Sony’s Xperia Pro-1 is camera first, smartphone second

It's Tuesday, October 26, 2021.

Sony’s smartphones have never quite set the world on fire. It’s one of the last storied tech companies still willing to try to sell phones, despite the dominance of Apple and Samsung.

The company seemed to turn a corner with its Xperia 1 series — phones that leaned into Sony’s camera knowledge, both when it came to sensors it’s made for years and software smarts.

We’ve got a review incoming for the Xperia 1 III, but that’s now been elbowed aside by the Xperia Pro-1, announced last night.

Sony

The big feature of the Xperia Pro-I is a 1-inch sensor last seen from the company's wonderful RX100 VII point-and-shoot camera. It’s a much larger sensor than you'll find on most phones (although Sony says the lens only actually covers a portion of the sensor). For comparison, the primary sensor on the just-released Google Pixel 6 Pro features a pixel pitch of 1.2µm. The Pro-I has 2.4µm-sized pixels. The device can capture RAW stills, 4K 120 fps video, and (like the last few Xperia 1 models) shoot images at 20 fps as well.

Also notably, there’s a 24mm lens made from glass that can switch between f/2.0 and f/4.0 apertures — another rare feature, if not the first phone to feature aperture switching.

The phone will also arrive with all kinds of dongles and add-ons, including support for Sony’s “dead-cat” muffler to cut wind noise, a shooting grip and its very own add-on display, for self-recording and vlogging with the primary camera sensor.

As tradition dictates, Sony is demanding a premium, yet again. In the US, the Xperia Pro-I will cost $1,800.The company reasons that you’re getting a flagship phone and RX100 VII point-and-shoot all in one device, for less.

I’m not sure most of us will swallow that excuse.

-Mat Smith

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iOS 15.1 turns on SharePlay for Apple Fitness+

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Apple has announced that Group Workouts are available starting today, so you can get up to 32 friends together to follow along with the company's exercise or meditation videos.

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