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

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

Sony

Sony began operations on May 7, 1946 under Morito and Ibuki. The name arose from the merger of the 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 was included in the top of the best manufacturers.

In 2018, it announced the development of an artificial intelligence platform and a quick taxi 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 products 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 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

A smartphone based on Android 7.0 Nougat, which provides a multi-window split screen, a compact quick access panel, call filtering by phone number, and the implementation of a background task switching option on the smartphone desktop. Night mode helps you to set the optimal level of brightness and contrast when displaying an image. The Doze feature saves battery power longer in screen blank mode. Android also provides support for virtual reality mode. Leads the ranking of quality products.

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

Iron

Reliable MediaTek Helio P20 (MT6757) - eight-core processor, 16 nm manufacturing process, LPDDR4X standard RAM is first implemented in Sony Xperia. The frequency of the graphics chip is 900 MHz, pulls 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 an architecture with a color depth of 12 bits. Shooting up to 24 frames per second. The fast Helio chipset can display two images at the same time on two displays, in accordance with the DSI standard.

MediaTek Helio P20 is a hybrid of Helio X and Helio P, taking the best from the first - performance and multimedia capabilities, and from the second - power optimization. As a result, the Sony Xperia smartphone is ready to pull the heaviest games, although it is not equipped with a top-end processor.

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

Mali and Adreno

Next, we give a comparison with the well-known Adreno. The main developments of ARM are processor and graphics cores, the second one has Kryo cores, on which the popular Snapdragon is based. Adreno is more productive when comparing video processors of the same class, and it heats up less. Mali leads in terms of the cost of its product, as the development company managed to spend less money on its release. Software optimization is also better for Mali, since the market share of its products is higher than that of a competitor.Higher clock rates make the Mali better at gaming. And more powerful rendering domain, which improves the work with graphics. A significant disadvantage is a smaller number of shader cores than competitors.

Conclusion: Adreno has more powerful computing units and support for new technologies, it 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, receptive to software and games. All novelties in this area are sharpened specifically for this device. Which company is better to choose is a question rather 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 memory, can be increased 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 performance degradation. How to choose the optimal model? If you use cloud services, then 32 GB should be enough for the average buyer.

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

Camera

Sample photo:

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

LED flash is present on all cameras, fast autofocus, but of satisfactory quality, optical image stabilization. The F/2 aperture of the rear camera guarantees the maximum amount of light in the photos. The noise level is not critical, the sharpness is normal, the minimum distance from the object being shot is 10 cm. There are automatic shooting and manual settings. If you use the latter, you will get very good quality pictures.

An example of how to take a photo:

How to photograph at night:

Connection

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 quality is average, there are restrictions on increasing the volume in the headphones. If you use Sony headphones, the sound will be at a high level.

Display

Touch screen - capacitive multi-touch with a diagonal of 6 inches. The largest manufacturers have chosen diagonals in the range 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 1920x1080, 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. With such a phone it is convenient to work with Internet sites and sit in social networks. Good color reproduction, ideal for high-level video viewing. In the sun, the display showed itself perfectly, readability is normal. Supports auto-rotate function.

Corning Gorilla Glass with 2.5d technology resistant to mechanical damage, scratches with an oleophobic coating. With it, it is very convenient to play, all the smallest details are visible and the sensors respond perfectly to the touch of the hand, providing a fast reaction speed in combat operations. The downside of a 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 housing made of aluminum parts and matte plastic. The materials are well combined with each other, the gadget is pleasant to the touch, comfortable, although not as stylish as all-metal options. It does not heat up as quickly during operation. Available in four colors: white, black, pink and gold. Sony style in its purest form: there are practically no frames around the edges of the display, the corners are quite sharp compared to modern counterparts. Despite the negative reviews about damage to 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 problems with management. On the other side, they placed a slot for a memory card and dual sim, which work alternately. The tray should be removed and inserted carefully, it is made of plastic.

On the bottom panel there is Type-C and a small speaker, on the top there is an AUX port and a microphone.

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

Phone dimensions are 79x165x8.1 mm and weighs 188 grams. The ideal aspect ratio is 16:9. Due to the overall size, it is not very convenient to control the smartphone with one hand, but due to the almost absence of frames on the display, this drawback is smoothed out. SwiftKey Keyboard is installed, but using Google Keyboard will speed things up with swype.

In general, 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 number of graphic elements. It opens easily, the smartphone is additionally protected by transparent films and a bag. Standard equipment - Sony phone, 1.5 amp charger, USB cable, standard cord length and documentation. There is no regular paper clip in the set, the SIM slot opens without it, and there are no headphones.

Price

The models are quite budgetary, the average price for Sony Xperia is 20,000 rubles for 32gb, and a more capacitive fellow costs 25,000 for 64 GB. The monetary equivalent of the gadget is quite moderate due to the declared characteristics. Where is the best place to buy devices? It is best to purchase from well-known and trusted electronics stores, such as DNS or Euroset.

Comparison with Sony Xperia XA

Next, consider the differences between the hero of the review and its predecessor, the Sony Xperia XA, according to 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, resulting in a 15% increase in overall CPU clock speed and a 200 MHz improvement in graphics. These are the main selection criteria.

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

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

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

XA1 has DNLA compared to XA, making it possible to combine home gadgets into a single digital network. Wi-Fi 802.11 ac at 5 and 2.4 GHz in the updated Sony speeds up data transfer, this is an advantage for games and videos in HD quality. The Bluetooth version has become 0.1 level higher, a gyroscope has been introduced, the Type-C cable has been 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 drawback as a small battery, 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 in price;
• Large display;
• 16 MP front camera;
• High performance;
• Quality build.

• No fingerprint scanner;
• Small battery capacity;
• 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 to surf the Internet or work on a mobile device, they do not care about the presence of a fingerprint scanner and a capacitive battery. According to the characteristics, a pretty good model for the declared price.