Home Tech Camera Sony Xperia XA1 Plus vs Huawei Mate 10 Comparison Review

Sony Xperia XA1 Plus vs Huawei Mate 10 Comparison Review

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Sony’s so-called super mid-ranger, the Xperia XA1 Plus, was just launched and for what it offers, what could it do against the likes of – let’s say the Huawei Mate 10.

This is our comparison of the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus and Huawei Mate 10.

SPECS Sony Xperia XA1 Plus Huawei Mate 10
Display 5.5″ 1080 x 1920 IPS LCD (~401 ppi)

Gorilla Glass 5

5.9″ 1440 x 2560 IPS LCD (~403 ppi)

Gorilla Glass

Dimensions & Features 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm, 189g

Dual Nano-SIM slots & microSD slot, metal unibody

150.5 x 77.8 x 8.2 mm, 186g

Hybrid SIM tray, metal unibody
IP53-certified

Chipset Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20 Hisilicon Kirin 970
CPU Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53) Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz Cortex-A73 & 4×1.8 GHz Cortex-A53)
GPU Mali-T880MP2 Mali-G72 MP12
Memory 3/4 GB RAM, 32GB 4GB RAM, 64GB (expandable up to 256GB)
Connectivity LTE Cat. 6, 802.11n, Wi-Fi Direct, BT 4.2, GPS, FM Radio, USB 2.0 Type-C 1.0 LTE Cat. 5/4, 802.11ac, BT 4.2, GPS, USB Type-C, 3.5mm audio jack
Cameras Rear:
23 MP (f/2.0, 24mm, 1/2.3″), phase detection autofocus, LED flash[Video]
1080p@30fpsFront:
8 MP, f/2.0, 23mm, autofocus, 1/4″ sensor size[Video]
1080p@30fps
Rear:
Dual: 12 MP (f/1.6, 27mm, OIS) +20 MP (f/1.6, 27mm), 2x lossless zoom, Leica optics, phase detection & laser autofocus, dual-LED (dual tone) flash[Video]
2160p@30fps, 720p@120fpsFront:
8 MP, f/2.0[Video]
1080@30fps
Battery Non-removable Li-Ion 3430mAh Non-removable Li-Ion 4000mAh
OS Android 8.0 (Oreo) EMUI 8.0
Android 8.0
SRP PhP 16,990.00/$340 PhP 32,990/$660

Design

With Sony’s still-existing Omnibalance design, it contrasts the Mate 10’s rather rounded and wider appearance. Both are well-built and beautiful to the core that either would cater to a specific group of people. Off the front, the Mate 10 is equipped with an edge-to-edge display that dwarfs the 5.5-inch display of the XA1 Plus.

At the back, simplicity is present from both but the arrangement and material that the Mate 10 is built of speak volumes.

The sides and ports are similar with the exception of the main interface, which is USB 3.1 for the Mate 10 and USB 2.0 for the XA1 Plus. As for the trays, the XA1 Plus’s dual-SIM tray can be removed by hand and adjacent to its slot is a spring-loaded microSD slot.

Display

Density-wise, the Mate 10 wins with its QHD display. While both are equipped with IPS LCD panels, the difference in color and sharpness can be seen when placed side-by-side. The Mate 10’s display also emits a rather warmer color that can be alleviated through the Display settings. Viewing multimedia is great on both, but the Mate 10 offers extra headspace and immersion with its edge-to-edge display.

User Experience

Even with the Mate 10’s bulkier profile, it is surprisingly easier to use with its well-scaled text and icons that tailors well onto the edge-to-edge display. On the XA1 Plus’s end though, it can be seen and felt that Sony elements are still all over the place. Even though the XA1 Plus is lined for an Oreo update, only Oreo’s major additions will be present once available.

With the Camera UI, swiping is more of the XA1 Plus’s thing and tapping is the main method of navigation for the Mate 10. I find the XA1 Plus’s camera UI to be a little too less compared to the Mate 10, which can be felt when accessing certain settings or modes that should’ve been one to two steps away.

Camera

As for the cameras, the Mate 10 blows the XA1 Plus out of the water. After all, it is at a tie for the second place with the iPhone X at DxOMark. All of its shots are impressive but not perfect, and the XA1 Plus did well too for its price.

At nighttime though, the Mate 10’s superiority comes out even stronger with its f/1.6 main lens. The XA1 Plus falls a bit further with poor exposure and contrast, resulting in muddy images.

As for selfies, the Mate 10 produces the more-beautified shots without making an image appear more unnatural than it already is. Even in lowlight, both phones’ samples are commendable to a degree that can be configured freely within their respective settings.

Finally, with videos, the XA1 Plus can only do up to 1080p 30FPS videos while the Mate 10 can go all the way up to 4K 30FPS with the drawback being the option for stabilization greyed-out. The same case is still present for the two for their video-recording capabilities.

Performance

Now, while it may be obvious that the Mate 10 also wins in this category, it can be said that it isn’t twice as fast as the XA1 Plus. Due to their pricing, many may be inclined to just pick up the brightest, fastest, and shiniest of the bunch without considering their own usage. If you’re into phones just for light gaming, messaging, and light multitasking, the XA1 Plus is a solid option for what it can offer. It can do all the things that the Mate 10 can although at a slower pace.

Device AnTuTu PCMark Work 2.0 Geekbench Androbench
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus 62350 3969 SC: 834

MC: 3755

Seq. Read: 245.15MB/s

Seq. Write: 128.56MB/s

Ran. Read: 63.83MB/s

Ran. Write:
13.63MB/s

Huawei Mate 10 178423 6946 SC: 1902

MC: 6783

Seq. Read: 792.34MB/s

Seq. Write: 203.87MB/s

Ran. Read: 161.72MB/s

Ran. Write:
158.32MB/s

Battery

The difference between the XA1 Plus and Mate 10’s battery packs may not seem large, but our test results say otherwise. Even down to the charging, the Mate 10 is ahead with its bulkier battery.

Device Battery MS Battery Rating Charging-Time (0-100)
Sony Xperia XA1 Plus 3430mAh 26h 8m 2h 10m
Huawei Mate 10 4000mAh 42h 29m 1h 54m

Audio

Unlike its high-end siblings, the XA1 Plus only has a single speaker output on the bottom right that outputs a tinny but commendable sound. The Mate 10, as we’ve mentioned in our review, is more than enough in the right places with its stereo setup. However, as most users, you will probably be using that 3.5mm headphone jack more. Both offer their own twist in audio personalization but the Mate 10’s better output can be heard clearly despite the lack of a DAC.

Verdict

The Mate 10 surely is most commendable for what it has done over the XA1 Plus. Still, at the end of the day, what do you really need your phone for? Daily photowalks, IG entries, and medium-heavy gaming or just your regular social media scrolling? Only you can answer that.

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