Sony Xperia 1: A Powerful Smartphone with Great Display

The Sony Xperia 1 is a powerhouse of a smartphone, offering a display that's truly one of a kind. Its 6.1-inch 4K OLED screen is a marvel, with a whopping 1644 x 3840 resolution that will make your eyes pop.

One of the standout features of the Xperia 1 is its ability to shoot 4K video in 24fps, 25fps, 30fps, and 60fps. This is a game-changer for videographers and filmmakers who want to capture high-quality footage on the go.

With a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor under the hood, the Xperia 1 can handle even the most demanding tasks with ease. Its 12GB of RAM ensures that you can juggle multiple apps without any lag or slowdown.

The Xperia 1's camera system is also worth mentioning, with a 12-megapixel primary sensor, a 12-megapixel telephoto lens, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens. This combination of lenses allows you to capture stunning photos and videos from a variety of perspectives.

The Sony Xperia 1 is no slouch when it comes to performance and hardware. It's got a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, which is a top-of-the-line processor that handles demanding apps and games with ease.

One of the standout features of the Xperia 1 is its display. With a 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED screen, you'll get an immersive viewing experience, perfect for watching movies and videos. The 1644×3840 resolution is stunning, and the HDR support means you'll get vivid colors and contrast.

The Xperia 1 also has a large 3,330 mAh battery, which can last an entire day of normal usage. However, if you're a heavy user, you may need to recharge during the day. Fortunately, the included fast charger can charge up to 50% battery charge in just 30 minutes.

Stereo speakers are a nice touch on the Xperia 1. When in landscape mode, one speaker is on the left and the other is on the right, providing a more immersive audio experience. This is a welcome change from the single speaker found on many phones.

Here are the key specs of the Xperia 1:

The Sony Xperia 1 has a uniquely tall aspect ratio of 21:9, making it look extra tall and narrow. This design choice is noticeable and may not be to everyone's taste.

The phone's narrow body makes it comfortable to hold, but the tall screen can make one-handed use a bit tricky, especially when trying to reach items at the top of the screen. The all-glass construction and glossy metal frame make the phone incredibly slippery, so a case is highly recommended to protect it and make it easier to hold.

The fingerprint reader on the side can be a bit finicky, often registering accidental touches and making it difficult to use properly. But on the plus side, the phone features dual speakers that provide stereo sound and are very loud.

The Xperia 1 has a 6.5-inch 21:9 aspect ratio 4K HDR OLED display, which is a unique feature that sets it apart from other smartphones. This display has a 3840 × 1644 resolution and 643 ppi pixel density, making it sharp and beneficial for battery life.

The display resolution on regular usage is actually 1080p, but it automatically switches to 4K when compatible content is displayed. This is a practical approach that balances performance and battery life.

The Xperia 1 has a new system-wide color setting feature called "Creator mode", which tries to display accurate colors as close as possible to the original intention of the content creator. This feature requires the source to be encoded with the proper color info to take advantage of it.

The device also has a BT-2022 certification HDR, which is more versatile than HDR10. It supports the wide color space ITU-R BT.2020m and DCI P3, but it requires the source to be encoded with the proper color info.

The X1 for mobile engine borrowed from Sony's BRAVIA TV line optimizes content for the high contrast and color palette of the OLED panel. This means that the display can showcase a wide range of colors and contrast levels.

The tall, narrow design of the Xperia 1 is actually quite comfortable to grip, despite its initial polarizing appearance. This design makes it easy to hold the phone for long periods of time, although you may need to use two hands to use it effectively.

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Movies are a great fit for the Xperia 1's 21:9 aspect ratio display, especially with Netflix's support for ultra-wide displays. Watching cinematic content on this phone can be a truly immersive experience.

However, not all content looks great on this screen. Standard 16:9 widescreen clips on YouTube leave big, black bars on either side of the display, and 4:3 video looks silly with nearly as much dead space as there is action on-screen.

The Sony Xperia 1 has a uniquely tall aspect ratio of 21:9, making it stand out from other Android phones.

This design choice makes the phone look extra tall and narrow, which can make one-handed use a bit tricky, especially when reaching for items at the top of the screen.

The narrower body of the Xperia 1 makes it easier to hold in your hands, and the phone itself feels really comfortable to hold, with no sharp corners to poke your palms.

However, the all-glass construction and glossy metal frame make the phone incredibly slippery, so it's a good idea to use a case to make it easier to hold and protect the glass.

Without a case, you'll start to see tiny surface scratches on the back glass, especially if you rub it up against harsh surfaces.

The fingerprint reader on the Xperia 1 is placed on the side, which can be a bit more difficult to use than the previous rear placement, especially if you're used to that design.

The side placement can lead to accidental unlocking or failed unlocking attempts, and it doesn't seem to be as accurate as the rear placement.

One feature I do like about the design is the use of a SIM card/memory card tray that doesn't require a tool to use, which is a convenient feature.

The dual speakers on the Xperia 1 are also a highlight, providing stereo sound when playing games or watching movies, and they're also very loud, which is a nice bonus.

The Sony Xperia 1 has a triple lens camera system, featuring a primary 12.2 MP 1/2.55" Exmor RS sensor with a 1.4 μm behind an f/1.6 aperture.

This camera system is composed of three lenses: a 26 mm "regular wide" lens, a 52 mm lens for "telephoto" shots with 2x optical zoom, and a 16 mm 130° "ultra-wide-angle" lens.

The Xperia 1 is capable of capturing 4K HDR video and has Optical Steady Shot, which is a first for an Xperia device.

