Sony Xperia XA1 review - average between ok and bad. Review of Sony Xperia XA – Beautiful and affordable smartphone from Sony Review of Sony Xperia XA dual
For a long time now, Sony's mobile division has been receiving a lot of criticism due to: unreasonably high prices, late design changes, and not the best software optimization, in particular camera software. And this is just what immediately comes to mind. Were the Japanese able to correct all the shortcomings in the new line?
Equipment
The Sony Xperia XA1 smartphone came for review in a simplified version. Inside I found only the smartphone itself, a cable with a Type-C connector for charging and a set of instructions. Remembering my previous one, I mentally prepared myself for the fact that again I wouldn’t understand anything and would have to read tons of text in the manual.
The commercial version, of course, has a power supply that supports fast charging technology (MediaTek PumpExpress 2.0). Unfortunately, I can’t tell you the exact parameters of the power adapter or the charging speed.
Design
I thought that Sony would not be able to please me with anything in terms of the appearance of the smartphone, but I was deeply mistaken. continues the tradition of smooth rectangular shapes with sharp corners. And you know, I would still prefer exactly this form factor than a smartphone made in the shape of soap.
My previous device was, which I really liked for its bright design and jy was also made in the shape of a brick. Personally, it’s more pleasant and comfortable for me to hold just such a smartphone.
| Length | Width | Thickness | Weight | |
| Sony Xperia XA1 (5’’ screen) | ||||
| iPhone 6S (4.7’’) | 138,1 | |||
| Xiaomi Mi 5S (5.15’’) | 145,6 | 70,3 |
Thanks to the almost complete absence of side frames, the width of the Xperia XA1 is only 67 mm! With one hand you can completely grasp the smartphone so that your fingers touch without any problems. Accordingly, you can reach the opposite side of the screen with your finger.
On the front side there is a 5-inch display. Above it there is a front camera, an LED indicator for notifications, a light sensor and a speaker, and below the display there is only a lone microphone for calls.
Initially, when I first looked at the Sony Xperia XA1, I thought that there were stereo speakers installed on the front side, it really looked like that. After all, there is enough free space. The upper and lower frames “eat up” as much as 36 mm from the total length of the smartphone, which is 145 mm.
There are also no unnecessary design elements on the back side, apart from the NFC tag emblem. For what? For what? It's as if Sony is telling everyone: “Hey, look, our new smartphone has NFC support!” Well, of course, it wouldn’t be here if the price was over $350.
Although, there is no fingerprint scanner and the body is made entirely of plastic...
But I can’t say that I treat plastic with any mistrust. Any material has its pros and cons. The main advantage of this is the weight. The smartphone is incredibly light.
The Xperia XA1 is a pleasure to hold in your hands. At the same time, nothing slips or falls out of your hands.
In addition to the NFC tag logo, there is a camera, a single-color flash and the brand name on the back side.
There are no buttons on the left side; there is only a slot for a SIM card and memory card. At the same time, the slot is not a combination slot, just one plug for two ports.
On the right side there are three buttons: a volume rocker, a round power button and at the very bottom a shutter / camera button. Just a couple of sentences about the last one. For left-handed people, the button is simply ideal for taking selfies. The little finger lies exactly on the point where this key is located.
At the top end there is a 3.5 mm headphone port, and at the bottom there is an input for Type-C and a multimedia speaker. The sound is average; at maximum volume, wheezing begins to appear.
By the way, Sony offers 4 color options for the smartphone: white, black, gold and pink.
Generally, appearance of Sony Xperia XA1 It gave me a lot of pleasant impressions, although the Japanese company has not changed a similar design for many years. It will be interesting to look at their bezel-less smartphone variant in the future.
Display
The smartphone has a 5-inch IPS matrix with HD resolution. Some may consider that such a resolution is no longer enough in 2017. And I will say that the quality of the display itself plays a big role, so that the colors do not fade when you look from different angles. And this is exactly the Xperia XA1. In addition, individual pixels on the screen are not distinguishable.
- 5-inch IPS screen
- resolution 1280 x 720 pixels
- 294 dpi
The smartphone's display itself is of decent quality. The picture is not inverted at large viewing angles, only black can take on a slight purple tint. With stock color correction settings, there is a clear shift towards warm shades. White color with a slight yellowish tint.
For AMOLED lovers, there are settings that allow you to create a similar picture typical for these displays. With a slight shift to blue and cool tones.
There is also an oleophobic coating, which really pleased me. The finger glides across the screen very easily, any stains are removed in one go. It’s enough to just swipe your jeans or a rag a couple of times (which no one ever carries with them). By the way, the display is covered with protective glass Corning Gorilla Glass. Which generation is not specified.
Specifications
- MediaTek Helio P20 processor with 8 ARM Cortex-A53 cores, of which 4 operate at frequencies up to 2.3 GHz and 4 more at frequencies up to 1.6 GHz
- Mali-T880 graphics
- RAM 3 GB LPDDR3 (free after reboot 1100 MB)
- 32 GB internal memory (approximately 19 GB available for user)
- Micro SD card support (slot on left side)
- IPS display with a diagonal of 5 inches and a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels (294 ppi)
- 8 MP front camera (1/4-inch Exmor R sensor for mobile devices, 23mm f/2.0 wide-angle lens, maximum ISO for photos and videos - 3200)
- 23 MP main camera (1/2.3-inch Exmor RS sensor for mobile devices, 23 mm f/2.0 wide-angle lens, 5x Clear Image zoom, maximum ISO level for photos 6400, video - 3200)
- 2300 mAh battery + fast charging MediaTek PumpExpress 2.0
- USB Type-C connection ports, 3.5 mm audio output
- OS Android 7.0
- sensors: light and proximity sensor, accelerometer, gyroscope
- dimensions: 145 x 67 x 8 mm
- weight 143 grams
Wireless capabilities:
- 2G, 3G, 4G LTE Cat. 4/Cat. 6 (lanes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 38, 39, 40, 41, 66)
- support for one or two SIM cards (2 Nano)
- Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, FM radio
- Navigation: GPS, A-GPS, Glonass
The most important question regarding performance: how does the MediaTek processor perform? The proprietary shell from Sony allows the smartphone to work quickly in everyday applications. There are no system lags or freezes during operation.
But at the same time, the processor heats up quite a bit. Due to the plastic case, the smartphone instantly becomes warm. The result is that the Sony Xperia XA1 is always warm in your hands.
2D games run comfortably, but 3D games are more difficult. I reviewed it with the same processor, but it had 6 GB of RAM installed. If my memory serves me correctly, games ran more quickly and smoothly on this smartphone than on the Sony device. But in games like: Asphalt 8, N.O.V.A. 3, GTA: San Andreas, Modern Combat 5, Mortal Kombat X - I did not experience severe discomfort. Plus, we must remember that there is a display with HD resolution, which helps reduce the load on the graphics chip in any case. But FPS in World of Tanks Blitz varied from side to side. At high settings, the smartphone ranged from wild freezes in the heat of battle to 45-50 frames per second in a calm environment.
