Sony refreshes its smartphone mid-class to the MWC 2017 and donates the Xperia-XA series a better equipment. Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Ultra release the devices from the previous year with better system-on-a-chip, more memory, new camera and better connectivity. The prices of the new models have risen slightly.
The dimensions and the side-rounded design of the smartphones has changed little compared to the previous year. Sony maintains the display diagonals of 5.0 inches for the XA1 and 6.0 inches for the XA1 Ultra. The resolution is 1.280 × 720 pixels for the smaller model, the larger version resolves with 1,920 × 1,080 pixels. The displays are again run on the left and right sides without borders.
New Helio P20 from MediaTek
It will be interesting for the inner life of the new XA1 smartphones. The upgrade from the MediaTek Helio P10 to the Helio P20 brings two differently clocked Cortex-A53 clusters. Instead of up to 2.0 GHz on all cores, there is now a performance cluster with up to 2.3 GHz and a power cluster with up to 1.6 GHz. The ARM-GPU Mali-T880 MP2 is also slightly faster than the Mali-T860 MP2 of the first Xperia-XA generation. The division into two CPU clusters should work together with the new 16-nm FinFET production of the SoC for longer run times.
Sony Xperia XA1 (Bild: Sony)
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More memory, better cameras and faster LTE and WLANThere is also a plus in the memory and the internal memory to announce. The Helio P20 also supports LPDDR4X, of which the Xperia XA1 contains 3 gigabytes and the Xperia XA1 Ultra 4 gigabytes. This corresponds to one Gigabyte more than a year ago. Sony is doubling the internal memory from 16 to 32 gigabytes for both devices, the memory expansion with microSD card remains the same.
The same is now the case with the main camera, which dissolves with 23 megapixels and offers a hybrid autofocus by phase comparison and contrast measurements. Video recording is possible in up to 1080p. Sony still distinguishes the devices at the front camera, where only the XA1 Ultra comes to 16 megapixels and is equipped with an optical image stabilizer. However, both smartphones offer an autofocus for the front camera.
Upgrades are also available for connectivity: the LTE was installed on Cat. 6 with up to 300 Mbit / s in the downlink and up to 50 Mbit / s in the uplink, is now also WLAN-ac on board. Bluetooth is also a new version with version 4.2. The USB port remains in protocol 2.0, but now uses the practical type C standard instead of micro-USB.
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra (Bild: Sony)
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Android 7.0 nougat preinstalledBoth new smartphones are running Android 7.0 Nougat and Sony’s slight adjustments to the user interface. The operating system supports several assistance modes, as Sony calls them, which can automate tasks for the user in a timed manner. This includes, for example, the fact that the smartphone does not send push notifications during the day, or that it downsights the screen brightness without its own downtime and reminds to set the alarm clock.
Market launch in April and May for 279 and 379 euros
The Sony Xperia XA1 is due in mid-April in the colors black and white to the recommended retail price of 279 euros on the market. Sony is currently charging 229 euros for the Xperia XA. The market introduction of the Xperia XA1 Ultra is scheduled for mid-May and also in black and white. The suggested retail price is 379 Euro. The older Xperia XA Ultra currently costs 329 euros.
Shirley is your guy if you want to choose a perfect smartphone in your budget. He is always abreast with the latest news on smartphones and various tech products. In his free time, she loves to visit famous tourist attractions.
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra (Bild: Sony)Picture 1 of 3