Sony Xperia XA2 Smartphone Review
Sony is rejuvenating its smartphone lineup, starting with the mid-range. We saw two new phones which were introduced at CES 2018: the new Xperia XA2 Ultra mid-range flagship with a 6-inch display and its smaller sibling, the Xperia XA2, which we also took to our test lab.
Apart from the form factor, there are no major differences between the two smartphones. Both offer a Full HD resolution, use the fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 mid-range SoC. and up to 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The Xperia XA2 is slightly less ambitious with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage. This also goes for the camera: While the Xperia XA2 Ultra has two selfie cameras, the Xperia XA2 limits itself to one 8-MP camera. However, it uses the same 23-MP main camera as its larger sibling. Sony charges about 300 Euros (~$370; around $350 in the US) for our test candidate, and the Xperia XA2 Ultra costs about 100 Euros (~$123) more.
In the highly competitive mid-range, the Sony Xperia competes against many other devices that are similarly equipped and priced. Our comparison includes the Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL, the BQ Aquaris X Pro, the Honor 9, the HTC U11 Life, the Motorola Moto X4, and the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017). In order to make it easier for you to decide, we also compare the performance of the Xperia XA2 directly against that of the Xperia XA2 Ultra.
Case - fashionable, robust, and almost without bezels on the long edges
Instead of using a unibody case, Sony has opted to tread its own path in the design of the Sony XA2. The 5.2-inch mid-range smartphone combines a convex-shaped plastic case with a very narrow metal frame whose sides are also rounded. This causes the Full HD display, which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 4, to appear almost bezel-less, at least in portrait format.
While the bezels are significantly thicker at the top and bottom, the smartphone still does not appear chunky, even if it is not very slim at 9.7 mm (~0.38 in). The two short sides do not really fit with the smooth haptic of the front and back, since they are surrounded by a relatively sharp edge. Although this does not hurt the fingers, the transition in particular at the corners feels quite abrupt.
Sony offers the Xperia XA2 in black, silver, blue, and pink case colors. The mid-range smartphone is not waterproof.
Features - USB-C port, Quick Charge 3.0, Dual-SIM
Sony has equipped the Xperia XA2 with the fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 mid-range SoC, which is accompanied by the similarly fast Adreno 508 graphics chip. The base hardware is complemented by 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of internal eMMC storage. The storage can be expanded by up to 256 GB using the microSD slot on the left side, which can alternatively also hold a second Nano-SIM card. In the test, we were unable to move any apps, but only pictures, videos, and application data onto the microSD card.
The USB Type-C connection of the Sony Ericsson Xperia only supports USB-2.0 speeds, but also fast charging via Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. A fingerprint sensor on the back and a 3.5 mm headphone jack are additional features of the Sony mobile.
Software - Android 8.0, too many added software
Sony delivers the Xperia XA2 with Android 8.0 and has added only few functions to the Google-OS, such as the Xperia Action Service (see also the section on navigation) and a manufacturer help function. Added are the Android security patches, which are quite current at the level of January 1, 2018.
Included are also the classical Sony software additions, such as Xperia Lounge, PlayStation, and Movie Creator, but also various third-party apps, none of which can be uninstalled, but only deactivated. This includes some useful tools such as the AVG Protection virus protection, but also some bloatware such as Amazon Shopping or the Video & TV SideView remote app. This shrinks the available storage space from the nominal 32 GB down to barely 20 GB.
Communication and GPS - fast data transfer, precise locating
With WLAN 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, the Xperia XA2 supports all the current WLAN standards and is able to connect to the 2.4-GHz as well as the 5-GHznetworks. In our test using our Linksys EA8500 reference router, sending is possible at up to 289 MBit/s, and receiving even at up to 309 MBit/s. Even though this puts the Xperia XA2 only into the middle of our comparison field, it is not much slower than the fastest devices. The smartphone can also communicate over shorter distances via Bluetooth 5.0 and NFC.
