Sony Xperia 1 V coming on May 11

27 April 2023
It's likely to be the Xperia 1 V.

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Definitely an unpopular opinion but I think Sony is doing good things by sticking to it's roots and serving us with a good flagship level phone that miraculously still has a headphone jack. Obviously at a pretty penny but nonetheless.

    Sony's Xperia line leaves me with a mixed bag of feelings.

    The great stuff:
    The Xperias have been adorable because of sticking to micro-SD slot and 3.5mm audio jack. The former is an invaluable asset in order to get huge storage space on the cheap (512GB cards can be had for 30 bucks). The latter is great when someone wants to use their old high-end earphones with a cord or if vloggers want to put a dedicated lavalier microphone into that jack.

    Due to their form factor they have great ergonomics. It makes a difference whether you can operate a smartphone with one hand only or whether you need both hands when you want to press a screen button. And Sony's (Sony Ericsson) devices have historically been among the first and best water-proofed modern smartphones in the market.

    The controversial stuff:
    Cameras on the Xperia phones have some design desicions that may be excellent in some use cases but that are less effective in other conditions. While Sony is touting that they deliberately tamed HDR computation in favor of a more natural look, it's a fact that they simply cannot compete in extreme contrasty conditions or at very low light. It would have been great to leave it to the customers whether or not and how much of HDR they want and how bright they want their night shots to be. Just put this options in the camera menu and voila - there you have the best of both worlds.

    The second problem is that for almost half a decade, Sony didn't really improve on the camera hardware - except for the new periscope zoom lenses, wich are a technological marvel but neither really represent a breakthrough im image quality nor do they substantially extend the usability of the zoom in everyday use.
    The biggest problem is that they still use the same 1/1.7"-type of sensor for the main camera, wich nowadays is really tiny compared to virtually all other contemporary camera flagships from Samsung, Apple, Vivio, Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, etc, which all have a 1"-type sensor or a sensor that is in the vicinity of that size (e.g. 1/1.3"). So, Sony has been trailing in camera hardware for quite a while, without really making up for that by further extending their low-light and HDR algorithms.

    The outright bad stuff:
    - Two years of software support - come on Sony, this is planned obsolescence at its best.
    Even more so, when you consider their prices.
    - When it came ot, the Sony Xperia 1 iv was as expensive or more compared with Samsungs Galaxy S23 Ultra flagship.
    - Heat management was already not stellar with the Xperias mark iii, but went to a new all-time low with the Xperia mark iv last year: Many users reported that the camera overheated after just a few minutes of video recording - and this in a cameraphone that was specifically marketed towards content creators. Yes, we all know that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was not the most efficient SoC under the sun, but Sony could easily have beefed up their heat management.
    -Screen: Who in the wordl needs 4K screen resolution on such a tine mobile phone screen? 4K resolution is something for big computer screens or OLED TVs, and just unnecessary in smartphones. To add insult to injury, while providing these completely unnecessary resolution they always had sub-par screen brightness, which limits outdoor legibility (in bright lighting conditions).

    So, what to expect from the upcoming mark v?
    Considering their track record, Sony has been extremely conservative with Updating their previous iterations of the Xperia line. That's why I think they will continue doing so.
    I would wish, they put a big and great main camera sensor in it (1") and completely overhauled their heat management, increased battery size, increased auto screen brightness and finally offer some smart image stacking algorithms, just as the competition has been doing for years now.

    Then, I might consider waitig for a year or more till prices have fallen in order get one.

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • q8Q
      • 28 Apr 2023

      Reds, 28 Apr 2023Elaborate? Where I don't see a 4k HDR 10 BIT OLED SCRE... moreYup it has a 4k display and one new model has a new zoom lense.....you're really covering it all here😒

        • ?
        • Anonymous
        • q8Q
        • 28 Apr 2023

        Reds, 28 Apr 2023And I could also name a lot of things that would make Xperi... morePeople film things with Samsung, iphone, etc too. Whats your point?

          • ?
          • Anonymous
          • q8Q
          • 28 Apr 2023

          Anonymous, 28 Apr 2023And then you will talk about the high priceThey already did

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • q8Q
            • 28 Apr 2023

            Anonymous, 28 Apr 2023You are absolutely wrong Sony phones don't cost mor... more1300-2500 is more than most other devices

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • vGF
              • 28 Apr 2023

              you have to suffer, 28 Apr 2023they mostly have them as a dream phone though. they just c... moreYou are absolutely wrong

              Sony phones don't cost more than any regular flagship

              It's not about affordability
              I can certainly afford it, they're unavailable in this region tho
              When they used to be available, I did use some of Xperia smartphones (Z, Z Ultra, SP)

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • vGF
                • 28 Apr 2023

