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  • Alistair - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Yay headphone jack, yay battery! Price... oh no. DOA.
  • avrdude - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    especially when 11 pro max is 1100 and s20 ultra 5g is 1400. It's cheaper than both and packs more features.
  • Alistair - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    another one eh? yeah let's pretend the S20 for $999 doesn't exist, or that you can't get an iphone 11 for hardly anything (top selling phone from my carrier, $56 USD per month and I get 15Gb data and a free iphone 11 on a 2 year contract in Canada)
  • Alistair - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    $41 USD per month free iPhone XR... Android phones are all too expensive this year so far
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    >$41 USD per month
    Is outrageously expensive.
    This is $30, for 11 months.
    https://www.notebookcheck.net/Reliance-Jio-s-Rs-2-...
    My plan has a very similar price with this.
  • RaduR - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    The funny part is that in my part of the world ( Europe ) the standard price for REAL unlimited internet is 5 EUR / month. There is no way in hell any Telco can subsidize this year phones. The band thing about Sony is that they are NOT innovating. Such a big company cannot bring anything new to the table but they are asking iPhone price for an average phone. What is this different than any Chinese 30-50% cheaper counterparts.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    I'm just going for the design and headphone jack, frankly. If the next generation of Vivo NEX(that would be about 6 mo. away, though) doesn't lose the headphone jack, it should be functionally very similar to this, but with a different design and larger battery.
    But that's it. Just this one model, most of the Chinese counterparts castrated the jack too, or are otherwise low end models. And Huawei is out of the question, a matter of basic decency.
  • PeachNCream - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Ouch! I bought my last phone outright as a refurb for $10. Service costs $6.67 per month. I don't use it much, just keeping in touch with my kids and data is almost never turned on - just wait until I get home to get to the net via wifi and DSL, but that is a lot of coin to lay down for cellular service. Plug that monthly amount into a compound interest calculator and see what it turns into over the average person's working career - even at a modest 5% interest rate, you're looking at leaving over $50K on the table for just the phone's monthly cost and that doesn't even include the plan price.
  • headbox - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Do you go on Porsche forums and comment how your '92 minivan is cheaper?
  • PeachNCream - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Insert incomparable, but inevitable car analogy that is mandatory as a means of making sideways arguments on a tech site.
  • Alistair - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    no, it is not expensive, it includes 10GB or data, and a free iPhone XR, for $41 per month, that's a great deal (you have to buy 2, so I share with my friend)
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    I looked around again, and a plan with 100GB of LTE data per month(though no call or SMS function, this is meant for a secondary SIM) costs less than $3.
  • Lolimaster - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    USA and Canada getting shaft by their "free phones" on superexpensive mobile plans that in reality cost to the carrier maybe $1. That's how apple and carriers make money off the stupidity of people thinking they're getting a "free phone".
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    This has arguably the better telephoto(8K is a total gimmick on a 2K smartphone, and the effective sensor size at 3x is much smaller) and twice the storage as S20, the side fingerprint sensor will almost certainly be more responsive, and the headphone jack alone is enough to turn me. I'd also say that most would agree that it looks more classy than the Samsungs...
    As for the argument that goes for iPhone 11, that mainly, again, is the SoC, nothing else.
  • Lolimaster - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    8k looks choppy for this socs and I would prefer an uberqualirty 1080p60fps video.
  • s.yu - Saturday, February 29, 2020 - link

    Me too, but if they do the downsampling in real time then I don't think they could do 60fps for 1080P with 30 or was it 24 for 8K either.
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    >twice the storage as S20
    Against the $999 base tier, of course.
  • Retycint - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    You're paying for the phone in installments when you buy it through a carrier contract; the carrier has already factored that cost into the plan cost
    And in fact you pay more than the phone normally would cost, because the carrier has to stock the phone, provide after sales support (for people that think the carrier made the phone), and other stuff. So I'm not sure the "hardly anything" argument works here.
  • quiksilvr - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    If you want mmWave 5G you have to get the S20 Ultra. The other S20 models only have sub-GHz 5G. This being cheaper with a headphone jack and more storage makes a hellova lot more sense.
  • Lolimaster - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    Not free, your paying $1200 for the basic guetto 64GB LoL iPhone 11, mobile plans are just pennies for carriers. When you can get 1Gbit simmetrical 24/7 for 15-20 euros in many Northern/Eastern Europe countries.
  • Psyside - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    "especially when 11 pro max is 1100 and s20 ultra 5g is 1400. It's cheaper than both and packs more features"

    ROFL
  • Lolimaster - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    Sony mkII camera circles around 11 Pro max. Actually offers results that you would expect from a ultra compact nice camera and not just like an overpriced company trying to sell hardware like apple.
  • AnkitGupta040795 - Tuesday, April 7, 2020 - link

    I think the smartphone is not too cheap. Should have got more features for this price.
  • imaheadcase - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    If you need a headphone jack or that big of battery before charging, you need to rethink whole work flow. lol
  • sonny73n - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    What work flow? What entertainment got to do with work? I want a thick phone with a big battery so I don’t have to charge it everyday. You can hug the wall. And you can carry around the stupid dongle.
  • Retycint - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    "If you need a headphone jack, you need to rethink your workflow"

    One of the funniest comments I have ever read so far this year.
  • TheinsanegamerN - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    GR8 B8 M8 I R8 IT 8/8.
  • flyingpants265 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Phones should have headphone jack only, and wireless charging.
  • SanX - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    World competition what price dumb people will pay for the $300 phone
  • eek2121 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Please find me a cheap smartphone that takes photos that meet/exceed the iPhone One X. I won’t hold my breath. While I agree there are cheaper phones, they don’t magically get cheaper without sacrifice.
  • azfacea - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    pretty good specs, if its android one, i'd totally buy it, especially if my company offers it for upgrade :P

