Review of smartphones Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Dual 32 and 64 Gb - advantages and disadvantages

Frameless Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Dual Tablet - for active games, fans of social networks and watching videos. A mid-range smartphone with a good front-facing camera and high-quality build. Let's consider in the review what else the popularity of 32 and 64 GB models is connected with.

Sony

Sony began operations on May 7, 1946, under the leadership of Morito and Ibuki. The name came from the merger of two words sonus (sound) and sunny boys (translated from Japanese as little geniuses). Morito found a word that doesn't exist. The Sony brand is known to almost everyone today. The organization began with the release of a tape recorder, and in 2012 it is included in the top of the best manufacturers.

In 2018, she announced the development of an artificial intelligence-based platform and a taxi quick call system. The Sony Group also consists of a film production holding, a music holding and even a financial one. What is the secret of the company's success? This is the passion of the creators for innovation (at first the organization produced goods such as electric heating pads, and then the first to sell transistor radios and televisions), the desire to restore the reputation of Japanese products in the Western market and the perfectionism of employees.

Next, consider all the characteristics of smartphones Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Dual 32Gb and 64Gb. Announced on 02/26/17. In general, they are very similar, the main difference is the amount of built-in memory, all other characteristics are unchanged.

General characteristics

operating system

Smartphone based on Android 7.0 Nougat, which provides multi-window split screen, compact quick access panel, call filtering by phone number, background task switching option on the smartphone desktop. Night mode helps you to adjust the brightness and contrast to the optimal level when displaying an image. Doze keeps the battery charged longer in screen dim mode. Android also provides support for virtual reality mode. Tops the rating of quality products.

Sony has also included Xperia Assist, which uses machine learning algorithms to adapt to user habits and suggest optimal apps. And there are utilities that increase functionality and monitor user activity.

Iron

Reliable MediaTek Helio P20 (MT6757) - eight-core processor, 16 nm process technology, LPDDR4X standard RAM was first implemented in Sony Xperia. The frequency of the graphic chip is 900 MHz, it can handle heavy games and modern applications. It is possible to transfer data and voice communication from two sims at the same time, while one will work in the 4G band, and the other in WCDMA.

The processor uses a 12-bit color architecture. Shooting up to 24 frames per second.The nimble Helio chipset can display two images simultaneously on two displays, in accordance with the DSI standard.

The MediaTek Helio P20 is a hybrid of Helio X and Helio P, taking the very best from the former - performance and multimedia capabilities, and from the latter - energy optimization. As a result, the Sony Xperia smartphone is ready to handle the heaviest games, although it is equipped with a non-top processor.

Mali-T880 MP2 video processor. Four 2.3 GHz cores + four 1.6 GHz cores.

Mali and Adreno

Below is a comparison with the famous Adreno. ARM's main developments are processor and graphics cores, while the latter has Kryo cores, on which the popular Snapdragon is based. Adreno is more efficient when comparing video processors of the same class, and it heats up less. Mali is leading in the cost of its product, as the developer company managed to spend less money on its release. Mali's software optimization is also better, as its market share is higher than that of the competitor. Higher clock rates, which makes Mali better at gaming. And a more powerful rendering domain, which improves graphics performance. A significant disadvantage is the smaller number of shader cores than the competitors.

Conclusion: Adreno has more powerful computing units and support for new technologies, does not heat up so much during operation. Popular flagship models are endowed with Adreno. Mali is used for mid-range smartphones, but it is more economical, susceptible to software and games. All new items in this area are tailored specifically for this device. Which company is better to choose is rather a question of the intended use of the gadget and the personal requests of buyers.

Memory and battery

Memory 4 GB of permanent memory and 32 GB of internal, can be expanded up to 256 GB by inserting a special slot. In the second version, the memory is increased to 64 GB. Persistent memory allows you to run multiple applications at the same time without sacrificing performance. How to choose the best model? If you use cloud services, then the volume of 32 GB should be enough for the average buyer.

The 2700 mAh battery, modern USB Type-C, supports the fast charging function of MediaTek PumpExpress + 2.0. Provides autonomy for a day of moderate use of the gadget. You can also purchase a Quick Charge unit to increase autonomy, otherwise the charging speed will not be very pleasing - about 2 hours.

Camera

Sample photo:

Wide multimedia capabilities: powerful rear camera and front camera, 23 and 16 megapixels, respectively. The rear is with a 1 / 2.3 "Exmor RS sensor, and the front is with a 1 / 2.6" Exmor R sensor. Not all the best manufacturers can boast of such results. The model is ideal for lovers of both regular and selfie photos. Viewing angle 88 degrees.

LED flash is present on all cameras, fast autofocus, but satisfactory quality, optical image stabilization. The rear camera's f / 2 aperture ensures maximum amount of light in your photos. The noise level is not critical, the sharpness is normal, the minimum distance from the subject is 10 cm. There is automatic shooting and manual settings. If you use the latter, you get very good quality images.

An example of how he takes a picture:

How to photograph at night:

Communication

Equipped with advanced communication technologies in accordance with the LTE standard: GSM 900/1800/1900, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-A; Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, USB, NFC; GPS / GLONASS.

The sound is of average quality, there are restrictions on the volume increase in the headphones. If you use Sony headphones, the sound will be high.

