Sony Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra go official with thin bezels, great cameras

-




Before the XZ came about, our favorite letters of the Xperia alphabet were "XA". Sony revamped both the bezel-light 5” mid-ranger and the selfie-holic 6” Ultra model under the new XA1 heading. Seriously, though, the cameras on these two phones punch well above their weight category.

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra

We remember the previous Ultra as being only the second phone with an OIS-enabled selfie camera (behind the HTC 10 flagship). The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra continues that proud tradition with an impressive 16MP 1/2.6” sensor coupled with a 23mm (equiv.) f/2.0 lens with autofocus and a dedicated LED flash.



Again, that’s the selfie camera even though those are main camera specs. The main camera itself is no slouch either - 23MP 1/2.3” sensor, 24mm (equiv.) f/2.0 lens and SteadyShot (no OIS here, though).

The other thing we remember about the previous model was its size. The XA1 Ultra brings back the substantial 6” screen with 1080p resolution. The company managed to make the phone lighter, and it weighs less than the XZ Premium, cool!

Sony upgraded the chipset to a MediaTek Helio P20 (up from P10), but we’re baffled by the decision to keep the battery at 2,700mAh - that was the Ultra’s Achilles heel, and we have a feeling history will repeat itself. Charging is done over USB-C with Pump Express+ 2.0 support (MediaTek’s take on fast charging).

The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra will come out in early summer running Android 7.0 Nougat. It will be available in White, Black, and Gold and there will be a regional Pink version (not in Europe, though).

Sony Xperia XA1

Back in its day, the XA was the narrowest 5” phone around, its side bezels barely there. The Sony Xperia XA1 will do it proudly, thanks to what the company calls a “borderless edge-to-edge screen.”



The biggest update on the new model is the main camera - a 23MP 1/2.3” sensor with a 24mm (equiv.) f/2.0 lens, Hybrid AF, and SteadyShot. Yes, that’s essentially the same still camera as the Xperia XZ! Okay, it can’t record 4K video (it tops out at 1080p), but that’s still wildly impressive for a mid-range phone! The selfie cam hasn’t changed much but is still solid - an 8MP shooter with autofocus and Steady shot.

Like its taller sibling, the Xperia XA1 is powered by a Helio P20 chipset with 3GB of RAM (the Ultra has 4GB). And again like it, the battery department was overlooked for a promotion, leaving you with a measly 2,300mAh battery. Also, note that this model uses the old microUSB standard.
 
Scheduled for early summer, the XA1 will be available in the same color options - White, Black, Gold and (outside of Europe) Pink.


Source: gsmarena

Follow us on Twitter
Like our page on Facebook

Popular posts from this blog

Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro could be headed outside of China

-
Image
Looks like the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2016) - which was launched back in March this year, and is currently officially only available for purchase in China - could soon be landing in other markets worldwide. While the device launched in China carries a model number of SM-A9100, a Samsung SM-A910F has been spotted listed on India's import/export tracking website Zauba. While there's no confirmation on exactly which regions will get the Galaxy A9 Pro, a polish retailer is has reportedly already started accepting pre-orders for the device, suggesting that Europe is on the list. In case you don't already know, the A9 Pro is a slightly upgraded version of the A9 with 4GB RAM, 32GB memory, and 16MP rear camera. It also packs in a 5,000mAh battery and runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. Source: gsmarena Via Follow us on Twitter Like our page on Facebook
Read more

Updated Google Contacts app makes it easier to get rid of duplicates

-
Image
Google is pushing out an updated version of its contacts management app, bringing some of the features available in the web version to the Android app. The v 1.5 update reorganizes the user interface of Google Contacts. Instead of the two tabs – all and favorites – the app now just displays your entire contact list, with a sidebar menu available via the hamburger button on the left. Opening that up reveals a new section for managing duplicate contacts. That’s a feature that was present on the web app of Contacts , but the process was more convoluted on the Android app. You can now also add labels to your contacts, making it easy to organize large contact lists based on groups, for things like family, work, or school. That’s another feature that was present on the web app and it’s now finally making the jump to the Android app, a place where it’s actually more likely to be used. Google Contacts 1.5 is currently rolling out to all users, so it should land on your ...
Read more

Xiaomi Mi 5C announced with the first in-house Xiaomi processor

-
Image
Many companies and start-ups are at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but Xiaomi decided to go against the flow and had its own event today at the National Convention Center in Beijing. It had two major announcement - its first in-house chipset named Surge S1 and a Xiaomi Mi 5C smartphone, powered by the new processor. Xiaomi Mi 5C has 5.15” display, a 12 MP main camera and a 8 MP snapper on the front for all the selfies on Weibo. There is a fingerprint scanner on the front and you have 3 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. The battery of Mi 5C is 2860 mAh and the device comes with Android 7.1 Nougat and MIUI out of the box. This whole setup is powered by octa-core Surge S1.
Read more