Sony Xperia XA
The Xperia XA ($279.99) is the third phone in Sony's Xperia X series to see a US launch. Like the Xperia X£408.78 at Amazon and the Xperia X Performance£539.00 at Amazon, the Xperia XA is a 5-inch unlocked Android phone. The only physical difference between the XA and its siblings is that it has no bezel on the left or right, giving it an edge-to-edge display. Otherwise, the XA is an average unlocked phone with hardware and performance that don't quite live up to its price tag. The Motorola Moto G4$149.99 at Amazon is a much better value for the price.
Design, Display, and Features
Like most Sony phones, the Xperia XA is compact. Measuring in at 5.65 by 2.63 by 0.31 inches (HWD) and 4.83 ounces, it's notably smaller than the chunky G4 (6.02 by 3.02 by 0.39 inches, 5.47 ounces), although the G4 has a larger 5.5-inch display. The 5-inch Blu R1 HD$49.99 at Amazon (5.63 by 2.78 by 0.33 inches, 5.01 ounces) is a closer match, though the XA is especially comfortable to use one-handed due to its rounded metal sides.
The front the phone is covered in a pane of glass that curves to meet the metal edges. There's some bezel at the top and bottom, but not on either side, which makes for an attractive edge-to-edge design.
The display is a 5-inch, 1,280-by-720 IPS panel. That works out to 294 pixels per inch (ppi), which makes for clear text and graphics, but it's not nearly as sharp as the 1080p screen on the G4 (401ppi). Color reproduction is on the cold side, though you do have the option to adjust screen temperature. At maximum brightness the screen is visible outdoors, but viewing angles could be better. Looking at the screen from any angle other than head-on causes it to wash out slightly.
You'll find all of the physical controls on the right, including a power button, volume rocker, and camera shutter key. The bottom is home to a pretty weak speaker and a micro USB charging port. The left has a flap covering that covers the SIM and microSD card slots (which worked with a 200GB SanDisk card£59.99 at Amazon), but don't let it fool you—the Xperia XA isn't waterproof like the X Performance. The top of the phone has a 3.5mm audio jack and the back is made of smooth plastic. I tested the black model, but the phone is also available in white, lime gold, and rose gold.
Network Performance and Connectivity
The Xperia XA is sold unlocked and comes with support for GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz), UMTS (850/900/1900/2100MHz), and LTE (1/2/3/5/7/9/20) bands. I tested the phone on T-Mobile in midtown Manhattan and saw solid network connectivity. It also supports dual-band Wi-Fi and NFC, both of which are rare features to find on a midrange phone.
Call quality is good. Transmissions are clear and voices are easily audible in the earpiece. Noise cancellation blots out most background noise, though some car horns managed to break through in my test calls.
Processor and Battery Life
The phone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek MT6755 Helio P10 prcoessor clocked at 2.0GHz, which appears to be a close rival to the quad-core Qulacomm Snapdragon 617. It scored 47,993 on the AnTuTu benchmark, which tests overall system performance. That's similar to what we've seen on Snapdragon 617-powered devices like the G4 (46,620) and the ZTE Zmax Pro (47,007).
Unfortunately, the Xperia XA's real-life usage falls short of its benchmark results. Despite having 2GB of RAM, animations stutter, apps hang, and multitasking is sluggish. Gaming performance is also weak. While playing GTA: San Andreas I was distracted by flickering textures and unresponsive controls. You'll get much smoother performance using the G6 Plus.
Battery life isn't a strong point, either. In our battery rundown test in which we stream full-screen video over LTE at maximum brightness, the XA lasted 4 hours and 26 minutes of runtime. That's over an hour shy of the G4 (5 hours, 58 minutes), which has a higher-resolution display. You can probably squeeze a full day's use out of the XA, but not anywhere near the two days of battery life Sony claims.
Camera
On a more positive note, the Xperia XA has surprisingly strong camera performance. The 13-megapixel rear sensor takes clear shots outdoors, with autofocus and autoexposure that do a nice job compensating for movement and changes to lighting. Details come across clearly, with minimal noise or muddiness, and color reproduction is accurate. Naturally, low-light shots have issues with grain, but that's something even top-tier phones struggle with. Manual controls are present in the app, allowing you to adjust white balance, shutter speed, and other elements. 1080p video recording is smooth and stable at 30fps. The 8-megapixel front-facing camera is equally solid.
One downside is that the camera app itself is slow. In both Superior Auto and Manual mode, the app takes several seconds after each shot to process and save the image. Using the physical Shutter button also requires a second or two to register.
Software
The XA comes running a mostly stock version of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The lock screen and settings menu have been altered, some app icons have been changed, and some new widgets are available, but overall the changes are minimal. Added features included Smart Cleaner, which lets the phone automatically clear its cache, and battery modes that help you save battery life by restricting GPS, vibration, performance, and background data. There isn't a ton of bloatware, but none of it can be uninstalled.
You're left with 10.06GB out of 16GB of internal storage. Unfortunately, Marshmallow's Adoptable Storage feature appears to be disabled, as there is no option to set up a memory card to act as internal storage. I was only able to save photos and video to it.
SPEC DATA:
Service Provider: Unlocked
Operating System as Tested: Android 6.0
CPU: MediaTek MT6795 Helio X10
Processor Speed: 2.0 GHz
Dimensions: 5.65 by 2.63 by 0.31 inches
Form Factor: Candy Bar
Physical Keyboard: No
Weight: 4.83 oz
Screen Size: 5 inches
Screen Type: IPS LCD
Screen Resolution: 1,280 by 720 pixels
Screen Pixels Per Inch: 294 ppi
Camera Resolution: 13MP Rear, 8MP Front-Facing
Video Camera Resolution: 1080p
Wireless Specification: 802.11n (2.4+5 GHz Dualband)
Bluetooth Version: 4.1
GPS: Yes
NFC: Yes
Total Integrated Storage: 16 GB
Available Integrated Storage: 10.06 GB
microSD Slot : Yes
Phone Capability / Network: GSM
High-Speed Data: LTE
Capacities Available: 16
Colors Available: White, Black, Lime Gold, Rose Gold
Battery Life (As Tested): 4 hours, 26 (LTE video streaming) minutes
Conclusions
For $280, the Sony Xperia XA just doesn't bring enough to the table to justify its price. Despite a high-quality build it suffers from sluggish performance, mediocre battery life, and a relatively low-resolution display. The Blu R1 HD gets you better performance and battery life for a fraction of the price. The Blu Life One X$149.99 at Amazon also costs less and gets you a sharper 1080p display. Or you can get the Moto G4, which offers stronger features and performance all around. And if you're willing to spend more, the ZTE Axon 7$399.99 at Amazon gets you flagship-level specs at a relatively affordable price.
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