                Nick Tegrataker, 28 Apr 2023Support your phone with more than 2 OS updates, make the OS... moreAnd then you will talk about the high price

                  • R
                  • Reds
                  • XDa
                  • 28 Apr 2023

                  AnonD-546724, 28 Apr 2023I think you missed the point Marques tried to make, entirel... moreAnd I could also name a lot of things that would make Xperia alive. Fun fact film studios are using Xperia devices so yh for shooting movies with the help of their cinema line camera

                    • R
                    • Reds
                    • XDa
                    • 28 Apr 2023

                    Anonymous, 28 Apr 2023Aside from headphone jack and SD they are the exact opposit... moreElaborate? Where I don't see a 4k HDR 10 BIT OLED SCREEN be a cost cutting measure or what about the optical zoom lens which I remember correctly is sharper than the iphone and Samsung of last year. Where is the cost cutting?

                      Support your phone with more than 2 OS updates, make the OS more stable, bring it to where I live and sell it at a reasonable price, then we can talk.

                        • D
                        • AnonD-546724
                        • 3g5
                        • 28 Apr 2023

                        Tann Hauser, 28 Apr 2023Yup. We learned quite a lot about general population confor... moreYou funny guy.

                        I know that feeling. Vouching for the outsider, hatin on the iPhone & Galaxy S users alike for their uninspired tech choices and obvious cluelessness regarding the matter.

                        But unfortunately the clueless tech muggles accounts for 99% of phones buyers.

                        I've carried a lot of great devices over the years, the Sony XZ Premium (In chrome), the Note 7 FE, the Pixel 2 XL Panda, The OG Find X with the pop-up upper frame, a bright bronze Z Fold 2, Pixel 7 Pro in Sauge...

                        Never once I had a fellow tech enthusiast noticing my device, and never once in the wild I've noticed a cool device (supposedly) in the hands of a fellow enthusiast.

                        We simply don't exist, so why what we think should matter huh ??
                        No one is reading theses boards.

                        The best we can do is being the go-to person when our loved ones are seeking new tech. That's about it.

                          AnonD-1096864, 27 Apr 2023Again so many here praising sony phone but nobody will buy it ..they mostly have them as a dream phone though.
                          they just could not afford them because it is unreasonably expensive, though you can get 'em cheap with japanese carrier locked, and unit only.
                          just a reminder whoever bought those, you have to supply your own charger, earphones (if necessary), and u had to pay more for the imei unlock to use any sim card

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • q8Q
                            • 28 Apr 2023

                            Tann Hauser, 28 Apr 2023Yup. We learned quite a lot about general population confor... moreAside from headphone jack and SD they are the exact opposite. Higher prices, more cost cutting, and further behind on multiple aspects.

                              • D
                              • AnonD-546724
                              • 3g5
                              • 28 Apr 2023

                              PhoneFreak45, 27 Apr 2023LG: first to bring multi-touch, an Ultrawide camera, and a ... moreI think you missed the point Marques tried to make, entirely.

                              LG G7 : JACK OF ALL TRADES, master of none.

                              Meaning with each gen of flagship, LG threw a lot of innovations at the table to see what stick, but only a few things did, because only a few were relevant and well thought (1440p, multi-touch) while most remained experimental and half baked (Radar gestures, Self healing back, G5 Modules, even down the the Wing).
                              That's what ultimately caused the demise of LG.
                              Not "YouTubers" lol what a load of BS.

                              What could cause the demise of Sony mobile however?
                              Catastrophic release schedule
                              Mid-range shots in auto
                              Z Fold pricing and aspect ratio

                              Just to name a few

                                • T
                                • Tech Lover
                                • 7tV
                                • 28 Apr 2023

                                Reds, 28 Apr 2023Ofc cost cutting like apple removing SD card and 3.5mm and ... moreYou forgot the mobile charger which is not available with most phones.God knows what else they will remove and make money by selling it separately.

                                  • R
                                  • Reds
                                  • XDa
                                  • 28 Apr 2023

                                  Tann Hauser, 28 Apr 2023Cant wait to see what new tech and feats Sony brings to the... moreYups it would be nice to see the price drop. Hopefully with the preorder promo you'll be able to get their class leading wh 1000xm5 which helps alleviate it but yh

                                    AnonD-1056488, 28 Apr 2023That says a lot about conformity of global population.Yup. We learned quite a lot about general population conformity in the last 3 yrs...

                                    Glad to be a "rebel", even a smartphone one, by supporting what Sony does.

                                      Cant wait to see what new tech and feats Sony brings to the table They always pleasantly surprise.
                                      Just not with the price tho.

                                        • D
                                        • AnonD-1056488
                                        • 8rD
                                        • 28 Apr 2023

                                        Anonymous, 28 Apr 2023The global market share of Sony phones is probably about 1%... moreThat says a lot about conformity of global population.

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