Sony smartphones should be the best in the world. It has terrific TVs, acclaimed cameras, consistently great audio products, an outstanding games console, and owns an enviable back catalogue of movie, music and video game content.
The ingredients are all there, but for whatever reason rivals seem to squeeze more from their handsets leaving the Japanese giant ever so slightly lagging behind. In its latest attempt to upset the flagship apple cart Sony is playing the long game, literally, with a 21:9 aspect ratio display.
Sporting a newly simplified naming policy, the Xperia 1 is the world’s first phone to feature a 6.5in 4K HDR OLED screen. The aspect ratio equates to ultra-wide viewing when flipped sideways, with a Peter Crouch-style portrait orientation for getting more from your apps.
Add in a triple lens 12MP camera that includes tech trickled down from Sony’s acclaimed α (“Alpha”) range and the Xperia 1 is attempting to stick out from the crowd without doing anything remotely foldable – but will it be enough to twist your arm?
DESIGN AND BUILD: THE LONG AND NOT SO SHORT OF IT
Industrial cool is something Sony does quite well and the Xperia 1 is the Nakatomi Plaza of smartphones. With a sleek metal frame and Gorilla Glass 6 from back-to-front, this is neither an iPhone-clone or some jazzy upstart hellbent on dividing opinion.
It looks ruthlessly efficient, and this also explains why Sony has moved the fingerprint sensor from the back to side, where your thumb naturally sits.
You’re immediately drawn to its elongated dimensions, which seem odd at first but feel right when you hold it, especially in smaller hands, and before you bemoan the need for deeper pockets, it’s really no longer than a plus size model from Apple or Samsung.
Regardless, a top tip from Stuff’s Global Brand Director, Guy Cocker, is to buy Uniqlo jeans, otherwise his mum will sew you some bigger pockets at preferential rates.
So why the long face anyway? Well, plenty of movies and TV shows are shot natively in a 21:9 aspect ratio and Sony wants you to consume this content in its original format as you would at the cinema.
Aside from its own back catalogue, it says Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube offer tonnes of content too and watching Netflix on the Xperia 1 will automatically switch to 21:9 if the show is available in that format.
The CinemaWide 4K HDR OLED is bridged by a bezel at the top and bottom, but is otherwise virtually edge-to-edge. It’s packing award-winning BRAVIA tech, including a mobile version of the X1 processor from its TVs, and that means colour, contrast and clarity really is on point.
A cinematic experience is rounded off by Dolby Atmos sound developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment and IP65/IP68 certified water resistance means you can continue watching Rain Man if it rains, man.
PERFORMANCE: HO-RATIO NELSON
The 21:9 display is for more than just movies, because it’s also there to help to achieve mobile gaming high scores and multitask effectively with apps.
As well as a deeper unrestricted view of gameplay, Game Enhancer mode optimises the performance of the 5G-ready Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and blocks unwanted notifications. It also enables you to record gameplay and find tips online while you play.
Accessing a YouTube walkthrough while you navigate a tricky passage of play without having to exit the game is cool, meanwhile Sony has worked with the makers of Fortnite, Asphalt 9, Arena of Valor and more to optimise gameplay for its fancy format.
In terms of productivity, the screen means seeing more of your apps – think social media feeds or YouTube comments – but is also ideal for running two apps simultaneously and you can trigger a split screen swiftly from a homescreen shortcut or via voice with Google Assistant.
The Snapdragon chip offers high-speed gigabit LTE capability, up to 25 per cent faster CPU and up to 40 per cent GPU performance versus the previous generation, and Snapdragon Elite Gaming, for handling processor-intensive apps and games.
A 3,330mAh battery is combined with Smart Stamina, Battery Care and Xperia Apadative Charging modes to keep you powered throughout the day and to try and make you forget the fact the Xperia 1 doesn’t come with wireless charging. Call us new fashioned, but this is a big flaw.
Finally, you get 6GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage via a MicroSD card.
CAMERA: TRIPLE GAINS
Everyone say ‘De La, De La, De La!’, because three is the magic number here as Sony has added a 12MP triple lens camera on the rear. The array includes a 16mm for wide landscapes, a versatile 26mm lens and a 52mm for telephoto shooting. There’s a 8MP selfie shooter too.
Technologies from Sony’s acclaimed acclaimed α (“Alpha”) interchangeable lens camera feature here under the moniker BIONZ X for mobile, and the algorithm enables the world’s first Eye AF (Auto Focus) in a smartphone.
Sony says this brings sharp focus to the level of eyes and delivers continuous burst shooting with up to 10 fps AF/AE tracking (Auto Focus and Auto Exposure) for precision focus and optimal exposure.
Low light images are handled by a F1.6 lens and large pixel pitch 1.4μm Dual Photo Diode image sensor for blur-free moving objects. There’s also RAW noise reduction and everything captured by the camera is of course available in 21:9.
The same goes for 4K HDR video recording at 24 frames per second and Sony has had another leg up from a friend with benefits in the shape of engineers from its professional digital cinema camera division, CineAlta.
The result is a claimed natural cinematic tone when shooting and “expression-based colour management pre-sets” to set the intended mood from your cinematic stories. Meanwhile, Optical SteadyShot uses algorithms for shake-free recording.
Admittedly we need more time with the Xperia 1’s triple lens offering before passing full judgement and we can’t wait to put it up against some meaty rivals, but the early signs looks promising.
SONY XPERIA 1 EARLY VERDICT
There’s a lot to like about the Xperia 1 and not just the name. Aesthically it’s clean, simple and means business, plus slap old Crouchie out on the pub table and its dimensions set it apart from the crowd.
The obvious star of the show is that 4K HDR OLED panel and it’s central to everything the Xperia 1 aims to excel at – consuming content, playing games, multitasking, displaying great photos and showing thrilling videos.
You’ll find no folds or pinholes here, just Sony calling on every area of its business to make what it hopes is a great phone, although oversights like a lack of wireless charging will surely grate.
The proof will come when we delve deeper into the display and pit the camera against the competition, but for now we’re just pleased Sony is still here and doing things a little bit differently to the rest.
The £849 Xperia 1 ships with Android 9 Pie in late Spring 2019 and comes in black, purple, grey and white.
