Plenty of smartphones was released last October and today, is a comparison between two of the mid-ranged smartphones released that month.
| SPECS | Sony Xperia XA1 Plus | Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus |
| Display | 5.5″ 1080p IPS LCD (~401 ppi) | 5.5″ 1080p Super AMOLED (~401 ppi) |
| Dimensions & Features | 155 x 75 x 8.7 mm, 189 g, Dual stand-by, Dual SIM Tray | 152.4 x 74.7 x 7.9 mm, 180 g, Hybrid Dual SIM Tray |
| Chipset | Mediatek Helio P20 | Mediatek Helio P20 |
| CPU | Octa-core (4×2.3 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4×1.6 GHz Cortex-A53) | Octa-core (4×2.4 GHz & 4×1.7 GHz) |
| GPU | Mali-T880MP2 | Mali-T880 MP2 |
| Memory | 3/4 GB RAM or 32 GB (micro SD expandable up to 256GB) | 4GB RAM, 32GB (micro SD expandable up to 256GB) |
| Connectivity | LTE Cat. 4, 802.11n, BT 4.2, GPS, 2.0, Type-C 1.0 reversible connector, 3.5mm audio jack | LTE Cat. 4, 802.11n, BT 4.2, GPS, FM Radio, microUSB 2.0, 3.5mm audio jack |
| Battery | Non-removable Li-Ion 3430mAh | Non-removable Li-Ion 3000mAh |
| Price | PhP 16,990/$340 | PhP 19,990/$400 |
Design
Like most Sony phones, the XA1 Plus has that boxy, sharp-corner feel compared to the rounded edges of the J7 Plus which both having a mixture of aluminum in their build.
The camera is another apparent difference of the phones with the J7 Plus having a dual-rear camera compared to the single rear camera of the XA1 Plus.
The sim tray on the XA1 Plus doesn’t need an ejector pin to open and can support 2 Nano SIMs and a Micro SD card all at the same time and a hybrid SIM tray for the J7 Plus. The XA1 supports a type-c port while a micro USB for the J7 Plus.
Display
Both handsets sport a 5.5” 1080p screen with an IPS LCD on the XA1 Plus and a Super AMOLED for the J7 Plus. Colors are more dynamic on the J7 Plus which you can easily notice on the home screen of the phones.
Camera
The rear camera on the XA1 Plus has a 23 MP rear camera while the J7 Plus has dual 13 MP rear camera. The Sony may have a surprisingly higher camera spec on paper but does it prove so?
Day-lit shots on the handsets has almost the same detail sharpness even on a closer look, but color accuracy widely differs with the J7 Plus having a more vibrant output than the dull results of the XA1 Plus.
The only apparent difference on camera shots are the color outputs which is a user preference whether to go for a vibrant or a slightly gloomy shot. The J7 Plus’s second camera lets you take photos with a depth effect which the XA1 Plus lacks.
Night-time shots on both phone have a pretty decent result but with some lighting sources overblown even on night-mode shots. But again, has a big difference when it comes to color representation.
The J7 Plus also has a depth effect on its front camera which again, the XA1 Plus doesn’t have. The same goes to front camera shots with an almost equal detail clarity but different color outcomes.
Low-lit and night-time shots however loses facial details on both the handsets but which do you think adapts better to the lighting conditions?
Video recording can go up to 1080p at 30fps with a decent output both at daylit and night-time shots.
| Phone | Rear Camera | Front Camera |
| Sony Xperia XA1 Plus | 23 MP, f/2.0, phase detection autofocus, LED flash
Video: |
8 MP, f/2.0, |
| Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus | Dual 13 MP (f/1.7, autofocus) + 5 MP, f/1.9, LED flash Video: 1080p@30fps |
16 MP, f/1.9 |
Chipset/Processor/Rom
Both phones run on Mediatek Helio P20 and running on Nougat, the XA1 Plus has a 3 or 4 GB of RAM variant while the J7 Plus has 4 GB of RAM. Using the following benchmarking tools, we received these results in the process:
| Device | AnTuTu | Geekbench (single-core) | Geekbench (multi-core) | PCMark Work 2.0 |
| Sony Xperia XA1 Plus | 62350 | 834 | 3755 | 3755 |
| Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus | 63201 | 872 | 3613 | 3792 |
Both phones may not have the best gaming experience having at least 30 fps, the XA1 Plus may tend to lag a bit when it there’s a lot going on in a game while the J7 Plus may not maintain frame rate but doesn’t show lag. These handsets may not be the best at high end gaming but still packs a decent punch.
Fingerprint scanners are at the same speed with a 10/10 rating on our side, automatically bringing you to the home screen of the phones.
Battery
Through our ManilaShaker Battery Rating, we can confirm the following overall lifespan of both devices:
| Device | Battery | Battery Time | Charging-Time |
| Sony Xperia XA1 Plus | 3430 mAh | 26h 8m | 2h 10m |
| Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus | 3000 mAh | 38h 43m | 2h 14m |
Audio
The speakers are also pretty loud on both with the XA1 Plus being louder on our side and the J7 Plus on clarity, but that’s just us. Watch our video and hear for yourselves
Price
Both the Sony Xperia XA1 Plus and Samsung Galaxy J7 Plus are available in local and online stores with the XA1 Plus retailing at $340 or ₱16,990.00, while the J7 Plus at $390 or ₱19,990.00, although prices will differ in countries after taxes.
How about you? Have you decided your mid-ranged handset? Comment down below what you think.
