The main models of the new line of Sony smartphones. Now it's time to get acquainted with the youngest representative of the series - Xperia XA. There is nothing funny in its name; XA should be read as “x hey” or “x a”, but in no case “ha”. In my opinion, the name XS would be more suitable for the device - it is narrower, thinner and lighter than the original Xperia X, simpler in terms of hardware, but much more interesting in appearance and in some other ways.
Specifications Sony Xperia XA:
- Network: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, WCDMA/HSPA, LTE
- Platform (at time of announcement): Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow
- Display: 5", 1280 x 720 pixels, IPS, Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2
- Camera: 13 MP, 1/3"", f/2.0, hybrid focus, Clear Image Zoom 5X,
- Front camera: 8 MP, 88 degrees, HDR
- Processor: 8 cores, up to 2 GHz, MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755
- Graphics chip: Mali-T860 770 MHz
- RAM: 2 GB
- Internal memory: 16 GB
- Memory card: microSD (up to 200 GB)
- A-GPS and GLONASS
- Bluetooth 4.2
- LDAC, DSEE HX, High-Resolution Audio, Clear Audio+, S-Force Front Surround
- Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n/ac)
- microUSB 2.0
- 3.5mm jack
- Battery: non-removable, 2300 mAh
- Dimensions: 143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9 mm
- Weight: 137.4 g
Video review and unboxing
Equipment and design
The packaging of the smartphone differs from the Xperia X in material and shape. The box is made of softer cardboard and is made in the style of the Xperia Z line - flat and rectangular. The external design and coloring are similar to the Xperia X, but there are no separate compartments or boxes inside. The device is supplied with the unit charger(regular, not reinforced), cable and paper documentation. In total, four color variants of the smartphone are being released on the market: black, white, gold and pink, with pink available only for the version with one SIM, although pink is only a name. More like salmon or coral with shimmers in different lighting (sometimes it seems almost orange).
Externally, the Xperia XA inherits the design concept of the C5 Ultra smartphone (review) with minimal side frames. The solution is nice, fresh, compared to the Xperia Z line, it was a breath of air and even now remains so next to the new Xperia X and X Performance. The Xperia XA attracts primarily with its compact size and infinite screen. The body turned out to be smaller, lighter and more convenient than that of the older X-Xs, despite the same display size. There are only two complaints about the appearance: very sensitive plastic on the back and a weak oleophobic layer on the front panel. The back easily collects scratches even with careful handling, and the display does not wipe off marks very well and readily collects fingerprints. Compared to devices without an oleophobic layer, everything here is not as bad as it could be, but on such a spectacular frameless display it was worth applying something more gliding and resistant to dirt. Look for films by size, in general. And don't forget to buy a case.
The smartphone differs from the Xperia X and X Performance in several ways. There is no all-metal body, and only the frame is made of metal. However, the build is excellent in all cases. The NFC platform is located in the traditional place for Sony Xperia - on the rear panel (for Xperia X it is to the left of the front camera). The new product does not have stereo speakers, nor does it have a finger scanner, but the power and volume buttons are located in more convenient and familiar places. Moisture protection is not declared for the smartphone, nor for the Xperia X (only the X Performance has it). Slots for memory cards and nanoSIM are hidden under a flap in both smartphones. The notification LED is located to the left of the front camera, whereas in the Sony Xperia X it is hidden in the earpiece.
Despite the same sized 5" diagonal displays Xperia screen XA is noticeably simpler than Xperia X. It is much dimmer and turns blue or yellow at different angles. The dual-SIM version of the Xperia XA, unlike the Xperia X and X Performance, cannot boast of double the volume internal memory, so don't count on more than 16 GB (of which 11 GB is available to the user). In addition, the Xperia XA is not eligible for bonuses when purchasing until the end of July - a year of additional warranty on the display and its free replacement, six months Google Play Music and 12 Sony films. The potential owner can only count on 3 months of Play Music, which are activated when you first subscribe to the service. That's it, a free screen replacement in case of damage would definitely not be superfluous here. A bezel-less display is much easier to break than a screen with thick side frames.
