Inexpensive smartphone Sony(22 990 rubles for the Dual version) with an interesting design, LTE, two separate slots for SIM-cards, a slot for a memory card - a good gadget for the money ...
Characteristics
- Body materials: plastic, metal, glass
- operating system: Android 6.0
- Network: GSM/EDGE, WCDMA, LTE (nanoSIM)
- Screen: IPS LCD, 5”, capacitive, HD, automatic backlight level adjustment
- Processor: MediaTek Helio P10 8-core 64-bit processor
- Graphics system: Mali-t860
- RAM: 2 GB
- Storage Memory: 16 GB, card slot microSD memory
- Primary camera: 1/3-inch 13-megapixel Sony Exmor RS sensor, pulsed LED flash, fullHD video,
- Front camera: 8 MP
- Interfaces: 3.5 mm headset, NFC
- Navigation: GPS/Glonass (A-GPS support)
- Extras: FM radio, fast charging (Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0)
- Features: LTE supported, FM radio, two SIM card slots and one dedicated microSD slot
- Battery: 2300 mAh, fast charging supported
- Dimensions: 143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9 mm
Contents of delivery
- Smartphone
- USB cable
- Charger
Design, construction
The looks of the device are a delight, which is why the Sony Xperia XA is sure to gain some popularity this summer, the relatively small and inexpensive smartphone comes at just the right time in the summer when many people want something compact to fit into the pockets of their shorts. Girls will also like the gadget, the colors are "golden lime" and " pink gold"are very relevant now, and thanks to Apple - pink, new black and new gray for gadgets, it is simply impossible not to release a device of this color now. In our first glance, there was just such an apparatus.
Another smartphone reminded me of Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray, there is something in common in the size and shape of the case.
Although the price is, of course, not Ray at all, the Sony Xperia XA is already inexpensive at the start and fills a very important niche now, a sort of “budget plus segment” - basic characteristics, but good design. Therefore, communication with a smartphone is like walking through a minefield, looking for where the savings are, and you find it.
Well, here, take the materials. The back cover is made of plastic, the fingers do not slip, but the scratches are clearly visible, accidentally put it in the pocket with the keys, and hello, just a few at the bottom. Inserts on the ends are made of metal, under the cap - full-fledged two slots for nanoSIM and one slot for microSD - no need to cut anything and go for some tricks, it's nice. The familiar cool button on the right, but there is no fingerprint sensor, the volume rocker could be made longer - but there is a camera button.
The speaker at the bottom is loud in a quiet room, but somewhere on the street you can miss a call, the microUSB connector is without plugs, on the back there is an NFC area, a flash and a camera. There is no protection from water, nor from dust, so be careful on the beaches. There is a 3.5 mm jack on the top end, so take care of the device in the rain, drops can easily get inside during a call.
The dimensions of the device are 143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9 mm. So why is design good? As you know, this is always a very subjective question, some like a thing, some don't, but I can try to explain why people like XA. Firstly, there is a frameless screen and glass with rounded ends, for many this is already a kind of marker - something new, interesting. Secondly, the smartphone has a minimum of embellishments and Sony applications- but the wallpaper and icons are well chosen. Thirdly, it seems like a budget device, but here you have Xperia Care, and Sony Xperia Store, and Xperia Lounge - a person feels care and some kind of exclusivity from the first minutes. It's funny to you, but are there such services in other smartphones in this price category? Then, here you can really get a discount on a speaker or accessories, it’s worth looking into the Lounge. I also tried the Xperia to Xperia transfer service, it doesn't work very well with applications, not all were installed, but dragging photos, videos and contacts helps.
Another thing I noticed is that the Sony Xperia XA is completely flat! The camera does not protrude here, the buttons do not protrude (only on the side), and therefore it is convenient to use it, it is convenient to stuff it in and take it out of your pocket, it is convenient to hold it in your hand during a conversation - a finger clings to the rough back and does not slip off. It also seems to be a trifle, but you know, it is from the little things that the impression of a thing is formed.
