Sony revamped both the bezel-light 5”
mid-ranger and the selfie-holic 6” Ultra model under the new XA1 heading.
Seriously, though, the cameras on these two phones punch well above their
weight category.
The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra continues that proud tradition with an impressive
16MP 1/2.6” sensor coupled with a 23mm (equiv.) f/2.0 lens with autofocus and a
dedicated LED flash.
That’s the selfie camera even though those
are main camera specs. The main camera itself is no slouch either - 23MP 1/2.3”
sensor, 24mm (equiv.) f/2.0 lens and SteadyShot (no OIS here, though). The
other thing we remember about the previous model was its size. The XA1 Ultra
brings back the substantial 6” screen with 1080p resolution. The company
managed to make the phone lighter, and it weighs less than the XZ Premium,
cool.
Sony upgraded the chipset to a MediaTek Helio P20
(up from P10), but we’re baffled by the decision to keep the battery at
2,700 mAh - that was the Ultra’s Achilles heel, and we have a feeling history
will repeat itself. Charging is done over USB-C with Pump Express+ 2.0 support
(MediaTek’s take on fast charging).
The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra will come out in early
summer running Android 7.0 Nougat. It will be available in White, Black, and
Gold and there will be a regional Pink version (not in Europe, though). Back in
its day, the XA was the narrowest 5” phone around, its side bezels barely
there. The Sony Xperia XA1 will do it proudly, thanks to what the company calls
a “borderless edge-to-edge screen.”
The biggest update on the new model is the main
camera - a 23MP 1/2.3” sensor with a 24mm (equiv.) f/2.0 lens, Hybrid AF, and
SteadyShot. Yes, that’s essentially the same still camera as the Xperia XZ!
Okay, it can’t record 4K video (it tops out at 1080p), but that’s still wildly
impressive for a mid-range phone! The selfie cam hasn’t changed much but is
still solid - an 8MP shooter with autofocus and Steady shot.
The Xperia XA1 is powered
by a Helio P20 chipset with 3GB of RAM (the Ultra has 4GB). And again like it,
the battery department was overlooked for a promotion, leaving you with a
measly 2,300 mAh battery. Also, note that this model uses the old microUSB
standard. Scheduled for early summer, the XA1 will be available in the same
color options - White, Black, Gold and (outside of Europe) Pink.