Software
The smartphone works under Android control 6.0 with the latest edition of the Xperia Home shell, but in a somewhat simplified form - there are a lot of differences from the Xperia X interface. So, there are no online recommendations when starting a search by swiping from the center down or on the left screen of the application menu, there is no support for Remote Play and Dualshock controllers, double tap to wake up the display and launch the camera by double pressing the power button. To improve images, Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology is used, not X-Reality (although the principle of operation is the same - they make the picture richer for photos and videos). Automatic optimization There is also no sound for any connected headphones (there is only for a few branded headsets), and there is no DSEE HX technology, which enhances the sound of very compressed music files to a normal level.
Otherwise, the interface is similar, all new design elements and sections are used, themes are tailored to the colors of the smartphone, the Xperia keyboard has given way to Swiftkey with the Sony theme, and the power settings contain energy-saving STAMINA and Ultra STAMINA modes (hello to all users of old Xperia who were deprived of these functions with update to Android 6.0).
Camera
Unlike Xperia X Xperia smartphone The XA received a 13-megapixel main camera module and an 8-megapixel front camera instead of 23-megapixel and 13-megapixel in the older model. At the same time, the device retained the main advantage of the flagship - hybrid tracking autofocus. The interface is externally similar to the Xperia X, but the only functional differences are the absence of a smart SteadyShot stabilization mode and the presence of the ability to fully shoot in all modes and scenarios in full 13 megapixel resolution (Xperia X in some cases has a limit of 8 megapixels). By default, it is proposed to take photos in a resolution of 9 MP, video is recorded only in 1080p quality with 30 fps, but with the ability to record HDR video, which the Xperia X does not have. It smells like a dirty trick, doesn’t it?
The main problem with the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance cameras was overheating when using focus tracking in photos or videos. The Xperia XA, surprisingly, does not have this problem, and the camera interface works faster and saves pictures faster than the Xperia X (but not faster than the X Performance). Moreover, in better side The photographs are also different. Photos taken on the Xperia XA turn out to be more detailed, more accurate in color and with less noise in daylight, but the automation sometimes makes mistakes in white balance and raises the ISO in the dark. This is where manual mode comes to the rescue, in which the set ISO values correspond to what you see on the screen (the Xperia X has some strange problem with this: ISO 400 and ISO 800 look equally light). One more thing: it’s much easier to shoot macro on the Xperia XA, it focuses much more readily on close objects than the Xperia X and allows you to get a more or less successful shot with accurate focus on the first attempts, and not on the tenth.
Sony Xperia XA - Sony Xperia X:
Sony Xperia XA - Sony Xperia X
Exactly the same can be said about auto mode. On the Xperia XA it works more accurately and more stable, whereas on the Xperia X you risk getting six different frames out of six in color and quality. For some reason, the Xperia X camera takes longer to think and does not always select the optimal scenario for the right conditions. The device especially misses the mark with Night Scene, resulting in too many attempts to get a clear shot with the right light and color. In manual mode, again, the Xperia XA has more space (full resolution, no problems with ISO), and in low-light conditions, the smartphone does not overexpose frames and does not try to embellish the picture, although it has a little more noise than the Xperia X. How could you Note that the Xperia XA has a less wide capture angle, and here, it would seem, the glasses are on the side of the Xperia X, but geometric distortion The cars in the photo above reduce this advantage to nothing. In general, in this photo, the Xperia X’s automation did something terrible, turning the trees into mush, raising the contrast and highlighting the background (and this is the most successful shot of a series of several).