The Sony Xperia XA has a beautiful design, there are no questions at all, and this is a big plus for the device among other gadgets in this price category.
Display
As soon as I took off the film, I noticed that the glass is without an oleophobic coating, the finger stumbles, it is most convenient to perform some operations by pressing a nail or even a stylus against the screen. Keep in mind that films or glasses for XA are still curved, that is, they cover the front, leave the ends open, it looks terrible, it’s better not to buy anything than to buy this. And keep in mind one more thing, the lack of an oleophobic coating affects not only when simply moving through the menu, but also when typing from keyboards that support “swipe”, you can’t quickly move your finger. The difference with any smartphone where there is a coating is obvious - even if it's a well-worn iPhone 6S Plus, where it is almost erased and prints appear instantly. Fingerprints on the Sony Xperia XA are also clearly visible both in front and behind, so a white, gold or pink device will look best and neatest.
The diagonal of the IPS display is 5 inches, the resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels, the rounded ends have a positive effect on the impression - the light indicator on top seems to be floating in the air, the display seems to have no frames, formally they still exist, albeit almost imperceptible. I guess many will rush to buy Sony Xperia XA, licking their lips on samsung galaxy S7 Edge, of course, there are more functions, completely different characteristics, but the glass is also rounded! "So it's almost the same!" - I bring here consumer thoughts overheard in the store aloud. And funny, and sad, and the price pushes to buy. Of course, it's not the same at all - I would advise you to try to work with the screen on samples in salons before buying.
So, the screen characteristics are not the best, but the display size is small, so in normal use, the HD resolution is not striking. Although, if you look at the clock, the icons ... In general, it's better not to peer anywhere and just use the device. Although the screen fades when viewed from the side.
I don't know if it's for decoration Sony's work or a common thing for Android, but the calendar has very funny pictures for each month, cool and sensibly drawn. The music player has its own design, its own wallpapers, themes, several applications, but, like the Z5 series, a course has been taken to reduce third-party software - few utilities, pure Android, a minimum of "improvers", many people like it.
I believe that an oleophobic coating in 2016 is a must for a device at any price point.
Modifications and performance
Let me remind you that the two main modifications, XA (F3111) and XA Dual (F3112), use nanoSIM, in the version with two SIM cards you can use two cards and a microSD memory card without dancing with a tambourine, separate slots. I personally like the Dual-version more, and the difference in price is small.
operating room android system 6.0, MediaTek Helio P10 processor, Mali t860 graphics, 2 GB random access memory, 16 GB of internal memory - it is better to immediately rely on a microSD card. Sony doesn't forget to put in a radio, which some people really like. Of the music formats, MP3, 3GPP, MP4, SMF, WAV, OTA, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC, ASF are supported by default. Bluetooth 4.1 profile, Wi-Fi MIMO, NFC,
LTE is supported, with MegaFon everything worked as expected.
Working hours
The battery capacity is 2300 mAh, among the features it claims to work for two days, the Sony Xperia XA has familiar STAMINA and Ultra STAMINA modes, the first disables only some features (GPS, vibration, regular synchronization is turned off, etc.), the second just cuts connection to the network in all ways, telephone, SMS and a number of the most desired programs, although I would argue with some. For example, you can definitely do without a radio. Both functions can be enabled independently, and to achieve two days of operation, you will have to do this, in simple mode it does not work. The smartphone works for a day with normal loading, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, if you want more - learn to use regular energy-saving functions, reduce the backlight. You yourself know everything.
The kit comes with a conventional charger, using the UCH12 power supply, you can enjoy the benefits fast charging- 10 minutes of connection to the network, 5.5 hours of work. Convenient if you are somewhere in the city, but then you will have to fork out for UCH12. Quick Charge 3.0 (Class A) from Qualcomm and Pump Express + 2.0 from MediaTek are supported, charging works not only with X, XA, but also with the Z5, Z3 series. The price of the charger in Russia is still unknown.
cameras
Front camera 8 MP, main 13 MP Sony Exmor RS, pulsed LED flash. There's HDR support, hybrid autofocus, some features like 5x Clear Image zoom came from the Sony Xperia Z5 - but it's better to do without zooming. It is not clear why the device does not remember the set parameters, let's say I chose manual settings, maximum resolution, took a few pictures, went to the menu, then I start the camera again, and there again the auto mode. And you constantly have to go into the settings, switch between 13 MP and square frames and 9 MP and pictures with a normal aspect ratio. In general, this has been the case in Sony for a long time - and yet, if you start the camera from the button, here, too, the settings cannot be changed at will. 
