree sefie photos
Price off-contract (USD)	TBA	TBA	TBA
Price (GBP)	TBA	TBA	TBA
Price (AUD)	TBA	TBA	TBA