Sony Xperia XA auto - Sony Xperia X auto:
Sony Xperia XA manual - Sony Xperia X manual:
As for the front cameras, the Xperia XA received an 8 MP module with wide-angle optics, a 1/4" matrix and an f/2.0 aperture, while the Xperia X boasts a 13 MP module with similar optics, but a 1/3" matrix and exactly the same aperture . Both have a skin softening effect, both cameras record Full HD video with electronic stabilization. The Xperia XA records video worse than the Xperia X. The exposure is not smooth, although the image stabilizer works well and the sound is clear. The presence of the HDR video function allows you to shoot videos with extended dynamic range and it is strange that the Xperia X does not have this function. The Xperia XA, on the other hand, does not have an auto-scene selection feature when recording videos, whereas the Xperia X does.
Sony Xperia XA is the youngest model new Xperia X series, with which the Japanese company begins a new round of its development. The smartphone is average price segment, however, it has something to stand out from its main competitors and other devices within the line. Since its release, many have noted that the appearance of the device is one of key features, and balanced specifications hardware allow you to cope with any everyday tasks.
Appearance
The first thing that catches your eye, and has already been noted above, is the absence of frames on the sides of the screen, however, against this background, the frames at the bottom and top may seem too big. The width of the smartphone is only 66.8 mm and this makes it one of the narrowest devices in the world among devices with 5-inch screens. Holding the Sony Xperia XA in your hands is a pleasure; you tightly grasp its body and reach it to any end of the screen without any problems.
The side frame is round and made of metal, but back cover It’s still plastic, although you can’t tell it right away by touch. Another innovation was the use of 2.5D glass covering the screen, which also makes positive adjustments to the visual perception of the smartphone and convenience. Overall dimensions of the model: 143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9 mm and 138 grams.
There are four color options for the case: white, graphite black, gold lime and pink gold. It is important to note that the front side is now also painted in the color of the body.
On the top edge there is a headphone jack and an additional microphone, on the bottom we have a micro USB port, the main microphone and speaker, on the left side there is a neatly hidden plug that covers the slot for the tray with a SIM card and memory card, and on the right is traditionally the power button (a round metal button, like the early Z-series), a volume key and a camera button.
Display, hardware and software specifications
The Sony Xperia XA has a bright 5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (HD 720p) with a pixel density of 294 ppi, which is a little disappointing. However, in reality, this resolution is more than enough, you can only see individual pixels with great difficulty and, without looking at the characteristics, it’s hard to believe that this is not a Full HD matrix, although it would still look more advantageous. With viewing angles and color reproduction, everything is excellent; among the improvements, it is worth noting the proprietary Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology and super bright mode. 
Sony actively cooperates with MediaTek and therefore it was decided to use XA in Xperia new chipset MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755 with 8-core 64-bit processor (ARM Cortex-A53 cores) and ARM Mali-T860 MP2 video. This chip is capable of providing excellent performance both in games and in working with applications, especially considering the HD screen resolution, everything will work without problems. The RAM capacity is 2 GB, which has already become the standard for mid-range devices. Internal storage is 16 GB but you can always expand it by installing a card microSD memory large volume up to 200 GB.
What really leads to bewilderment is the lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 2300 mAh, because today the issue of autonomy is very acute. Although the manufacturer himself will assure that thanks to system optimization, improved STAMINA mode and energy-saving Android mode 6.0 smartphone will easily last you 2 days on a single charge in average use mode, and Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology will preserve the physical life of the battery.
Of course, the Xperia XA has all modern wireless data transmission standards (Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, Wi-Fi), GPS, A-GPS and GLONASS, and the communication module works in GSM frequencies GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA+ (3G) and LTE 4G/Cat 4. In total, models with one SIM card (Xperia XA F3111, F3113 and F3115) and a version with two active SIMs (Xperia XA Dual F3112 and F3116) will be presented ).
