Sony Xperia XA2 Review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Where to buy

Sony has high prestige and a solid brand name to back itself but in the mobile space, real hits have been few and far between, even when the company has led the field as it did with super-slow motion on the Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

It's even more noticeable in the mid-range space, where for years Sony has offered solid phones that have never really grabbed the imagination in the way that some of its competitors have.

The Sony Xperia XA2 rests on an older Sony design, so at first glance, I wasn't expecting much out of it. It turns out that looks aren't everything.

Design

• Chunky design stands in stark contrast to the slim style of most modern smartphones
• Dedicated camera shutter button is a handy feature most competitors lack

• Read our full review of the Sony Xperia XA2's design

  You’re initially going to approach the Sony Xperia XA2 for its looks, and there doesn’t seem to be much to it at first glance.

  The XA2 uses the older design style that Sony used prior to the newer, rounder design seen in phones such as the Sony Xperia XZ2. Omnibalance phones tend to have a chunky, industrial appearance and the Xperia XA2 is no different.

  Indeed, in a year where we're seeing an explosion of phones with 18:9 displays, releasing one with a 16:9 screen feels positively old school.

  I'm not usually all that stressed about the absolute thin nature of onscreen bezels, but the Xperia XA2 really does have intrusive top and bottom bezels. Maybe it's because of the prominent SONY branding at the top. Maybe it's the fact that I tested on the black model.

  Either way, as mid-range phones tend towards the slim and stylish designs we're used to seeing on premium handsets, the Xperia XA2 remains a chunky throwback.

  Quite the chunky throwback indeed, measuring in at 142 x 70 x 9.7 mm with a carrying weight of 171 grams. For a phone with a 5.2-inch display, that's both quite thick and quite heavy, and you will feel this in the hand. Rather predictably, the finish is also quite the fingerprint magnet, although that's hardly a problem unique to the Xperia XA2.

  One nice design inclusion that's very common on Sony phones, but sadly absent elsewhere, is a dedicated camera shutter button. While the likes of Samsung persist with AI assistant buttons, a button that can take simple photos is a much better idea both for grabbing focus and helping you hold the phone in a way that reduces camera shake.

  Less welcome is Sony's insistence on slide-out trays for the nano SIM card and microSD cards. It's the same kind of flimsy design I hated on the otherwise excellent Xperia XZ Premium, and it's no more welcome here because it's both at greater risk of breaking and getting lost, as is the case of the microSD expansion card.

Camera

• 23MP sensor delivers solid picture quality for a mid-range smartphone
• The absence of a dual-lens array means less versatility compared to many competing handsets

• See sample photos and read our full review of the Sony Xperia XA2's camera

  Sony manufactures most of the sensors used by its rivals, and typically it saves the best parts for its own phones. However, for the mid-range Sony Xperia XA2, it's a little harder to take that viewpoint simply because since it's a throwback, it's equipped with just one sensor at the rear rather than the two that we're getting used to seeing on mid-range (and even a few true "budget") handsets.

  Sony does throw a 23MP f/2.0 sensor into that camera, which gives it some real oomph, but it does mean it lacks the flexibility of a dual camera set-up in terms of the photographic possibilities present in this particular unit. While it's capable of 23MP pictures, that's in 4:3 only, with other aspect ratios dropping the resolution down gradually. It is at least capable of shooting 4K video if you're keen.

  Around the front there's an 8MP camera for selfies, with the selling proposition of a 120-degree shooting angle, so your selfies can become groupies... no, wait, that doesn't sound right. In any case, you can get quite a lot of the front-facing action into a 120-degree shot if that appeals to you.

  Actual picture quality is fine for a mid-range camera, and as already noted, the presence of a dedicated shutter button is a real boon for helping you frame and steady shots. Here's a range of shots taken with the Xperia XA2:

  Sony Xperia XA2 Sample Photos

Performance

• A solid mid-range performer that delivers a snappy experience in general use
• Android 8.0 support provides plenty of modern features and optimisations

• See test results and read our full review of the Sony Xperia XA2's performance

  The Xperia XA2 is powered by the Snapdragon 630 SoC, putting it in the company of handsets such as the HTC U11 Life in terms of processing power. Sony matches it up with 3GB of RAM, and that's a recipe that suggests that it should be capable of solid, if not exceptional performance. That's pretty much exactly what you get, as its Geekbench 4 CPU scores demonstrate:

  It's not quite as powerful on the 3D front, with 3DMark OpenGL and Vulkan scores that sit near the bottom of a range of similarly-priced handsets:

  Games performance was OK for standard titles, but you'll see more than a little slowdown if you push anything hard at the Xperia XA2.

