Sony Xperia XA1 Review: Sweet Mid-range Camera Phone

Sony Xperia XA1 is a first mid-range smartphone from the company in 2017, which has received much attention from users at MWC 2017 along with the Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra. Let’s go walk through the Sony Xperia XA1 review after a few days of experience below.

Design:

The metal frame is sturdy and solid, very stylish, however, the top and bottom are slightly longer compared to previous models due to sensors and modules. The angles are curved, squeezing straight to the end.

Especially, the volume button position has been shifted above the Sony’s signature rounded silver power button along with a dedicated camera shutter button on the right side. On the left side, you will find the micro SD and SIM card tray. At one point I quite like on this XA1. However, this is 2017 and Xperia XA1 is not equipped with fingerprint sensor, while Samsung, ZTE, Asus, Xiaomi and many others have. Why Sony?

On the front, stereo speakers are placed well, and the front camera with ‘Sony’ logo are well integrated at the top of the display. At the bottom you will find the USB 3.1 Type C connector, alongside the microphone, and Sony kept the 3.5 mm audio jack at the top. On the rear, the 23-megapixels camera sensor is placed at the top left, below it LED flash.

Anyway, this is a mid-range device so not too much expected. I personally like to hold this smartphone, is more compact and perfectly fits in my small hands.

Display:

The Sony Xperia XA1 features a 5.0-inch IPS LCD screen with HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution, which can convey a pixel density of 450ppi and is protected by 2.5D Gorilla Glass 3.

The viewing angle of the Xperia XA1 is quite good and there is often slight color variation when tilting the screen. In practical use, the display is relatively good in the sunlight, not too excellent. However, surfing the web at night is quite annoying because the backlight is relatively bright.

Performance and software:

The Sony Xperia XA1 cell phone is equipped with a Helio P20 SoC from MediaTek with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, of course with the expandable microsd card slot up to 256GB.

It works fine on my daily tasks, it is smooth and responsive. The handset running Android 7.0, Sony’s customizable interface is quite smooth and easy to understand. After using it for a few days, I have nothing to complain about its performance or software.

Too cool, the Xperia XA1 has reached a perfect threshold of user experience.

Camera:

This is the most valuable and impressive features on the Sony Xperia XA1, Sony brought the Xperia Z5 camera quality to the XA1.

A little bit information about camera configurations: Sony Xperia XA1 has a 23-megapixel Sony Exmor RS sensor at the rear with f/2.0 aperture, 1/2.3″ sensor size and LED flash. There is an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with good brightness and wide angles.

The Camera interface is the same as other Sony devices, in full light areas, the Xperia XA1 has fast focus and shutter speed, and capturing images with fine details. I like its Auto mode, smart and fast. However, I recognized the focusing as well as the saving image speed is still the same, quite slow.

Panorama pictures are quite good, especially the brightness of the panoramic image is quite satisfying. To capture images in low-light conditions is the most interested thing for you, right?. However, clean noise, less distortion, generally called average performance.

In return, the Xperia Xa1 has a Manual mode that allows customizable focus, EV, shutter speed, and much more. Wide angle camera can capture pictures with good detail in bright as well as low light conditions, manual shutter assist with shutter speed up to 1 second.

Battery:

The battery capacity is 2300mAh and its slightly better at optimization due to Android 7.0.

Basic to heavy tasks, WiFi + 3G, using Facebook, Messenger, Gaming, HD video playback, Streaming…. I have almost got up to 4:15 hours of on-screen time. Generally, last for more than 8 hours with moderate usage.

Final line:

In 2017, Sony Xperia XA1 is the first mid-range smartphone launched by the company. The camera features are great and build quality it excellent, compact and handy.

Personally, after a few days of use, the impression is that the complete design and the camera is impressive for the mid-range segment – expected price is about $300 – $350 and will be available this Summer in Black, Gold, Pink, and White color options.

UPDATE: The Sony Xperia XA1 Price in USA is set to about $350 via third party seller on the Amazon.com e-commerce online store.

UPDATED ON 3rd May 2017:

Sony Xperia XA1 unlocked model now can be purchased at $299 at Amazon.com online store, and £267.28 in UK via Amazon.co.uk.