Also, when checking in CPU-Z, I saw that not a single processor core goes to sleep. In fact, even when idle, the smartphone uses all 8 cores, albeit at different frequencies.
The multi-touch test showed support for only 4 touches. Is this even normal? In a device of this class and at this price, you expect the standard 10 touches. After all, more is better. And nothing else!
Another big difference from Sony's flagship smartphones is that the Xperia XA1 lacks moisture protection at all.
Photo and video
The front camera is represented by an 8-megapixel Sony IMX219 sensor with f/2.0 aperture. It seems that even in low light you should get good pictures. Especially when the manufacturer calls its smartphone a camera phone. In practice, the selfie camera feature is a bit disappointing because expectations were so high.
There is a clear lack of detail on the face. The background absolutely does not want to blur. Although, the camera instantly identifies the person in the frame and tries to take the most successful shot.
Even in good light, it is difficult to get a detailed and blur-free photo. Girls definitely won't like it! The video is recorded in 1080p / 30 frames, there is no stabilization.
The main camera is a Sony IMX300 sensor with 23 megapixels. I’ll answer the question right away: “Is there any sense in having a 23 MP camera?” Almost none!
It’s better to have half the pixels, but adequate autofocus, flash, and stabilization for both photos and videos. There is none of this.
Based on the examples, everything is immediately clear: although there are optics with a high aperture ratio, this in no way saves you from strong glare and noise in automatic mode. In general, I suggest forgetting about it and photographing with manual settings.
Autofocus on a smartphone is very poor. The easiest and most common shot can be taken on the second or third try. However, I can’t take many pictures in a couple of seconds. The device needs to think for a while after shooting to display the frame in the gallery.
The flash fires synchronously with the camera shutter only once. I don’t remember this at all in my recent reviews of smartphones.
Good flash performance
Poor flash performance
At the same time, by correctly setting the settings in manual mode, you can get extremely pleasing pictures to the eye. For example, a macro photo with a high level of detail in the foreground and a very natural bokeh effect in the background.
The maximum quality for video recording is 1080p/30 frames. And this is in a smartphone for 22 thousand rubles. At the same time, the video itself turns out to be jerky, the clarity in the frames is not enough, and there is no stabilization. The light is generally adjusted jerkily.
Battery life
The biggest problem with the Sony Xperia XA1 is battery life.
The smartphone has a battery capacity of only 2300 mAh, which is simply prohibitively small for 2017. Now even the most budget options have larger batteries.
An hour of playing with regular toys consumes a quarter of the charge, surfing + playing music takes about the same amount from the battery. If you do not use low-power modes, your smartphone will never survive from morning to night. At best, hours before 6 pm. This smartphone is definitely not for long trips.
In 118 minutes of walking, when I went out to take street photos, while listening to music and using 4G Internet, and the display brightness was turned up to the maximum level, the device lost 60% of its charge.
Sony, as always, has two proprietary power consumption modes:
- Stamina - without any noticeable losses, it allows you to extend the life of your smartphone by a couple of hours; applications begin to be unloaded from memory much faster.
- Ultra Stamina - a smartphone turns into almost an ordinary dialer without much functionality. This allows you to add a couple more hours of work.
Bottom line
Smartphone Sony Xperia XA1 turned out to be very ambiguous. Externally, the device looks cheerful, it is beautiful, elegant and does not feel like a budget device at all. But! As soon as you start to get acquainted with the technical characteristics, it becomes sad.
The main disadvantages include:
- no fingerprint scanner
- small battery capacity
- weak camera software
- lack of stereo speakers, although there is stylization for them
- mini-problems with unclear operation of the cores and the number of supported touch points
In principle, the Sony Xperia XA1 will appeal to those who come to communication stores or large electrical stores to buy a phone. I'm talking about those who are poorly versed in modern technologies and trends and cannot adequately correlate price / quality parameters.
Knowledgeable people know very well that there are much nicer options at an approximate cost. For example, and
Sony Xperia XA is the youngest model of the new Xperia X series, with which the Japanese company begins a new round of its development. The smartphone belongs to the middle price segment, however, it has something to stand out from the background of its main competitors and other devices within the line. Since its release, many have noted that the appearance of the device is one of the key features, and the balanced technical characteristics of the hardware allow it to cope with any everyday tasks.
Appearance
The first thing that catches your eye, and has already been noted above, is the absence of frames on the sides of the screen, however, against this background, the frames at the bottom and top may seem too large. The width of the smartphone is only 66.8 mm and this makes it one of the narrowest devices in the world among devices with 5-inch screens. Holding the Sony Xperia XA in your hands is a pleasure; you tightly grasp its body and reach it to any end of the screen without any problems.
The side frame is round and made of metal, but the back cover is still plastic, although you can’t tell this by touch. Another innovation was the use of 2.5D glass covering the screen, which also makes positive adjustments to the visual perception of the smartphone and convenience. Overall dimensions of the model: 143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9 mm and 138 grams.
There are four color options for the case: white, graphite black, gold lime and rose gold. It is important to note that the front side is now also painted in the color of the body.
On the top edge there is a headphone jack and an additional microphone, on the bottom we have a micro USB port, the main microphone and speaker, on the left side there is a neatly hidden plug that covers the slot for the tray with a SIM card and memory card, and on the right is traditionally the power button (a round metal button, like the early Z-series), a volume key and a camera button.
Display, hardware and software specifications
The Sony Xperia XA has a bright 5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 by 720 pixels (HD 720p) with a pixel density of 294 ppi, which is a little disappointing. However, in reality, this resolution is more than enough, you can only see individual pixels with great difficulty and, without looking at the characteristics, it’s hard to believe that this is not a Full HD matrix, although it would still look more advantageous. With viewing angles and color reproduction, everything is excellent; among the improvements, it is worth noting the proprietary Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 technology and super bright mode. 
Sony actively cooperates with MediaTek and therefore it was decided to use the new MediaTek Helio P10 MT6755 chipset with an 8-core 64-bit processor (ARM Cortex-A53 cores) and ARM Mali-T860 MP2 video in Xperia XA. This chip is capable of providing excellent performance both in games and in working with applications, especially considering the HD screen resolution, everything will work without problems. The RAM capacity is 2 GB, which has already become the standard for mid-range devices. The internal storage is 16 GB, but you can always expand it by installing a large microSD memory card up to 200 GB.
What really leads to bewilderment is the lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 2300 mAh, because today the issue of autonomy is very acute. Although the manufacturer itself will assure that thanks to system optimization, improved STAMINA mode and energy-saving Android 6.0 mode, the smartphone will easily last you 2 days on a single charge in average use, and Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology will preserve the physical life of the battery.
