Xperia XA dual lag/stuttering

[AL95]

Dear Forum 

Problem: 

I got this new Xperia XA Dual SIM on the 5th of november (less than 3 weeks already), it was great and working fine until yesterday

after I charged the phone.. the UI itself became slow, just like everything else, it stutters and its so annoying, also the phone gets overheated not from the battery, not the camera. but top left side (where the SD card and the SIM card are).

Attempts to fix the problem: 

1. Turned off the phone and back on: It doesn't lag for the first 10-20 minutes, then it becomes sluggish again

2. Removed SD card: problem still presists

3. Removed Cache: problem still presists

4. Did the "volume up power button" trick while turning it on: Problem still presists 

5. Software repair using PC companion: problem still presists 

Observations

well that's weird. when its connected it via USB it works fine, I tried this many times. no lag when USB attached (Wall charger or PC) and as soon as the cable is removed .. sluggish again

Notes: 
- I don't complain about the battery, yes definitely overheating causes it to drain quicker but its not that noticable 

- My SIM card was originally a micro one that got trimmed into nano

- I have been very careful with the phone, It never fell or had any hits 

Thanks for your help in Advance

I hope you can return my trust in Sony because I had an Xperia Z1C before and the service center told me "its unrepairable" and despite this I bought Sony again because I like the brand, I hope it wasn't a mistake.

[Jonas]

Hi @AL95, I'm sorry to hear about your phone.

Are you using the STAMINA mode in your phone? You can see that if you go to Settings > Battery > STAMINA mode. If this is set to "Always on", change it to "Never" and try using the phone as normal. Do you still experience lags/stuttering?

When you start to charge the phone the STAMINA mode is turned off automatically, so if it's set to always on it will be activated at all times except for when you charge your phone.

When STAMINA mode is active, the following activities and features are limited:

Location services (for example, GPS).
Background data incl. synchronisation activities.
Vibrating alerts.
Image enhancement and frame rate.

I would recommend that you ask a colleague, family member or friend if you can borrow their SIM card(s) and put them in your phone to see if you experience that the phone heats up on the top left side.

Let me know how it went!

[AL95]

Thank you Jonas for your help
I never use Stamina mode and its set to Never as well
I discovered that connecting it to charger boosts it up and makes it work fine. Its just like oxygen mask now which is not comfortable

I also found out that the stuttering doesn't just affect animation or scrolling but also whatever media is played, the sound comes out laggy as well
I haven't tried a different SIM card yet but i guess its far from it? I will try it anyway and return with a feedback

I hope my reply narrows the possibilties you are thinking a little bit. It would be great to get a solution online as I dont have time to leave it at the service center nor I have a back up phone for now

[Jonas]

Thanks for the update!

Could you please try and reboot your phone in safe mode to rule out that a third party application that is causing for the lag and stuttering?

If you experience the same behaviour in safe mode without the charger connected I'd recommend performing a software repair using Xperia Companion.

Keep me updated how it works with another SIM card and/or in safe mode!

[AL95]

Thank you Jonas for following up.
Well i have removed the SD card yesterday and until now the phone didn't lag which is good news, I saw online that corrupt files can cause overheating and lag so maybe its the case
I will still update you tomorrow but just in case the SD card was the problem. Will formatting the card fix this issue? And if i am going to buy a new SD card. Are there any recommendations you have about what to buy?

[AL95]

P.S. My work environment is very dusty. Can this be related to the issue? If so. I already have a backcover for the phone but of course the ports and the speaker grill still get dusty. Is there a safe way that you recommemd to keep them clean?

[Jonas]

You are correct, if you for example move applications to the SD card and the SD card is corrupt, you will experience this behaviour as well or when the phone needs to access data on the SD card.

I'd recommend that you try and format the SD card before buying a new, so you can save some money if the SD card is corrupt and not broken.

Xperia XA supports SD cards up to 200 GB, Memory card speed class Class 10 and Memory card UHS speed class Class 1.

If it works directly after the SD card was removed it's likely not due to you working in a dusty environment. Since there is no IP-classification for the Xperia XA be very careful when you clean it. I'd recommend using a soft and dry cotton towel or similar.

I hope this answer your questions, if not let me know!

[AL95]

Hello again Jonas,
After a day and a half no lag without SD card the phone lagged again, so i got a new nano SIM inserted but still the lag happened (still without SD card)
When i tried safe mode it took forever to be turned on first time so i had to restart and try again. No lag but it doesnt lag immediately when restarted anyway

[AL95]

I can confirm It lags in safe mode as well

[AL95]

Update: 

when it lagged I checked the Memory usage and I googled for sometime and it seems higher than usual for android OS to use all this amount 

(when i check the average usage over a longer interval of time it gets less and less which leads that somehow its related)

is this a software or a hardware issue? may other XA dual users do me a favor and check their usage too?