Cameras
Sony puts a lot of emphasis on the photo capabilities of new products and notes several more modified modules and processing algorithms. The main camera in the smartphone is a 13-megapixel 1/3-inch Sony IMX258 Exmor RS sensor with hybrid autofocus technology and quick launch cameras so that not a single moment is missed. The same technology is used in the Xperia Z5 flagships and it’s at least pleasant to see it on the mid-range.
To the delight of selfie lovers, an 8-megapixel front camera is used Sony camera IMX219 Exmor R with wide-angle lens (88 degrees), auto focus, HDR mode.
To say that I really liked the smartphone is an understatement! Appearance, ergonomics, case materials and assembly - everything is really up to par. The use of the MediaTek chipset and HD screen will reduce the price of the model, without losing the pleasure of everyday use of a frameless smartphone.
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Smartphone Sony Xperia X (F5122) - review
I am often reproached for the fact that I, as a fan of smartphones with large displays, very rarely review smartphones with a diagonal of up to 5". This is true, they are not particularly interesting to me, especially since smartphones with a small diagonal are, as a rule, also quite frail, and in almost all components: platform, sound, camera, battery, etc. And there are users who are very annoyed by this approach from manufacturers, because they need a good powerful smartphone, but with a small display. And the choice in this segment with such requirements is very, very small. In this review, we will look at one of these options - a small smartphone that actually has flagship characteristics. This is Sony Xperia X - a 5" phone.
Display: 5", 1920×1080, FullHD, 2.5D, IPS, 441 PPI
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650
GPU: Adreno 510
RAM: 3 GB
Flash memory: 32 (64 y Dual SIM) GB
Memory card: microSD up to 200 GB
Fingerprint scanner: No
IR port: There is
Net: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, HDSPA/HSUPA, LTE
Wireless connection: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
Camera: 23 megapixels, predictive autofocus, flash
Front-camera: 13 megapixels
Ports: microUSB, audio jack
Navigation: GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS
SIM card: nanoSIM
Battery: 2620 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions: 143 × 69 × 7.9 mm
Weight: 153 g
Additionally: proximity, light, pressure sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass
Case colors: black, silver, gold, rose gold
Price: 36-41 thousand rubles on Yandex.Market There is also a Dual SIM version, which has 64 GB of internal memory. This is what the body color options look like.
There are also several more modifications of the Xperia X. This is a cheaper Xperia XA (weaker platform, worse specifications and HD display), more powerful Xperia X Performance on Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, which is protected from dust and water, and the hefty Xperia XA Ultra with a 6" FullHD display on MediaTek MT6755. Contents of delivery The packaging is a strict white box with a bright Sony inscription and a barely noticeable Xperia X inscription. 
The equipment is extremely ascetic: smartphone, power adapter, USB-microUSB cable. 
On the other hand, what else is needed there? A headset? All these complete headsets are usually very Low quality, and almost no one uses them. At the same time, they increase the cost of the kit. So what the hell? Another thing is that, for example, Apple equips iPhones with really high quality earpods, and so many people use them. Power adapter - 5V and 1.5A. 
By the way, this smartphone supports fast charging according to the Qualcom QuickCharge 3.0 standard, but for it you will have to buy a UCH12 adapter from Sony. Appearance and features
The design of the Sony Xperia X is traditional and expected. Sony generally does not indulge users with variety in design, and the Xperia X is no exception. The body is made of painted aluminum alloy, the display is covered with tempered glass with rounded edges. The ends are slightly rounded, but it is quite convenient to take the phone from the table with one hand, and it also fits very well and is grippy in the hand. 
There are inconspicuous plastic inserts for antennas only at the bottom end; the back cover also does not contain any plastic inserts - it is made of aluminum alloy. The camera eye is located in the upper left corner, and this is an unfortunate position, because during shooting the eye can accidentally be closed with a finger, which Happened to me several times. 
What’s interesting is that this smartphone has no holes for the speaker at all. Right side from bottom to top: camera call button (I warmly welcome such things), volume rocker and power button. 
