On early Monday morning, it was Sony’s turn to announce its new 2019 flagship smartphone. The company responded with the Xperia 1, a smartphone that combines Sony’s strengths in camera and multi-media tech.
The phone’s standout feature is a 6.5-inch OLED display with tall 21:9 aspect ratio and 4K resolution, a first for any smartphone. The display also supports both HDR and Dolby Atmos, making it a multi-media powerhouse.
Sony says it’s working with developers like Epic Games to make games like Fortnite compatible with the Xperia 1’s 21:9 aspect ratio. Moreover, the company says the Xperia 1 includes a “game enhancer” feature that will block notifications during gaming sessions.
For shooting photos and videos, the Xperia 1 includes a multi-camera array with lenses at three different 35mm equivalent focal lengths: 16mm, 26mm and 52mm. A 12-megapixel sensor with a 1.4mm pixel pitch should help the camera perform well in low light.
Borrowing a feature from Sony’s excellent Alpha series of mirrorless cameras, the Xperia 1 includes auto-tracking eye auto-focus, another first for a smartphone, as well as continuous burst shooting at 10 frames per second with both autofocus and auto-exposure. There’s also a hybrid stabilization system to help users capture steady shots and support for 4K HDR video capture at 24 frames per second at the Xperia 1’s 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio.
Hardware wise, the Xperia 1 features a Qualcomm Snapdragon Chipset with X24 LTE modem, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Powering the entire setup, including that power hungry 4K display, is a modest 3,300mAh capacity battery.
I should also mention the Xperia 1 features an interesting button configuration. In addition to a volume rocker and side-mounted fingerprint sensor, the Xperia 1 includes a separate power button and camera shutter release. All four buttons are located on the Xperia 1’s right side.
In the U.S., Sony will sell the Xperia 1 in black and purple. In other markets, the phone will be available in grey and white.
There’s no word yet on whether the company will release the Xperia 1 in Canada, nor did the company mention pricing, U.S. or otherwise.