With a Nano-SIM card and the corresponding data plan, you can surf at LTE speeds. While Sony have not announced in their specifications which frequency bands are supported (we will add the information on the frequency bands as soon as we find out from the manufacturer), the maximum data throughput is specified at 600 MBit/s while downloading and 150 MBit/s while uploading. In the test, we always had a good reception in the rural Vodafone network.
With its GPS module, the Sony X2 locates us outdoors at an accuracy of up to 4 meters (~13 ft). Indoors, the accuracy is still decent at 9 meters (~29 ft).
We get a similarly good result in the practical test, where we take the Sony Smartphone together with the Garmin Edge 500 professional navigation device on a longer bike tour. In terms of the measured results, the Xperia X2 turns out hardly worse than the navigation specialist and almost measures the same overall distance. Subjectively, you cannot notice any difference between the devices, which is a strike for the Sony smartphone in terms of everyday usability.
Telephone Functions and Call Quality
The Xperia mobile leaves a good impression while calling. The voice quality was always flawless in our test, whether we were calling a landline or mobile number. In quiet surroundings, the hands-free function could also be used sensibly.
Cameras - The Sony mobile has a good 23-MP camera
Sony has equipped the Xperia XA2 with a 23-MP camera, which uses the in-house Sony-Exmor-RS sensor, an aperture of F/2.0, and an 84-degree wide-angle lens. The 1/2.3-inch sensor takes pictures in the 4:3 format at up to 4144x5520 pixels and in the 16:9 format at a maximum of 3376x5984 pixels (20 MP). The camera records 4K videos at up to 30 FPS, Full HD videos at up to 60 FPS, and in 720p slow motion mode, it is even 120 FPS. The 8-MP webcam has a 120-degree super wide-angle lens, so you can even shoot group selfies.
In daylight (scenes 1 and 3), the 23-MP camera of the Sony mobile takes good pictures with high accuracy of the details. However, the Exmor-RS sensor does not strike such a good figure in poorly lit surroundings (scene 2), where the image details appear washed out and blurry. The camera also has some difficulties with the exact color reproduction.
The 8-MP selfie camera cannot even quite convince in optimal light conditions. Even though you can manually adjust some of the recording parameters as in the main camera, the pictures are always quite noisy.
Finally, we are analyzing the camera under controlled lighting conditions. We are evaluating the color reproduction using the X-Rite ColorChecker Passport and the image sharpness using our test chart.
In the color reproduction, the Xperia Dual SIM always appears slightly off the ideal line. Colors are displayed slightly too saturated, and in contrast the Grayscales turn out too pale in parts. However, the smartphone has no problems at all to produce a sharp reproduction of the test chart and cannot be deterred by some difficult to reproduce elements such as color gradients or gray wedges.
Accessories and Warranty
Sony includes a modular power supply (Sony UCH20, 5 V, 1.5 A), a USB cable (Type C to Type A), earphones, and a quick start manual with the mobile. There are quite a few accessories to choose from on the website, such as a Bluetooth headset (40 Euros/~$49), a cover with an integrated stand (40 Euros/~$49), a USB charger for the car (35 Euros/~$43), and with the Sony UCH12W (50 Euros/ ~$62), a charger that also supports Quick Charge 3.0 in contrast to the included charger.
Sony offers a 24-month warranty for the Xperia XA2. Please see our Guarantees, Return Policies and Warranties FAQ for country-specific information.
Input Devices and Navigation
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC and 3 GB of RAM ensure that the navigation of the Xperia XA2 runs mostly smoothly. Only right after the startup, it can take a few moments until all the GUI elements have loaded. But after that, everything runs without any trouble. The Full HD touchscreen reacts to input quickly and precisely. The same goes for the fingerprint sensor, which sits in a little nook below the main camera and can be felt easily. The physical keys (power button, volume rocker, shutter release) have a clear pressure point, are not too easy to press, and convince with good haptics. The versatile SwiftKey keyboard is used as the default keyboard.
