Sony Xperia 1 II in for review

26 May 2020
Sony's latest and greatest is finally in our office.

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BrendonF, 28 May 2020Thats not true. Only the software is from the Sony camera d... moreHis intention of saying the hardware brought from camera division means not that they are using same sensor size or lens like their Alpha cameras. He meant that having larger sensor size for the same 12MP (1.5x bigger than last year sensor) like DSLR 20-24MP cameras (Same MP with different sensor sizes each year). And incorporating a software to use this bigger 12MP sensor as well as new iTOF depth sensor to do Eye AF, 20fps AE/AF.... These are not just software algorithm. You also need hardware to work on and how you use them.

    BrendonF, 28 May 2020Serious question for you. What do you do with your mobile p... moreI got tired of explaining the same thing over and over again. If you don't want 4K and want something else. Why are you here?? Go to other brand articles.
    Coming to the price, it is completely justified for the features it provides. 4K itself is seal the deal to the price. Apart from that they developed dedicated camera app only for X 1 II. Why would they sell this mobile for 600$ while others can sell gimmicky specs (useless 108MP, 16GB RAM, 120Hz refresh rates on flagship ) at 1500$???

      Abdullah , 27 May 2020You serious? The hardware behind the camera system is broug... moreThats not true. Only the software is from the Sony camera division. Sony DSLR cameras use very different hardware.

        Anonymous, 27 May 2020I'm sure you have some certain taste at what you consider s... moreSerious question for you. What do you do with your mobile photos ? My mobile photos are for social media only where heavy filters and compression kill any real meaningful differences between flagship and budget phones.

        So what do you really do with your camera photos? Cause I can't think of anything worthwhile paying so much for this Sony. A 4k mobile screen sounds great on paper but I prefer watching movies on my 4k TV instead of on a tiny screen. You can't really use them for games as no game supports 4k so far. So aside from this gimmicky screen there is nothing worthwhile IMO to justfiy this price Sony has decided on.

          Smithravi, 28 May 2020They can be adjusted with ISO/SS/Exposure/WB/dedicated mode... moreAlso don't expect DSLR pictures from mobiles. The sensor is not big enough to captures the same details like DSLR. But I can second that some of the pictures in there can't be taken by other smartphone with same colours, especially moving subjects like animals.

            Anonymous, 28 May 2020https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na_1I2oimxc Filmic Pro $... moreGoing on a tangent aren't you?
            Original discussion was about third party camera apps to increase bitrate.
            Open camera and others offer higher bitrates and other resolutions with some other stuff not found on stock camera. It's free too.


              Norris, 28 May 2020And you are not bothered by the fact that the pictures, esp... moreThey can be adjusted with ISO/SS/Exposure/WB/dedicated modes (P/S/M) given in the app. He has taken according to his likes. You can take according to your liking. That's what is all about having CONTROL where other "smart brands" fail.

              PS: The blur on dog could be simply maybe he might have shook a little bit or it could also be dog is too fast for that picture. He also have other dog pictures where it is moving and has no blur. Judging a mobile capability based on one picture is BAD.

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                • Norris
                • SbF
                • 28 May 2020

                Smithravi, 28 May 2020DxO has lost it's reputation long ago. Only few considering... moreAnd you are not bothered by the fact that the pictures, especially taken indoors with a dog, are very blurry and not clear? And you like that we again see the overexposed sky, and night shot has problems with a lot of contrast on shadows and illumination again overexposed? Do you call this "realistic" shots?

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                  • Anonymous
                  • LHe
                  • 28 May 2020

                  Android Master, 28 May 2020Says the guy who never even tried these third party apps on... morehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na_1I2oimxc

                  Filmic Pro $15 app vs native app

                  Filmic Pro can record at higher bitrate to look sharper but it cannot match the dynamic range of native HLG(HDR) video recording in native Xperia app because it cannot tap into sensor bullt in HLG feature.

