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Sony Xperia XA1 Plus

Specifications

Sony Xperia XA1 Plus
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus (Xperia Series)
Processor
Mediatek Helio P20 (LP4) MT6757 8 x 2.3 GHz, Cortex-A53
Graphics adapter
Memory
4 GB 
Display
5.50 inch 16:9, 1920 x 1080 pixel 401 PPI, IPS, glossy: yes
Storage
32 GB eMMC Flash, 32 GB 
Connections
1 Fingerprint Reader, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: accelerometer, proximity, compass
Networking
802.11a/b/g/n (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/), Bluetooth 4.2, Dual SIM, LTE, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 8.7 x 155 x 75 ( = 0.34 x 6.1 x 2.95 in)
Battery
3430 mAh Lithium-Ion
Operating System
Android 7.0 Nougat
Camera
Primary Camera: 23 MPix
Secondary Camera: 8 MPix
Weight
189 g ( = 6.67 oz / 0.42 pounds) ( = 0 oz / 0 pounds)

 

Pricecompare

Average Score: 76.17% - good
Average of 12 scores (from 27 reviews)
price: 75%, performance: 90%, features: 80%, display: 80% mobility: 73%, workmanship: 77%, ergonomy: 80%, emissions: - %

Reviews for the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus

80% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus review
Source: Techradar English Archive.org version
The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus doesn't have a flagship identity or a big-bucks brand campaign, but nonetheless it does have a lot going for it. It's the dark horse of the mid-range tier: surprisingly likeable.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 03/06/2018
Rating: Total score: 80%
72% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Review
Source: Phone World English Archive.org version
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is a perfect mid-range device with brilliant features like 4GB RAM, 23MP back camera, 8MP front camera and further it is 4G enabled device. The device has worked smoothly because it has octa-core processor and further it is a very lightweight device. We have tested every section of Sony Xperia XA1 Plus and it has performed very well.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 01/02/2018
Rating: Total score: 72% price: 80% display: 80% mobility: 60% workmanship: 80%
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Review: Sony’s Best Mid-Range Phone?
Source: Unbox English Archive.org version
Here’s to hoping that the Japanese company makes all the right moves to really one-up the competition, but the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is definitely a solid mid-range device and a huge step in the right direction.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/27/2017
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Review
Source: Yugatech English Archive.org version
The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus proves that it can go toe-to-toe with today’s standard of new smartphones. Aside from its solid build quality and simple yet premium design, the Xperia XA1 Plus has a decent overall performance, a long-lasting battery life, and good camera quality. Heat management from the device is fairly efficient. Personally, this is one of the recommended smartphones today that can be chosen as a mid-range device by users.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/17/2017
80% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Review: The perfect mid-range media device?
Source: Recombu English Archive.org version
The Xperia XA1 Plus certainly isn’t a perfect mid-range mobile and it’s up against strong competition from the likes of the Moto G5s Plus and Samsung’s Galaxy A and J Series handsets.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/27/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus review - An affordable entertainment phablet
Source: Tech Nave English Archive.org version
I thought of comparing it with the Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus and Xiaomi Mi A1 , but those two smartphones are more focused on the camera aspect. So it seems like there’s no competition, right? Wrong, there’s still the ASUS ZenFone 4 Max Pro and Nokia 6 because they are packing big batteries inside, particularly the former with 5000mAh that can go for 5 days straight (read our review here), its cameras are better and it only costs RM979! The Nokia 6 has a 3000mAh battery which isn’t bad, but as for performance we can’t say much because we haven’t reviewed it yet.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/16/2017
70% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus review
Source: GSM Arena English Archive.org version
Crowd-favorite display size, a large battery, fingerprint reader straight from the higher-end models - seems like the Xperia XA1 Plus is the XA1 to have. Plus, it shares the other strong points of its immediate kin - the once-flagship 23MP camera does a fine job for stills, and the 16nm Helio P20 chipset strikes a great balance between performance and efficiency. If you want a midranger outside of Sony camp, there are plenty of options. Inside it - the Xperia XA1 Plus stands out.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/07/2017
Rating: Total score: 70%
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus hands-on review
Source: GSM Arena English Archive.org version
Sure, it all comes down to personal taste and how much value you subjectively place on the fingerprint reader, but we just can't help but feel the XA1 Plus would have been a lot more smashing in any of its four shades (Black, Blue, Pink and Gold) if Sony had stuck with the already established XA1 look.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 08/31/2017
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus preview: Mid-ranger with a beefy battery
Source: Pocket Lint English Archive.org version
The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus might only be a mid-range handset, but it offers good specs, like the introduction of the fingerprint sensor and a huge battery that should more than see you through the day, especially if you take into account Sony's previous battery reputation.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/31/2017
Hands on: Sony Xperia XA1 Plus review
Source: Techradar English Archive.org version
The Xperia XA1 Plus looks to be a solid smartphone offering, with a large screen that's well suited to video playback and gaming, and a battery that should keep you going all day.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/30/2017