I didn't like the movement of the buttons at all. Well, okay - the camera, in any case, it requires a long press so that there are no accidental triggers. The volume rocker is inconveniently located, has an extremely small and very indistinct movement. The power button is even stranger. At first I thought that it was like Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, a fingerprint scanner is built-in, which is why the button has become so inconvenient (and in older Xperia models it was made very well), but there is no scanner here, and the button itself is terribly inconvenient: not only does it not rise above the surface, but it is also slightly recessed. Why this was done is completely incomprehensible to me personally. The top end is an audio output and a second microphone for noise reduction 
The left end is the insert plug for the SIM card and memory card. 
Well, the bottom end has a microUSB output and a microphone. 
Well, here's the Xperia X next to Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Lenovo Note 5. 
The smartphone looks good, but, let’s say, without any zest, the materials and assembly are expectedly of very high quality. The control buttons here are traditionally on-screen, and they are also quite large, so they occupy a considerable part of the screen area.
I also really don’t like the fact that here, as in other Sony smartphones, you cannot swap “Return” and “List of running applications”, and in principle, no combination can be used to call up the “Menu”. On the one hand, this is experienceable, but very inconvenient. It’s fine when the buttons are located on the bottom panel and cannot be reconfigured (although, for example, HTC’s are reconfigured), but since they are already on-screen, why can’t they be reconfigured? For example, I am very used to the fact that “Return” is on the right. Actually, almost all smartphones have it on the right, and only Sony has it on the left - and this cannot be changed. Annoying. However, Sony users probably quickly get used to this and don’t like it when the return is on the right. (But for right-handers, return by definition should be on the right, because this button is much more often used than calling up running applications.) Display
Display on an IPS matrix, made using OGS technology. Very good image quality, good brightness margin. In direct sunlight, like Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, the image is very clearly visible. There is an effective anti-glare filter and a high-quality oleophobic coating. Good viewing angles, however, with strong deviations, the white color noticeably loses in brightness and at the same time acquires an unpleasant dirty-pinkish tint. The same thing happens when the adaptive adjustment greatly reduces the brightness (or you lower it yourself), - the white color acquires this tint. I tried to show it in the photo - I took it at an angle. It seems clear that it is not white. And next to it in comparison is OnePlus 3, whose white color does not change at this angle. 
That is, in general, the display is of very high quality, but there is one feature that I did not like. Device operation
Android 6.0.1 is installed here, but, as usual with Sony, it uses its own shell and its own system applications. Main desktop.
Applications installed on the system.
Quick switches. They are edited.
Editing quick switches.
Lock window.
As usual, there are a wide variety of themes available for download and installation.
Talk mode.
The sound quality during calls is good, noise reduction works effectively. I was afraid that due to the aluminum body with almost no plastic inserts, the level would be worse than that of other smartphones, but this was not noticeable in test conversations. The only thing is when I measured Wi-Fi level in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, it showed a level slightly higher than the Xperia X. However, slightly higher. Wi-Fi speed tests and mobile Internet showed quite normal speed(in comparison with the same Samsung Galaxy S7 edge).
I listened to HiRes (FLAC) sound in headphones. Sennheiser CX 2.00G in-ear headphones are very good: the sound is clear, spacious, excellent detail, good, but, for my taste, harsh and sometimes downright cutting high (for certain compositions).
Full-size headphones Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are also very good: the sound is quite spacious, clear, good bass and decent highs. In the audio settings there is an option DSEE HX, which should improve playback quality compressed files. Yes, it works. Not that they turn into HiRes Audio, but there is a clear improvement in detail, although the sound does take on a slightly metallic tint. There is also a ClearAudio+ option, which does not work in conjunction with DSEE HX - also interesting: the playback quality does improve for most tracks. Video The system performance is enough to play even 4K videos. 
Games 3D games play smoothly and quickly.
For tanks, FPS is kept almost at the maximum - 59-60.
Epic Citadel performance test.