                    Love the Community, 28 May 2020That list video is not a remake but an addition for that li... moreDxO has lost it's reputation long ago. Only few considering it as reliable. Also I have never seen them using Cinema pro nor giving marks for the features. I mean what's the point of marks if they are not considering everything that has to do with the camera. This year they "might" again juts test the stock camera app and give some random number for Xperia 1 II.

                    I feel DPR and XDA reviews are again unbiased. GSMArena too. But sometimes they miss to mention small details as well. That's the reason I would rather look some other youtube videos for real life performance. On X1 II, I already found nice amount of real life videos from japanese creators like on small topics HS power control (Gaming feature), battery life test in day to day life, Video testing on stock camera app (found out X1 II 1080p recording is worse than X1 but 4K is excellent).. etc.,.

                    The bigger censor and Zeiss T*coating already working great for low light conditions and AF compared to Xperia 1. With correct manula controls, you can take impressive DSLR like pics from this smartphone. But yes average only wants night mode with day like lighting effect and day mode with oversaturated instagram filters. Well, I'm not one of them. I want to capture that specific moment how I see with my naked eye. X1 II is perfect and the only closest to that experience.

                    Here are the samples from DPR taken by Xperia 1 II:
                    https://www.dpreview.com/samples/5031669290/sony-xperia-1-mark-ii-sample-gallery

                    Those are the natural colours I want to store in my mobile. Not some fancy AI pics.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • TXd
                      • 28 May 2020

                      Lovely people jumping on a sony article just to diss the brand.
                      Review is not even up yet but many of you already claiming that the phone is equal with crap.
                      Giving credit for some random youtuber kid who is raging about sony or for the 2 or 3 reviews what are actually up .... 1+1=8

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                        • Operation Blitz
                        • swC
                        • 28 May 2020

                        RishiGuru, 28 May 2020What I don't understand is why with such rich past history,... moreThe trouble with Sony phones , Is they were only good when partnered with Ericsson, Since then there phones are dull and after 3 months of owning it the value of the phone plummets to about half or a third of what you paid for it!

                        Trust me I know I had a Experia Z5 !

                        They have had good screens but almost the Experias I had , Had atrocious battery life. Its strange considering it comes from a company that makes the PlayStation?

                        My favourite Sony Ericsson phone was the P910i

                        Maybe Sony will return to its past ventures !

                          Anonymous, 28 May 2020Third party apps cannot tap into camera specific features a... moreSays the guy who never even tried these third party apps on their smartphones.
                          Says the guy who is accusing Chinese of stealing technologies and making absurd lies.
                          Generalizing all third party apps into one.
                          Generalizing that only mid range phones need it and flagships don't.

                          Have you used anything beyond Sony Mr.Brandboy?
                          Go home and play with your toys boy!

                            Telephone, 28 May 2020Type C to 3.5mm adapters are a waste of money, and you need... moreIm fine with or without 3.5mm ports, end of story, its not a deal breaker to not have one.

                              Anonymous, 28 May 2020Lenovo? You will regret. I doubt it

                                Smithravi, 28 May 2020The sensor part has already been answered by other user. ... moreWhat I don't understand is why with such rich past history, so many innovations and industry firsts and such huge enthusiasm from online fans & communities, Sony still sells much less phones than say OnePlus which is sub brand of Oppo owned by BBK Electronics of China.

                                I do wonder if Sony have lost their previous charm among general consumers as they just pass on anything Sony comes up with showing no interest or urge of buy one. This will only make their smartphone division suffer even more. I hope Sony smartphones and the enthusiasm to buy one just not get limited only among Sony fans.

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                                  • Love the Community
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                                  • 28 May 2020

                                  Smithravi, 28 May 2020The sensor part has already been answered by other user. ... moreThat list video is not a remake but an addition for that list video that was made a while ago. You're right. Why did he say it now where he could've said it way before? Talk about opportunity and Youtube Algorithms.

