Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra Factory Unlocked Phone - 6" Screen - 32GB - Silver

Like many others (mostly Americans), we typically gravitate to Samsung or Apple branded cell phones, sometimes LG. I've had many Apple iphones and plenty of Samsung note# and S# phones, and they were all good phones. My last cell phone was a Samsung note 5 and it served its purpose but after i dropped it and the screen cracked for the second time, with a protective case around it and a screen protector, I refuse to pay another $200+ to fix the screen, so it was time to move on to something new and different. That lead me to venture out and explore other cell phone brands, and this Sony Xperia XA2 ultra caught my attention. After 3 weeks of use, Im extremely happy, and here are my thoughts on this phone.....Pros1. Screen size/bezel. The 6 inch screen is great for playing games, surfing the web and watching videos. Some people prefer phone without the bezels but the small top and bottom bezels don't bother me.2. Phone size, weight - I prefer bigger phones due to my above-average hand size, therefore this phone was a great fit for me. The weight of the phone is 7.8oz, which is above average in weight in the cell phone market and its the heaviest phone Ive ever owned but its not anything I cant get use to.3. Battery Life - Wow!!! With normal use (texting, a few phones calls, 1-2 hours Youtube videos, a few games) this phone lasted me a full day and part of the next day on a full 100% charge and I still had 15% left. Great job Sony!!!4. Security - The Rear Mounted fingerprint scanner is very convenient!!5. Camera - Sorry ladies and gents, I'm not a camera-maniac. Some can/will argue but in my opinion, anything over 16-megapixels is pretty good for a cell phone, and this phone's main camera is 23mp, and selfie camera is 16mp, and it works for me!!! Most camera's on cell phones nowadays are pretty damn sharp!!6. Processor - Snapdragn 630 isnt the lastest Qualcomm chip but its still considered a powerful processor.Overall, Im very happy with my Sony Xperia XA2 purchase. Sony has my attention in the cell phone market...

Sony what can I say. I read good reviews about this phone. Mayor complain was the size. The size is great and I have seen phones at about the same size. The fingerprint location is the best, You can add you 2 index fingers so no matter which hand you use, you can always unlock your phone. The camera improved a lot from my previous Sony Xperia. Takes decent pictures even in darker environments. The sound is good but for a Sony device it could improve. I would love to have more control over the sound output, but it is not bad. Battery life is great. I do not use my phone all day so i could get up to 2.5 days without charging. The graphics in the phone are excellent, I could just stare at the background just admiring how great it is. The keyboard is a great size, I have a medium size hand and have had difficulty typing on smaller phones before, with this one no issues. The price for a Sony phone is unbelievable, no great phone can be found at that price in any cellphone company. I am happy with my purchase. I am comparing this phone with a One Plus 5 and a Sony Xperia Z3 ( which I am still using as a BYOD at my job.

The following will be a review for the US model of the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra (32GB, single SIM).Please note that this review was made after 2 weeks of use and may change upon incident thereafter.________________________________________________________________________________________Pros:*Industrial design is of traditional standard and does not appear cheap (i.e. metal).*Phone comes with screen protector already on screen (albeit cheap quality).*Phone comes with enough RAM (4GB) for typical end-user use-cases (i.e. calling/IM, social media, streaming).*Android 8 build is snappy and doesn't seem to perform out-of-touch.*Picture quality is greater than previous additions and on par with newer flagship models. Camera features are dispersed.*Initial Phone setup is intuitive and straightforward.*Android 8 is selectively more customizable than other Android implementations (by default) and offers enough options.*USB Type-C charging is notably faster than previous phones.*Phone comes with headphone jack.*Phone supports most recent mobile networks and WIFI network standards (i.e. speeds).*Phone comes with US 1-year limited warranty.*Phone comes with a generous amount of internal storage and allows for a lot more expandable capacity*Android comes with Swiftkey Keyboard as default keyboard*Speakers are of decent quality and can definitely be utilized for alarms*Android 8 comes with better security features by default*Phone fingerprint reader is in good spot relative to placement of hand/holding of phoneCons:*While battery lasts longer, it does not seem replaceable nor does it hold charge as long as it should on idle*While Android 8 on Xperia seems to work as it should, it comes with minimal extra features (such as widgets, exclusive app store, necessary apps)*Android comes with bloatware apps preinstalled (i.e. Amazon) but most can be opted out of during initial setup (i.e. Xperia)*Android 8 comes with minimal customization for select UI behaviors/configurations but misses on others (like lock-screen clock sizes, cannot invert core action buttons [back, home, window list])*Android doesn't come with distinct Video app nor with useful widget for videos*Charging cable is rather short compared to previously owned USB/charging cables__________________________________________________________________________________________Conclusion:In the end, and for the price I paid ($400 w/ tax), I think this will serve my purposes well. I'm not crazy about picture quality, sound quality, or gaming on my phone. I do like being able to run enough apps without drop in performance. What I do care about is customization of Android UI/behaviors/etc. I also prefer having de-facto, built-in apps/widgets that support the use of the phone. For example, my previous phone came with a system monitor app on its own. While I can technically retrieve the same information via other means within Android, it'd make more sense to simply ship an app that monitors RAM, STORAGE, DEVICE HEALTH all in one dashboard/view. Additionally, widgets need to be more in array as is with other vendors. The album app and files app work wonderfully but a definitive video app needs to be included alongside a widget. A home-grown app store would be nice to have, just as well. Preferably one which solely contains Sony-created apps. Again, this would require Sony to push out more apps on their Android builds and publish them. The battery performance for this phone is better than I expected but still comes up short when taking into consideration of idle-use. If I leave my phone by it's lonesome, it will still drain itself as if I had been using it. I don't keep apps open and I don't run unnecessary services on my phone (i.e. location, Bluetooth, etc.). I am looking forward to battery longevity when Android 9 comes out on this device for which it is evidently eligible for. All in all, this is not a budget phone but it is not a gaming phone either. This will get you what you need provided you know how to use a phone efficiently. Otherwise, you're always going to be SOL no matter what phone you use.