Foreign Reviews

61% Análisis Sony Xperia XA1 Plus: opiniones y experiencia de uso
Source: El Androide Libre Spanish ES→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/06/2017
Rating: Total score: 61%
Móvil Sony Xperia Xa1 Plus
Source: Movil Zona Spanish ES→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good display; decent hardware; excellent cameras; high autonomy; good connectivity; low price.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/06/2017
80% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus recensione: un buon phablet con autonomia infinita
Source: Ridble Italian IT→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/13/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
70% Recensione Sony Xperia XA1 Plus by Smartphone Italia
Source: Smartphone Italia Italian IT→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/31/2017
Rating: Total score: 70% price: 70% features: 80% display: 80% mobility: 70% workmanship: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus | Recensione
Source: Androidiani Italian IT→EN Archive.org version
Negative: Heavy and bulky; poor wifi connection; high price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/27/2017
Preview Sony Xperia XA1 Plus by Smartphone Italia
Source: Smartphone Italia Italian IT→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Decent hardware; nice cameras; beautiful design; metal case; long battery life. Negative: Unsupported waterproof.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 10/16/2017
Sony Xperia XAa1 Plus Hands-On: Bello Ma Non Balla
Source: AndroidPit.it Italian IT→EN Archive.org version
Negative: Mediocre design; weak hardware; low performance; relatively high price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 09/01/2017
80% Review: Sony Xperia XA1 Plus (Android Smartphone)
Source: GadgetGear.nl Dutch NL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/01/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
80% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus preview: grote batterij, goede camera
Source: All About Phones Dutch NL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/11/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
[Prise en main IFA 2017] Sony Xperia XA1 Plus : un bon compromis pour les petits budgets
Source: Meilleurmobile French FR→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good price; impressive design; nice display; decent hardware.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 09/06/2017
Prise En Main Du Sony Xperia Xa1 Plus : Beau Mais Sans Plus
Source: AndroidPit.fr French FR→EN Archive.org version
Negative: Poor cameras; relatively high price.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/03/2017
81% Recenzja Sony Xperia XA1 Plus
Source: Tabletowo Turkish PL→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/12/2017
Rating: Total score: 81% performance: 90% display: 80% mobility: 90% workmanship: 70%
[WIDEO] Test, recenzja, opinia – Sony Xperia XA1 Plus (G3421) – Trója. Kropka!
Source: 90 Sekund Turkish PL→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Nice design; excellent display. Negative: Mediocre speakers.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 04/06/2018
80% Sony Xperia XA1 Plus incelemesi
Source: Log.com.tr TR→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 12/28/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
80% Đánh giá chi tiết Xperia XA1 Plus: Thiết bị tầm trung hoàn hảo nhất của Sony trong năm 2017
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/15/2017
Rating: Total score: 80%
Đánh giá Sony Xperia XA1 Plus
Source: VNReview VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Good price; nice gaming performance; decent display; long battery life. Negative: Mediocre design; unsupported dual cameras.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 12/07/2017
Trên tay Xperia XA1 Plus đầu tiên tại Việt Nam: 5.5" FullHD, 4GB RAM, 32GB ROM, Pin 3,430 mAh
Source: The Gioididong VN→EN Archive.org version
Positive: Nice display; decent hardware; long battery life.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/31/2017

Comment

Model:

Press Review by Martina Osztovits

The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus is a mid-range phone with a large 5.5-inch 1080p screen and a big battery. Released in August 2017, the phone might still be interesting since its price fell to about 180 Euros (amazon.de) as of 27th of February 2019.

Design and Connectivity

The XA1 Plus looks like a typical Xperia phone from 2017. According to www.techradar.com this means a chunkier feel than you get from many manufacturers. They say gently curved sides make the phone much more comfortable to hold while it is still satisfyingly robust. The top and bottom bezels are large. www.techradar.com describes that the phone does neither have a home key and nor capacitive keys, but software buttons, which take up a little of the 5.5-inch screen real-estate. The phone has a plastic top and aluminum sides. It measures at 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm and weighs 189 g. www.gsmarena.com thinks that the size is reasonable for a 5.5-inch phone, but call the weight hefty. They compare it to the 5.5-inch Xiaomi Mi Note 4, which weighs just 165 g despite having a bigger battery. www.gsmarena.com finds, “In your hands, the Xperia XA1 Plus feels boxy and there's certain heft to it - both of these can be good or bad, depending on where you stand.”. recombu.com thinks that it is a struggle to use the phone with one hand and you will definitely need to use both hands to operate this phone when on the move. Furthermore, the phone lacks water resistance.

