Ahead of its official virtual launch later today, details of Sony’s flagship smartphone have leaked online. The Xperia 1 successor gets a spanking new name, too—Xperia 1 II. Yes, a Romanised “2” for a Mark 2 device, much like how Sony names its cameras. I’m anticipating the flak Sony is going to get for this. In any case…
The Xperia 1 II carries the same design language as the Xperia 5—a longish candy bar form factor with clean lines. The 21:9 aspect ratio has its advantages—it’s great for single-handed use, at least until you need to reach to the top of the screen. There’s the familiar side-mounted fingerprint sensor and a dedicated camera shutter button on the right. Surprisingly there’s no notch (unlike the just-launched Xperia L4) but a slight forehead and chin. As expected, the device offers IP65/68 dust- and water-resistance; it comes in Black and Purple colour options.
Around the back, there’s a vertical camera array housing a triple-camera setup. What’s interesting is the ZEISS T* label on the camera bump, indicating a possible anti-reflection coating on the lens to reduce ghosting and flares from images.
In the optics department, the Xperia 1 II sports a quad-cam setup, if you can consider the 3D ToF camera an actual camera. The device sticks to an almost iPhone 11 Pro-type system: a 12MP main shooter (24mm) with a 1/1.7-inch sensor, Dual-PD AF and OIS; a 12MP ultra-wide-lens camera (16mm) with a 1/2.6-inch sensor and Dual-PD AF; and a 12MP telephoto camera (70mm) with a 1/3.4-inch sensor alongside PDAF and OIS.
As seen in its previous smartphones, the camera system supports real-time Eye AF and also up to 20fps AF/AE tracking for burst shots.
Under the hood, you wouldn’t expect anything less than the flagship Snapdragon 865, and sure enough, Sony has plonked this beast of a processor in together with 5G (sub6) connectivity. There’s 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage.
Up front, the phone features a familiar 6.5-inch 21:9 4K HDR OLED display with Motion Blur Reduction which Sony claims is a 90Hz equivalent benefit. It’s uncertain how this works; a proper hands-on will answer all questions we might have.
In other areas, the Xperia 1 II packs a larger 4,000mAh battery than its predecessor and supports wireless charging. It comes with front-facing stereo speakers with support for Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res Audio, and also comes with a 3.5mm audio jack.
Stay tuned for official pricing and availability later.
So, what do you think? Has Sony done enough for its latest flagship device? What do you think of the new naming convention?
Source: Max Winebach VIA SoyaCincau