Of course, the Xperia XA has all modern wireless data transmission standards (Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, Wi-Fi), GPS, A-GPS and GLONASS, and the communication module operates in GSM GPRS/EDGE (2G), UMTS HSPA+ (3G) and LTE 4G/Cat 4. In total, models with one SIM card (Xperia XA F3111, F3113 and F3115) and a version with two active SIMs (Xperia XA Dual F3112 and F3116) will be presented.
Cameras
Sony puts a lot of emphasis on the photo capabilities of new products and notes several more modified modules and processing algorithms. The main camera in the smartphone is a 13-megapixel 1/3-inch Sony IMX258 Exmor RS sensor with hybrid autofocus technology and a quick camera launch function so that not a single moment is missed. The same technology is used in the Xperia Z5 flagships and it’s at least pleasant to see it on the mid-range.
To the delight of selfie lovers, a front-facing 8-megapixel Sony IMX219 Exmor R camera with a wide-angle lens (88 degrees), automatic focus, and HDR mode is used.
To say that I really liked the smartphone is an understatement! Appearance, ergonomics, case materials and assembly - everything is really up to par. The use of the MediaTek chipset and HD screen will reduce the price of the model, without losing the pleasure of everyday use of a frameless smartphone.
In contact with
Stylish design, pleasant and comfortable to hold in your hand, bright and rich screen, fast in operation - does not slow down, decent cameras with a bunch of different settings, powerful flashlight.
Minuses
Discharges quickly, very delicate plastic on the back, low volume in the headphones, lack of a fingerprint scanner.
Review
I read a lot of reviews and watched reviews about this smartphone, and finally decided to buy it. The first disadvantage manifested itself literally “without leaving the checkout” - the plastic of the back cover turned out to be so not resistant to scratches that they appeared already in the process of the store employee sticking the film on the screen! Grab your case right away! By the way, if you buy a film for the ENTIRE screen, then due to the rounded edges it will be problematic to stick it yourself without skill, besides, these films are silicone, which complicates the sticking process. During operation, the device proved to be quite worthy, it works clearly and quickly, without freezing. 2GB of RAM is enough for me personally. We were pleased with the cameras, both the main one and the front one; the main one has many settings and additions. I'm pleased with the quality of the photos. The battery is of course rather weak, even despite several energy saving modes, if you actively use it for the whole day, of course there will not be enough charge. I was pleased that the smartphone is not overloaded with various unnecessary applications like other manufacturers, but still out of the declared 16 GB. almost half is occupied by the system. The sound in the headphones is very quiet, if you travel in public transport the volume is sorely insufficient, you don’t even need to turn it on in the subway. To be honest, I didn’t expect this from SONY. But the sound quality is ideal, and there are many settings to improve it. There are no complaints about the quality of communication, everything is picked up very clearly and the interlocutor can be heard perfectly well during a conversation. Each device has its pros and cons, but I did not regret at all that I purchased the Sony Xperia XA Dual SIM, although it seems to me that the price is somewhat overpriced for such a smartphone. But this is SONY. Well, in general, if you take it, I think you won’t regret it.
A simplified and cheaper modification of the new season, but not without a twist
Sony is launching four new smartphones this year: Xperia X, Xperia X Performance, Xperia XA and Xperia XA Ultra. The basis of the line is the balanced flagship Xperia X and its advanced modification X Performance. We already got acquainted with the Xperia X model in the previous review, and very soon we will look at the older version in detail. For now, let's turn to the younger version. The Sony Xperia XA model described today may well be called a simplified modification of the Xperia X smartphone. They have a lot in common, and in some ways this cheaper and more modest version may turn out to be even more interesting than its older brother in the new line.
Key features of Sony Xperia XA (model F3112)
- SoC MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755), 8 cores ARM Cortex-A53 @2.0 GHz
- GPU ARM Mali-T860 MP2 @700 MHz
- Operating system Android 6.0
- Touch display IPS 5″, 1280×720, 293 ppi
- Random access memory (RAM) 2 GB, internal memory 16 GB
- SIM cards: Nano-SIM (1 or 2 pcs.)
- Supports microSD memory cards up to 200 GB
- GSM networks 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
- WCDMA 850/900/1900/2100 MHz networks
- LTE FDD Band 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20 networks
- Wi-Fi 802.11n/ac with MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct
- DLNA, Miracast
- Bluetooth 4.1 LE A2DP, apt-X, NFC
- USB 2.0, OTG
- GPS/A-GPS, Glonass
- Direction, proximity, lighting sensors, accelerometer, geomagnetic
- Camera 13 MP, f/2.0, autofocus, LED flash
- Front camera 8 MP, f/2.0
- Battery 2300 mAh
- Dimensions 144x67x7.9 mm
- Weight 135 g
Appearance and ease of use
In terms of dimensions, the five-inch models Xperia X and Xperia XA are almost identical, and in shape too. Here the continuity of design is obvious, it has been passed on to one degree or another from generation to generation since the days of the Xperia Z, and now all this has been reproduced in the updated Xperia X/XA family, but with adjustments to modern realities.
Little has changed: the corners in the plan have become a little more rounded, the sides have become smoother and more rounded, the front panels have acquired 2.5D glass with sloping edges, making all new Sony smartphones more streamlined and smooth.
But there are also differences between the XA and X versions: the most noticeable ones are on the front and rear panels. As for the back side, everything is prosaic: the cheaper Xperia XA model has a cheaper body, which has not metal as the back wall, like the Xperia X, but plastic that imitates metal.
But with the front side, everything is not so obvious, and here, oddly enough, it is the simplified Xperia XA model that wins. The fact is that this new product has the same notorious “frameless” design, when the thickness of the frame around the display is reduced to a minimum. In the Xperia XA, the width of the frame on the sides is no more than a millimeter, it is almost invisible. The older model Xperia X does not have such a “frameless” effect; its frame width is quite familiar, and this is surprising.
As for the quality of materials and assembly, in this regard the Xperia XA is at the proper level, although a couple of annoying points can be mentioned. The first is a weak grease-repellent coating on the front glass of the screen. It really gets covered with fingerprints very quickly and doesn’t wipe off well, which sometimes makes the smartphone look sloppy.
The second point is related to the sidewalls. For some reason, the side edges of the Xperia XA body are covered with metal (or metallized) plates, very reminiscent of smooth metal and very slippery. The other surfaces of the smartphone are generally not slippery, but the side edges suffer from this drawback. And this is wrong: because of them, the device constantly tries to slip out of your hands.