Thanks to the thicker profile a proper 3.5 mm headphone found place on the top. The phone features a reversible USB-C port (USB 2.0 limits transfer speeds to 480 Mbps according to www.gsmarena.com), a microSD-slot, and – depending on the variant – a dual-SIM tray or single-SIM tray. www.techradar.com likes that opening the tray does not require a tool. The microSD card slot supports the faster SDXC format and allows adding up 256 GB card storage. As for connectivity the phone supports Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, GPS, GLONASS, NFC, and Bluetooth 4.2. The power button on the right side houses a fingerprint reader (except for US models).

The phone was launched with Android 7.0 Nougat, which is not the latest version. According to www.techradar.com the user interface is very much Sony-flavored, with Sony-made pre-installed apps including News Suite, What's New, PlayStation, Xperia Lounge, AR Effect (Sony's version of Snapchat filters, although it dates back ages), Sketch, and some third-party content including Rakuten's Kobo ereader and AVG antivirus. They say most of these apps can only be disabled, not uninstalled, and some can't even do that. According to www.gsmarena.com FM Radio is available, but there is no Track ID anymore.

Cameras

The phone features a 23 MP rear camera, which sits almost flush, with just a thin silver ring raised above the surface, and a 8 MP front camera. The rear camera features a 1/2.3" sensor, f/2.0 aperture, autofocus, a single LED flash, 1080p/30fps video recording, and SteadyShot EIS. The front camera has a 1/4" sensor and f/2.0 aperture. It can also record videos at 1080p/30fps. While www.gsmarena.com thinks the 23MP primary camera is a good fit for the midrange Xperia XA1 Plus and delivers plenty of detail, pleasing colors and wide dynamic range, www.techradar.com complains about an unreliable, slow camera. A disadvantages is that only 1080p/30fps video recording is supported. As for video quality www.gsmarena.com thinks video samples are soft, detail levels are unimpressive and the limited dynamic range in videos will leave you with pretty dark shadows, too. They report, “The 8MP front-facing shooter focuses slightly closer than arm's length, but that aside, it captures nicely detailed selfies with decent dynamic range and true to life skin tones.”

recombu.com is impressed given the asking price of this phone, although some rivals such as the Moto G5 Plus offer better results at night.

Display

The 5.5-inch display is protected by Gorilla Glass 4. It features Full HD resolution and a traditional 16:9 aspect ratio. This gives an pixel density of about 401 PPI. www.techradar.com would have preferred the display was a little less fingerprinty. They would wish for a higher brightness and complain that adaptive brightness, which is on by default, leaves a screen a little dim for their liking. Moreover, they observed that the maximum possible brightness cannot be reached with adaptive brightness on. www.gsmarena.com reports a maximum brightness of 591 cd/m², a black value of 0.376 cd/m², a contrast ratio of 1,572, average sunlight legibility and unimpressive color reproduction (average DeltaE 5.7, DeltaE of 10 for whites). recombu.com misses a night mode, to filter blue light and produce warmer visuals for more comfortable viewing in the dark.

Hardware and Performance

The Xperia XA1 Plus features a MediaTek Helio P20 Octa Core 64-bit (Quad Core 2.3 GHz + Quad Core 1.6 GHz) processor, a Mali T880 MP2 GPU, 3 GB/4 GB of RAM, and 32 GB storage. www.techradar.com reports a single-core Geekbench 4 score of 836 and a multi-core of 3,715. www.gsmarena.com got similar results in Geekbench 4, 55,657 in AnTuTu 6, 1,198 in Basemark OS 2.0, 9,543 in Basemark X, 191 in the OpenGL 3.1-based Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal, 9.0 in GFX 3.0 Manhattan (1080p offscreen), 10 in GFX 3.0 Manhattan (onscreen), 3.7 in GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen), and 4 in GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen). The Snapdragon 625 is slightly more powerful in multi-core CPU usage. According to recombu.com the XA1 Plus can play games such as Asphalt 8 with a smooth-enough frame rate.

Battery Life

The Xperia XA1 Plus features a 3,430 mAh battery. The phone capably carried www.techradar.com through a full day of standard use (social media, gaming, a few calls and some reading) and often into the next. In their standard 90-minute HD video test - screen brightness set to full, accounts syncing in the background – the phone lost 16 % of its full charge, which they call a good result in comparison to similarly-priced phones. www.gsmarena.com reports 12.5 hours of video playback. www.techradar.com summarizes the battery performs well for the phone’s price point in the market, but there are better choices if battery stamina is your top concern.

Sound

There is only a single downward-firing speaker. www.techradar.com finds, “The speaker is okay: it goes reasonably loud but predictably gets distorted at higher levels. It sounds fine, if a little noisy, and of course very dependent on which way the speaker’s facing relative to you. It's not one for parties, put it that way.”

www.gsmarena.com tested the single SIM version, which stays distortion free even at maximum amplification. They report that the audio output is excellently clean when used with an active external amplifier, but only average in loudness.