Display - bright, high-contrast, but not without flickering
The IPS display of the Sony Xperia XA2 has a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels and joins some good company, since at this point a Full HD display is the standard that can be expected. Things also continue as expected: although at an average of 506.2 cd/m², the display is not quite as bright as in some of the competitors, this does not matter much in everyday operation. With its brightness (93%), black value (0.42 cd/m²) and contrast ratio (1221:1), the Xperia XA2 also achieves some good values. The smartphone does deserve some criticism for its PWM flickering. However, this only occurs at a display brightness of 7% or lower, so it should not be relevant in practice either.
|
Brightness Distribution: 93 %
Center on Battery: 513 cd/m²
Contrast: 1221:1 (Black: 0.42 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 5 | 0.5-29.43 Ø5
ΔE Greyscale 7.8 | 0.57-98 Ø5.3
Gamma: 2.2
Sony Xperia XA2 IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20 | Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL IPS, 1920x1080, 5.50 | BQ Aquaris X Pro IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20 | Honor 9 IPS/LTPS, 1920x1080, 5.15 | HTC U11 Life SLCD, 1920x1080, 5.20 | Motorola Moto X4 LTPS IPS, 1920x1080, 5.20 | Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 Super AMOLED, 1920x1080, 5.20 | Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra IPS, 1920x1080, 6.00 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen | 19% | -22% | 21% | 9% | 1% | 40% | 21% | |
Brightness middle | 513 | 656 28% | 458 -11% | 550 7% | 545 6% | 469 -9% | 539 5% | 659 28% |
Brightness | 506 | 634 25% | 473 -7% | 535 6% | 526 4% | 479 -5% | 542 7% | 680 34% |
Brightness Distribution | 93 | 93 0% | 88 -5% | 92 -1% | 87 -6% | 86 -8% | 93 0% | 88 -5% |
Black Level * | 0.42 | 0.4 5% | 0.51 -21% | 0.42 -0% | 0.42 -0% | 0.37 12% | 0.56 -33% | |
Contrast | 1221 | 1640 34% | 898 -26% | 1310 7% | 1298 6% | 1268 4% | 1177 -4% | |
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 5 | 5.3 -6% | 7.1 -42% | 3.3 34% | 4.9 2% | 5.5 -10% | 1.6 68% | 2.8 44% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 11.4 | 7.8 32% | 14.5 -27% | 4.5 61% | 8.5 25% | 10.7 6% | 2.6 77% | 6.5 43% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 7.8 | 5.2 33% | 10.5 -35% | 3.6 54% | 5.4 31% | 6.7 14% | 1.5 81% | 3 62% |
Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.22 99% | 2.28 96% | 2.38 92% | 2.31 95% | 2.1 105% | 2.28 96% | 2.18 101% |
CCT | 7964 82% | 7905 82% | 8951 73% | 7226 90% | 7610 85% | 8064 81% | 6422 101% | 6938 94% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 1157 Hz | ≤ 7 % brightness setting | |
The display backlight flickers at 1157 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 7 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 1157 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 17844 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 3846000) Hz was measured. |
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
20.8 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 6 ms rise | |
↘ 14.8 ms fall | ||
The screen shows good response rates in our tests, but may be too slow for competitive gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 40 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is similar to the average of all tested devices (21.4 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
57.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 25.2 ms rise | |
↘ 32.4 ms fall | ||
The screen shows slow response rates in our tests and will be unsatisfactory for gamers. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.2 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 93 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is worse than the average of all tested devices (33.7 ms). |
The Xperia XA2 allows its users to tune the color display to improve the image. The display settings have a menu item called "color scale and contrast," which offers three different modes. By default, the image improvement is turned "Off," a "Standard mode" promises a better image quality for pictures and videos, and a "Super vibrant mode" is supposed to miraculously bring surreal and super vibrant images to the display.
As our measurements using the Colorimeter and the CalMAN software show, the color accuracy is best when the image improvement is turned off. However, all the values are still far from optimal, and the display appears too cool due to the color temperature being much too high. But at least by adjusting the parameters for white balance (see settings in the screen shot), you can tune this display mode towards a fairly accurate color reproduction, even though there is still a lot of room for improvement. In the Standard and the Super Vibrant modes, the color deviations are far from the ideal balance - as was announced in the description. However, they ensure very bright and saturated colors, which subjectively look much better than the slightly pale "Off" mode.
