After living the Sony life with the Xperia XA1, I have a pretty good understanding of what works, what doesn’t, what can be done to get this right on the next device. As we all know, manufacturers can’t always “fix” everything we think is wrong, but they can certainly improve upon it.
Let’s review what is working on the Sony Xperia XA1; The display which offers a 720P in a small body smartphone makes this device crisp clean and great to look at. Even the “most” avid users that are mad in love with QHD and the likes can’t really tell the difference very much at first glance. The button placement, the camera are all elements that make this device shine. The battery, although small in size, can definitely pack a punch stretching its lifespan well beyond 20 hours. This is due in part by the Helio P20 processor from MediaTek, QNOVO tech for the battery and the lower resolution screen.
The software experience is very nice to stock with a few added extra applications from Sony which is great to work with. Nothing on the software aspect seemed to bog it down. It’s very important to remember that this is a budget midrange smartphone for the average user coming in at just over $300.
What annoyed me often is the touch screen matrix on the device, often 1 out of 3 clicks wasn’t registered, the sound when playing music “ONLY” comes out of the bottom mono speaker. The notification and ringing of the phone will come out of the front facing speaker. There’s no fingerprint sensor and low light pictures we’re consistently blurred.
I gave it a 3.5 out of 5 as this is definitely on the lower-end of something I’d want to use. I was expecting a bit more, but I’m ok with this device as a daily driver doing all the things kids are doing these days.
This part is for you Sony Mobile Canada:
If you intend to capture the market and sell devices and be recognised as a smartphone brand you need to do a few things:
- Great stylish UNIQUE body design
- Excellent camera both in ambient light and in low light
- Excellent sound system with 360 speakers
- Screen needs to be at minimum 1080P
- Fingerprint Sensor is a must
- Battery that can do at minimum 24 hours with 6 hours of screen on time
Don’t cheap out on the processor, ram and keep the price to the lowest possible and you’ll gain a flock.