                                  About the camera sensor stuff, alright, I'll trust Sony with their sensor choice but that won't easily woo the DxOMark people and the people who prefer shallow features like clarity, OIS and more megapixels than deep features no consumer would've thought of wanting it.

                                    Love the Community, 28 May 2020He was kinda b-hurt too that Sony told them to return it in... moreThe sensor part has already been answered by other user.

                                    Coming to business decisions, Sony of course made some mistakes following other brands, perfect examples were xz2, xz3. Removing headphones jack. Not improving today's bezels 2 years ago (XZ2 should have been Xperia 1). But they never compromised on build quality though. Every year they believe in something and try to bring the best out of their engineers. Last year Xperia 1 is completely focused on display and 21:9 aspect ratio. That's a risk no one has ever taken that too when company already has low sales. So don't say Sony never took any risks.

                                    They're one of those companies who made 3.5mm, waterproof rating, dual stereo speakers, slow-mo, HDR display, HDR recording, LDAC, "as standard" in today's smartphones. These things are first brought to you and made famous by sony in smartphones. For past 5-6 years no other company has put into display and camera as much as sony. That's the reason you don't get any other display as good as sony's. And camera features like eye AF. Sony's aim is just different from 1000+ other smart brands.

                                    Also 1 week of having a smartphone is more than enough to see how the mobile is functioning in day to day life. If one uses months to review, that's more like taking granted of companies. By the time he gives the review, users will already know how the mobile is, so what's the point of him again?? If he likes the smartphone during this 1 week. he can buy one for himself for the review. It is not like he is helping the companies but he is working for himself and his youtube channel right.

                                    PS: I did say, he knew what he's talking about. My point is why re-make a video only to diss sony just before pre-orders. Did he ever made any video on sony xperia 1 II specs? Nope right. Why all of a sudden implant hatred on sony especially into the non-sony users??

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • JT5
                                      • 28 May 2020

                                      https://youtu.be/pSARiAHZZ00

                                      Use the translation option.


                                      He says there is an option that you select inside Game Enhancer and when phone is connected to cable, battery will not recharge.

                                      It is like using a laptop without battery . No battery being used means less heat too.

                                        Love the Community, 28 May 2020He was kinda b-hurt too that Sony told them to return it in... moreFor the camera sensor aspect, the sensor on the Xperia 1 Mk II is not a model that's found on other phones. Though they might be similar, the IMX555 on the S20/S20+ isn't exactly the same as the IMX557 on this phone, which is to say that it is exclusive to Sony Xperia phones only, just as older IMX400 was only found on Xperia phones in its entire existence.
                                        I don't exactly know the main differences, but I heard that the IMX557 is slightly larger at around 1/1.6" (vs 1/1.7" on the IMX555).

                                        Sony's choice of using such sensor for their latest flagship phone has a proper reason, in a sense that Quad and Nona Bayer sensors don't actually offer the true level of details that what their full resolution might suggest to do so. Manufacturers claim to do it for improving the dynamic range in the hardware level, but the truth is that they don't actually offer more stops of dynamic range than traditional Single Bayer sensors with fully native resolution. You can alternatively increase your native pixel pitch size to increase the dynamic range of the sensor, and then a simple HDR trick can achieve similar results as with oversampling.
                                        Not only that, but I still strongly think it's purely for marketing purposes, because people are easily fooled with high numbers without actually having the knowledge behind those things and if they're even necessary at all.
                                        Also, Sony's main focus on their phone is the ability to capture high-speed moving subjects with the least possible amount of motion blur, and to achieve that, the sensor needs to have extremely fast full-resolution readout speed, something you simply can't do with a high megapixel sensor.
                                        Right now, only this phone is capable of capturing 20 full-resolution images per second with continuously working autofocus and auto exposure, which is claimed to be adjusted 60 times per second. The engineers behind this have really thought of everything even into the smallest details to achieve this impressive camera system that's unique and advantageous in many use cases.

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