The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra follows on from last years big screen hit the XA Ultra and it’s good to see Sony still aiming to offer a great large screen mobile without the large price tag usually attached to big phones.
It’s available in a range of colours, you’ll see the white version in the review video, and comes packing Android 7 at the time of review.
The XA1 Ultra is a large mobile but it’s not uncomfortably large, it fits well in the hand and isn’t too heavy.
It has a headphone jack in the top, volume rocker and power switch on the left along with a dedicated camera button.
On the bottom is the speaker and a USB-C charging port, unfortunately the XA1 Ultra doesn’t have any fast charging technology so it still take a while to charge up.
Sony have an unfortunate habit of loading their mobiles with lots of unnecessary apps and this holds true for the XA1 Ultra, such as the album app which is unlikely to be used over the excellent Google Photos.
At the time of review the XA1 Ultra was running Android 7 and it’s a nice smooth experience. Apps open quickly, you can zip around the menus, and overall it’s a great experience.
The large 6″ screen looks great, even when out and about on a bright day, with videos and games looking really good. There is the option to use single hand mode which shrinks the screen to a smaller size and snaps it to either the left or right of the screen so you can use it with either hand.
It’s a pity the speaker is on the bottom rather than being front facing, but it’s loud and clear so as long as your hands don’t cover there shouldn’t be a problem.
The XA1 Ultra has a 23 megapixel camera on the back and it takes some lovely photos. As with other Sony mobiles you also get the option to play with an augmented reality app the allows you to add things like dinosaurs which you’re videoing, not terribly useful but a lot of fun!
Mobile vloggers will appreciate the whopping 16 megapixel front facing camera. The large screen makes it easy to see what’s going on while recording or reviewing footage on the go.
It’s a lovely looking mobile and offers a lot for those who want a large screen mobile without the large price tag.
The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra is available to buy from Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/2s2wgcy Amazon USA: https://amzn.to/2s75jQr
Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Video Review
