Sony Xperia XA1 Plus review: the middle of the frameless line

Sony Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra smartphones (presented at the beginning of 2017) received an upgrade to the second generation at CES 2018. These devices belong to the initial and top level of the frameless Japanese brand, and the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus occupies the middle position in the range. smartphone, which was announced in September 2017 and does not lose relevance in the new year.



The appearance of the smartphone continues to develop a proprietary concept of symmetry for the Loop Surface case and the frameless screen of the Xperia XA line. The protective glass of the display on the wide sides literally rests against the metal frame of the perimeter, while massive inserts remain in the upper and lower parts of the case, which have become a recognizable feature of Sony smartphones. The back panel is made of high quality and practical matte plastic. Interestingly, it is difficult to distinguish it visually and tactilely from the metal of the side frame, which makes the appearance of the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus monolithic.



On the front side of the panel above the screen is a notification indicator, front camera, Sony logo, a light sensor and a speaker. Under the screen - a microphone cutout similar to the dynamics. On the top are the mini-jack for connecting headphones and the auxiliary microphone of the noise cancellation system, and the bottom is the USB Type-C charging jack and main speaker. The back panel is standard: the camera lens is on a level with the body, below is the flash, and closer to the center is the NFC icon and the Xperia inscription.



On the left side there is only a slot for SIM-cards and a memory card. It is not a hybrid, that is, the user does not need to choose between installing a memory card and the second SIM card. The dual tray under the nano-SIM standard extends with the lid, and microSD cards are inserted directly into the case. On the right side is the volume button, the power button and start the camera. Despite the frameless design, Sony engineers still managed to embed a fingerprint scanner into the power key. Partly this was helped by the variable thickness of the slightly rounded metal frame. Metal bending also has a positive effect on the ergonomics of the device. If you take the smartphone with one hand and put the little finger to the bottom for a better grip, the sides of the case do not dig into the skin and allow you to comfortably hold the device even for a long time.

Screen

The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is equipped with an IPS-matrix with a diagonal of 5.5 inches and a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. On top is a robust Corning Gorilla Glass safety glass with smoothly rounded edges, the so-called 2.5D effect. There is a high-quality oleophobic coating, due to which the screen gets less dirty, and prints easier to erase. The viewing angles are close to the maximum, and even with a significant deviation of the device from the line of sight, the picture remains well readable without color distortion. The color rendition of the screen is accurate, with a slight predominance of cold colors. However, the white balance can be adjusted at your discretion, for example, if you like the pronounced warmth of color. The contrast and brightness of the screen of the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus are also at a good level, there will be no problems with using the device in direct sunlight - images and texts will remain visible.

Main and front cameras

The main camera Sony Xperia XA1 Plus - Exmor RS module from the flagship smartphone of the end of 2015, Sony Xperia Z5. Sensor size is 1 / 2.3 inches, resolution - 23 megapixels. Optics use a high-aperture, 24mm f / 2.0 aperture wide-angle lens. The camera has a proprietary digital image stabilization system, SteadyShot, and a hybrid autofocus that provides fast focusing even in difficult shooting conditions. Due to the high resolution of the sensor, the smartphone supports the Clear Image Zoom function - a fivefold digital zoom without loss of quality. We should also note the presence of a dedicated button to start the camera on the side of the case. Recently, it is a rarity in the smartphone market. From pressing the key to the ability to touch the shutter button, it takes just 0.6 seconds, which reduces the risk of missing interesting shots while waiting for the camera to start.



The front camera is built on the basis of a proprietary 1/4-inch Sony Exmor R sensor with a resolution of 8 megapixels and high-aperture optics with an f / 2.0 aperture. There is also a SteadyShot stabilization system for taking clear pictures and a wide-angle lens, so that on the selfie, besides the portrait itself, you can see the sights in the background or fit the friends of the owner of Sony Xperia XA1 Plus.

Performance

Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is based on the MediaTek helio P20 64-bit eight-core processor. Four fast cores operate at 2.3 GHz, energy efficient 1.6 GHz. The chip is made according to the process technology of 16 nm. The amount of RAM is 4 GB. For those who prefer to evaluate the performance of devices with dry numbers, according to the synthetic benchmark AnTuTu 6, the smartphone is gaining more than 55,000 points. In practice, the operation of the device corresponds to the best representatives of the middle class - smooth and fast operation of the operating system, instant application launch and switching between them, the ability to run most games with maximum graphics settings. To reduce the quality of visual effects to average values ​​will have only in the most demanding games. At the same time, the power of the device and the optimal choice of components do not force you to compromise on the operating time without recharging.

Autonomy

The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus uses a non-removable battery with a capacity of 3430 mAh, it is one of the highest rates in the lineup. The connection to the network is via a symmetrical USB Type-C connector, there is also support for MediaTek Pump Express technology, which provides accelerated charging. Traditionally, Sony uses proprietary power saving and battery life extension modes. STAMINA allows you to reduce power consumption in the days of the most active use of a smartphone and with a significant decrease in charge, Ultra STAMINA prolongs work in critical situations when the minimum functionality of the device is sufficient. In addition, there is the “Battery Care” mode, which provides for the gentle charging of a smartphone in accordance with user scenarios. If you put the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus on charge for a long time (for example, at night), the battery charge will be maintained at 90%, and the remaining 10% will be added in front of the alarm clock. As for the battery capacity and autonomy itself, everything depends on the owner’s scenarios, but in general the smartphone has a very good battery life and can last up to one and a half days without significant restrictions on use.

Specifications Sony Xperia XA1 Plus

Operating system: Android Nougat (Xperia UI)
Screen: IPS, 5.5 inches, Full HD (1080p)
Safety glass: 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass
Processor: 64-bit eight-core MediaTek helio P20
RAM: 4 GB
Storage: 32 GB
Memory card support: separate microSD slot up to 256 GB
Main camera: Exmor RS 23 megapixel, hybrid autofocus, wide angle lens f / 2.0
Front camera: Exmor R 8 MP, wide angle lens f / 2.0
Audio: 3.5 mm jack, Bluetooth 4.2, aptX / A2DP
Mobile communication: two nano-SIM, 2G / 3G / 4G (cat.6)
Wireless connections: A-GNSS, Wi-Fi (a / b / g / n / ac), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC
Connector: USB Type-C
Battery: 3430 mAh, fast charging MediaTek Pump Express
Fingerprint scanner: in the side power button
Body colors: black, blue, gold
Dimensions: 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm
Weight: 190 g