The video comes out like this.
Front camera 8 MP, wide-angle, with autofocus, several people can fit in the frame.
IN additional menu You can install various camera apps, but be aware that this is not a flagship and some add-ons will be slow.
I liked the speed of autofocus and camera launch.
conclusions
Prices are the same, 21,990 rubles for the version with one SIM card, 22,990 rubles for DualSIM, not bad.
I feel the vibration in my pocket, the reception quality seemed worse than with the same SIM card in the iPhone 6S Plus, but, of course, the devices cannot be compared, different prices, different worlds.
A simple question, is it possible to live with the Sony Xperia XA after the flagship expensive devices? Eh, if they added an oleophobic coating, then there would be no questions at all - this is my biggest claim to the company. A smartphone named XA is beautiful, smart, the camera is not bad, “empty” Android will appeal to those who are used to setting everything up themselves. It's good that the DualSIM version has two slots, and it's good that they didn't forget about the memory card slot. I advise owners to immediately find a suitable film or glass, it will come in handy and Charger UCH12.
Answering the question above - it is quite possible to live with XA.
Not everyone needs flagship smartphones or huge "shovels" - a medium-sized phone with a moderate price tag and an attractive design is often more in demand among the people. As, for example, the youngest in the X-line of smartphones from Sony - Sony Xperia XA.
The smartphone looks very attractive and a bit unusual - mainly because of the unusually thin side frames around the display. Their thickness, along with the rounding of the case, is only 2 mm, which is why the device in the hands looks like a simple screen with two dark stripes on top and bottom. At the same time, due to the rather wide frames from top to bottom, the case looks unusually narrow and high.
There are three color options for the Sony Xperia XA - white, gold and graphite black. latest version. In this color, the smartphone looks strict and stylish, and despite the relatively small size (by the way, at the time of its release it was the narrowest model with a 5-inch screen), it looks like a typical male smartphone. Screen covered protective glass with an oleophobic coating and rounded edges (the so-called "2.5D glass").
The side faces are metal, the top and bottom are plastic, they look and feel minimally different from the side faces (with the exception of the subjective feeling “cool / not cold”).
The back cover is made of plastic with a matte finish, non-staining and practical - it does not leave fingerprints, dirt is easily removed, and does not slip in your hands.
On the left side, under a protective cap, there are two slots: one for a microSD memory card and the second for two nano-SIM SIM cards. On the right side, just above the center, there is a power button, below it is a volume rocker, and at the very bottom is a camera shutter button (a proprietary feature of Sony smartphones).
The subjective impressions of the smartphone are very pleasant, the device fits perfectly in the palm of a medium size and is well controlled with one hand. True, the location of the power button and the unlock method (swipe either from bottom to top or from right to left) are mostly oriented to right-handers - users who are used to using the phone with their left hand will not be so convenient.
Display
The Sony Xperia XA uses a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, while the pixel density is 294 PPI (for comparison, the iPhone 6s has 326 PPI); in principle, it is possible to distinguish the “grain” when looking closely at the image, but in a normal use case it is not visible.
The screen is very bright (the maximum value is 450 cd / m²), so that the image, although it burns out on the street, is still normally distinguishable. High contrast ratio (1500:1) and a slightly overestimated gamma value makes the picture rich and juicy, with deep shadows. A slightly high color temperature, which gives a somewhat chilly tint, can be corrected in the menu using the “white balance” parameter, and if it seems to the user that the photos lack color saturation, you can enhance the “colorfulness” in the display settings by turning on the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 parameter in Image Enhancement menu.