  Sony's reskinning of the Android 8.0 UI won't appeal to all tastes, but it's essentially free of excessive bloatware, and being Android makes it exceptionally easy to reskin in any case. The Xperia XA2 as tested was running Android 8.0 with the March Security Update installed; Sony's track record with updates is reasonably good in recent history, so it's likely that the Xperia XA2 will see Android P when it releases later this year.

Battery life

• Standout battery life that ranks among the top performers on the market
• More than capable of all-day battery life, and possibly even multiple days with light use

• See test results and read our full review of the Sony Xperia XA2's battery life

  One of the benefits of using lower-power processors such as the Snapdragon 630 is that they are by definition lower-power processors. We've certainly seen decent battery life out of existing 630-based handsets in the past.

  Then there was the Xperia XA2 and its 3450mAh battery:

  Now, to be clear here, the Xperia XA2 is nowhere near as powerful a device as either the Galaxy S9+ or the V30, but it's punching up in terms of both its battery endurance and its ability to perform meaningful tasks while doing so.

  Simply put, the Xperia XA2's battery life is superb. This isn't just a paper result, as my own more ad-hoc tests saw it sail happily through a day's usage. If your needs are light, it feels as though two days could even be feasible, although I didn't test for that.

  The Xperia XA2 sadly doesn't support wireless charging, although it does have support for fast charging with Sony's own quick-charging adaptor. However, that's not supplied in the box and will set you back an additional $49 if you crave fast charging capabilities.

Verdict

• A premium-feeling handset at a mid-range price

• Read our full Sony Xperia XA2 verdict

  The Xperia XA2 shows what's possible in a mid-range handset in 2018, because it simply wasn't that long ago that many of its features could be seen as being truly premium.

  That being said, it's also not without its flaws. We're increasingly seeing mid-range and budget handsets with 18:9 displays, so the Xperia XA2's bezel-heavy 16:9 screen feels a little limiting. Likewise, Sony's slow shift towards dual-lens cameras means that you're facing fewer photographic choices when composing pictures than on many competing smartphones, even in the mid-range space.

  Alternatives

  For $549 outright, you've got a range of choices to consider. The recently-reviewed HTC U11 Life has the same core engine, Android One and slightly better performance, although it can't match up to the Xperia XA2's exceptional battery life.

  You could opt for one of Samsung's Galaxy A phones, although at the $549 price point you're getting perilously close to some of the import bargains we've seen for the Galaxy S7 as well. Motorola would be more than keen to sell you a Motorola's G5S Plus or Moto X4, and its new Moto GS6 Plus phone will most likely hit Australia at this kind of price point.

  If the Xperia XA2's camera doesn't do it for you, put Huawei's Nova 2i/Mate 10 Lite into the mix. We're also expecting the updated Nokia 6, which will use the same core processor as the Xperia XA2 to hit Australian shores in May, so that may well be worth the wait.

  

  What the other reviewers say

  Site	Comment	Score
  TechRadar	"The Sony Xperia XA2 is a solid Android phone at a sensible price, although the design will date quickly."	3.5/5
  Tom's Guide	"An incredibly bright screen and Android Oreo aren't enough to make Sony's bulky mid-range phone worth its steep price tag."	5/10
  PC & Tech Authority	"The Xperia XA2 is pretty much faultless for the price."	5/5

Pricing and availability

• Price: RRP ~$400
• Where to buy: Sony | eBay

Compare SIM-only plans for the Sony Xperia XA2

Specifications

Latest Sony news

Sony Xperia 1 vs Samsung Galaxy S10

Should you buy a Samsung Galaxy S10 or wait for the Sony Xperia 1?

Read more…

Sony Xperia 1 vs Apple iPhone XS

How does the Sony Xperia 1 compare against the Apple iPhone XS?

Read more…

Sony Xperia 10 Plus: Features | Pricing | Specs

The bigger brother to the Xperia 10, Sony's Xperia 10 Plus packs a larger screen and more-powerful guts into its ultra-tall 21:9 frame.

Read more…

Image: Shutterstock