Summary

Pros of the phone are its large 1080p screen, big battery, and (depending on the country) the fingerprint scanner. However, Sony has added lots of software, and the phone is not water resistant, lacks wireless charging support and does not run the latest Android version.

At launch time, the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus was a good mid-range phone. It is succeeded by the 6-inch XA2 Plus, which comes with a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor and an Adreno 508 GPU, while storage size and RAM capacity remained unchanged compared to the 4 GB version of the XA1 Plus. The successor can record videos in 4K, but otherwise not much has changed in terms of cameras. The battery capacity is also only slightly higher.

Sources

Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam

While the Sony Xperia XZ1 is the king of the hill on Sony’s lineup, not everyone can or is willing to shell out for a flagship. Hence, Sony offers the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus further down its stack. If the XZ1 can be compared to a Rolls Royce, the XA1 Plus is akin to a Mercedes. This is not far off, since both are still considered premium devices albeit the latter has a way more affordable price without skimping on features. So, what is the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus rocking under its hood? It is powered by Mediatek’s P20 MT6757 SoC, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. Because Sony focuses on a very angular design, the XA1 remains as a daring contrast to the likes of Apple’s iPhone or even Samsung’s Galaxy series. This is welcome, since the market is increasingly made up of wannabe copycats, which frankly always falls flat on its face. Compared to Sony’s own lineup the Xperia XA1 Plus is taller than most of its designs but is also equally. Hence, it feels like a chocolate bar. Despite that, the Xperia XA1 Plus is quite pleasant to hold. In terms of chassis design the Xperia XA1 Plus is primarily made of a mix of plastics and aluminium, which comes with the mid-range tier. However, it feels premium without feeling tacky or cheap. One thing the Xperia XA1 Plus has and the XZ does not is support for Dual SIM configurations although that is subject to region. On the IO side of things, the Xperia XA1 Plus is also equipped with a USB Type C port but compared to the XZ its only USB 2.0 which is downright disappointing. One thing to love about Sony’s phones is that they are generally almost bloatware free. Software-wise it is preloaded with an almost stock Android Nougat 7.0, with a high probability of being able to update to Android Oreo 8.0.

In the camera department Sony has installed a 23 MP rear and 8 MP front camera. The 23 MP camera features a wide-angle lens. Quality-wise the camera delivers as expected. However, there seem to be minor issues such as heavy color noise in low light setups. Although 4K is supported by the onboard SoC, the Xperia XA1 Plus is only able to support up to 1080p. This is most likely a restriction Sony has implemented to keep 4K reserved for higher tiered devices. Nonetheless, this is still acceptable. Since it is marketed as a mid-tier phone, Sony has to make some compromises. While the XZ has been praised for not having the cupping effect because of its front facing speakers, the Xperia XA1 Plus seems to backtrack on this with a little speaker on the bottom of the device, which is somewhat average since low tones are hardly audible as opposed to mids being relatively balance. Despite that Sony has installed ClearAudio+ for audio improvements. Lastly battery life should be mentioned. The Xperia XA1 Plus is equipped with a reasonably large battery at 3.430 mAh. Hence, users can be assured of a full day’s worth and then some of usage. It seems when compared to its other sibling, the Xperia XA1 Sony might have designed an all rounded mid-tier device without cutting too much corners. The Xperia XA1 Plus is a solid device albeit one which is also well priced for what it is delivering.

ARM Mali-T880 MP2: Mobile graphics solution for tablets and smartphones, which can be found in ARM SoCs (for mostly Android based devices). The Mali-T880 can be built with 1 to 16 clusters, where the MP2 version features 2 clusters/cores.

Non demanding games should be playable with these graphics cards.

» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.


Helio P20 MT6757: ARM based octa core SoC (8x ARM Cortex-A53) clocked at up to 2.3 GHz. The chip also includes a Cat.6 LTE modem.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.


5.50":

It is a very small display format for smartphones. You should by no means be mis-sighted and you will generally see very little on the screen and only have a small resolution available. In return, the device should be very small and handy.

» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.


Sony: Sony Corporation is one of the largest Japanese electronics companies. The company was founded in 1946 under a different name and initially produced rice stoves. The company launched the first transistor radio. In 1958, the company was renamed Sony. Sony is a combination of the Latin word sonus (sound) and the English word sonny (little boy). Today, its core business is consumer electronics. The company is engaged in the development, design, manufacture and sale of electronic equipment, instruments, devices, game consoles and software. Sony operates in the following segments: Gaming and Network Services, Music, Images, Home Entertainment and Sound, Imaging Products and Solutions, Mobile Communications, Semiconductors, Financial Services and Others.


76.17%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.


» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.

 

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Current Prices
Stefan Hinum, 2017-09-12 (Update: 2017-09-12)