So far the focus of MWC 2016 has, as expected, very much been upon Samsung and LG, but true to form Sony has also been in attendence at the Barcelona expo an unveiled a range of surprising new Xperia-branded smartphone handsets; dubbed the Xperia X series.

The three devices are the Sony Xperia X, the Sony Xperia X Performance, and the Xperia XA.

At a quick glance all three handsets look very similar, and very familiarly Sony in that signature angular style, but on closer inspection these are distinct devices with specific purposes, functions, and market segments in mind. They all have in common the 5in display size with an edge-to-edge design featuring slightly curved edges (hello Samsung Galaxy edge!), plus Android Marshmallow 6.0 with Sony's own UI on top.

Above: Xperia X Performance

Both the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance have 1920 x 1080 pixel Full HD resolutions, while the Xperia XA, the little brother of the group, has a 720p HD resolution.

The clue is in the name for the Xperia X Performance, which is the heavy hitter using a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 64-bit processor, with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of onboard storage and microSD card support. It also features a 23MP rear camera with Sony's hybrid autofocus, and a 13MP front-facer for selfies. Meanwhile, the battery cell is rated at 2,700mAh.

The Xperia X has pretty much the same spec line-up, except it has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 64-bit processor instead. The Xperia XA, meanwhile, has a MediaTek MT6755 processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB onboard storage, microSD support, a 13MP Sony Exmor RS camera, an 8MP secondary and a 2,300mAh battery.

Above: Xperia XA

Sony is yet to reveal pricing or availability details, although you can already pre-register interest in the phones via Sony's website. However, expect the Xperia X Performance to be the priciest, followed by the Xperia X and the Xperia XA being the cheapest. All three will be available in white, black, gold, and rose gold.