Sony Xperia XA2: Full, in-depth review

One last hurrah for OmniBalance

Sony Xperia XA2
  • Sony Xperia XA2
  • Sony Xperia XA2
  • Expert Rating

    3.25 / 5

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.

Would you buy this?

  • 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.

Credit: Fergus Halliday | IDG

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.

Credit: Sony

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.

Credit: Sony


Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.
Read more on these topics: sony, Xperia, Xperia XA2
Show Comments

Most Popular Reviews

Latest News Articles

Resources

PCW Evaluation Team

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

Product Launch Showcase

Don’t have an account? Sign up here

Don't have an account? Sign up now

Forgot password?