Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra Unboxing, First Impressions

Sony has recently unveiled the XA1 Ultra, a 6-inch smartphone sporting a 23-megapixel rear camera and Android Nougat right out of the box. A unit has arrived in our HQ, and here are our first impressions.

The device’s packaging may confuse you a bit as it is similar to the other Xperia smartphones’, with the only difference lies in the model name being placed on one side. Inside the box contains the phone itself, along with the USB cable, a travel charger, a pair of earphones, and some paper for manuals and other device information.

Once you remove the plastic from the device and turn it on, its design will remind you of the company’s signature look with a tall frame. At the glossy front of the device are the 6-inch display, the 16-megapixel rear camera, and front speakers. Large bezels on top and bottom are intended for landscape use, which we found pretty good to hold on to.

At the right side of the device are three buttons — a volume rocker, a small power/lock button wrapped in chrome color accent, and a dedicated camera key for taking photos while in landscape mode.

The left side, on the other hand, consists of a removable tray for the SIM card, while microSD card needs to be pushed into its dedicated slot. Other than that, the sides are well-rounded for a better grip, but in this case is quite hard to hold with one hand given its size.

At the bottom of the device are the microUSB port and the microphone, while the 3.5mm sits atop. The top and bottom parts are accentuated by a chrome-like edge that makes the device look luxurious.

Flipping the device onto its back side would let you see a matte black color, contrary to the front which is glossy in nature. There’s a 23-megapixel camera at the upper left corner, the Sony logo at the middle.

Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra specs:
6-inch Full HD display w/ Image Enhance Technology
2.3GHz MediaTek Helio P20 octa-core CPU
Mali T880 MP2 900MHz GPU
4GB RAM
32GB/64GB storage
expandable microSD up to 256GB
23MP 1/2.3? Exmor RS rear camera w/ Hybrid AF, SteadyShot, LED flash
16MP 1/2.6? Exmor R AF front camera, SteadyShot, OIS
4G LTE
WiFi
Bluetooth
GPS, A-GPS
Android 7.0 Nougat
2,700mAh battery w/ Qnovo Adaptive Charging
165 x 79 x 8.1mm
White, Black and Gold

The Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra is not yet officially here in the country, but one can already purchase a Dual-SIM 64GB internal storage variant, in Black or Gold, from Widget City for Php24,000USD 409INR 34,670EUR 390CNY 2,978. Does this monster phone have a monster performance? We’re taking this for a quick spin and a full review in the coming days.