Sony Mobile Australia has today announced that the Xperia XA1 Ultra has arrived in Australia. The phone is heading to Vodafone in a carrier exclusive where it will be available on a range of plans.
The Vodafone plans start with their $45 per month Red plan – $40 plan + $5 handset repayment – which includes 2GB of data as well as unlimited talk and text to standard Australian numbers. It’s a 24 month plan, but there’s options with Vodafone’s ‘New Phone Every Year’ plan to get a new handset every 12 months, if you want to pay a little extra every month.
The plan starts at a good price, but the Xperia XA1 is packed full of features including a high resolution 23MP 1/2.3” Exmor RS sensor with a f/2.0 lens for excellent quality low-light shots. It’s a fast camera with hybrid auto-focus which should in theory give you great, clear shots quickly – we have a bunch of toddlers raring to test this out. The phone also has a 16MP selfie camera on the front with Optical Image Stabilisation to make sure that Instagram shot stays in focus every time.
The phone has a 6″ FHD resolution edge-to-edge display that’s part of Sony’s ‘seamless loop’ design which sees the screen curving around the sides in an effectively borderless design. The phone is powered by an octa-core Mediatek Helio P20 processor with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage which can be enhanced with a microSD card up to 256GB in size. Want the full specs? Here you are:
| Key Specifications: | Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra |
|---|---|
| Release date | TBC |
| Screen size | 6.0-inch |
| Screen technology | — |
| Resolution | 1,920 x 1,080 |
| PPI | 367 |
| Rear camera | 23MP |
| Front camera | 16MP |
| Chipset | MediaTek MT6757 |
| Core config |
|
| RAM | 4GB |
| Storage | 32/64GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 256GB |
| Battery | 2,700 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | USB C |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | — |
| Speaker Configuration | — |
| NFC | Yes |
| Android OS | Android 7.0 |
| Vendor skin | Xperia UI |
| Dimensions | 165mm x 79mm x 8.1mm |
| Colours |
|
“We’re excited to introduce the new Xperia XA1 Ultra in the Australian market, particularly its impressive 16MP front camera and 23mm wide-angle lens to help users capture the perfect spontaneous selfie, or indeed groupie,” said John Featherstone, Manager Director of Sony Mobile Communications, Oceania.
The phone is available in Black only through Vodafone Australia, it’s shown in Gold, White, Black and Rose Gold on the Sony Australia website, but it’s only coming exclusively to Vodafone in the Black colour option.
You can check out the Xperia XA1 Ultra on the Vodafone Australia website now, or head into a store to get a feel for it in the flesh.
Haven’t they learned their lesson yet that carrier exclusives simply do not work?
Battery might be an issue with 2700 mAh on-board powering a 6 inch screen? Surely there was room under that 6 inch screen for a bigger battery. Other ~6 inch devices ie. Oppo R9s Plus and Mate 9 pack 4000 mAh batteries.
It does have a fairly energy sipping SoC though with the Helio P20 being built on 16nm off the top of my head.
Cheers
2700 mAh for a 6″ device