Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra

The Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is one of Sony’s mid-range smartphone. The design of the XA2 Ultra has many noticeable and significant changes from the original model. When you’re looking at this phone from a distance you might not really notice anything, since it has the same boxy rectangular shape as other Sony devices. However, at closer inspection, you will notice some clear differences with this phone. The first thing is that the bezels are a lot smaller all over the phone. It might not be noticeable at the top and bottom because they’re still thick there, but on the sides they’ve become practically non-existent. The screen runs a beautiful edge to edge design that a lot of its competitors fail to replicate on their devices.

There’s a metal frame for the handset which makes it feel pretty solid, while the rear is made of plastic, articulating how it is not a premium product in its bracket. The Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is definitely a whopper.

The smaller bezels may elude you to think the XA2 Ultra has an 18:9 display, but that isn’t the case here. Instead, the XA2 Ultra has stuck with the more traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, which is also partly why the phone is so wide despite the thinner side bezels.

The fingerprint scanner on the rear is relatively easy to reach, although you may not be able to use it to full effect as it sometimes does not unlock on the first try.

The Sony Xperia XA2 has an IPS LCD capacitive display panel and boasts a familiar Sony smartphone design, which is definitely functional above all else. Sony has always been good with their touchscreen displays and the XA2 Ultra is no exception. You get great viewing angles and it gets bright enough so that viewing it outdoors is not an issue. The phone has a 6-inch IPS LCD with a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution for its touchscreen display, covered in 2.5D glass that provides a slight curve along the edges, blending it nicely with the phone’s subtly rounded aesthetic.

The XA2 Ultra has fairly mediocre specs with the midtier Snapdragon 630 processor. it performs admirably as you use multiple apps and multitask to try to establish its capacity. Swiping through screens, launching applications, toggling home screens and playing games turn out to be a pleasant and fluid experience. The XA2 Ultra will not be able to produce sensational benchmark numbers, however, in real-world use, it does satisfy most of its users.

One of the more interesting features of the Xperia XA2 Ultra is actually the camera – the front-facing one to be precise. The main sensor is a 16-megapixel camera with OIS (optical image stabilization) which helps with low-light photography and also takes less blurry selfies. if you have shaky hands, then the 8-megapixel wide-angle sensor secondary camera will make it a lot easier to fit more people/ background into the frame. The slow sync flash can also be used, however, it comes at the expense of the slightly higher quality of the 16-megapixel camera. This is supposed to properly illuminate your face and the background when you’re taking a selfie.

On the back side is a 23-megapixel camera with an aperture of f2.80 and it’s capable of a maximum ISO level of 12,800 which is pretty high for this price range. Low-light shots, however, are not the best on this camera as they are washed out when it comes to colours. Further, highlights are overexposed and muddy.

With the massive 3580 mAH battery of the XA2 ultra gives you a recipe for some brilliant battery life. It easily gets through 2 full days of heavy use and a consistent 6 hours of screen time. Fast charging is also available with the Quick Charge 3.0 and Sony’s unique Stamina Mode, which can help prolong the battery life. Features such as Battery Care and Qnovo Adaptive Charging come with the XA2 Ultra’s battery, to help keep it healthier and extend its lifespan to the maximum.

The Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is a smartphone that appeals to a niche audience. Sony hasn’t gone out of its way to achieve new heights here, but what it has done well is deliver a phone that hits every mark to make it a very good option to buy. The camera can be better, with the Sony design not being the most attractive or modern, and the Android overlay not being to the taste of the general masses. However, if these are compromises you are willing to make, then it is a stellar phone with many great features – and a slightly high price point.