The "1-Minute" Review
Verdict
If you don’t mind Sony’s design choices, the XA2 is one of their strongest mid-tier phones yet. While it doesn’t excel at any one thing, it offers decent battery life, solid performance, and a detailed -- albeit slow launching -- camera at a respectable price.What's good
- Sturdy, reassuring design
- Decent rear camera
- microSD support
- Android 8.0
- Solid battery
- Respectable performance
What's bad
- No fast charger included
- Phone prone to smudges and scratches
- Hit-or-miss low-light camera performance
- Camera slow to launch
- Lots of pre-installed apps
Sony has created a niche following with their unique aesthetic and solid build quality. But their previous mid-tier entries weren’t particularly impressive. With the XA2, Sony is releasing a phone that can compete -- at least on paper -- in the competitive mid-tier market.
The phone features the standard chunky Sony design, with a thicker body and crisp lines. However, it’s not the boxy affair of previous models. The metal frame includes rounded edges and the subtle curve of the plastic back pleased most reviewers.
Both the metal and plastic are prone to scratches and fingerprints. So, if you prefer to keep a spotless phone, you’ll want to tack the cost of a case on to the purchasing price.
The phone also includes both a rear fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm headphone jack but does not sport any water or dust resistance ratings.
Around front, you’ll find a 5.2-inch 1080p LCD panel. In its standard configuration, reviewers found colors dull. However, diving into the settings, most found options for tweaking it to their liking. Many noted blue tones to the white areas of the screen. But the screen is plenty bright for outdoor use and crisp enough for both media consumption and reading books, websites, or emails.
Performance was also a high point for the phone. While the 2.2Ghz Snapdragon 630 processor won’t compete with flagships, apps were quick to load. The phone handled games with little stutter or frame drops. However, some reviewers noted the phone felt a bit warm in the hand when pushing the phone to its limits.
Shipping with Android 8.0 Oreo, Sony kept interface changes to a minimum. Unfortunately, they piled on the pre-installed apps. Reviewers found most apps decent alternatives to the stock Android options. However, the AVG app’s persistent notifications annoyed many.
Fortunately, you’ll find 32GB of internal storage to help offset Sony’s choices. Should you need more space, microSD support for cards up to 256GB makes it simple and affordable to expand.
Sony crammed one of their own 23MP sensors in for the rear camera. While it won’t keep up with most flagships or standalone cameras, reviewers were generally pleased with the photography experience. In good lighting, the phone captures excellent color and detail. Low-light performance is hit-or-miss -- however, that isn’t a surprise at this price point.
There’s also an 8MP front-facing wide-angle lens for selfies and video chat. Some reviewers noted issues with distortion when taking close-up shots. Others mentioned that there are solo and group settings on the front camera designed to help with this.
The biggest issue most reviewers faced loading times. Once loaded, the camera is snappy and responsive. Yet, the app often took 2 to 3 seconds to load. If you’re trying to capture that perfect moment, a delay of that length could spell trouble.
With a 3300mAh battery tucked in its chubby frame, the phone has no problem lasting through a day of typical use. While the phone uses USB Type-C charging and supports Quick Charge 3.0, the phone does not include a fast charger in the box. So, unless you’re looking to tack on another expense for a separate charger, expect top-offs to take a few hours.
Overall, reviewers found the phone a decent deal and a solid performer. TrustedReviews notes, “This is a perfectly solid, ‘nice’ phone we’ve enjoyed using.” Alphr heaped on the praise, saying, “It’s a nippy, smart-looking phone and, unusually for a mid-range Sony device, entirely reasonably priced.”
What the Critics Are Saying...


- Leigh :) Stark, PickrWhile it’s a relatively solid effort, there are things Sony could have improved, such as the size and thickness, the price shift from last year, and the total absence of any water resistance, something we’re still surprised by, since it’s practically Sony staple and missing in action. But if you’re...


- Alexandru Stănescu, GSM DomeYes, it’s a heavy and fat phone, but overall it surpasses the Xperia XA1 enough to be worth a look and a buy. It’s less sexy than its two predecessors for sure. The curve is rather odd, but among the midrangers of 2018 this is top 5 material.


- Daniel Tyson, AusdroidThe Xperia XA2 runs quite well on the internal hardware, and it should last you all day on the battery. It doesn’t have the best camera at night but it does pretty well during the day, and offers pretty decent 4K video. I also quite like the design, the rear mounted fingerprint sensor is fast and wo...


- Fergus Halliday, PCWorldIf 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.


- Manuel Masiero, NotebookcheckA very solid mid-range smartphone. However, it does not bring a real "killer feature" to distinguish it from the competition.
Prices (Where to Buy)
Common Questions
We've got you covered! Download a free PDF copy of the Sony Xperia XA2 user manual here.
Sony backs up the Xperia XA2 with a 1 Year parts & labour warranty.
If your Xperia XA2 has problems and is still within its warranty period, you could contact Sony support or the retailer you purchased the phone from. You'll find Sony's contact information here. If your phone is off warranty and needs repair for a physical problem such as a broken screen or bad battery, you should visit an authorized service centre or a local phone repair shop. You can also connect with others in The Informr Community Forum to find and share answers to questions.
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Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- Sony Xperia XA2 Manual (PDF)
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