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In terms of the distribution of elements on the body of the Xperia XA, everything is familiar. Cards are inserted into the side slot on the left, and here we can highlight the second (after the “frameless” display, which the older model lacks) positive difference between the Xperia XA and the Xperia X. The fact is that under the cover there are two slots for cards, and not one hybrid, as in the Xperia X. That is, in the Xperia XA you can simultaneously insert two SIM cards and another microSD memory card, and for this you do not have to remove one of the SIM cards, which is good news.
For SIM cards there are two equivalent compartments for Nano-SIM cards. Hot swapping is not provided: Sony smartphones always reboot themselves as soon as the cover of the corresponding slots is opened. A nice thing is that in Japanese smartphones the tray for SIM cards does not need to be squeezed out using a paperclip; it can be easily removed after picking it up with a fingernail.
Mechanical buttons are located on the opposite, right side of the case. Unlike older models, there is no fingerprint scanner integrated into the power button. And the button itself is different in shape: it is not elongated, but round, as in previous Xperia Z models even before the appearance of fingerprint sensors in them.
The front panel has all the right elements, including an LED event indicator that shines a dot above the screen in case of charging or missed messages.
Sony no longer has touch buttons at the bottom under the screen, only virtual ones on the screen. And in this regard, it can be noted that quite a lot of completely free, unoccupied space is left under the screen.
There is nothing on the back of the case except a camera window with a flash. The camera module does not protrude beyond the surface, the flash is implemented with a single LED, not too bright.
The main speaker is located at the bottom end, next to the Micro-USB connector, located in the center and supporting the connection of third-party devices in USB OTG (USB Host) mode. Between them you can see a small hole for the speaking microphone.
The second microphone, for the noise reduction system, is located at the top end, next to the audio output for headphones.
Like the Xperia X, our review hero did not receive protection from water and dust; in the new family, only the most advanced Xperia X Performance has it. As for the colors of the case, here the buyer has a choice of four colors: white, black (“graphite black”), lemon (“golden lime”) and copper-pink (“rose gold”). These colors will be present to one degree or another in all modern Sony models.
Screen
The smartphone is equipped with an IPS touch screen with fashionable 2.5D glass with sloping edges. The physical dimensions of the display are 62x110 mm, diagonal - 5 inches. The size is exactly the same as the Xperia X, but the resolution is half the size, only 1280x720, and the pixel density is 293 ppi. But the frame around the screen, unlike the Xperia X, is so thin that it’s difficult to measure. However, despite the thin frame and rounded edges of the glass, there is no trace of accidental touches on the screen, and the absence of a frame does not cause discomfort.
The display brightness is automatically adjusted based on the light sensor. There is also a proximity sensor that blocks the screen when you bring the smartphone to your ear. Multi-touch technology allows you to process 10 simultaneous touches - however, the standard AnTuTu test could not adequately cope with this screen. Unlike the Xperia X, the smartphone in question does not support working with the screen while wearing gloves. And of course, the function of working with wet fingers is a thing of the past, since new Sony smartphones are not protected from water.
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A detailed examination using measuring instruments was carried out by the editor of the “Monitors” and “Projectors and TV” sections, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Here is his expert opinion on the screen of the sample under study.
The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are better than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photograph in which a white surface is reflected in the switched off screens of both devices (Sony Xperia XA, as it is not difficult to determine, is on the right; then they can be distinguished by size):
Both screens are dark, but the Sony screen is still darker (its brightness in the photo is 103 versus 111 for the Nexus 7). The tripling of reflected objects in the Sony Xperia XA screen is very weak, this indicates that there is no air gap between the outer glass (also known as the touch sensor) and the surface of the matrix (OGS - One Glass Solution type screen). Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, such screens look better under strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. The outer surface of the screen has a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (not very effective, noticeably worse than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed more easily and appear at a slower rate than with regular glass.
When manually controlling the brightness and displaying the white field in full screen, its maximum value was about 550 cd/m², and the minimum was 3.6 cd/m². The maximum value is very high, and, given the excellent anti-glare properties, in bright daylight and even in direct sun the image on the screen should be clearly visible. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable level. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the logo on the front panel). In automatic mode, as external lighting conditions change, the screen brightness both increases and decreases. This function is dependent on brightness adjustment. If it is at a minimum, then in complete darkness the auto-brightness function reduces the brightness to 4.7 cd/m² (a bit dark), in an office illuminated by artificial light (about 400 lux) it sets it to 37 cd/m² (it could have been brighter), in bright environment (corresponds to lighting on a slightly cloudy day outdoors - about 10,000 lux) increases to 460 cd/m² (sufficient). If the brightness slider is at half scale, then the screen brightness for the three conditions above is as follows: 44, 160 and 550 cd/m² (suitable values). If the brightness control is set to maximum - 180, 310, 600 cd/m² (the first two values are too high). Everything looks good, but the problem is that in very bright light (on a clear day outside, but without direct sunlight - 20,000 lux or a little more), the brightness of the backlight is greatly reduced. As third-party programs have shown, this is due to a light sensor that is not working correctly. As a result, it cannot be said that the auto-brightness function works adequately. At any brightness level, there is no significant backlight modulation, so there is no screen flicker.
This screen uses an IPS type matrix. The microphotographs show a typical IPS subpixel structure:
For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.
The screen has good viewing angles without inverting shades (except for the very, very dark ones when deviating along one diagonal) and without a significant color shift even with large deviations of the view from perpendicular to the screen. For comparison, here are photographs in which the same images are displayed on the screens of the Nexus 7 and Sony Xperia XA, while the screen brightness is initially set to approximately 200 cd/m² (over a white field in the entire screen), and the color balance on the camera is forcibly switched to 6500 K .Perpendicular to the plane of the screens is a white field:
Note the good uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field. And a test picture:
Colors are rich on both screens, and the color balance is noticeably different. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen:
It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens, and on the Sony Xperia XA the contrast has decreased to a greater extent due to a greater brightening of blacks and a greater drop in brightness, and there are also signs of inversion of dark shades. And a white field:
The brightness at an angle for both screens decreased noticeably, but in the case of the Sony Xperia XA the drop in brightness is slightly greater. When deviated diagonally, the black field brightens greatly and acquires a purple or reddish tint. The photographs below demonstrate this (the brightness of the white areas in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the screens is the same for the screens!):
And from another angle:
When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the black field is good:
It can be seen that the curved edges refract light from the black field illuminated at the corners, which does not look very good. The contrast (approximately in the center of the screen) is high - about 970:1. The response time for the black-white-black transition is 15 ms (7.5 ms on + 7.5 ms off). The transition between halftones of gray 25% and 75% (based on the numerical value of the color) and back takes a total of 25 ms. The gamma curve, constructed using 32 points with equal intervals based on the numerical value of the shade of gray, did not reveal any blockage in either the highlights or the shadows. The exponent of the approximating power function is 2.63, which is higher than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma curve deviates greatly from the power law:
Due to the presence of dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness in accordance with the nature of the output image (in dark images, the brightness tends to decrease), the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential output of shades of gray almost the entire screen. For this reason, we carried out a number of tests - determining contrast and response time, comparing black illumination at angles - when displaying special templates with a constant average brightness, and not monochromatic fields in the entire screen. In general, such non-disabled brightness correction does nothing but harm, since it reduces the visibility of gradations in the shadows in the case of dark images. In addition, this dynamic adjustment when displaying any image other than a white field on the entire screen significantly reduces the brightness, which impairs readability in bright light, and constant adjustment of brightness can be very annoying.
