Sony has announced a new phablet with a stunningly accomplished front-facing camera, the Sony Xperia XA Ultra.
The new Sony Xperia X range was unveiled back in February, promising “next-generation technologies in camera, battery, and design”. Unlike the bland consistency of the flagship Z range, the X range would be mid-range phones with on one or two potentially exceptional components.
We went hands-on with the Sony Xperia XA back in February, and dug its bezel-less 5-inch display and smart camera.
Now Sony has launched the Sony Xperia XA Ultra, and it scales up both of those components significantly.
You get a massive 6-inch 1080p display, which should be made more manageable by the aforementioned lack of bezels.
There’s also an improved 21.5-megapixel Exmor RS camera around, back. But it’s not the main camera that really stands out here. That privilege would go to the XA Ultra’s front-facing camera.
We’re looking at a whopping 16-megapixel selfie cam here, with a “low-light sensor” and the notable addition of OIS. The HTC 10 also had such front-facing image stabilisation, of course, but it’s still a pretty rare feature.
Related: Best smartphones 2016
Running the show is a MediaTek octa-core CPU with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. Which is a decidedly mid-range spec, but like we said, the X series is all about emphasising one of two key components.
There’s no waterproofing here, nor will you find a USB Type-C port, but Sony has included quick charging.
Next, look at our Sony Xperia X hands-on video:
We don’t have any word on pricing or Sony’s rollout plans as yet.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