Due to its high brightness reserves and its viewing angle stable IPS panel, the Sony Xperia XA2 is well suited for outdoor use. If you avoid direct sunlight, you can still see the contents on the reflective display, even when the display is tilted to the side. The display only darkens slightly from very steep viewing angles, but this has not much of an impact.
Performance - A solid mid-range performance
With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 630, the Xperia XA2 uses a fast mid-range SoC, which can also be found in the Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL, the HTC U11 Life, the Motorola Moto X4, and the Xperia XA2 Ultra. Equipped with the Snapdragon 626, the BQ Aquaris X Pro is almost at the same level as these five, just like the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) which is driven by the Exynos 7880. Only the Honor 9, whose HiSilicon-SoC Kirin 960 brings clearly more performance, stands out in the benchmarks.
The order of performance that we observed in the synthetic benchmarks remains the same in the browser benchmarks: The Honor 9 comes in first, and again after a clear distance, the Xperia XA2 and the other phones follow. Demanding websites load relatively fast and run smoothly, with only a slight stutter sneaking in here and there.
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
Average of class Smartphone (last 2 years) | |
Honor 9 (Chrome 59) | |
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 (Samsung Browser (Chrome 44)) | |
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63) | |
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (27.4 - 30.8, n=12) | |
Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra (Chrome 65) | |
Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL (Chrome 62) | |
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) |
Octane V2 - Total Score | |
Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 89112, n=213, last 2 years) | |
Honor 9 (Chrome 59) | |
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 (Samsung Browser (Chrome 44)) | |
Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra (Chrome 65) | |
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (4398 - 5202, n=13) | |
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63) | |
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL (Chrome 62) |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109) | |
Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra (Chrome 65) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (8396 - 10257, n=13) | |
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63) | |
Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL (Chrome 62) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63) | |
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 (Samsung Browser (Chrome 44)) | |
Honor 9 (Chrome 59) | |
Average of class Smartphone (388 - 9999, n=170, last 2 years) |
WebXPRT 2015 - Overall | |
Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra (Chrome 65) | |
Honor 9 (Chrome 59) | |
Sony Xperia XA2 (Chrome 65.0.3325.109) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 (86 - 117, n=10) | |
HTC U11 Life (Chrome 63) | |
Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL (Chrome 62) | |
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 (Samsung Browser (Chrome 44)) | |
BQ Aquaris X Pro (Chrome 59.0.3071.125) | |
Motorola Moto X4 (Chrome 63) |
* ... smaller is better
The Xperia XA2 can access our Toshiba Exceria Pro M501 reference storage card quite fast (reading at up to 270 MB/s, writing at up to 150 MB/s), achieving about the same speeds as the competition. When reading and writing to the internal storage, the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) always remains far behind. The differences between the smartphones are particularly high in the 4KB writes, which are between 7.59 and 55.3 MByte/s, depending on the device. At 13.82 MByte/s, the Xperia XA2 is not one of the fastest devices at all here, but it keeps some good company.
Sony Xperia XA2 | Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL | BQ Aquaris X Pro | Honor 9 | HTC U11 Life | Motorola Moto X4 | Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 | Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra | Average 32 GB eMMC Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AndroBench 3-5 | 14% | -8% | 28% | 39% | 49% | -27% | 10% | -1% | 898% | |
Sequential Read 256KB | 271.5 | 287.4 6% | 270.5 0% | 293 8% | 268 -1% | 281.6 4% | 182 -33% | 273.7 1% | 242 ? -11% | 1517 ? 459% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 127.4 | 205.3 61% | 139.6 10% | 204 60% | 120 -6% | 120.5 -5% | 77.1 -39% | 138.8 9% | 100.5 ? -21% | 1122 ? 781% |
Random Read 4KB | 43.07 | 68.6 59% | 37.97 -12% | 55.7 29% | 39.3 -9% | 45.4 5% | 22.41 -48% | 76 76% | 43.2 ? 0% | 248 ? 476% |
Random Write 4KB | 13.82 | 7.59 -45% | 12.07 -13% | 32.7 137% | 50.2 263% | 55.3 300% | 12.13 -12% | 10.1 -27% | 22.4 ? 62% | 273 ? 1875% |
Sequential Read 256KB SDCard | 86 ? | 86.9 ? 1% | 78.7 ? -8% | 68 ? -21% | 82.8 ? -4% | 83.9 ? -2% | 73.7 ? -14% | 85.9 ? 0% | 71.8 ? -17% | |
Sequential Write 256KB SDCard | 64.8 ? | 66.5 ? 3% | 49.77 ? -23% | 34.64 ? -47% | 59.8 ? -8% | 60 ? -7% | 56 ? -14% | 63.3 ? -2% | 52.9 ? -18% |
Games - Even graphically demanding games run smoothly
The Sony Xperia XA2 displays the current games smoothly. Our two reference games, "Dead Trigger 2" and "Asphalt 8: Airborne," both of which are quite demanding on the GPU, each run at the highest possible frame rates of 60 and 30 FPS respectively, even in full details. The navigation via touchscreen always worked flawlessly, and so did the position and acceleration sensors.