Hardware platform
The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10 chipset, with an octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU running at 2GHz and a dual-core Mali-T860 GPU. RAM is 2 GB, built-in - 16 GB. In general - a typical mid-range device, with sufficient performance for both common applications, and quite demanding games. True, the smoothness of the interface, especially with a large number of widgets on home tables, could be better.
Calls, multimedia
The two-symbol version of the smartphone, Sony Xperia XA Dual, visited the editorial office (there is also a single-symbol version). For SIM-cards, there is a separate tray with two "seats" for nano-SIM, next to it is a slot for a memory card.
Thanks to the presence of a second noise-canceling microphone, your voice is clearly audible and intelligible to the interlocutor, even despite the surrounding noise. There were no special remarks about the conversational speaker, although an additional volume margin would not hurt him. The multimedia speaker sounds without distortion, but in terms of volume it also has nothing to brag about - its volume level can be described as somewhat below average. The "musical" abilities of the Sony Xperia XA are not bad - ordinary user, having connected your favorite headphones to your smartphone, you will not be disappointed, but the audiophile will surely find something to complain about.
Operating system and shell
The device runs on Android 6.0 OS, supplemented by Sony's proprietary shell. It makes few changes - the task of completely redrawing the interface was clearly not a task for the designers, but functionally, the shell has some features.
So, unlocking is done by swiping up or to the left (swiping to the right does nothing, down brings up the notification screen). On the lock screen, the numbers on the clock are transparent, you can see the home screen wallpaper through them. Home screens, notification area and application menu do not offer any special differences from "pure" Android - with the exception of the possibility of changing the appearance using themes downloaded from company store. From useful additions V system settings you can note backup user data (applications, contacts, messages, smartphone settings) that can be stored on a memory card, external USB drive or in Sony's proprietary cloud.
Camera
The Sony Xperia XA uses a 13-megapixel main camera with f/2.0 aperture and a 1/3″ sensor.
Interface proprietary application typical for the X-line of Sony smartphones: a vertical swipe switches modes, a horizontal swipe switches between the main and front cameras. A separate hardware shutter button allows you to quickly switch to camera mode from a locked state (or immediately take a photo / video) - this does not happen instantly, but rather quickly (in less than a second).
The quality of the images is quite high, the image is quite clear (although the grass and foliage of trees sometimes strive to merge into a “porridge”) and with a relatively small amount of noise. In low light, detailing is expectedly reduced and it is difficult to get a clear picture without blurring, but the “noise reduction” here is not very aggressive. Dynamic Range quite good, but the colors sometimes lack saturation, and the automatic determination of the white balance in a difficult situation does not always “guess” - some pictures turn out to be too cold.
autonomy
The Sony Xperia XA Dual has a non-removable 2300 mAh battery - and despite the obviously not the most voracious screen, the smartphone has nothing to brag about in terms of battery life. In the PCMark "battery" test, it lasted only 5 hours, and in general, it only lasted for two days of work in a frankly "sparing" mode.
The Sony Xperia XA is a new, affordable 5-inch Android smartphone that aims to grab your attention with its efficient appearance, and a futuristic display.
Smartphone Sony Xperia XA — Reviews
The Xperia XA is powered by the Helio P10 system chip, which is often used in even more affordable Chinese phones. It doesn't boast performance, a groundbreaking camera, or ultra-long battery life. Apart from the unusual inductive edge-to-edge display, this is the most ordinary android phone, which at first glance does not stand out in any particular way.
Is it true? And is it worth paying attention to the Sony Xperia XA?
Sony Xperia XA bundle
In the box you will find:
- Sony Xperia XA;
- Charger;
- Micro USB to USB cable;
- Manual.
Design
The edge-to-edge screen looks impressive and cool, and the design is exquisite.
The Sony Xperia XA is quite a beautiful phone, and the cool edge-to-edge screen is its main feature to stand out from the competition. The smartphone narrows slightly towards the edges of the screen, which makes it more compact. In addition, this type of construction makes the side bezel almost invisible.