The color gamut is slightly different from sRGB:
The spectra show that the matrix filters moderately mix the components with each other:
As a result, visually the colors have a natural saturation. The balance of shades on the gray scale is acceptable, since the color temperature, although higher than the standard 6500 K, but the deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) is below 10, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device. At the same time, color temperature and ΔE change little from hue to hue - this has a positive effect on the visual assessment of color balance. (The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored, since color balance there is not very important, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)
This smartphone has the ability to adjust the color balance by adjusting the intensities of the three primary colors.
That's what we tried to do, the result is data signed as Corr. in the graphs above. As a result, we improved the balance on the white field, but the spread of values on dark shades increased catastrophically. In fact, there is no point in making corrections in this case. In the settings you can choose one of three correction profiles.
The photos above are taken for option Switch off. Note that the correction only works in Sony applications - when viewing images and, apparently, in the video player. This is what happens if you select a profile Extreme brightness mode:
The color contrast increases, nothing remains of the naturalness of the colors. In mode Mobile Bravia Engine 2 Nothing bad happens to the image - on the contrary, contour sharpening is disabled:
Let's summarize. The brightness adjustment range of this screen is very wide, the anti-glare properties are excellent, which allows you to comfortably use the smartphone both on a sunny day on the beach and in complete darkness. It is acceptable to use the mode with automatic brightness adjustment, but you need to be prepared for the fact that in very high ambient light conditions this function will make the screen unreadable due to a strong decrease in the brightness of the backlight. The advantages include the absence of an air gap in the screen layers and flicker, high contrast, good uniformity of the black field, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and acceptable color balance. The disadvantages are an ineffective oleophobic coating, low black stability to gaze deviation from perpendicular to the screen plane, as well as non-switchable dynamic adjustment of the backlight brightness. And the curved edges of the outer glass do not add comfort, since they glare all the time and tend to glow in the dark. Nevertheless, taking into account the importance of characteristics for this particular class of devices (and the most important thing is the visibility of information in a wide range of external conditions), the quality of the screen can be considered high.
Sound
The Xperia XA sounds less interesting than the Xperia X; the sound of the main speaker here is quite simple. For a call signal, this high, piercing, monochromatic high-frequency sound is quite enough, but for listening to melodies there is not enough width of the frequency spectrum, or depth and brightness of the sound, or, in general, even a volume reserve. The sound in headphones is certainly more interesting; overall, everything is pretty good, but there are fewer settings than in flagships. There is automatic optimization of all sound parameters using the complex ClearAudio+ function, but if you turn it off, then from manual settings you can only find an equalizer with preset values and surround sound emulation, which few people use at all.
There are no complaints about the conversational speaker and microphone: the intonation and timbre of a familiar voice remain recognizable, there is practically no noise, the sound is clear, although also not at all saturated or bright. The sensitivity of the microphones is normal, the voice is recorded clearly on the recorder and is clearly distinguishable when played back, the noise reduction system copes with its tasks adequately.
The smartphone has an FM radio; automatic recording of telephone conversations from the line using standard means is not provided.
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Camera
The Sony Xperia XA smartphone is equipped with two cameras with a resolution of 13 and 8 megapixels. This, of course, is not 23 and 13 megapixels, like the older Xperia X, but still not bad. The front camera here has an 8-megapixel sensor with an Exmor R matrix for mobile devices and a wide-angle lens (88°) with an f/2.0 aperture without autofocus and its own flash. Here, as for the main camera, automatic and manual control modes are supported, you can use HDR and even add animation effects using the creative AR effect mode. The front camera produces high-quality images, with good sharpness and color rendition, quite decent for selfie level.
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The main camera features a 13-megapixel 1/3-inch Exmor RS mobile sensor and a 24mm f/2.0 wide-angle G Lens with fast hybrid autofocus. The maximum light sensitivity is manually set to ISO 3200, but the official settings state ISO 12800.
All new Sony smartphones, as before, received SteadyShot stabilization with Intelligent Active Mode, which ensures smooth shooting without distortion. And of course, Sony is practically the only manufacturer that still installs a separate hardware camera control button in its smartphones.
In manual mode, everything is exactly the same as in older models: you can set sensitivity, white balance, and change the focus type. There is a five-fold digital zoom using Clear Image zoom technology. Additional modes are also present, including those downloaded separately - panoramic, photo with sound, Sticker Creator, face in the image - everything is in place. One of the most unusual is the familiar augmented reality mode called AR effect, which makes it possible to combine real photographs with animation.
By the way, unlike older models, camera control is not transferred to third-party applications via the Camera2 API, and recording in RAW is also not supported.
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The camera cannot shoot video in 4K (since even the older Xperia X model does not do this), the maximum resolution is 1920x1080. True, on the Xperia X you can shoot at 60 fps, but this is not even possible here. The SteadyShot stabilization function is noticeable when shooting on the move, and the image really becomes smooth. The camera copes with video shooting on the whole decently: the image is bright, without noticeable artifacts, with good color rendition, although a bit loose and with undistinguished detail. The sound is recorded with high quality; Sony traditionally pays a lot of attention to the noise reduction system in its cameras.
- Video No. 1 (35 MB, 1920×1080 @30 fps, H.264, AAC)
- Video No. 2 (23 MB, 1920×1080 @30 fps, H.264, AAC)
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Good sharpness across the field and plans. On the left there is a noticeable area of blur. |
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Sometimes the camera has slight problems with white balance. |
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The camera copes well with macro photography. |
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As the shot is removed, the sharpness drops very smoothly. |
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Good sharpness in distant shots. |
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The text is well done. |
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Good detail in close-ups. |
| Sony Xperia XA | Apple iPhone 6 Plus |
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The camera turned out to be quite good. The software processing is not very noticeable, and shortcomings such as not very accurate white balance and the out-of-focus zone on the left can be forgiven for the good sharpness in the field and in the plans in the rest of the frame. So the camera can handle most situations.
