NotebookCheck | Andreas Kilian

The Xperia XA will primarily catch the attention with its slim line, but the inner values in the form of a fast SoC, bright screen, and expandable storage are also very convincing. It is ultimately the short battery life that ruins the review sample's otherwise decent outcome.

Stuff | Ced Yuen

The Xperia XA feels like a compromised product. It doesn't have the best and latest features, but if you want a good looking phone that does the job, this answers your call.

CNET UK | Andrew Hoyle

I like how the Xperia XA looks. I really do. That skinny bezel makes it look like a much more expensive phone and means you can easily use it one hand. But the disappointing display, lack of fingerprint sensor, poor battery life and meagre internal storage -- not to mention Sony's insistence on bundling bloatware -- means this phone still falls short of the mark.

MobileTechTalk | Kurt Colbeck

Sony have done a pretty excellent job with the XA for the price they're asking for it. The message here is that no phone, be it low-end to mid range, is not enough for the consumer out there.

TechRadar | Andrew Williams

The Sony Xperia XA is slim and pocketable, but problems with performance and battery life mean there are better choices out there... A cute little phone with a big battery life problem and no other chart-topping features to make you forget that, the Sony Xperia XA is ultimately disappointing.

Expert Reviews | Christopher Minasians

The Sony Xperia XA looks fantastic and its camera's great, but its poor battery life and screen let it down

PC Mag | Ajay Kumar

The Sony Xperia XA is a good-looking unlocked Android phone, but it's too expensive for what you get.... The Sony Xperia XA just doesn't bring enough to the table to justify its price. Despite a high-quality build it suffers from sluggish performance, mediocre battery life, and a relatively low-resolution display.

V3 | Matt Farrington-Smith

It's by no means a disaster, but the confused Xperia XA is proof that Sony has lost its way.

Trusted Reviews | Max Parker

Unless you can get a particularly tasty offer, there are so many better options out there than the run-of-the-mill Sony Xperia XA. The screen is low-res, and the camera is slow and unreliable. Sony has kitted the XA out with only the minimum required spec in each area – something you simply cannot do any more.

Recombu | Chris Barraclough

The Xperia XA is a cheap but not-so-cheerful cousin to the Xperia X, and while the gorgeous design promises a slick and affordable smartphone, the Xperia XA sadly loses out to similarly-priced rivals.

Alphr | Jonathan Bray

The Sony Xperia XA is a peculiar mix of the good, the great and the terrible. It looks wonderful and build quality is good. It has a microSD slot, a decent camera and NFC. The price is reasonable, too. This is counterbalanced, however, by below-par battery life and a disappointingly sluggish feel in everyday use.

phoneArena | Victor H.

At the end of the day, it's hard to recommend the Xperia XA. It comes across as overpriced, lacks in performance and falls short in battery life; it also does not have any particularly inspiring features. There are much better choices out there these days. Although, it looks cool, we'll give it that.

AndroidPit | Eric Ferrari-Herrmann

If you are a fan of Sony, there are even better products from the brand in the same price range.

The Inquirer | Matt Farrington-Smith

We can say this: the Sony Xperia XA comes off a lot better than the horribly disappointing predecessor. Had Sony taken the best parts from each we might be in a different place today, but as it stands (and despite a few high points) the Xperia XA feels a little insignificant.

IT PRO | Alan Lu

The Sony Xperia XA is a surprisingly bad phone with short battery life, disappointing performance and a questionable appearance. It's not completely without merit - it has a respectably responsive touchscreen and a competent camera, but that's not enough to make the XA worth buying.