Asphalt 8: Airborne | |||
Settings | Value | ||
high | 30 fps | ||
very low | 30 fps |
Dead Trigger 2 | |||
Settings | Value | ||
high | 60 fps |
Emissions - Hardly any heating, weak speaker
Temperature
The subject of temperature can be dealt with quickly, since the Xperia XA2 acts pleasantly unremarkable here. At a maximum of 38.2 °C (~101 °F) even under full load, it does not warm up to more than body temperature. As the battery test of GFXBench shows, there is no throttling. Even during the more demanding Manhattan GFXBench scenario where a game scene is rendered 30 times in a row as in the less demanding T-Rex test, the frame rate remains constantly high and only fluctuates within the measurement tolerance range. During regular usage or during idle operation, temperatures of less than 30 °C (86 °F) will be more the rule rather than the exception.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 38.2 °C / 101 F, compared to the average of 35 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 56 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 37.3 °C / 99 F, compared to the average of 33.8 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 31.1 °C / 88 F, compared to the device average of 32.7 °C / 91 F.
Speaker
The mono speaker of the Xperia XA2, which is positioned next to the USB-C connection, reproduces voice as well as mids and highs in general in a balanced way and is suitable for providing an acoustic background of songs and YouTube-Videos. Since the bass is quite underrepresented in the sound spectrum, the small speaker membrane sounds quite tinny particularly at a high volume. But at least the sound does not get distorted even at maximum volume.
Sony Xperia XA2 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (85.6 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 28% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (5.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 7.6% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 47% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 66% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 27% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (87.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 29.7% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (11.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | reduced mids - on average 5.5% lower than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5.4% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (2.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 32% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 60% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 52% of all tested devices were better, 8% similar, 40% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 15.5% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (9.1% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 9.4% higher than median
(±) | linearity of mids is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 5% higher than median
(±) | linearity of highs is average (7.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (23.6% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 47% of all tested devices in this class were better, 9% similar, 44% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 38%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 66% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 27% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%
Frequency comparison (checkboxes selectable!)
Battery Life - very long runtimes, quickly recharged
Power Consumption
Even though all the competitors gathered here are not power hungry by any means, they still have hardly any chance against the extremely energy efficient Xperia XA2. The Honor 9, the Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL, as well as the Xperia XA2 Ultra sibling model, which use between 48 and 78% more power, are struggling the most. Only the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is similarly energy efficient as our test unit.
