Sony Xperia XA2 and XA 2 Ultra put high-end camera tech in mid-range phones

Most mobile manufacturers tend to unveil new flagship smartphones at or around MWC in February or IFA in September, but occasionally interesting mid-rangers pop up at CES as well. That's the case with the Sony Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra devices, which were just launched this morning at the Las Vegas show.

Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 630 chipset and sporting 1080p Full-HD displays, the new devices fit squarely in the mid-range bracket of the market, and yet they boast a lot of camera technology from the Japanese manufacturer's high-end Xperia XZ flagship models, making them an appealing option for mobile photographers who can do without the most powerful processor or highest screen resolution.

Both models feature 1/2.3-inch 23MP Exmor RS sensors in the rear camera. The imager chip is coupled with an F2.0 aperture and the camera offers a 24mm equivalent focal length, phase detection autofocus, LED flash and 4K video recording. There's also a 120 fps slow-motion mode; however, XA2 users will have to make do without the XZ models' unique 1000 fps ultra-slow-motion feature. In typical Sony fashion, optical image stabilization has been omitted as well.

While the main cameras are identical on the standard XA2 and the Ultra model, there is a difference at the front. The XA2 features an 8MP camera with a 120° field of view, while the Ultra model features an additional stabilized 16MP camera with a 80° field of view, allowing users to easily switch between solo and group selfies. Other differences between the two models are pretty much limited to screen size (5.3-inch on the XA2 vs 6-inch on the Ultra) and battery (3200 mAh on the XA2 vs 3500 mAh on the Ultra).

The XA2 models will be available from February, and will retail at 350 Euros (~$420 USD) for the standard XA2 and 450 Euros (~$535 USD) for the Ultra—no word yet on official US pricing. To find out more about these phones or check out some image samples shot with the XA2 and XA2 Ultra, visit the Sony website.

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Sony Xperia XA2 and XA 2 Ultra put high-end camera tech in mid-range phones was originally posted by proton T2a