Sony Xperia XA2: Full, in-depth review
One last hurrah for OmniBalance
Pros
- Nice feel
- Good price
Cons
- Mediocre camera and performance
- Small display
Bottom Line
Like most Sony phones. The Xperia XA2 is a good option but it’s not quite the best out there.
-
Price
$ 549.00 (AUD)
Performance
In terms of performance, the Xperia XA2 is a snappy and responsive as its Qualcomm-branded processor suggests. Opening and swapping between apps was quick and fast for us - and it’ll probably be quick as fast enough for you.
For the most part, the Xperia XA2 offers an experience that’s a little closer to stock Android than most. However, the Xperia Home UI skin does come loaded with a considerable amount of Sony-specific apps, from a movie creator to the Xperia Lounge social app. I don’t know if any of this is egregious enough for Sony to be slammed on. Still, the majority of what’s here did come across as a bit unnecessary.
That picture isn’t helped by the benchmarking. The XA2 did fall a little short on a lot of its competition. It edged out the HTC U11 Life in a few categories but for the most part it lagged handsets playing in the same price-range, specifically the Oppo R11s and - if we're talking dollar-for-dollar - last year's OnePlus 5.
Battery Life
In terms of every-day battery-life, the XA2 would easily make it through the usual 9-5 work day and often well into the evening as well. We’d still have to charge our device back to full overnight - but if we accidentally forgot to do, we’d usually still have a little bit to go on until we found a power source.
We’re talking eleven or twelve hours of average use here, though - as always - your mileage may vary. Particularly, if you watch or film a lot of video content.
The Bottom Line
If you’re not turned off by Sony’s OmniBalance design language and into the idea of using your next phone for “phone stuff” and not a whole lot else, the Xperia XA2 is priced just well enough to make it worth consideration.
The XA2 almost feels like what you’d expect from a phone from three or four years ago. It might feel a little dated in spots but if your mobile needs haven’t really changed during that time, it’s well-enough equipped to do the job.
Like most Sony phones. It’s a good option but it’s not quite the best available.
Brand Post
Most Popular Reviews
- 1 Dell U3223QE review: A winning debut for an IPS Black monitor
- 2 HP Spectre x360 16 review: The right 2-in-1 at the wrong time
- 3 Acer K242HYL review: An affordable monitor for any occasion
- 4 GeForce Now review: You bring the games, Nvidia streams the hardware
- 5 Asus ProArt PA279CV monitor review: The go-to for content creators on a budget
Latest News Articles
- Bizarre iOS bug swaps out Spotify for Apple Music in the iPhone dock
- Fortnite returns to the iPhone (sort of) courtesy Xbox Cloud Gaming
- Want to go watch the WWDC keynote at Apple Park? Here’s how to apply
- iPad buying guide 2022
- Apple to support ‘passwordless’ iPhone logins on Android phones and PCs
Resources
Macworld
What's new, plus best mac-related tips
and tricks
Business Centre
The latest business news, reviews, features and whitepapers
Videos
Watch our video news and reviews from around the world
Guides
Comprehensive buying guides, features, and step-by-step articles
PCW Evaluation Team
Pedro Peixoto
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Set up is effortless.
Cate Bacon
Aruba Instant On AP11D
The strength of the Aruba Instant On AP11D is that the design and feature set support the modern, flexible, and mobile way of working.
Dr Prabigya Shiwakoti
Aruba Instant On AP11D
Aruba backs the AP11D up with a two-year warranty and 24/7 phone support.
Tom Pope
Dynabook Portégé X30L-G
Ultimately this laptop has achieved everything I would hope for in a laptop for work, while fitting that into a form factor and weight that is remarkable.
Tom Sellers
MSI P65
This smart laptop was enjoyable to use and great to work on – creating content was super simple.
Lolita Wang
MSI GT76
It really doesn’t get more “gaming laptop” than this.
Featured Content
- Which Lenovo Laptop Should I Buy?
- Every TV in Samsung's 2022 line-up: OLED, Neo QLED and more!
- Top 10 best Android and Apple phones for under $600
- Everything you need to know about Smart TVs
- What's the difference between an Intel Core i3, i5 and i7?
- Laser vs. inkjet printers: which is better?