Off / Standby | 0 / 0.14 Watt |
Idle | 0.39 / 1.61 / 1.62 Watt |
Load |
3.12 / 4.92 Watt |
Sony Xperia XA2 3300 mAh | Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL 3300 mAh | BQ Aquaris X Pro 3100 mAh | Honor 9 3200 mAh | HTC U11 Life 2600 mAh | Motorola Moto X4 3000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 3000 mAh | Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra 3580 mAh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -57% | -32% | -78% | -26% | -19% | 2% | -48% | |
Idle Minimum * | 0.39 | 0.84 -115% | 0.67 -72% | 1.13 -190% | 0.63 -62% | 0.65 -67% | 0.64 -64% | 0.77 -97% |
Idle Average * | 1.61 | 2.31 -43% | 1.7 -6% | 2.25 -40% | 2.1 -30% | 1.51 6% | 1.36 16% | 2.12 -32% |
Idle Maximum * | 1.62 | 2.33 -44% | 1.78 -10% | 2.3 -42% | 2.15 -33% | 1.57 3% | 1.4 14% | 2.17 -34% |
Load Average * | 3.12 | 4.76 -53% | 4.42 -42% | 4.89 -57% | 3.34 -7% | 3.88 -24% | 2.53 19% | 4.3 -38% |
Load Maximum * | 4.92 | 6.39 -30% | 6.3 -28% | 7.99 -62% | 4.83 2% | 5.47 -11% | 3.63 26% | 6.73 -37% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
Its very low power consumption makes the Xperia XA2 an endurance champion, which the competition almost through the bank has a tough time to follow. Only the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) is even better here, despite its smaller battery and almost identical power consumption. But this does not change anything about the outstanding times achieved by the Xperia XA2: In the practically relevant WLAN test, which calls up a website via script every 30 seconds, the smartphone is only running out of steam after almost 15 hours. The runtime while playing videos is exactly two hours shorter, but at 12:46 hours still very good.
The charging also succeeds quite fast in the Xperia XA2. It took about two and a half hours (exactly: 2:37 hours) in our test, until the empty battery was again recharged to 100%. It would even go faster with the 16.2-watt UCH12W power supply, which is optionally offered for about 50 Euros (~$62), since the included UCH20 power supply only has a power rating of 7.5 watts.
Sony Xperia XA2 3300 mAh | Asus ZenFone 4 ZE554KL 3300 mAh | BQ Aquaris X Pro 3100 mAh | Honor 9 3200 mAh | HTC U11 Life 2600 mAh | Motorola Moto X4 3000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy A5 2017 3000 mAh | Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra 3580 mAh | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -21% | -19% | -30% | -10% | -18% | 19% | -10% | |
Reader / Idle | 2503 | 1665 -33% | 1840 -26% | 1399 -44% | 1820 -27% | 1652 -34% | 2418 -3% | 1788 -29% |
H.264 | 766 | 698 -9% | 644 -16% | 564 -26% | 798 4% | 688 -10% | 984 28% | 876 14% |
WiFi v1.3 | 886 | 562 -37% | 730 -18% | 516 -42% | 725 -18% | 659 -26% | 843 -5% | 849 -4% |
Load | 298 | 286 -4% | 254 -15% | 278 -7% | 303 2% | 289 -3% | 467 57% | 238 -20% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - A solid smartphone without any real highlights
The Sony Xperia XA2 is a very solid mid-range smartphone. However, it does not bring a real "killer feature" to distinguish it from the competition.
With the Xperia XA2, Sony has a good mid-range device in its lineup, which makes everyday life with the smartphone easy. The fashionable 5.2-incher fits into the hands well, possesses a bright Full HD display with stable viewing angles, and thanks to decent performance reserves, also runs graphically demanding games smoothly. Additional positive points are the 23-MP camera which takes good photos in daylight, the long battery life, and the pleasantly short recharging times due to Quick Charge 3.0. With Android 8.0 at the time of our testing, the Xperia XA2 also runs a very current version of the Google OS.
While the Xperia XA2 does not commit any real blunders, it could have done better in some respects: The selfie camera only produces a mediocre image quality, and the nominally 32 GB of storage is reduced to 20 GB by the many preinstalled apps that cannot be uninstalled. Although a waterproof case is not a rarity in the mid-range anymore, Sony has done without it in the Xperia XA2.
At the time of testing, the Xperia XA2 costs 300 Euros (~$370, around $350 in the US), which is practically as much as the similarly equipped and speedy smartphones such as the BQ Aquaris X Pro, the HTC U11 Life, or the Motorola Moto X4.
Sony Xperia XA2
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03/29/2018 v6(old)
Manuel Masiero