Sony Xperia XA2 Dual and Ultra Dual smartphones - pros and cons

Probably, now in answer to the question: "Which company is the best smartphone to buy?" rarely will anyone think of Sony. Although the manufacturer has every chance of producing popular models that would take a worthy place in the rating of high-quality devices, while creating competition for the best manufacturers. Sony smartphones will satisfy many of the phone selection criteria.

Sony's Ultra line of smartphones is positioned as budget devices. Here you can find inexpensive new items for yourself. This review is dedicated to smartphones Sony Xperia XA2 Dual and Ultra Dual: how to choose, how much, features and functionality.

Equipment

After opening the box, the buyer will see in it:

• smartphone;
• USB Type-C cable;
• Charger;
• headphones.

The length of the cord is 1 m, which is the optimal size for both recharging and connecting the device to a computer. The regular headphones are not "plugs", but quite decent earbuds. Although more suitable for talking than listening to music.

Appearance

Reading reviews on these devices, you can often see such an epithet in the direction of the device as "shovel". Indeed, right angles are Sony's hallmark. The manufacturer earned the greatest popularity of its models, thanks to precisely these clear and correct angles. Sony does not give in to fashion trends and is not going to copy well-known competitors.

Although the appearance of the Xperia XA2 Dual and Ultra Dual is a little old-fashioned, it immediately stands out from the general background and has its loyal fans.

The rear panel houses the main camera, flash and fingerprint scanner, which is recessed into the body. By the way, the back plastic cover is slightly convex.

The right edge of the phone has a Power button, volume control keys and a separate camera shutter button. By the way, a very convenient solution for photography lovers, which is noted in many user reviews.

The left edge of the device contains a tray for a sim card and a cell for a memory card. And this is another advantage, which is rarely found in phones now.

Above is a 3.5mm headphone jack and a noise-canceling microphone that works very effectively.

At the bottom, the smartphone has a USB Type-C port, microphone, speaker.

Overall dimensions

Before purchasing an Xperia XA2 Ultra Dual, you need to worry about where to wear it. In a pocket or small purse, phones over 124 mm in height are a problem. Add kinks and sharp edges that bulge uncomfortably out of the pockets of jackets and jeans and can damage clothing. It is worth paying attention to this when choosing this model.

The thickness of the phone is surprising, because everyone is used to the fact that devices tend to reduce their thickness. On the other hand, the device is proposed as a phablet - something between a tablet and a smartphone, which explains its bulkiness.

Design

The appearance of the devices does not differ in originality, but it is easily recognizable and looks soundly. The choice of colors is varied, you can choose for every taste. The front panel is the same color as the back, which is something few manufacturers can offer.

Body materials: aluminum and plastic. The back plastic panel is pleasant to the touch. The aluminum frame around the perimeter adds rigidity, protects against impacts.

Screen

The screen is protected by 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass. The joints of the glass with the body of the smartphone are not felt. The surface is perfectly smooth and protects against scratches and other unexpected damage. There is also an oleophobic coating that resists fingerprints well and is easy to clean.

On top of the glass-to-body seam there is an inconspicuous earpiece grille. The XA2 Dual has an LED indicator below, a front camera, light and proximity sensors. XA2 Ultra Dual has one more front camera, flash, sensors and activity indicator. The display produces a high-quality FullHD picture.

You can customize the screen in three picture modes:

• standard;
• turned off;
• extreme brightness mode.

It is also possible to manually adjust the color rendition. In any case, the screen performed well in the sun - information is read effortlessly even in very bright light. The convenience of using the screen is provided by the zoom function. This allows you to fully use the device even with one hand.

Performance

The smartphones are equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 630. The 8-core processor gives the device high performance. This will be appreciated by those using the device for games, for watching movies - the XA2 is very smart.

Android 8.0 software, proprietary shell - Xperia. One of the features of Sony is a user-friendly interface that will delight you with its responsiveness and pleasant animation. There is a pre-installed antivirus, Walkman and other exclusive applications from Sony.

Memory

The XA2 Ultra has 4GB of RAM, and you can choose between 32GB and 64GB of storage. Of course, it is better to immediately purchase a flash drive in order to increase the size of the memory, since the built-in one will not be enough.

The built-in memory in the XA2 Dual is smaller. 2 GB - operational, 16 GB - built-in.

Games

The smartphone is ideal for active games. High-performance and demanding games run smoothly on your smartphone. No braking or freezing was noticed. At high settings, it easily pulls games such as "World of tanks". For the entire time of the game, a stable fps is served. The case does not overheat during the game, but becomes only slightly warm. The graphics stays great, even if you open many applications at the same time.

