Sony just announced the Sony Xperia PRO-I, the company’s latest flagship PRO series smartphone, as the successor to its Xperia PRO which was introduced last year and went on sale earlier this year. The new Xperia PRO-I is the world’s first smartphone to use a 1.0-type Exmor RS image sensor with phase detection AF (autofocus), and it is the same one used in the RX100 VII camera that is optimised for smartphone, says Sony.
Camera
The 1.0-type Exmor RS sensor with a 2.4µm pixel pitch promises stunning low light performance. It has RAW 12-bit shooting, and dual aperture (F2.0/F4.0) to easily change the depth of field and the phone also features a BIONZ X for mobile image processor and a front-end LSI for an unprecedented speed and improved image quality in a wide range of scenes.
The Xperia PRO-I includes three lenses, all with ZEISS T* anti-reflective coating and a 3D iToF sensor that instantly calculates the distance between the camera and the subject, ensuring fast, accurate autofocus. The newly developed 24mm lens adopts ZEISS Tessar Optics and delivers images with less peripheral image distortion and more intense contrast and sharpness. There is a 12MP 124° 16mm ultra-wide camera and a 12MP 50mm telephoto camera with OIS.
The Xperia PRO-I features 315 phase-detection AF points that cover 90% of the frame, AF technology including Real-time Eye-AF in humans and animals, Real-time tracking, 20fps AF/AE burst shooting, and anti-distortion shutter for a cleaner capture of fast-moving objects.
It has a dedicated shutter button with the same shutter switch as Sony’s RX100 series cameras, and requires similar button strokes to operate AF and shutter release. You can also long-press the shutter button to quickly launch Photography Pro and start shooting immediately, even when the display is off. There is also a strap hole to help secure the device.
Advanced Capabilities for Video Shooting
Sony says that the Xperia PRO-I is the world’s first smartphone to offer 4K 120fps slow-motion video. There is Optical SteadyShot with FlawlessEye promising outstanding Eye AF technology and object tracking in videomaking.
In addition to stereo microphones, the Xperia PRO-I features a built-in monaural microphone next to the main camera, enabling the user to focus on recording speech clearly while other sounds remain in the background. In addition, The Xperia PRO-I includes Sony’s audio separation technology to effectively filter wind noise, both for stereo and monaural microphones.
Xperia PRO-I also includes new Videography Pro feature, inspired by Sony’s long history of imaging technology that supports video production and direct feedback from videographers, includes creative settings in a single location. Users can intuitively and accurately adjust settings such as focus, exposure and white balance even while shooting a movie, to fit to the shooting environment.
In addition, Xperia PRO-I adopts a high-precision Level meter, which it says has been calibrated one-by-one at the factory. “By assigning the “Videography Pro” application to the “shortcut key” on the side of the 217 body, you can start shooting video immediately like a dedicated camera,” says Sony. You can also assign other applications or features to the shortcut key. There are eight different colour settings inspired by the Sony’s VENICE digital cinema camera, a 21:9 recording ratio and more.
Sony will also sell a new Vlog Monitor, a new accessory with an aspect ratio of 16:9 on a 3.5-inch LCD (1280×720) screen and a metal holder. This also features a magnetic detachable design, making it easy to attach and detach to the holder.
The phone has the same 6.5″ 4K HDR OLED display, Snapdragon 888, 12GB of RAM, 512GB storage, 4500mAh battery and also has USB 3.2 Gen 2. The back of the phone has Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
Sony Xperia PRO-I specifications
- 6.5-inch (1644x3840pixels) 4K OLED HDR Display with 21:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, 100% DCI-P3 color gamut, X1 for mobile, lluminant D65 White point, 10 bit tonal gradation, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection
- Octa Core Snapdragon 888 5nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 660 GPU
- 12GB RAM, 512GB (UFS 3.1) internal memory, expandable memory up to 1TB via microSD card
- Android 11
- Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD)
- 12MP 1.0-type 24mm Exmor RS sensor, f2.0/f4.0 variable aperture, 85° FoV, Hybrid OIS/EIS, ZEISS Tessar Optics, 12MP 1/2.5″ Exmor RS for mobile sensor, 124° ultra wide-angle, 12MP 1/2.9″ 50mm 2x telephoto Exmor RS for mobile sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 48° FoV, 3D iToF sensor, ZEISS T* coating, Real-Time Eye AF (Human, Animal), Real-Time Tracking, Cinematography Pro “powered by CineAlta”, Videography Pro, 4K HDR Video recording up to 120fps, Optical SteadyShot with FlawlessEye, SteadyShot with Intelligent Active Mode (5-axis stabilization), Slowmotion(720p 120fps), Intelligent wind filter
- 8MP front-facing camera with 1/ 4″ Exmor RS sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 1.12μm pixel size, 84° wide-angle lens
- 3.5mm audio jack, 360 Reality Audio, 360 Reality Audio hardware decoding, 360 Spatial Sound, Full-stage stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, DSEE Ultimate, Stereo Recording, Qualcomm aptX HD audio
- Side-mounted Fingerprint sensor
- Dimensions:166 x 72 x 8.9 mm; Weight: 211g
- Water resistant (IPX5/IPX8), Dust proof (IP6X)
- 5G (sub-6GHz) / 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 2 x 2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.2, GPS/ GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.1 Type-C
- 4500mAh Battery with 30W (USB PD) fast charging, Xperia Adaptive Charging, Battery Care, STAMINA Mode, Qi Wireless charging, Battery Share function
The Sony Xperia PRO-I is priced at $1,799.99 (Rs. 1,35,070 approx.) / €1,799 and will roll out in the US, UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the Nordics from early December and launch in additional European regions in the new year. Pre-orders will begin on October 28th.