Sony Xperia XA2 Review

The Xperia XA2 is the kind of phone James Bond would use. Sure, that's mostly because Sony owned the movie rights for the past decade and is relentless with product placement, but it's also because the Xperia XA2 is a surprisingly sleek phone. The rigid industrial design evokes a sense of professionalism missing from other phones. Sure, there's plenty of nice looking handsets, but the Xperia XA2 is here to get the job done. It's like the difference between a pair of nice chinos and a power suit.

More importantly, it won't look like you cheaped out when you pull the Xperia XA2 from your power suit, even though you spent a third as much as the guy with the iPhone X. And if you don't have a power suit, the money you save by buying the Xperia XA2 can be put toward one.

Sony's brutalist bet 

Sony's been iterating on the same smartphone design for five years now, and it's actually paid off. The Xperia XA2 is recognisably a Sony device, but refined to the point where it's no longer blocky and brutalist - just unique. It looks like it means business.

The Xperia XA2 eschews a couple of modern trends, and has a standard 16:9 display instead of something taller. This means you don't get ultra slim bezels on the top and bottom, but what's there is hardly excessive. To top it off, bezels are literally non-existent on the sides, making the Xperia XA2 one of the rare phones with a truly edge-to-edge display.

While other phones keep getting and bigger, the Xperia XA2's display measures in at a conservative 5.2-inches, which is ostensibly compact by 2018 standards. This, coupled with an ever so slightly curvy back, makes it perfect for one handed usage. So Bond can text the movie's femme fatale with one hand while shooting bad dudes with the other. I'm pretty sure someone owes me a paycheque now. 

A plastic back almost betrays the premium aesthetic, but Sony has worked some manufacturing magic. An aluminium frame gives the Xperia XA2 a reassuring heft, and there's only the slightest amount of flex in the back, and that's only if you go looking for it. Plastic is also a surprisingly practical choice, as it prevents the phone from becoming a monument to fingerprints.

More than just a pretty face

You won't find anything overly exciting under the Xperia XA2's hood - there's no night vision, hidden dagger, or laser shark - but there's little to complain about. There's two features worth noting though: the Xperia XA2 has a pretty decent battery, and its camera isn't bad either.

We found you could comfortably get at least a day and a half per charge, with around 45% charge left at the end of a typical day. With lighter usage, you could maybe get through two full days, which could be important for extended super-secret spy missions. Or more realistically, when you forget to charge your phone overnight.

Impressively, the Xperia XA2 has a massive 23MP camera that's similar to the one featured in Sony's 2016 flagship, the Xperia XZ. It's worth noting that processor speed does affect camera performance, so the Xperia XA2's camera isn't quite as fast as it is on the phone it's stolen from. Despite this, the Xperia XA2's camera is reasonably full featured, with a physical shutter button and options for 4K video and 120fps slow motion.

In terms of photography, the results are almost exactly what you'd expect for $549. You'll get nice photos in good light, but you lose quality as you lose sunlight. You'll still get vivid colours when shooting at night, but the resulting images are prone to noise and slight camera blur. They'll look fine on Instagram, but they're missing fine detail when you zoom in. Maybe this phone isn't for Bond after all, but at least he has Q to "enhance and zoom". 

While Sony's using a reasonably clean take on Android Oreo, there are a few too many preinstalled apps on top of those we expect to see on an Android phone. Most of the extra Sony-made apps can't be deleted, and only a few can be disabled, which can lead to a little bit of unwanted clutter in your app drawer.

Who is the Xperia XA2 for?

It's been a while since we've definitively recommended a Sony phone, and to be honest, we weren't sure if we actually would again, but here we are. The Xperia XA2 is an excellent midrange phone that's more than just a copycat. By sticking to its guns, Sony's unique sense of style means the XA2 stands out from the increasingly crowded midrange market, at least where looks are concerned.

The Xperia XA2's hardware is a little less exciting than its look and feel, but still competent. The phone runs well, the battery should last a day and a half, and the camera is fine. It would have been nice to see water-resistance, given that it's becoming more common at "affordable premium" price-points, but it's absence isn't a deal breaker.

If you want to save money but get a device that has its own sense of style - and won't look out of place in a Monaco casino - shortlist Sony's Xperia XA2.

Sony Xperia XA2 camera samples

I don't want a Sony Xperia XA2, what else can I buy?

Nokia 6.1

If you want to save a little extra, the Nokia 6.1 - also known as the Nokia 6 (2018) - is $150 cheaper. It's not quite as elegant as the Xperia XA2, but the Nokia 6.1 is all aluminium, runs Android One, and has almost identical specs to Sony's offering. 

Samsung Galaxy A8

If you're after modern trappings like water-resistance and an extra-tall display, you can pick up Samsung's Galaxy A8 for $100 more than the Xperia XA2; it's almost like a Galaxy S9 with a flat screen. 

HTC U11 Life

HTC's U11 Life is $50 more than the Xperia XA2, and while it's not quite as attractive, it has double the storage, runs Android One, and is water-resistant. There's no headphone jack, though.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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