- Analysis by KJ David
Sony's Xperia XA1 Plus, a follow-up to the photography-driven XA1, reintroduces its base model's whopping 23-megapixel hybrid-autofocus-equipped rear-facing camera 
, but this time, builds around it with more high-end pros -- the XA1 cut costs by enduring several low-key cons.
Related: Best Camera Phones as of 2017
Among its aforementioned upgrades in technical specs are the jump from a meager 2300mAh battery capacity to a 3430mAh battery cell , which is obviously a much-more-appropriate match to its high-resolution camera and high-ranking hardware, the latter of which we'll get to later on. Decorating its battery are the Qnovo Adaptive Charging and Battery Care technologies, which prevent the device from over-charging as a method to increase its lifespan. Additionally, it scraps the plain XA1's HD-only (720p) 5-inch display for a Full HD (1080p) 5.5-inch interface , with Sony's Image Enhance Technology in tow. Having said that, a 2K-1440p screen resolution would have gone a long way 
. Rocking an enlarged display also means that the XA1 Plus is relatively-heavy compared to most other smartphones, weighing in at 190 grams -- the average hovered around 150g as of its release.
Related: Best phablets
Diving into its engine room, the Xperia XA1 Plus features the same high-end processor as the XA1, in the form of MediaTek's Helio P20 dual-cluster eight-core chip , which has four cores running at 2.3GHz and a subsidy cluster clocked at 1.6GHz. While the XA1 only came with 3GB of RAM, this Plus variant features 4GB in that department.
Related: Fastest Android phones
The XA1 Plus's remaining pros and cons include an 8-megapixel selfie cam, which makes up for its lack in raw pixel resolution (A good number of its high-end rivals boast 13-megapixel selfie shooters) with a 23mm wide-angle f/2.0 lens and a 1/4-inch Exmor R mobile image sensor . Sony's signature audio features, such as Clear Audio+ and SmartAmp , are on board as well, while a fingerprint reader embedded into its edge-mounted power button is in charge of phone and app security. Rounding it out is a 64GB/32GB internal storage that can be expanded by a maximum of 256GB .
All said, the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus may not offer a spotless array of pros and cons, but imaging enthusiasts who also place a high value on performance should see it as a feasible option.
** This phone is also known as: Sony XA1 Plus
You Should Also Be Interested In These:
Full Menu
