They were good phones, but they were unexciting and almost always priced too high for what they offered compared to sony xperia xa2 competition. Factors like the and a lack of carrier support made them even more unappealing. Now it looks like Sony is finally starting to make some significant changes. Is it too little too late. Despite its decidedly mid-range specs, it looks and feels every bit like a high-end smartphone. The distinct boxy and rectangular Sony shape mostly remains intact; from a distance, you may not notice anything different. Once you take a closer look though, the changes Sony made to modernize the design become clear. It feels like an absolute tank. The build quality is top notch, with nice design flourishes like chamfered edges, a slightly curved back, and rounded sides for improved ergonomics. The smooth metal finish provides very little grip. The Sony xperia xa2 name means this phone is big, which may not appeal to everyone. There are so many big Android phones out there nowadays that physical size is rarely a topic of conversation anymore, especially with manufacturers shrinking down bezels and switching to 18:9 displays to make big phones smaller. Its side bezels are practically non-existent and the top and bottom bezels are slightly smaller, though the phone is still incredibly wide, tall, and thick. It takes me back to the days of the Nexus 6. The display has vibrant color, excellent contrast, great viewing angles, and gets bright enough to see in direct sunlight. Fast charging is available via Quick Charge 3. Bluetooth 5 is onboard with support for higher-quality audio with. It gets fairly loud, with no noticeable signs of distortion, but the placement makes it easy to muffle and it fires audio sideways when holding the phone in landscape. The biggest hardware change Sony made this year is the relocation of the fingerprint sensor. What used to be embedded in the side mounted power key has been moved to the back, right below sony xperia xa2 camera. It also finally works for U. Next to the primary front-facing shooter is a flash Sony calls a slow-sync flash. Normally when you take a selfie in a dark environment and use a flash, your face will be properly illuminated but the background remains dark. The slow-sync flash is designed to alleviate this problem by evenly lighting the subject and the background so you can see more detail. Photos appear more natural and more of the background is easily visible but it introduces more noise into the shot. Image quality deteriorates quickly in dark or night time situations with soft details, overblown highlights, and washed-out colors, giving the images a very muddy appearance. Unsurprisingly, the camera fares better in bright or well-lit environments. Color reproduction is natural and properly saturated, and images are sharp. Shadows are heavily crushed in almost every situation, resulting in less detail. Unfortunately, like many Sony devices, its price may hold it back from success.