Sony Xperia XA review

DECENT P-P-PERFORMANCE

The Mediatek Helio P10 processor and 2GB RAM under the hood are… fine. The XA is fairly snappy most of the time, but sooner rather than later you’ll run into a stutter, or an app that takes its time to load.

The 2300mAh battery isn’t amazing either: Sony reckons it’ll last for two days, but that’s hilariously optimistic. A single charge lasted us from breakfast to bedtime on moderate use, while a more intensive loop of a 720p movie lasted about six hours.

Speaking of movies: there’s no 4K here, but we’re OK with that, because that’s just silly on a smartphone. The XA’s 5in IPS LCD panel instead opts for a 1280×720 resolution. It’s a decent screen, though. It may not be as big or as sharp as the Moto G4’s 5.5in 1080p offering, but it’s clear and crisp and you won’t be able to make out single pixels without a magnifying glass.

Contrast is strong and colours are lush (especially with the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 enhancement turned on), and those who like to tinker have free reign over white balance. If you spend a lot of time in the bright outdoors, or if you just prefer to take your colours with retina-searing exaggeration, there’s also the Super-vivid mode.

DECENT P-P-PERFORMANCE

The Mediatek Helio P10 processor and 2GB RAM under the hood are… fine. The XA is fairly snappy most of the time, but sooner rather than later you’ll run into a stutter, or an app that takes its time to load.

The 2300mAh battery isn’t amazing either: Sony reckons it’ll last for two days, but that’s hilariously optimistic. A single charge lasted us from breakfast to bedtime on moderate use, while a more intensive loop of a 720p movie lasted about six hours.

Speaking of movies: there’s no 4K here, but we’re OK with that, because that’s just silly on a smartphone. The XA’s 5in IPS LCD panel instead opts for a 1280×720 resolution. It’s a decent screen, though. It may not be as big or as sharp as the Moto G4’s 5.5in 1080p offering, but it’s clear and crisp and you won’t be able to make out single pixels without a magnifying glass.

Contrast is strong and colours are lush (especially with the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 enhancement turned on), and those who like to tinker have free reign over white balance. If you spend a lot of time in the bright outdoors, or if you just prefer to take your colours with retina-searing exaggeration, there’s also the Super-vivid mode.

DECENT P-P-PERFORMANCE

The Mediatek Helio P10 processor and 2GB RAM under the hood are… fine. The XA is fairly snappy most of the time, but sooner rather than later you’ll run into a stutter, or an app that takes its time to load.

The 2300mAh battery isn’t amazing either: Sony reckons it’ll last for two days, but that’s hilariously optimistic. A single charge lasted us from breakfast to bedtime on moderate use, while a more intensive loop of a 720p movie lasted about six hours.

Speaking of movies: there’s no 4K here, but we’re OK with that, because that’s just silly on a smartphone. The XA’s 5in IPS LCD panel instead opts for a 1280×720 resolution. It’s a decent screen, though. It may not be as big or as sharp as the Moto G4’s 5.5in 1080p offering, but it’s clear and crisp and you won’t be able to make out single pixels without a magnifying glass.

Contrast is strong and colours are lush (especially with the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 enhancement turned on), and those who like to tinker have free reign over white balance. If you spend a lot of time in the bright outdoors, or if you just prefer to take your colours with retina-searing exaggeration, there’s also the Super-vivid mode.

SNAP JUDGEMENT

Then there’s the camera, which has not avoided the cutbacks seen elsewhere on the XA.

It drops the 23-megapixel camera found on the Xperia X to a 13 megapixels sensor, which honestly isn’t that big a deal unless you intend to blow up and print your snaps. The software is intuitive, the autofocus is fast, and generally taking snaps is a breeze.

The results are mixed, though. In bright conditions, you get some pretty impressive shots: realistic colours, strong contrast and good definition. The processing is a bit too eager, though, and finer detail look a bit artificial.

Take it into dim conditions and the XA begins to struggle. There’s no optical image stabilisation, so your club shots need to be rock steady. Overall, this is a fine snapper for a mid-range blower – it’s just nothing special.

Sony Xperia XA Verdict

The Xperia XA feels like a compromised product. It doesn’t have the best and latest features, but if you want a good looking phone that does the job, this answers your call.

However, besides its good looks, this phone doesn’t excel at anything in particular, and its specifications are a bit lacking considering what Lenovo’s Moto G4 and G4 Plus offer at similar money or less.

If you’ve got a chunk of change sat in your wallet, you could also step up to a vastly superior OnePlus 3 – leaving the Xperia XA a little left out.