Connected devices - traditional strong point smartphones from Sony.
Smart memory cleaning mode.
There are two energy saving modes: the proprietary STAMINA, which really noticeably increases the time battery life, and ultra-saving mode Ultra STAMINA.
Here are the apps available in Ultra STAMINA mode.
This is what a desktop looks like with Ultra STAMINA mode enabled.
The manufacturer promises that in this mode the smartphone will last up to 20 days. I tested it and got 16 days of intermittent use. Camera Camera interface.
Photo settings.
Video settings.
It uses a 1/2.3" Exmor RS matrix with a 24mm equivalent lens with f/2.0 aperture. The camera is launched by either a long press on a separate dedicated button or a long press on the power button when the display is off. Examples of pictures. (All clickable, opens in full size.) Indoors. 
On the street. 
Well, in poor lighting conditions. 
In the dark. 
Example video.
In my opinion, the camera is wonderful. Excellent autofocus - really very fast and tenacious. Didn't miss at all in normal lighting conditions. In some reviews I saw complaints that in insufficient lighting conditions it did not focus well - nothing like that happened to me. The focus only drifted when shooting at night in situations where my mirrorless camera also screwed up with focus. The pictures are very clear, with excellent detail. The colors are rich, but at the same time natural. The camera hardly missed a beat with white balance. The video turns out to be of good quality, and I liked how the stabilizer works there: from the video you can see that the picture is stabilized. Of course, this is not such a good stabilizer as in cameras, but this is not a camera, but a small smartphone. Overall, I was impressed with the camera. System and performance CPU-Z data.
AnTuTu test.
In the comparison table, the smartphone is in 22nd place, next to iPhone 6.
Geekbench 3 tests.
Well, the general index according to PCMark.
The smartphone is really powerful and fast, there are no problems with performance here. Battery life My battery life tests. (STAMINA mode is off.) Internet. Brightness set to a comfortable 40%, turned on wireless network, the browser refreshes the page every 30 seconds. 10 hours 40 minutes. Video. Wireless communications are disabled, the player's brightness is set to a comfortable level of 10 (15 in total), and the MX Player plays a video series in a loop. 9 hours 45 minutes. I expected it to be a couple of hours longer. The PCMark synthetic test returned 10 hours 1 minute. But here I expected it to be a couple of hours less.
However, the smartphone practically does not survive the two days without recharging practically promised by the manufacturer during normal use. It lasts for one day even under very heavy load (10 hours according to PCMark is quite a lot). Two days - only with not too active use and with the STAMINA mode turned on. In general, the autonomy indicators for the given characteristics and battery capacity are quite normal. Observations during operation and conclusions During testing I did not find any problems. When running 3D games or heavily system-loading applications, slight heating was observed in the chipset area. In general, I liked the smartphone. For those who need a small but powerful and high-quality smartphone, this is a good option, and in almost all components: performance, display, sound, camera, battery life. Price - yes, the price is high, I don’t argue. Actually, Sony smartphones have always been expensive. But a high-quality and powerful smartphone will not be cheap by definition.
Not everyone needs it flagship smartphones or huge “shovels” - a medium-sized phone with a moderate price tag and an attractive design often turns out to be more in demand among the people. Like, for example, the youngest in the X-line of smartphones from Sony - Sony Xperia XA.
The smartphone looks very attractive and a little unusual - mainly due to the unusually thin side frames around the display. Their thickness, together with the rounding of the body, is only 2 mm, which is why the device in your hands looks like just a screen with two dark stripes at the top and bottom. At the same time, due to the rather wide frames at the top and bottom, the case looks unusually narrow and tall.
There are three color options for the Sony Xperia XA - white, gold and graphite black, reviewed by the editors latest version. In this color, the smartphone looks strict and stylish, and despite the relatively small sizes(by the way, at the time of its release it was the narrowest model with a 5-inch screen), looks like a typical men's smartphone. The screen is covered with protective glass with an oleophobic coating and rounded edges (so-called “2.5D glass”).
