My previous phone was the incredible Z Ultra. When it gave up the ghost two weeks ago, I wanted to stay with Sony and I wanted a screen the size of the Z Ultra. The XA Ultra with its 6.0" screen seemed like the best choice and at $329 was priced right. After using it for a little while, I have mixed feelings at best.
First thing first, the phone in my hand – horrible. The Z Ultra was significantly bigger than my new XA Ultra, but its thinness and balance made it a pleasure to hold in the hand. The XA Ultra is somehow too thick and heavy and unbalanced. If you never owned the extraordinary Z Ultra, maybe you won't complain, but to me the phone just doesn't feel right. And here's another problem - it's slippery as hell, the front, but especially the back.
The screen is my biggest disappointment. I didn't think that 0.4", or lack thereof, would make a big difference, but it does. The Z Ultra felt more like a tablet, the XA Ultra feels more like a phone. I really wish Sony had a model with the 6.4" screen size of the Z Ultra. But the even bigger problem is that the screen extends all the way to the sides of the phone. It looks very cool, but the phone is a nightmare to use. A little bit of a bezel is necessary so that your fingers don't active who knows what on the screen while you're holding the phone. Consequently, the XA Ultra has to be held very carefully – a total PITA. Function sacrificed on the altar of esthetics. Another minor consideration (at least minor to me) is that anything metallic could be used as a stylus on the Z Ultra (I often used my car keys). The XA Ultra can't do that. It's no big deal most of the time, but occasionally I want to use the Sketch app to draw a diagram… and my finger is not nearly as good for that purpose as a pointy stylus.
Construction and quality – no contest, the XA Ultra can't hold a candle to the Z Ultra. Construction looks cheap and feels cheap. It's also not waterproof (an important consideration for me). And finally the power button is too sensitive, i.e. too easy to push inadvertently as you handle the phone. BTW, my first XA Ultra had a defective USB port and had to be replaced. It seems that faulty reception is another problem forcing people to have their phones replaced. Quality control seems to be a problem.
On the plus side, the speaker is significantly louder that the one in Z Ultra, albeit still mono. And the camera is light years ahead of the 8 megapixel, no-flash atrocity that was in the Z Ultra.
Software – I liked the almost-stock Android of the Z Ultra. The XA Ultra is the exact same thing. That's good. Also, the Z Ultra had Lollipop and the XA Ultra has Marshmallow with Nougat in its way. That's actually the only reason I decided not to buy another Z Ultra (apparently still available new for sale) - one has to keep up with modernity.
The battery on the XA Ultra is not impressive. But then again the battery on the Z Ultra was not impressive either, so it's a draw. With both phones I found it necessary to have an external battery pack at hand. The Z Ultra had the very nice and practical CP12 battery case from Sony. I'd use it whenever I knew I had a long day ahead of me. The XA Ultra doesn't have a Sony battery case, nor is there a third-party one on the market… yet. For now I make do with a generic USB battery pack. The XA Ultra does have the optional UCH12 quick charger which promises "5.5 hours of battery life in just 10 minutes" but it's apparently not available in the US yet.
So overall, I find the XA Ultra rather disappointing. Part of it is that I was spoiled by the Z Ultra, and part of it is that the XA Ultra is a midrange phone, while the Z Ultra was Sony's flagship at the time. The Z Ultra was unique in size, performance, and capability, a phone like no other. The XA Ultra is just another meh phone.
But midrange as the XA Ultra is, a few simple improvements would have made the phone much better without increasing the price - a grippy back, a harder to press power button, and a few millimeters of bezel on the sides of the screen. A fingerprint sensor like in the Z5 would have been nice, but it's a midrange phone...
First thing first, the phone in my hand – horrible. The Z Ultra was significantly bigger than my new XA Ultra, but its thinness and balance made it a pleasure to hold in the hand. The XA Ultra is somehow too thick and heavy and unbalanced. If you never owned the extraordinary Z Ultra, maybe you won't complain, but to me the phone just doesn't feel right. And here's another problem - it's slippery as hell, the front, but especially the back.
The screen is my biggest disappointment. I didn't think that 0.4", or lack thereof, would make a big difference, but it does. The Z Ultra felt more like a tablet, the XA Ultra feels more like a phone. I really wish Sony had a model with the 6.4" screen size of the Z Ultra. But the even bigger problem is that the screen extends all the way to the sides of the phone. It looks very cool, but the phone is a nightmare to use. A little bit of a bezel is necessary so that your fingers don't active who knows what on the screen while you're holding the phone. Consequently, the XA Ultra has to be held very carefully – a total PITA. Function sacrificed on the altar of esthetics. Another minor consideration (at least minor to me) is that anything metallic could be used as a stylus on the Z Ultra (I often used my car keys). The XA Ultra can't do that. It's no big deal most of the time, but occasionally I want to use the Sketch app to draw a diagram… and my finger is not nearly as good for that purpose as a pointy stylus.
Construction and quality – no contest, the XA Ultra can't hold a candle to the Z Ultra. Construction looks cheap and feels cheap. It's also not waterproof (an important consideration for me). And finally the power button is too sensitive, i.e. too easy to push inadvertently as you handle the phone. BTW, my first XA Ultra had a defective USB port and had to be replaced. It seems that faulty reception is another problem forcing people to have their phones replaced. Quality control seems to be a problem.
On the plus side, the speaker is significantly louder that the one in Z Ultra, albeit still mono. And the camera is light years ahead of the 8 megapixel, no-flash atrocity that was in the Z Ultra.
Software – I liked the almost-stock Android of the Z Ultra. The XA Ultra is the exact same thing. That's good. Also, the Z Ultra had Lollipop and the XA Ultra has Marshmallow with Nougat in its way. That's actually the only reason I decided not to buy another Z Ultra (apparently still available new for sale) - one has to keep up with modernity.
The battery on the XA Ultra is not impressive. But then again the battery on the Z Ultra was not impressive either, so it's a draw. With both phones I found it necessary to have an external battery pack at hand. The Z Ultra had the very nice and practical CP12 battery case from Sony. I'd use it whenever I knew I had a long day ahead of me. The XA Ultra doesn't have a Sony battery case, nor is there a third-party one on the market… yet. For now I make do with a generic USB battery pack. The XA Ultra does have the optional UCH12 quick charger which promises "5.5 hours of battery life in just 10 minutes" but it's apparently not available in the US yet.
So overall, I find the XA Ultra rather disappointing. Part of it is that I was spoiled by the Z Ultra, and part of it is that the XA Ultra is a midrange phone, while the Z Ultra was Sony's flagship at the time. The Z Ultra was unique in size, performance, and capability, a phone like no other. The XA Ultra is just another meh phone.
But midrange as the XA Ultra is, a few simple improvements would have made the phone much better without increasing the price - a grippy back, a harder to press power button, and a few millimeters of bezel on the sides of the screen. A fingerprint sensor like in the Z5 would have been nice, but it's a midrange phone...
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