Sony Xperia 1 review: An extra-tall order

Sony isn’t exactly a major player in the smartphone space anymore, but that doesn’t mean you should immediately count it out when the company releases a new flagship. The Xperia 1 ushers in a new design philosophy for Sony, focusing on the company’s strengths in displays and imaging with a new, taller aspect ratio and a 4K OLED panel.


Sony Xperia 1

The tallest phone in town.

The Xperia 1 nails all of the essentials, with blisteringly fast performance and three excellent cameras. The extra-tall display takes some getting used to, but it makes widescreen movies more immersive, and its 4K HDR technology is unmatched.

The good

  • Phenomenal display
  • Excellent triple camera array
  • Long-lasting battery
  • Water resistant

The bad

  • Awkward fingerprint sensor placement
  • No wireless charging
  • Camera is slow to open and switch between lenses

About this review

I (Hayato Huseman) am writing this review after using the Xperia 1 (J8170) for just under two weeks in the greater Indianapolis and Chicago metropolitan areas on the AT&T network. I used an unlocked model provided to me on loan by Sony, running build number 55.0.A.2.278 for the entirety of the review period.

Sony Xperia 1 Hardware, specs, and design

Category Sony Xperia 1
Display 6.5-inch, 3840 x 1644, HDR, OLED, 21:9
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, 2.84GHz + 2.42GHz + 1.8GHz, Octa-core
RAM 6GB LPDDR4
Storage 128GB (expandable via microSD)
Rear Camera 12MP, ƒ/1.6, 1.4µm, OIS (wide) + 12MP, ƒ/2.6, 1.0µm (telephoto) + 12MP, ƒ/2.4, 1.0µm (ultra-wide)
Front Camera 8MP, ƒ/2.0, 1.12µm
Battery 3330 mAh, 18W USB-PD fast charging
Dimensions 167 x 72 x 8.2mm
Weight 178g

It’s been a while since I’ve spent much time with a Sony phone. For me, at least, the Xperia name brings back memories of clumsy gaskets for waterproofing, uncomfortably sharp corners, and frustratingly mediocre cameras.

But the Xperia 1 is a completely different story. There’s nothing clumsy about the design here; every aspect of its hardware…

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/WsV6Wo3E1Iw/sony-xperia-1-review

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