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A gorgeous edge-to-edge screen on Sony's budget Xperia XA (pictures)

The beautiful, almost bezel-free screen on Sony's Xperia XA is our favourite thing about this more budget Android phone.

Andrew Lanxon
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Andrew Lanxon
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1 of 11 Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Sony's smartphone design hasn't changed a whole lot in recent years, but its new Xperia XA brings some welcome changes. It's all about that screen really, which has an almost bezel-free surround and stretches right to the edge of the phone.

It's not top-end flagship, specs wise, with a 720p resolution display and quad-core processor, so we're hoping those mid-range specs will translate to a mid-range price. There's no word on cost yet, but we're hoping to hear more in the coming weeks and months before its global release later this year.

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The screen is 5 inches, its minuscule bezel makes the most of every centimetre. The phone's slender body feels great to hold and the slight curve to the glass at the edges makes it look like a premium device.

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There's an 8-megapixel camera stuck on the front.

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One thing that's missing from this new Xperia phone: waterproofing. Big shame.

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And there's a 13-megapixel camera on the back.

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It's very slim, though.

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There's no fingerprint sensor on the side, just a regular power button. If you want to scan your prints, you'll need the higher-end Xperia X, or Sony's top-end Z5

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There's a dedicated camera shutter button on the side.

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Under this flap is where you'll slot your SIM card and microSD card.

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Sony hasn't mucked around with the Android interface too much.

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It runs the latest Android Marshmallow software.

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