The smartphone comes in four fresh colors: white, black, lime gold and rose gold.
frame and back cover The Xperia XA is made of plastic, but in our opinion, this is good, because unlike the newfangled glass surfaces, it leaves fewer fingerprints.
Unfortunately, the Xperia XA does not have a fingerprint scanner. This option has become the de facto security standard for our phones, so it's a shame that Sony decided not to include a fingerprint scanner on their XA.
In addition, this smartphone does not have any water protection.
Xperia XA display
The 5-inch, 720 x 1280-pixel display on the Xperia XA isn't the worst, but there's a bit of pixelation visible at that resolution, and as a result, the image doesn't look perfectly sharp. In addition, the colors are cold and oversaturated, and not very well balanced.
But there are also good points, the display is quite bright and well readable even in direct sunlight. Viewing angles are not bad either.
Interface and functionality
Like all Sony phones, Xperia XA features functionality and unobtrusive custom graphics. The device runs on the top-end Android 6.0 Marshmallow, while the current version of the OS from Google.
The interface, when solving everyday tasks, mostly works smoothly, but when loading new applications, it can freeze. A similar problem occurs when running heavy applications and games.
There are some confusing features in the interface of this model from Sony: the display unlocks when you touch and move the animation depicted on it to the side or up, but when you swipe up, the display displays a frame of sliding animation to the side, not up. Moving an app shortcut to the home bar is also tricky: you first need to move the icon to a hard-to-reach area on the top of the screen, and only then place it on the home screen. It takes some time to open the necessary applications, such as dialer and message options, so for a second you have to see a blank screen.
The Sony Xperia XA smartphone has a notification and vibration function. True, it vibrates very strangely, this vibration is too intense, which is very annoying.
We're not big fans of the Sony on-screen keyboard: it uses in its smartphones on-screen keyboard SwiftKey, which is not as convenient to work with as on keyboards installed in Apple or Samsung. It takes more time to type, and typos often occur.
On a positive note, the Xperia XA allows you to change settings through Sony's "What's New" app. In the application you will find original skins of various themes and new styles of products adapted for Sony, namely video games and films. Very few of these topics are available for free download, however, the cost of paid is only a few dollars.
Processor, performance and memory
The Xperia XA is powered by the budget MediaTek Helio P10 system chip. It is an octa-core chip with 8 low power Cortex A53 cores and 2GB LPDDR3 RAM.
Basically, the smartphone is fast enough for everyday use, but more difficult tasks and large documents cause it to lag. Some applications, such as dialer options and messaging, take an annoying delay to open.
Benchmark showed that in most tests, the Xperia XA lags behind the results of smartphones with Snapdragon processor 808 like the Nexus 5X.
The graphics card in XA is the Mali T-860 MP2 GPU, operating at speeds up to 700 MHz. Again, this is not the ideal phone for gaming. However, most simple games on the phone work just fine. In addition, even more graphically demanding games can be run on it, albeit at a slightly lower than ideal frame rate.
The size of the built-in memory in the Sony Xperia XA is 16 GB, of which about 10 GB is available to the end user. Luckily, you can expand this memory by adding a microSD card.
Internet and connections
Of all the possible browsers, only Chrome is pre-installed on the Xperia XA, and this is quite enough. Chrome makes it easy to sync bookmarks across all your devices, it has a handy touch interface with maps and an always helpful reminder to close incognito tabs.
In Europe, Xperia XA supports all major LTE 4G bands. In terms of other connections, the smartphone has WiFi B/G/N as well as Bluetooth 4, 1 and NFC support.
cameras
The Sony Xperia XA comes with a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera. Its rear camera features an F/2.0 lens and a 1/3-inch sensor, which is smaller than many popular phones in the same price range.
In the lower right corner of the smartphone is a two-stage shutter button. If you press and hold it for a second, the camera application will start, but the launch process itself is rather slow.
In the application itself, there are options for auto photo (Superior Auto), manual photo, video and effects section, which can be switched by swiping up and down the screen. Interestingly, basic options such as HDR are only available in manual mode.
Image quality
You don't have to be an expert to see that pictures taken with the camera on the Xperia XA smartphone come out bad.