Telephone and communications
Sony Xperia XA operates in most 2G GSM, 3G WCDMA network bands, and also has support for LTE Cat.4 with a theoretical maximum download speed of up to 150 Mbps. The smartphone supports all three of the most common LTE FDD bands among domestic operators (B3, B7 and B20). The connection speed in 4G networks and work with cellular networks of Russian operators in general do not give rise to any complaints from the Sony Xperia XA: the smartphone instantly reconnects after a break, does not lose connection in areas of poor reception, and produces the highest possible speeds in 4G in test areas where competitors demonstrate much worse results. In terms of communication capabilities, Sony smartphones are always at their best; this is one of their advantages.
The device also has support for Bluetooth 4.1 LE, NFC, supports two Wi-Fi bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) MU-MIMO, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi Display, DLNA and Miracast, you can organize a wireless access point through channels Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The Micro-USB connector supports the USB 2.0 specification and connecting external devices in USB OTG mode. The NFC module demonstrates compatibility with the Mifare Classic protocol, which is necessary for the successful operation of the “” application with the Troika transport card.
The navigation module works with GPS (A-GPS) and Glonass without the support of the Chinese Beidou. There are no complaints about the operating speed of the navigation module; the first satellites are detected during a cold start within the first seconds. The smartphone is equipped with a magnetic field sensor, on the basis of which the compass of navigation programs operates.
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The smartphone supports two SIM cards using the Dual SIM Dual Standby standard. There is only one radio module, so there can only be one active conversation. A SIM card in any slot can work with 3G/4G networks, but only one of the cards can work in this mode at the same time (the second will only work in 2G). The choice between two SIM cards for making calls, sending SMS, etc. can be done in advance or immediately before the connection.
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OS and software
Xperia XA is based on the Android 6.0 platform with its own shell, it is exactly the same as the older model Xperia X. Compared to previous generations, only the external appearance has changed: the icons are completely redrawn, the themes change depending on the color of the case.
The internal structure, the location of menu sections, the organization of desktops, etc. - everything remains the same except for the little things. The standard keyboard has changed: now it is replaced by SwiftKey, it is installed by default. Mini-applications have completely disappeared - apparently few people used them. The slide-out menu in the installed programs section has also been removed. For those accustomed to the proprietary interface of Sony smartphones, such changes are unlikely to seem catastrophic; the interface has become a little simpler and more intuitive.
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Performance
For the hardware of its cheaper XA series smartphones, Sony chose products from Taiwanese MediaTek, while the more expensive Xperia X uses Qualcomm Snapdragon. The Sony Xperia XA is powered by the MT6755 SoC, also known as the Helio P10. The Helio P10 configuration includes a 64-bit eight-core True8Core ARM Cortex-A53 processor running at 2 GHz and an ARM Mali-T860 graphics processor running at 700 MHz.
The smartphone's RAM capacity is 2 GB, the built-in flash memory is 16 GB, of which about 11 GB are initially available to the user for his needs. This volume can be increased using microSD cards, and unlike older models of the X series, here you do not have to remove one of the SIM cards for this; all three cards are installed in the device at the same time. It is also possible to connect external flash drives to the USB port in OTG mode. MicroSD cards are supported up to 200GB in capacity, and in practice our 128GB Transcend Premium microSDXC UHS-1 test card was reliably recognized by the device.
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Judging by the comparative table with test data from other current mobile platforms, it can be stated that the new SoC MediaTek MT6755 (Helio P10) is noticeably ahead in all respects of the mid-range MT6753, which was extremely popular among manufacturers last season, and even the once flagship MediaTek MT6795 is already in nothing no better than our heroine. That is, today’s average level of mobile platforms turns out to be better in their capabilities than the top level of last year, which is good news.
Most of all, the Helio P10's results are close to another fresh mid-level platform - HiSilicon Kirin 650. Only here the graphics are slightly better, and in complex and specialized browser tests there is absolute parity between them.
It is interesting to compare the performance of the Xperia XA with the older model Xperia X. That one is also built not on the top Qualcomm platform, but on a mid-level SoC. However, its results in all tests are noticeably higher, both in general and in specialized ones, including graphics, which allows us to evaluate the Helio P10 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 650/652 as solutions of different levels. And if we call the MediaTek MT6755 and HiSilicon Kirin 650 platforms mid-level, then for higher in all respects, but still not flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 650/652, we will have to add some sub-flagship level, which is above average, but below top-end. In any case, the Xperia X turns out to be more productive in all tests than the Xperia XA, which is quite logical for the older and more expensive model in the line.
Based on the testing results, we can confidently say that the Helio P10’s level is not top-end, but rather average. At the same time, for all modern tasks, the capabilities of this SoC should be more than enough at the moment. It can also cope with demanding games so far: World of Tanks can be played comfortably at maximum fps; heavier games do not run at such high fps, but also do not show the slightest lag.
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Testing in the latest versions of comprehensive tests AnTuTu and GeekBench 3:
For convenience, we have compiled all the results we obtained when testing the smartphone in the latest versions of popular benchmarks into tables. The table usually adds several other devices from different segments, also tested on similar latest versions of benchmarks (this is done only for a visual assessment of the obtained dry figures). Unfortunately, within the framework of one comparison it is impossible to present the results from different versions of benchmarks, so many worthy and relevant models remain “behind the scenes” - due to the fact that they once passed the “obstacle course” on previous versions of test programs.
Testing the graphics subsystem in gaming tests 3DMark, GFXBenchmark and Bonsai Benchmark:
When testing in 3DMark, the most powerful smartphones now have the ability to run the application in Unlimited mode, where the rendering resolution is fixed at 720p and VSync is disabled (which can cause the speed to rise above 60 fps).
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Browser cross-platform tests:
As for benchmarks for assessing the speed of the javascript engine, you should always make allowance for the fact that their results significantly depend on the browser in which they are launched, so the comparison can only be truly correct on the same OS and browsers, and this is possible during testing not always. For Android OS, we always try to use Google Chrome.
Thermal photographs
Below is a thermal image of the rear surface, obtained after 10 minutes of running the battery test in the GFXBenchmark program (the lighter, the higher the temperature):
Heating is clearly localized in the upper part of the device, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 41 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), this is the average heating in this test for modern smartphones.
Playing video
To test the omnivorous nature of video playback (including support for various codecs, containers and special features, such as subtitles), we used the most common formats, which make up the bulk of the content available on the Internet. Note that for mobile devices it is important to have support for hardware video decoding at the chip level, since it is most often impossible to process modern options using processor cores alone. Also, you shouldn’t expect a mobile device to decode everything, since the leadership in flexibility belongs to the PC, and no one is going to challenge it. All results are summarized in a single table.