The most resource-intensive games, for example, "Injustice 2" can take a long time to load, but the game process is not burdened with anything: there are no loadings.

Sound

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, many tend to combine several devices in one device. Most have long been using a smartphone as an audio player. Therefore, special attention is always paid to the sound quality of the gadget.

The devices under consideration lack stereo sound. There is only one sound speaker, but it does a good job. The sound is clear, detailed. The volume is not high, but just enough. The audio output cuts the signal, so it is better to choose high-sensitivity headphones that have low impedance.

Camera

Modern manufacturers are paying close attention to the camera in the phone. How the phone takes pictures in extreme situations or how it takes pictures, for example, at night, can be a decisive factor for buying a device. Therefore, in the Xperia XA2 Dual and Ultra Dual models, Sony paid attention to the camera.

Photo

Considering the features of both models, the XA2 Ultra looks much more attractive. In the era of social media, the advanced front-facing camera gives the smartphone a lot of advantages. Autofocus and stabilization are not present in every device now, therefore it is an advantage.

The mechanical shutter button turned out to be extremely convenient. It can quickly turn on the camera itself. When the shutter is released, focusing takes place halfway, which ensures a sharp picture, by pressing it all the way, photography takes place.

Naturally, the manufacturer has provided the camera with many photo enhancement modes with which you can have fun and diversify your shots. Also, the presence of a wide angle of shooting will allow everyone to get into the frame. The shooting angle is selected manually when photographing.

There is panoramic shooting: frames are connected accurately and easily, instantly processed. Photographing printed text is also straightforward. On the finished picture, the text does not blur, it can be read.

The best photos can be taken in good lighting conditions. In the dark, unfortunately, there is a noticeable blur at the edges and from light sources, which degrades the image quality.

An example of a photo with a standard selfie camera:

An example of a photo with a standard selfie camera at night with a flash:

An example of a photo with a rear camera:

Video

The presence of image stabilization makes video shooting better. Thanks to the noise canceling microphone, the sound in the video is quite decent. There are various quality modes, including 4K. There is a slow motion mode.

Autonomy

One of the main advantages of the Sony Xperia XA2 Dual and Ultra Dual is their excellent battery life. The phone, with not very active use, is able to hold out up to 4 days without recharging. In continuous reading mode, the device will master more than 16 hours of work or 4.5 hours of play.

The XA2 Ultra Dual features a fast charging mode, but in fact the process takes up to two hours. Perhaps this is due to the supplied AC adapter, which is only 7.5 watts.

Smartphones have battery saver and battery life-saving modes that do the job very efficiently. Therefore, it is worth understanding the settings in order to extend the life of the device. Using Power Bank and power saving modes, you can significantly extend the operating time of the device without recharging.

Outcome

The austere design immediately makes Sony smartphones stand out from the cell phone showcase. The build quality is excellent.

Unlocking is instant, but the scanner located at the back will not be convenient for everyone. People with a small palm are more likely to have difficulty unlocking the device.

The Internet is an important component of modern society. Surfing the net on the huge, high-quality, 6-inch XA2 Ultra screen is a pleasure. Reading, watching movies or videos can also help while away the time away from home.

The XA2 Dual device supports all modes of communication except LTE-A. The XA2 Ultra connects to everything: 2G, 3G, 4G, HSDPA, LTE, LTE-A, EDGE, GPS, Wi-Fi. In fairness, it is worth noting that there are negative customer reviews about the quality of the connection. Poor audibility during conversations is associated with a proximity sensor, which in some instances causes incorrect operation. Eliminated by the patch.

Selfie lovers will certainly appreciate the front camera with autofocus, image stabilization and flash. The smartphone allows you to quickly take a picture, if desired, quickly process it and immediately upload the picture to the network.

The pluses also include the simultaneous use of 2 SIM cards and a memory card. There is no need to give up anything and waste time reinstalling the necessary elements. It is worth noting that the inserted SIM cards will catch the connection, one 4G, the other 3G.

Now almost everywhere you can make contactless payments, so the presence of an NFC system in the phone is extremely important. The XA2 Ultra and XA2 Dual are equipped with NFC and this is another plus in favor of the devices in question.

• reliable;
• solid, laconic design;
• dual sim;
• Corning Gorilla Glass;
• availability of NFC;
• built-in radio;
• excellent selfie camera.

• inconvenient location of the fingerprint scanner;
• lack of stereo sound;
• large thickness;
• there is no protection against dust and moisture.

Average device price:

• XA2 Dual - 19,000 rubles;
• XA2 Ultra - 23,000 rubles.

For a little extra, the XA2 Ultra will give you more options, but the massive, imposing size will push some towards a smaller sibling.