Sony has taken the wraps off what is arguably its most beautiful smartphone in recent years, the XA2 Plus. The device is remarkably similar to the recently released XA2 Ultra, but is centered on a newer 6-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio with a higher Full HD+ resolution. The specifications of the two smartphones are very similar, but the XA2 Plus has its own design language using a diamond cut manufacturing process that sets it apart from the XA2 Ultra, and indeed most of its direct competition.
As with the XA2 Ultra, the new XA2 Plus is powered by Qualcomm's mid-range Snapdragon 630 SoC, which is still a capable chip. Thanks to its more contemporary 18:9 display aspect ratio, it is however slightly narrower and slightly shorter, making it more compact in the hand. Where the XA2 Ultra comes with one RAM configuration of 4GB, the XA2 Plus comes with the option for an additional 2GB of RAM for a total of 6GB. Both come in 32GB and 64GB storage configurations with expandable storage. However, where the XA2 Ultra can only accept microSD cards up to 256GB, the XA2 Plus is compatible with microSD cards up to 400GB.
While both the XA2 Plus and XA2 Ultra appear to incorporate the same 23MP rear camera, the XA2 Ultra offers a second front facing selfie camera for both narrow angle and wide angle shots. The XA2 Plus, however, is most definitely the choice for audio buffs with support for LDAC and high-res audio files including LPCM, FLAC, ALAC, DSD, which the XA2 Ultra lacks. The XA2 Plus will come in Black, Silver, Gold and Green when it commences its rollout next month. Pricing is yet to be announced.