According to the testing results, the test subject was not equipped with all the necessary decoders that are needed to fully play most of the most common multimedia files on the network, in this case, audio files. To successfully play them, you will have to resort to the help of a third-party player - for example, MX Player. True, it is also necessary to change the settings and manually install additional custom codecs, because now this player does not officially support the AC3 sound format.
| Format | Container, video, sound | MX Video Player | Standard video player |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AAC | plays normally | plays normally |
| BDRip 720p | MKV, H.264 1280×720, 24fps, AC3 | The video plays fine, there is no sound | |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AAC | plays normally | plays normally |
| BDRip 1080p | MKV, H.264 1920×1080, 24fps, AC3 | The video plays fine, there is no sound | The video plays fine, there is no sound |
Further testing of video playback was performed Alexey Kudryavtsev.
We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices) Red marks indicate possible problems associated with the playback of the corresponding files.
According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the smartphone itself is good, since frames (or groups of frames) can (but are not required) be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. Note the atypically high screen refresh rate of approximately 67-68 Hz. As a result, in the case of files with 60 fps, 7-8 frames per second are output with an increased duration. When playing video files with a resolution of 1280 by 720 (720p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, one to one in pixels, that is, in the original resolution. The brightness range displayed on the screen corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 (all gradations of shades are displayed in shadows and highlights), which is required for correct playback of typical video files.
Battery life
The capacity of the non-removable battery installed in the Sony Xperia XA is small by modern standards - 2300 mAh. And we must admit that Sony did not think through the issue of power consumption of its device well enough - apparently relying on the assurances of the MediaTek developers that the new technical process and the new platform as a whole have become much more economical. MediaTek always makes similar claims, but the problem is still there: the Sony Xperia XA demonstrated poor battery life results, there’s no other way to put it. It's clear that Sony is counting on the power of its Stamina power-saving modes, but without them, the smartphone performs barely satisfactorily in all standard tests.
Continuous reading in the Moon+ Reader program (with a standard, light theme, with auto-scrolling) at a minimum comfortable brightness level (brightness was set to 100 cd/m²) lasted more than 9.5 hours until completely discharged. When continuously watching videos from YouTube in high quality (720p) with the same brightness level via a home Wi-Fi network, the device did not even last up to 8 hours. In 3D gaming mode, the smartphone operates for 2.5-3 hours.
The smartphone is charged from its own network charger in approximately 1 hour 40-50 minutes with a current of 1 A at a voltage of 5 V. The device does not support wireless charging.
Bottom line
Many people liked the price of the Xperia XA: the device is sold at the time of writing the review for 22 thousand rubles, and they are asking a thousand more for a dual-SIM modification of the same model. What can I say? For Sony's level, this may be a low price, and it is significantly lower than the same Xperia X, offered for 40-41 thousand. However, in the same price category is, for example, the no less interesting model Huawei P9 lite, which does not add anything to the price for the dual-SIM modification - they are all dual-SIM. And a Huawei smartphone with similar characteristics costs 20 thousand, not 23, that is, 3 thousand cheaper than the hero of the review. Is this a price for a more well-known brand? But with a price of up to 20 thousand, you can count many other interesting devices. However, to loyal connoisseurs of the Sony brand, the Xperia XA smartphone may seem like an interesting offer; it all depends on your own wallet, and not the wallet of an abstract user. Objective disadvantages of the new Sony model: water protection is removed, battery life is low, the sound is simple. The rest is at a decent level: screen, platform, communication capabilities, cameras in general are at least good. And yet I can’t help but think that the model is a little overrated.
Smartphone Sony Xperia X (F5122) - review
I am often reproached for the fact that I, as a fan of smartphones with large displays, very rarely review smartphones with a diagonal of up to 5". This is true, they are not particularly interesting to me, especially since smartphones with a small diagonal are, as a rule, also quite frail, and in almost all components: platform, sound, camera, battery, etc. And there are users who are very annoyed by this approach of manufacturers, because they need a good, powerful smartphone, but with a small display. And the choice in this segment with such requirements are very, very small. In this review, we will look at one of these options - a small smartphone that actually has flagship characteristics. This is the Sony Xperia X - a phone with a 5" diagonal.
Display: 5", 1920×1080, FullHD, 2.5D, IPS, 441 PPI
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 650
GPU: Adreno 510
RAM: 3 GB
Flash memory: 32 (64 for Dual SIM) GB
Memory card: microSD up to 200 GB
Fingerprint scanner: No
IR port: There is
Net: GSM/GPRS/EDGE, UMTS, HDSPA/HSUPA, LTE
Wireless connection: Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC
Camera: 23 megapixels, predictive autofocus, flash
Front-camera: 13 megapixels
Ports: microUSB, audio jack
Navigation: GPS (A-GPS), GLONASS
SIM card: nanoSIM
Battery: 2620 mAh, non-removable
Dimensions: 143 × 69 × 7.9 mm
Weight: 153 g
Additionally: proximity, light, pressure sensors, gyroscope, accelerometer, compass
Case colors: black, silver, gold, rose gold
Price: 36-41 thousand rubles on Yandex.Market There is also a Dual SIM version, which has 64 GB of internal memory. This is what the body color options look like.
There are also several more modifications of the Xperia X. These are the cheaper Xperia XA (weaker platform, worse specifications and HD display), the more powerful Xperia X Performance on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, which has protection from dust and water, and the hefty Xperia XA Ultra with a display 6 "FullHD on MediaTek MT6755. Contents of delivery The packaging is a strict white box with a bright Sony inscription and a barely noticeable Xperia X inscription. 
The equipment is extremely ascetic: smartphone, power adapter, USB-microUSB cable. 
On the other hand, what else is needed there? A headset? All these bundled headsets are usually of very low quality, and almost no one uses them. At the same time, they increase the cost of the kit. So what the hell? Another thing is that, for example, Apple equips iPhones with really high-quality Earpods, and so many people use them. Power adapter - 5V and 1.5A. 
By the way, this smartphone supports fast charging according to the Qualcom QuickCharge 3.0 standard, but for it you will have to buy a UCH12 adapter from Sony. Appearance and features
The design of the Sony Xperia X is traditional and expected. Sony generally does not indulge users with variety in design, and the Xperia X is no exception. The body is made of painted aluminum alloy, the display is covered with tempered glass with rounded edges. The ends are slightly rounded, but it is quite convenient to take the phone from the table with one hand, and it also fits very well and is grippy in the hand. 
There are inconspicuous plastic inserts for antennas only at the bottom end; the back cover also does not contain any plastic inserts - it is made of aluminum alloy. The camera eye is located in the upper left corner, and this is an unfortunate position, because during shooting the eye can accidentally be closed with a finger, which Happened to me several times. 
What’s interesting is that this smartphone has no holes for the speaker at all. Right side from bottom to top: camera call button (I warmly welcome such things), volume rocker and power button. 