Display

Touchscreen - 6-inch capacitive multitouch. The largest manufacturers have opted for diagonals ranging from 5 to 5.5 inches, so this is a serious difference between this smartphone and Sony. Accepts up to ten simultaneous clicks.

Image size Full HD 1920 × 1080, 367 pixels per inch provide a high-quality and juicy picture. SRGB coverage, it provides the most beautiful image not only of your own photos and videos, but also when viewing content on the Internet. The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Dual is a modern tablet replacement.It is convenient to use such a phone to work with Internet sites and sit on social networks. Good color reproduction, ideal for high quality video viewing. The display showed itself perfectly in the sun, readability is normal. Supports auto rotate function.

Corning Gorilla Glass with 2.5d technology is resistant to mechanical damage, scratches with an oleophobic coating. It is very convenient to play with it, all the smallest details are noticeable and the sensors respond perfectly to the touch of the hand, providing a quick reaction speed in combat. The disadvantage of the smartphone is unlocking, there is no fingerprint scanner, which is equipped with almost all modern gadgets. And there is no special protection against water and dust.

additional characteristics

Design

Non-separable body made of aluminum parts and matte plastic. The materials combine well with each other, the gadget is pleasant to the touch, comfortable, although not as stylish as the all-metal options. Does not heat up so quickly during use. Available in four colors: white, black, pink and gold. Sony-style in its purest form: there are practically no bezels at the edges of the display, the corners are quite sharp compared to modern counterparts. Despite the negative reviews about damage to the pockets, the manufacturer remains true to its design.

The camera and flash are located on the back of the smartphone in the upper left corner, the borders are almost invisible.

Working side keys are on the right, when pressed, a dull click is heard. Added camera control button. Conveniently located, otherwise there would be control problems. On the other side, there is a slot for a memory card and dual sim, working alternately. The tray should be removed and inserted carefully, it is made of plastic.

The bottom panel houses the Type-C and a small speaker, while the top panel houses the AUX port and microphone.

Also a front camera, sensors and a speaker above the smartphone screen. There are no buttons under the glass, although there is room for them. The display shows the usual on-screen control keys.

The phone measures 79x165x8.1 mm and weighs 188 grams. The ideal aspect ratio is 16: 9. Due to the size, it is not entirely convenient to control the smartphone with one hand, but due to the practically absence of frames on the display, this drawback is smoothed out. SwiftKey Keyboard is installed, but using the Google keyboard will speed up the process using swype.

Overall, the build quality of the Japanese smartphone is noticeably high. In online stores there are inexpensive covers for this model for every taste.

Equipment

The packaging is classic - a white box with a minimum of graphic elements. It opens easily, the smartphone is additionally protected by transparent films and a bag. The package bundle is standard - a Sony phone, 1.5 amp charging, USB cable, standard cord length and documentation. There is no usual paper clip in the kit, the SIM slot opens without it, and there are no headphones.

Price

The models are quite budgetary, the average price for a Sony Xperia is 20,000 rubles for 32gb, and a more capacitive brother costs 25,000 for 64 gb. The monetary equivalent of the gadget is quite moderate due to the declared characteristics. Where is it profitable to buy devices? Best purchased from reputable and trusted electronics stores such as DNS or Euroset.

Comparison with Sony Xperia XA

Next, we will consider the differences between the hero of the review and its predecessor - Sony Xperia XA in terms of the main characteristics, how much it costs and which model is better to buy.

The main difference is iron. The operating system has improved from Android 6.0 to 7.0, thus the overall CPU clock speed has increased by 15% and the graphics device has improved by 200 MHz. These are the main selection criteria.

Unfortunately, the battery in the new version of the smartphone has not increased, all the same 2700 mAh. The screen size and pixel density also remained unchanged. The RAM has increased by 1Gb, 1.5 mp more megapixels in the main camera. There is more built-in memory on 48GB, compared to the 64Gb model.

The new Sony is 2 grams lighter and 0.3mm thinner. The smartphone has changed slightly: it has become narrower by 0.4 mm and 0.8 mm - shorter.

The resolution of the main camera has almost doubled - 2160x30 fps.There is a backlight sensor and a continuous autofocus function when recording video. Focus function, white balance can be adjusted manually.

XA1 has DNLA compared to XA, which makes it possible to combine home gadgets into a single digital network. The Wi-Fi 802.11 ac interface at 5 and 2.4 GHz in the updated Sony accelerates data transfer, which is an advantage for games and videos in HD quality. The Bluetooth version became 0.1 level higher, a gyroscope was introduced, the Type-C cable was updated.

A heart rate monitor has also appeared, through which the smartphone can adequately calculate the amount of physical activity of the body and track the activity of the owner.

In general, we can say that the Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Dual smartphone has qualitatively improved its characteristics in many respects, and Sony fans will have to accept such a disadvantage as a small battery capacity, because even without increasing this parameter, the device is quite impressive in size. By the way, in subsequent versions, the manufacturer took this into account, but the cost of such phones is understandable, an order of magnitude higher and the smartphone is heavier.

• Favorable for the price;
• Large display;
• 16 MP front camera;
• High performance;
• Good build quality.

• No fingerprint scanner;
• Small battery volume;
• Medium quality sound.

Summing up the review, it can be noted that the Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Dual is ideal for people who are not ready to spend a lot of money for surfing the Internet or working on a mobile device, it does not matter for them to have a fingerprint scanner and a capacitive battery. According to its characteristics, it is a pretty good model for the stated price.