Even under near-ideal conditions, with plenty of light, images are not best quality because the smartphone's camera is unable to capture shadows and highlights to create a properly balanced image. Details are fuzzy, and generally not sharp. Of course, things get even worse in low light conditions, with images often blurry and details hard to see.
built-in LED flash brings a cool, greenish tint to the image, so at night, when using a flash, the image quality becomes even worse.
Video quality
All things considered, it's no surprise that the Xperia XA doesn't offer 4K video recording. The device still records video at 1080p, 30 frames per second with a bit rate of around 17Mbps.
Video quality on the Sony Xperia XA at 1080p is not very good. Colors are mostly rendered beautifully, but the emphasis is on the bottom edge. The video lacks dynamics and, in low light, the brightness of the image at the edges is reduced. In addition, in the absence of stabilization, the video is shaky.
Sound quality
At the bottom of the smartphone is a small speaker. The sound quality received through this speaker is below average: everything sounds too quiet, even with maximum volume, there is no depth in low frequencies as well as sound clarity.
Call quality in Sony Xperia XA
Call quality on the Xperia XA is below average. The speaker transmits the sound of voices with some distortion and periodic extraneous noise. However, everything is not so scary, and you will still be able to understand the callers, although not very clearly. On the positive side, the speaker is quite loud.
The microphone in the XA is also weak. During testing, other subscribers heard us too quietly and not very clearly.
Battery life
Xperia smartphone The XA is equipped with a 2,300 mAh battery. At medium intensity, charge battery enough for a day, but with more intensive use, you won’t have enough until the end of the working day, so it’s better to carry a charger with you. It takes two hours to fully charge from 0 to 100%.
Outcome
To sum up, the Sony Xperia XA is nothing more than a pretty, inexpensive smartphone without any extraordinary specs.
Aside from its good looks and decent performance enough for most everyday tasks, this smartphone has nothing to brag about: the colors on the displays are oversaturated and not sharp enough; when performing heavier tasks, the smartphone freezes; The quality of the camera is also not encouraging; time battery life below the average.
At $280, the Xperia XA has a lot of strong competition. So, the 5.2 inch Google Nexus 5X, 5.5 inch LG G4, which are sold at about the same price, have better specifications than the Sony Xperia XA, so we would not recommend this smartphone.
Among the presented flagship solutions of the X-series from Sony in 2016, one of the most interesting was the smartphone Sony Xperia XA. It should be noted that the device does not differ best performance, however it will find many buyers. Mostly because of its design.
New design
Despite high performance Sony Xperia X Performance, many buyers will prefer the XA-series. All because sony xperia ha It captivates with its design: compact, slim and neat. The 5-inch HD display is hidden behind a protective 2.5D glass. But the main feature that Xperia X and X Perfomans do not have is the lack of side frames. Such a solution can be found in ZTE Nubia Prague S or in ZTE Blade V Plus, which the new Sony is somewhat reminiscent of. But still, some signs let you know that this is an Xperia. And, despite the plastic back, rounded frame, as well as the usual keys on the side faces, the smartphone does not look like a Z-series. This makes it unique among other devices from Sony.
Technical capabilities
The device runs on a media library platform and, despite the productive Helio P10, it can be called a flagship with an interference fit. In general, the characteristics are quite enough for many everyday tasks: 2 GB of RAM, as well as 16 GB of permanent memory, a 2300 mAh battery, an eight-megapixel front and a thirteen-megapixel main camera. Isn't that enough for comfortable use? In addition, the new product supports the work of two SIM cards - and this is much more important for many consumers. There is also a slot for microSD, with a capacity of up to two hundred gigabytes. It is also important that there are all modern wireless interfaces, including NFC. In addition, LTE support is announced, the advantages of this wireless network every day more and more users appreciate it.
Although the device looks attractive, it is more likely not a flagship, but a line of the middle price segment. On the other hand, the bezel-less 2.5D display creates the feeling of being in the hands of a modern exclusive device. First of all, the smartphone will be of interest to women, especially when it comes to pink design.
