Sony Xperia XA Review: Not Your Usual Xperia

Sony Xperia XA Review: Not Your Usual Xperia

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Sony has put the Xperia Z lineup of smartphones to bed for the time being and has decided to concentrate their efforts where today’s battles in smartphone sales make the most impact, the mid-ranged segment. The Japanese brand introduced the X series during Mobile World Congress early this year and launched it in the Philippines a few months later. We’ve kept an eye out for the Sony Xperia XA since its local launch, and it’s now time to see what one the members of the X series has in store for us all.

Sony Xperia XA Specs

  • Mediatek MT6755 processor Helio P10
  • 2GB of RAM
  • Mali-T860MP2 GPU
  • 5-inch HD IPS LCD display, 1280 x 720 resolution; Bravia Mobile Engine 2
  • 16GB of storage, expandable via microSD
  • 13-megapixel EXMOR RS Rear Camera with Hybrid AF and LED flash
  • 8-megapixel front camera
  • 3G, LTE
  • WiFi, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS
  • 2300mAh battery
  • Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Familiar Yet Different

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There’s no doubt that the Xperia XA stands out from the usual lineup we’re used to seeing from Sony. From the time we first held the XA at the launch, to our entire time with the device, we’ve always thought it was a beautiful phone. It’s familiar, but the narrow frame and the slight curves on the screen makes for a completely different tactile feel. A lot of real estate was freed up due to the fact that the side bezels have nearly been eliminated and the screen given gentle curves; making the phone easy to hold with one hand and it is able fit snugly in the pocket.

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The back is made out of poly-carbonate that is durable yet tends to attract fingerprints. Here, you’ll find the XA’s 13-megapixel camera on the upper left-hand corner with its LED flash right below it.

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They use a bit of metal on both the XA’s sides where the power button, volume rocker, and a dedicated shutter button for the camera housed on the right side. On the opposite side, you’ll find a flap to access the single SIM tray plus its micro SD storage expansion slot on the left, the 3.5mm jack up on top, and the micro USB slot plus its speaker grills on the bottom.

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The front is completely covered in scratch resistant 2.5D glass and dominated, of course, by the 5-inch IPS LCD Display which gives a screen-to-body ratio of 71.8%. The top bezel houses the 8-megapixel camera, LED notification lights, and the extremely slim speaker grill for taking calls.

No Triluminous Display Here

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Speaking of the display, the 5-inch IPS LCD screen has HD resolution at 294ppi that falls a little short to what were used to seeing from the Japanese brand; after all Sony has also done away with the triluminous diplay on the XA. But in no means are we saying that this display isn’t any good, but we do have to recommend making use of the Mobile Bravia Enging 2 and Super Vivid Enhancements for richer, more vibrant colors when watching videos. You can also tweak the image’s white balance if you prefer cooler or warmer tones. Though we would have loved to see a Full HD display, it’s completely understandable given what the Xperia XA has under the hood.

Processing Package Performs as Expected

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At the heart of the Xperia XA is MediaTek’s MT6755, better known as the Heli P10, 2 GB of RAM, and 16GB of Internal Storage. Just as we said during the initial review of the device, there were tiny hiccups here and there, plus noticeable launch times for apps; particularly the camera app. It’s not too bad if you don’t multitask as much, but it seems that the 2GB of RAM just won’t cut it for heavy users. Another requirement you may need if you plan to keep a ton of photographs on hand or download a lot of apps is a MicroSD card. 16 GB can usually last a fair amount for people who don’t have a ton of apps but all the pre-installed software cuts that amount by half leaving you with little room to play with.

Nothing unusual to report with the call quality and mobile data connectivity on the Xperia XA, but you may want to stay away from using the speakerphone option unless absolutely necessary as we could hardly hear the person on the other end of the phone call. This only seems to be the case with calls though, as the speaker produces an ample amount of sound, albeit a little tinny, whether we were watching YouTube videos or playing games.

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On the gaming side of things, we would recommend strictly adhering to games that aren’t graphics heavy. We had to turn down NBA 2K16 to Low to Medium settings to be able to run it without frame rate drops. Pokemon Go shouldn’t be a problem though.

Camera

The camera was a little hit or miss, but produced great images given the right conditions. It was raining most of the days we used the XA, and our indoor shots were good enough for social media. Look at them closer, however, and you can see a ton of noise and software compensation that make images lose its sharpness. When the sky is clear and the sun is shining brightly though, you get really nice images that’s helped along by Sony’s Superior Auto Mode. The focus is a little iffy though and you may want to take a few safety shots to make sure you capture your subject. It’s more of the same story with the front camera as well.

Surprising Battery Life

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The Xperia XA has a battery size of 2300 mAh and given its slender frame, we don’t know how they could have squeezed in a battery with a bigger capacity. PC Mark Benchmark tests came in at 6 hours and 46 minutes and real world, heavy usage — Yes, that includes walks around BGC playing Pokemon Go — had us pulling out our powerbanks for a top up at around mid-day. Surprising results for a battery of this size that you can stretch even longer with the phone’s Stamina Mode, but that would severely affect performance.

Verdict: A Beautiful Phone and a Solid Effort

Our main pain point with Sony Xperia devices of the past has always been its price and with the Sony Xperia XA, you can really see how the Japanese brand tries to take the fight to the mid-ranged segment. It is a beautiful phone and the price is closer to other offerings in the market in the same range at Php 13,990. However, the dips in performance and other flaws are a little hard to ignore. A solid effort that dared to be different from previous Xperia smartphones, but it would pain us to fully recommend the XA without exploring other options.

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