As suspected, the new Sony Xperia X Performance will replace the Xperia Z6. A comment on Sony Mobile DACH’s Facebook page confirmed as much yesterday (even though it was later redacted), but a Sony spokesperson has confirmed to Android Authority this morning that the Xperia Z5 will indeed be the last generation of the Xperia Z series.

The spokesperson also hinted – although wouldn’t confirm outright – that the more entry-level Xperia XA is also the replacement for the Xperia M4 Aqua‘s successor, which we had previously expected to see announced at MWC 2016. From what we’re being told, Sony is really tightening up its product portfolio and putting everything under the X umbrella with its new focus on battery life, camera performance and design.

Unofficially water-resistant

I questioned Sony’s reasons for abandoning water-resistancy and was told that it simply wasn’t a feature that consumers made buying decisions on. When I mentioned Samsung reintroducing an IP rating on the Galaxy series, I was informed that Sony has still done internal testing on the X series water-resistancy and that the new X series can still withstand splashes and short submersions. However, Sony won’t be seeking an IP rating or advertising the fact, having removed the waterproof flaps from the X range.

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It sounds like a similar approach to the one Motorola took with the Moto G – don’t tell people it’s water-resistant and then have them pleasantly surprised, rather than advertise an IP rating and then deal with sticky warranty claims and definitions of water-resistancy. When I asked whether the new X series will be the start of a one-flagship-per-year approach, I was told that Sony is aiming for a nine-month release cycle, but that we can still expect new devices at IFA in six months’ time.

Do you think Sony is moving in the right direction?