Sony Announces Xperia 1, Their New Flagship Phone

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The Sony Xperia line of phones has long been one of our favorites. The Xperia Z2 was the first “phablet” I owned. I loved it. The line has gotten better and better with each iteration. Now Sony takes things to a new level with the Xperia 1. The Z is gone, but the phone looks amazing.

The Xperia 1 is the first 4K OLED smartphone with a 21:9 CinemaWide display. Measuring 6.5”, it has a big display and, thanks to the inclusion of HDR remastering technologies, it promises to look fantastic. But, the screen isn’t the only first that can be claimed by the Xperia 1. According to Sony, the phone also has the “world’s first Eye AF in a smartphone with triple lens camera and up to 10 fps burst shooting with AF/AE tracking for precision focus and exposure.”

As Mitsuya Kishida, President of Sony Mobile Communications explains,

We have established a new vision for our Xperia brand, which is to bring our customers experiences beyond imagination. We are continuing to push the boundaries in pursuit of innovation, and our new Xperia 1 delivers genuine technological advancements with a multitude of professional-grade features for creative entertainment experiences that are only possible with Sony.

One of the claims to fame of the Xperia 1 is the cinematic experience it delivers. The 21:9 CinemaWide 6.5” display means videos displayed on the phone will offer a “viewing experience that’s true to what creators envisioned.” The display is powered by Sony’s BRAVIA TV technology so you can be sure it will deliver the best contrast, color, and clarity possible. And, since the display is the centerpiece of the Xperia 1, you’ll be happy to know the phone is employing Corning Gorilla® Glass 6 on front and back and is IP65/IP68 certified water resistance.

 

And, since this is a Sony Xperia phone, it will come as no surprise that the camera is excellent. The Xperia 1 has an advanced triple lens camera for capturing great images. There’s a 16mm lens for wide landscapes, a 26mm lens, and, of course, a 52mm lens telephoto shooting.

Technologies from Sony’s acclaimed ? (“Alpha”) interchangeable lens camera are inherited in Xperia 1 as BIONZ X for mobile. The algorithm enables the world’s first Eye AF (Auto Focus) in a smartphone to bring sharp focus exactly at eye level and delivers continuous burst shooting with up to 10 fps AF/AE tracking (Auto Focus and Auto Exposure), giving precision focus and optimal exposure. Capture better low light images with the bright F1.6 lens and large pixel pitch 1.4?m Dual Photo Diode image sensor, ensuring that even moving subjects are blur-free, while RAW noise reduction delivers beautifully clear images.

Shooting video is also one of the Xperia 1’s strengths. Developed in collaboration with the engineers from Sony’s professional digital cinema camera division, its technology will let users shoot video “with natural cinematic tone and further apply expression-based color management pre-sets with the new Cinema Pro feature.“ It will come as no surprise that video can be captured in 4K HDR at 24 frames per second in 21:9 format.

Under the hood the Xperia 1 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform and a high-capacity 3330 mAh battery that promises both speed and full-day use in a phone that’s great for pictures, watching videos and everything else we have come to expect from our phones.

The Xperia 1 will be available in Black, Purple, Gray, and White, although Black and Purple are exclusive to the U.S. It will ship with Android 9.0 Pie and will be available in the U.S. late Spring 2019.

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About the Author

Dan Cohen
Having a father who was heavily involved in early laser and fiber-optical research, Dan grew up surrounded by technology and gadgets. Dan’s father brought home one of the very first video games when he was young and Dan remembers seeing a “pre-release” touchtone phone. (When he asked his father what the “#” and “*” buttons were his dad said, “Some day, far in the future, we’ll have some use for them.”) Technology seemed to be in Dan’s blood but at some point he took a different path and ended up in the clergy. His passion for technology and gadgets never left him. Dan is married to Raina Goldberg who is also an avid user of Apple products. They live in New Jersey with their golden doodle Nava.