I didn't like the movement of the buttons at all. Well, okay - the camera, in any case, it requires a long press so that there are no accidental triggers. The volume rocker is inconveniently located, has an extremely small and very indistinct movement. The power button is even stranger. At first I thought that it, like the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, had a built-in fingerprint scanner, which is why the button became so inconvenient (and in older Xperia models it was done very well), but there is no scanner here, and the button is creepy uncomfortable in itself: not only does it not rise above the surface, but it is also slightly recessed. Why this was done is completely incomprehensible to me personally. The top end is an audio output and a second microphone for noise reduction 
The left end is the insert plug for the SIM card and memory card. 
Well, the bottom end has a microUSB output and a microphone. 
Well, here's the Xperia X next to the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge and Lenovo Note 5. 
The smartphone looks good, but, let’s say, without any zest, the materials and assembly are expectedly of very high quality. The control buttons here are traditionally on-screen, and they are also quite large, so they occupy a considerable part of the screen area.
I also really don’t like the fact that here, as in other Sony smartphones, you cannot swap “Return” and “List of running applications”, and in principle, no combination can be used to call up the “Menu”. On the one hand, this is experienceable, but very inconvenient. It’s fine when the buttons are located on the bottom panel and cannot be reconfigured (although, for example, HTC’s are reconfigured), but since they are already on-screen, why can’t they be reconfigured? For example, I am very used to the fact that “Return” is on the right. Actually, almost all smartphones have it on the right, and only Sony has it on the left - and this cannot be changed. Annoying. However, Sony users probably quickly get used to this and don’t like it when the return is on the right. (But for right-handers, return by definition should be on the right, because this button is much more often used than calling up running applications.) Display
Display on an IPS matrix, made using OGS technology. Very good image quality, good brightness margin. In direct sunlight, like the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, the image is very clearly visible. There is an effective anti-glare filter and a high-quality oleophobic coating. Good viewing angles, however, with strong deviations, the white color noticeably loses in brightness and at the same time also acquires an unpleasant, dirty appearance. pinkish tint. The same thing happens when the adaptive adjustment greatly reduces the brightness (or you lower it yourself), - the white color acquires this tint. I tried to show it in the photo - I took it at an angle. It seems clear that it is not white. And next to it in comparison is OnePlus 3, whose white color does not change at this angle. 
That is, in general, the display is of very high quality, but there is one feature that I did not like. Device operation
Android 6.0.1 is installed here, but, as usual with Sony, it uses its own shell and its own system applications. Main desktop.
Applications installed on the system.
Quick switches. They are edited.
Editing quick switches.
Lock window.
As usual, there are a wide variety of themes available for download and installation.
Talk mode.
The sound quality during calls is good, noise reduction works effectively. I was afraid that due to the aluminum body with almost no plastic inserts, the level would be worse than that of other smartphones, but this was not noticeable in test conversations. The only thing is that when I measured the Wi-Fi level in comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, it showed a level slightly higher than the Xperia X. However, slightly higher. Wi-Fi and mobile Internet speed tests showed quite normal speed (in comparison with the same Samsung Galaxy S7 edge).
I listened to HiRes (FLAC) sound in headphones. Sennheiser CX 2.00G in-ear headphones are very good: the sound is clear, spacious, excellent detail, good, but, for my taste, harsh and sometimes downright cutting high (for certain compositions).
Full-size headphones Audio-Technica ATH-M50x are also very good: the sound is quite spacious, clear, good bass and decent highs. In the audio settings there is an option DSEE HX, which should improve the quality of playback of compressed files. Yes, it works. Not that they turn into HiRes Audio, but there is a clear improvement in detail, although the sound does take on a slightly metallic tint. There is also a ClearAudio+ option, which does not work in conjunction with DSEE HX - also interesting: the playback quality does improve for most tracks. Video The system performance is enough to play even 4K videos. 
Games 3D games play smoothly and quickly.
For tanks, FPS is kept almost at the maximum - 59-60.
Epic Citadel performance test.
Connected devices have traditionally been the strength of Sony smartphones.
Smart memory cleaning mode.
There are two energy saving modes: the proprietary STAMINA, which really significantly increases battery life, and the ultra-saving Ultra STAMINA mode.
Here are the apps available in Ultra STAMINA mode.
This is what a desktop looks like with Ultra STAMINA mode enabled.
The manufacturer promises that in this mode the smartphone will last up to 20 days. I tested it and got 16 days of intermittent use. Camera Camera interface.
Photo settings.
Video settings.
It uses a 1/2.3" Exmor RS matrix with a 24mm equivalent lens with f/2.0 aperture. The camera is launched by either a long press on a separate dedicated button or a long press on the power button when the display is off. Examples of pictures. (All clickable, opens in full size.) Indoors. 
On the street. 
Well, in poor lighting conditions. 
In the dark. 
Example video.
In my opinion, the camera is wonderful. Excellent autofocus - really very fast and tenacious. Didn't miss at all in normal lighting conditions. In some reviews I saw complaints that in insufficient lighting conditions it did not focus well - nothing like that happened to me. The focus only drifted when shooting at night in situations where my mirrorless camera also screwed up with focus. The pictures are very clear, with excellent detail. The colors are rich, but at the same time natural. The camera hardly missed a beat with white balance. The video turns out to be of good quality, and I liked how the stabilizer works there: from the video you can see that the picture is stabilized. Of course, this is not such a good stabilizer as in cameras, but this is not a camera, but a small smartphone. Overall, I was impressed with the camera. System and performance CPU-Z data.
AnTuTu test.
In the comparison table, the smartphone is in 22nd place, next to the iPhone 6.
Geekbench 3 tests.
Well, the general index according to PCMark.
The smartphone is really powerful and fast, there are no problems with performance here. Battery life My battery life tests. (STAMINA mode is off.) Internet. The brightness is set to a comfortable 40%, wireless networks are turned on, and the page in the browser is refreshed every 30 seconds. 10 hours 40 minutes. Video. Wireless communications are disabled, the player's brightness is set to a comfortable level of 10 (15 in total), and the MX Player plays a video series in a loop. 9 hours 45 minutes. I expected it to be a couple of hours longer. The PCMark synthetic test returned 10 hours 1 minute. But here I expected it to be a couple of hours less.
However, the smartphone practically does not survive the two days without recharging practically promised by the manufacturer during normal use. It lasts for one day even under very heavy load (10 hours according to PCMark is quite a lot). Two days - only with not too active use and with the STAMINA mode turned on. In general, the autonomy indicators for the given characteristics and battery capacity are quite normal. Observations during operation and conclusions During testing I did not find any problems. When running 3D games or heavily system-loading applications, slight heating was observed in the chipset area. In general, I liked the smartphone. For those who need a small but powerful and high-quality smartphone, this is a good option, and in almost all respects: performance, display, sound, camera, battery life. Price - yes, the price is high, I don’t argue. Actually, Sony smartphones have always been expensive. But a high-quality and powerful smartphone will not be cheap by definition.