The camera system is paired with a RGBC-IR color spectrum sensor that assists the white balance of the camera.

The front selfie camera has a 1/4" 8-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 lens and Steady Shot with Intelligent Active Mode (5-axis stabilization).

The Xperia 1 features Optical SteadyShot (hybrid OIS/EIS video stabilization) and can record RAW image files with RAW noise reduction.

The camera also includes a new fast Eye AF system, which can accurately calculate and measure the distance of the subject it is tracking.

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This feature, along with the built-in DRAM chip, allows for 960 fps super slow-motion videos.

The Xperia 1 has a unique camera feature called Predictive Capture, which automatically captures a maximum of four photos before the shutter button is pressed.

The camera also includes an Autofocus burst with up to 10 fps of AF/AE tracking and Predictive Hybrid Autofocus.

The camera system is powered by the BIONZ X for mobile image-processing engine, borrowed from Sony's Alpha professional cameras.

The Xperia 1's battery is a non-removable 3,330 mAh lithium-ion battery, which is a decent size for a smartphone.

It's charged via a USB-C 3.1 port with support for USB Power Delivery, which is a fast and efficient way to charge your phone.

The Xperia 1 also has Qnovo adaptive charging technology built-in, which helps to minimize cell damage and extend the battery's lifespan by monitoring the cell's electrochemical processes in real time.

This means that your battery will last longer and perform better over time.

By using Qnovo adaptive charging, the Xperia 1 can adjust charging parameters to prevent excessive heat and current due to overcharging.

This is especially useful for heavy users who tend to charge their phone overnight.

The Sony Xperia 1 has improved wireless audio connectivity, which is a game-changer for music lovers.

This phone skips the traditional 3.5 mm audio jack, but don't worry, it makes up for it with LDAC, an in-house developed audio coding technology that enables the transmission of 24-bit/96 kHz Hi-Res audio content over Bluetooth at up to 990 kbit/s.

This is three times faster than conventional audio streaming codecs, and it's a feature that's now part of the Android Open Source Project.

The Xperia 1 also comes with Dolby Atmos for a better sound reproduction experience.

Other connectivity options include Bluetooth 5 with aptX HD and Low Energy, NFC, and dual-band Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac.

You'll also get Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, GPS (with A-GPS), GLONASS, BeiDou, and Galileo satellite positioning for seamless navigation.

The Xperia 1 has no FM radio, which is a common feature omission in high-end smartphones these days.

For your interest: Sony Home Audio System Bluetooth

The Sony Xperia 1 comes out of the box with Android 9.0 Pie, which is a pretty up-to-date Android build.

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You can expect a fast and smooth experience, but be aware that the phone comes with Sony's own custom launcher, which adds some features like Side Sense. Side Sense allows you to double tap the side of the screen to bring up a shortcut menu with favorite apps, multi-window shortcut, and other important shortcuts.

The sensitivity of the touch areas can be adjusted, and you can also customize the placement of the shortcut menu. I personally found Side Sense to be a neat feature, but it may take some getting used to.

One notable omission is true face unlocking, which is more advanced and accurate on other Android devices. You can enable a face unlock feature, but it requires you to activate the lock screen, look at the camera, and swipe up to unlock.

The Sony Xperia 1 runs on Android 9.0 Pie out of the box, with a fast operating system that's pretty much up-to-date.

Sony's custom launcher adds a feature called Side Sense, which allows you to double tap the side of the screen to bring up a shortcut menu with favorite apps and other important shortcuts.

Side Sense can be adjusted to your liking, with customizable sensitivity and placement of the shortcut menu.

Unfortunately, true face unlocking is lacking on the Xperia 1, and the feature that's available requires you to activate the lock screen, look at the camera, and swipe up to unlock.

The Xperia 1 does come with some Sony apps, but it's an unlocked device with minimal bloatware, mostly consisting of stock Google apps.

One unique feature of the Xperia 1 is its ability to do PS4 Remote Play out of the box, which is a great perk for gamers.

The Sony Xperia 1 has a 21:9 cinematic screen for an immersive viewing experience.

This screen ratio is a common denominator among the new Xperia smartphones, making them ideal for watching movies and TV shows.

Sony has completely revamped its Xperia series, and the result is a sleek and modern design that's hard to ignore.

The cinematic screen is a key feature that sets the Xperia 1 apart from other smartphones, and it's definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of watching videos on the go.

The Xperia 1 has been running beautifully, with no technical issues to speak of. It's been fast and very responsive, with every app I've thrown at it running without issue.

The placement of the fingerprint reader is a major design flaw. It's in a poor position that makes it difficult to use.

The power button and other buttons should be shifted higher up on the phone. This would prevent accidental taps and interruptions to my workflow.

The dedicated camera button is a great feature, but it's also a source of frustration. I had to turn off the shortcut for it because I was constantly enabling the camera by accident.

The Sony Xperia 1 is a powerful device that stands out from the crowd, but its uniqueness comes at a cost. Its oddball screen and some puzzling decisions make it a niche gadget.

This device is ideal for movie enthusiasts who will appreciate its features. It's not a sensible purchase for most people, though, given the abundance of affordable flagship devices available.

Sony's ambition in creating the Xperia 1 is admirable, even if it doesn't quite make sense for the masses. The company is still around and making innovative devices, which is great news for fans.

You'll probably find something to appreciate in the Xperia 1 if you're into watching and making movies. Everyone else can move on, knowing that Sony is still pushing the boundaries of smartphone technology.

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