Sony Xperia 1 review

08 June 2019
Sony has completely revamped its Xperia series yet again, and this year the common denominator is the cinematic screen. Every new Xperia smartphone gets a 21:9 panel for the most immersive viewing experience, but the Xperia 1 is special. It is the Xperia Premium reborn, with a large 6.5" OLED 4K HDR display and today we'll get to know it better.

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sohail shafayat, 08 Jun 2019battery life is not attractive, rather disappointing. Grain... moreBattery life isn't disappointing by any means, given that it's running in 4K ALL THE TIME.
Grain is part of an image. There's no image taken by a camera that has no noise. And that noise means there's virtually no noise reduction done, and in return, gives off much more detail that even the S10+ can't achieve.
Oversharpening is fine. It's a little too much, but that's how most peopld prefer it anyway.
You can shoot in RAW, however, if you don't like the processing.

    Anonymous, 08 Jun 2019There is something called Crop Factor. Aperture diamete... moreRight, but the opening is still going to be wider, since f/1.6 on 1/2.6" sensor would probably be around 10% larger than f/2.0 on 1/2.3"
    Not to mention that the 1 has larger pixels due to lower resolution, so it would still gather much more light.
    Compared to 10 Plus, it has smaller sensor of the same resolution, and a smaller lens as well, so when the light is sufficient, it will be better at capturing detail.

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      AnonD-706668, 08 Jun 2019Huh ! My iPhone 5s phone also takes 10 frames per second...... moreYou must have hit your head or something. What makes you think your puny 5s with its 12MP can capture 10fps burst shots? That sensor doesn't even come close to the latter SE, let alone this Xperia 1.

      And your 2nd question, unless you want a huge camera hump like the 808 Pureview and 1020, don't expect a large sensor in a smartphone anytime soon. Heck, even the P30 Pro has a small sensor, and you all didn't complain.

        Dometalican, 08 Jun 2019For those trying to give Sony a pass by comparing it to the... moreThe comparison is only to show that if a $1500 Apple product with average battery life can be considered fine by most, then a $1000 Sony product with even better battery life must be good.
        Also, you're not considering the biggest factors of battery life, specifically the display. Where else can you find a 4K HDR OLED screen in 21:9 ratio?
        A phone that can display 4K contents ALL THE TIME and still last a full day?
        Against the competitors this is just average, but just about what you'd expect from the capacity given.
        After all, we've expected even worse than this with the given circumstances, so I say can we be just happy that Sony did a fantastic job with this phone?

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          • 08 Jun 2019

          Cir90, 08 Jun 2019Yo are dreamingWhy you said that ?

            Dometalican, 08 Jun 2019I appreciate the explanation (especially woth coherent word... moreEvery aspect of a certain matter, especially a smartphone, is very important.
            Some prioritize battery life, others are looking for great camera, and some also prefer great multimedia experience.
            It's a matter of priorities, and I do understand your concern about battery life, which in this case you'd be looking elsewhere, because other than that, this phone is great as I'm telling you.
            And this is why I love Android, because there's a variety across every needs of people.

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              • 08 Jun 2019

              AnonD-706668, 08 Jun 2019Huh ! My iPhone 5s phone also takes 10 frames per second...... moreYo are dreaming

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                Whackcar, 08 Jun 2019Camera still produces noisy images in 2019. Mediocre batter... moreThe battery is good enough, the finger scanner works better than those on the screen, the camera no have noise troll.
                If you no have money can buy a obsolet phone whith a display low resolution, whith spyware, bored And obsolete cam

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                  Huh ! My iPhone 5s phone also takes 10 frames per second...which was launched in 2013...so, 10fps is not new...Me also not satisfied with the picture quality of Xperia 1 because it has smaller camera sensor. A smaller camera sensor can not beat a large camera sensor like 1/2 inches sensor which was used with other phones...why Xperia 1 didn’t use 1/2 inches Sony sensor ? Please tell me reasons

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                    • 08 Jun 2019

                    lms100pa, 08 Jun 2019Thanks for wrapping the list up. Asus ZenFone 6 and Xperia ... moreAre the General Mobile phones good? Are popular in Turkey?
                    Last uear DxO gave a good score to one of them.

                      Camera still produces noisy images in 2019. Mediocre battery life. No wireless charging. Bad FP reader. Disappointing audio output.

                      All that for $1000... It's a bad deal, nothing else. A phone with that kind of price should be having little to no cons. No wonder nobody buys Sony flagships, except hardcore fanboys.

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                        Walter C. Dornez, 08 Jun 2019Woah, you have it? How is it?I do not have it yet here it comes out next week, it's the screenshot that I'm seeing

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                          Shanti Dope, 08 Jun 2019Okay, but just so you know, iPhones also scored similarly t... moreI'm not most people and I'm not interested by Iphone. I was looking for Xperia 1 and was hoping it has good battery life. This isn't the case, so I'll just buy another phone. What I wanted to buy/use doesn't depend of what other people are buying/using.

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                            AnonD-816568, 08 Jun 2019Looking at the photo & video comparison tool dang it lo... moreAgreed. Sony's typically-conservative noise reduction algorithm produces more noise, but in return brings out more detail than most competitors.

                            In the low-light Photo Compare Tool, I pay special attention to the pattern of the green fabric on the donkey at right; the wood knot in the upper frame of the abacus at upper right; the pink furball at bottom centre; and the pattern on Spongebob Squarepants' fabric. Most competitors gloss their details over, leaving smudgy messes. Then the fish in the bottom right shows up lens' corner softness. And the lines on the £10 note in the centre (especially behind the words "Bank of England") show how much detail can be recovered in low light.

                            Only the P30 Pro and the XZ2 Compact seem to come close, and even then the P30's colour has a distinct yellow hue (probably from the RYB filter). The XZ2 Compact in fact seems slightly better (probably thanks to its 19MP sensor). Coupled with the fact that it was the last Sony compact flagship (and one of the only recent compacts), I really do miss it.

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                              SeaIke, 08 Jun 2019Wow, the noise performance is one of the worst i've seen on... moreIn alot of scenarios it beasts them and in som not, but it's a close call. I prefer som noise over over sharpen samung and weird colors on p30. I low light it's actually better imo.

                                Cir90, 08 Jun 2019if between 5 or 6 hours yes. I have plenty of hours Woah, you have it? How is it?

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                                  ashyjay92, 08 Jun 2019Has anyone actually used the phone? i've had it since thurs... more"and it charges to 90% in half an hour while using the phone" and I start doubting that you have the phone while reading this.

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                                    Walter C. Dornez, 08 Jun 2019I've heard reports of the Xperia 1 actually lasting 6 hours... moreif between 5 or 6 hours yes. I have plenty of hours

                                      Anonymous, 08 Jun 20192019 scores GSMA Sony 1 : 4,6 Honor 20 Pro : 4,0 Oppo... moreThanks for wrapping the list up. Asus ZenFone 6 and Xperia 1 are my top two, unfortunately they both are not in Turkish market :(

                                        Anonymous, 08 Jun 2019Killed by the awful battery life.I'm using Xperia XZ Premium and GSMA rated its battery as 72hr standard. But still I'm getting 1full day heavy use and 1.5 days of normal use. So Xperia 1 with 79hr would more than enough