Vodafone has added a new, medium range smartphone to its prepaid line of mobile devices with the Sony Xperia XA for $199.
The Xperia XA is more a medium range device and it certainly does look good based on the pictures both on the Vodafone website but also the Sony website too. Looking at the spec run sheet, given the price point the Xperia XA has been placed at, it could certainly be a whole lot worse.
So here is what you get spec wise with Sony Xperia XA:
| Key Specifications: | Sony Xperia XA |
|---|---|
| Release date | February 2016 |
| Screen size | 5.0-inch |
| Screen technology | IPS LCD |
| Resolution | 1,280 x 720 |
| PPI | 294 |
| Rear camera | 13MP |
| Front camera | 8MP |
| Chipset | MediaTek Helio P10 |
| Core config | 2.0 GHz x 8 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 16GB |
| MicroSD | Yes, up to 200GB |
| Battery | 2,300 mAh |
| Battery removable | — |
| Connector | MicroUSB |
| Headphone Port | Yes |
| Headphone Location | — |
| Speaker Configuration | — |
| NFC | Yes |
| Android OS | Android 6.0.1 |
| Vendor skin | Xperia UI |
| Dimensions | 143.6 x 66.8 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 137g |
| Colours |
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It is a little sad that the Xperia XA does only come with Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and it is unsure if or when the Xperia XA will get an upgrade to Android 7.0 (Nougat).
The Sony Xperia XA is available to purchase through your local Vodafone store for $199. The Xperia XA is locked to the Vodafone network, so if you would like it to be unlocked, fees apply and it would be worth checking with Vodafone on how much this unlocking fee would be.
is the unlocking fee free ?
The article above is pretty clear that a cost is involved!
If you have had it less than 6 months, it’s $50.
If you have had the phone more than 6 months it’s $25
So basically if you wanted to walk in there today, pick one up and use it on Telstra, you’ll need to pay $199 store, then head to vodafone’s unlocking tool page and pay another $50 for the unlock code.
That’s still cheaper than the phones go for on ebay. This is a great deal.
That is exactly what I had intended to do but got the shock of my life when I entered the imei number in the Vodafone unlock portal and it gave me the unlock code for free! So I’ve debranded it and loaded the generic firmware.