Innovations in technology never ceased to amaze phone enthusiasts, who want to get a hold on the latest and best smartphones.
That is why phone geeks enjoy the sight of huge technology corporations competing against one another with their top creations.
Sony, one of the biggest players in the phone world, released its newest Xperia phones in the country—the XA2 Ultra, Ear Duo, and Xperia Touch and the XZ2.
Luckily, Manila Standard had the chance to get a grasp on their hottest mid-ranger smartphone today—the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra, which operates on Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 octa-core processor with 4 Gigabyte RAM. It boasts of a 6.0-inch Full HD IPS LCD display and Android 8.0 Oreo with a 23-Megapixel rear camera and two rear cameras with 8 and 16 megapixels, respectively. The XA2 Ultra uses USB Type-C for its charger and Fingerprint scanner at the back for security.
Size does matter
The first thing you will notice about the new XA2 Ultra is its HUGE design, which makes you feel holding a very expensive phone. The plates on its sides, top, and bottom, are metal, but the rear of the device is plastic. It weighed around 221 to 222 grams and 9.5 mm thick for its sheer size.
While its robust size, Xperia XA2 Ultra transforms this mid-tier bad boy into an expensive feel and design, the six-inch screen is perfect to enjoy streaming your favorite shows and playing your favorite game on mobile. With its IPS LCD with 1080p resolution, The penman had the chance of having a home theater in the palm of my hand. The audio quality of the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is top-notch that even without headphones, it's still able to produce a very delicate and sharp sound.
Performance matters, too
The Sony XA2 Ultra ran smoothly for most of the time and the author never really had a problem with lags and slow-loading, creating a smart-phone perfect for entertainment. Under the hood of the Xperia XA2 Ultra is the workforce of Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor along with Adreno 510 GPU and 4GB RAM of 32GB of storage (can be upgraded to 64GB).
The XA2 Ultra has a 24-megapixel rear camera at an aperture of f/2.0 that has PDAF and a LED flash unit. Flip the device and you have two front cameras to satisfy your selfie needs, with the main front cam having a 16-megapixel shooter at f/2.0, with OIS paired with an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera at an f-stop of f/2.4.
Battery, Connectivity and Security
Sony XA2 Ultra has a 3580mAh battery, equal to the size of the phone. In average, the phone lasts for a day with heavy online video streaming, internet surfing and a small amount of time with mobile games. Not really a game-changer, but a solid detail to compete in the market.
The charger is a bit different compared to the android phone out there. It has a USB Type-C port at the bottom part of the phone with quick charging capabilities ideal for a short-time charge while on-the-go.
It has 3G connectivity and is LTE-ready, applicable for any preferred cellular network. The writer mostly used it with a Wi-Fi connection at home and at work.
Other than the basic security features of a standard smartphone, XA2 Ultra has a Fingerprint scanner at the back, just a few centimeters below the rear camera. The positioning of the scanner is perfect for the positioning of the index finger, while holding the gigantic size of XA2 Ultra.
Verdict
If you are looking for the best mid-tier phone with top-notch entertainment value, good camera capabilities and a reasonable value for money, then Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra got you covered. From its big-screen to its high-octane processor, this phone is tailor-made just for you. The phone is priced at P22,990 and available at Sony Centers, Xperia Shops, and Sony Authorized Dealers. There are three colors you can choose from—Black, Blue and Gold.