The side edges are metal, the top and bottom are plastic; they differ minimally in appearance and touch from the side edges (except for the subjective feeling of “it’s cold/not cool”).
The back cover is made of plastic with a matte finish, non-marking and practical - it does not leave fingerprints, dirt is easily removed, and does not slip in your hands.
On the left side, under the 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).
Subjective impressions of the smartphone are very pleasant; the device fits perfectly into a medium-sized palm and can be controlled well with one hand. True, the location of the power button and the unlocking method (swipe either from bottom to top or from right to left) are mostly aimed at right-handers - users who are used to operating the phone with their left hand will not be so comfortable.
Display
The Sony Xperia XA uses a 5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, the pixel density is 294 PPI (for comparison, the iPhone 6s has 326 PPI); When looking closely at the image, it is, in principle, possible to distinguish the “grain”, but in normal use it is not visible.
The screen is very bright (maximum value - 450 cd/m²), so that on the street the image, although faded, is still clearly visible. High contrast (1500:1) and a slightly higher gamma value make the picture rich and rich, with deep shadows. Slightly overpriced color temperature, which gives a somewhat coldish tint, can be corrected in the menu using the “white balance” parameter, and if the user seems that the photographs do not have enough color saturation, the “colorfulness” can be increased in the display settings by turning on the Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 option in the “Image enhancement” menu "
Hardware platform
The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10 chipset, with an 8-core Cortex-A53 CPU running at 2 GHz and a dual-core Mali-T860 GPU. Random access memory here 2 GB, built-in - 16 GB. Overall, it’s a typical mid-level device, with sufficient performance for both regular applications and fairly demanding games. True, the smoothness of the interface, especially with a large number of widgets on home tables, could be better.
Calls, multimedia
The editors visited the dual-SIM version of the smartphone - Sony Xperia XA Dual (there is also a single-SIM version). For SIM cards there is a separate tray with two “seats” for nano-SIM, next to it there is a slot for a memory card.
With a second noise-cancelling microphone, your voice is clearly audible and intelligible to the other person, even despite ambient noise. There were no special comments regarding the conversational speaker, although additional volume reserve would not have hurt it. The multimedia speaker sounds without distortion, but in terms of volume it also has nothing special to brag about - its volume level can be described as somewhat below average. The “musical” abilities of the Sony Xperia XA are not bad - an ordinary user, having connected his favorite headphones to his smartphone, will not be disappointed, but an audiophile will certainly find something to complain about.
Operating system and shell
The device runs Android 6.0 OS, supplemented with Sony's proprietary shell. It makes few changes - the designers clearly did not have the task of completely redrawing the interface, but functionally the shell has some features.
So, unlocking is done by swiping up or to the left (swiping right does nothing, swiping down brings up the notification screen). On the lock screen, the clock numbers are transparent, through which you can see the home screen wallpaper. Home screens, notification area and application menu do not offer any special differences from “pure” Android - except perhaps for the ability to change appearance using themes downloaded from the company store. Of the useful additions to system settings you can note backup user data (applications, contacts, messages, smartphone settings), which 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.
The interface of the proprietary application is 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 quite 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 tend to merge into a “mush”) and with a relatively small amount of noise. In low light, detail is expectedly reduced and it is difficult to get a clear picture without blur, but the noise reduction here is not very aggressive. Dynamic range quite good, but the colors sometimes lack saturation, and automatic detection White balance in a difficult situation does not always “guess” - some pictures turn out too cold.
Autonomy
Sony Xperia XA Dual installed non-removable battery with a capacity of 2300 mAh - and despite the obviously not the most power-hungry screen, in terms of operating time the smartphone has nothing to brag about. In the PCMark “battery” test it lasted only 5 hours, and in general it lasted for two days only in a frankly “gentle” mode.
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