    8GB ram, 4000 mah battery, headphone jack, fast charging, telephoto camera, 90hz. pretty cool.
  • azfacea - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    no notch, even better.
  • ZolaIII - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    It's not a part of the Android One program but it's as close you will ever get to it with care and not being Google's gimme pig.
  • Kangal - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    The specs are good, nothing awe-spiring.
    What I like the most is the ergonomics of this phone, it's much much better than the Sony 1. And its much better than the Samsung S20 and OnePlus 8. I know this just by looking at it, I think of myself as a professional on this niche topic after so many different smartphones over the past 10 years. Front of the device *should* be flat, and the sides should be *flat*. The only curves you need are gentle ones, like the champhered edges here, and around the corners like the iPhone 4/SE.

    I have rarely dropped my old LG G6. But I needed a front glass protector, and a polycarbonate rear-case (it's made of glass everywhere, glass is glass, and glass breaks). It's in impeccable condition despite me being careless. The OnePlus 7 Pro I "upgraded" to I have needed to really baby it, and still it has managed to slip and fall many times. I needed to change the "curved protector" six times now, and am using my third case. The ergonomics are truly horrible. What were they thinking?!? Oh I know, it is one of the most prettiest phones to show in renders.... that is what they were focusing on (d'oh!!).
  • yetanotherhuman - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Where's the compact?
    I'm still using a Z3 Compact over preference to newer phones I have because of the size (I use it as a second phone).
  • BedfordTim - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I was wondering the same thing. Not sure why only Apple see a market for smaller phones.
  • c933103 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Apple's new "SE" will be just as large as iPhone 8. That's not a compact
  • 0iron - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Z3 Compact is closer to iPhone 8 in term of size. SE is much smaller than that.
  • sonny73n - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Z3 compact was the last anything Sony for me. Look at its screen at an angle, you can see the digitizer grids. It’s disgusting. Sony phones are expensive but qualities are in the low. Their customer service is one of the worst.
  • nimi - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    This is a huge step in the right direction. Now if we can just have our Compacts back please.... (Compacts from XZ1C and prior at least. XZ2C was a mistake.)
  • yetanotherhuman - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Yes. Exactly.
  • hnlog - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Xperia series has worst naming scheme.
  • Lord of the Bored - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I mean, they could let the Street Fighter guys name it(XPeria 1 Turbo), but... Xperia 1 II is pretty bad.
  • khanikun - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    I'd say look at any of the mainstream phones and their naming over the year. They've all been pretty bad. Although these recent ones from Sony make no sense to me.

    Xperia 1
    Xperia 10
    Xperia 5
    Xperia 1 II

    like the 5 is a more normal sized 1, so maybe they could have called it that. Xperia 1 N. Then continue that on for the next series of phones. Xperia 2, Xperia 2 N, and Xperia 20.
  • yetanotherhuman - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    At one time it was OK. Now it's just retarded. 1 2? Christ.
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    It was previously rumored to be "Xperia 1.1", I can't decide which one is worse.
    But really, minor issue, this is a completely solid all-rounder with a great look, if only slightly expensive for the specs.
    I've heard rumors of the flash being UFS2.1 and RAM still LPDDR4X, still minor issues to me.
  • Retycint - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    They also released the Xperia 10 II, which is a midranger with SD665. So the model with 10 is worse than the model with 1. Makes absolutely no sense
  • khanikun - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Depends how you look at it. Number 1 is usually the best in a competition. With wires, the lower number gauge wires can handle the most power. Shotguns with lower gauges have more powerful rounds.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Not only that, EOS 1 is always the most expensive in Canon's lineup, and Nikon's single digit models are also the most expensive. That guy's comment doesn't make the least sense.
  • 1_rick - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Calling something the "whatever one two" is the best thing ever! It's joyfully stupid.
  • name99 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    It really makes you wonder. How lazy does someone in Marketing have to be (and how lazy does every single person around them have to be) to say "Oh, new model, what do we call it? OK, let's just add a 2 at the end. But in Roman numerals because, you know, classy".

    We're living in a time when it's considered unacceptable to hire angry people, the time of the "no-asshole" rule. But perhaps every single person in that organization NEEDS SOME ANGER sent their way.

    Not to go all Apple about this, but you think anyone in Apple marketing would have come to Steve Jobs with a suggestion like this? And would have continued to work in Apple marketing?
    And yeah, yeah, I am well aware of (and not impressed by) iPhone Pro Max. Or AirPods Pro which is again just lazy. Jobs would have demanded something like AirQuiet, not the clumsiness of AirPod's and the irrelevance of Pro.

    Tim's tried to allow more kindness at Apple and mostly the result seems to be the same as at Sony -- lazy sloppy people submitting lazy sloppy work in almost every department, from Marketing outward...

    Just think of that the next time someone at your company starts to complain that certain people are too demanding, that they require excellence and who has time for that.
  • BenSkywalker - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    iMac? iPod? iPad?

    Really dumb names peaked under Jobs.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    ...is it because you weren't hired because of your anger?
  • name99 - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Joke's on you. I worked at Apple for 10 years :-)
  • Sp12er - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Is it just me that think Mk/ "Mark" designation to be easy to understand? Sony used it in their cameras and headphones already, tehy simply used it on their smartphone now.

    Also, Sony already used up "Xperia_" numbers for other size and specs, its unlikely for sony to change it anytime soon.
  • treign - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    My first cell phone was a Sony Z Ultra, big phone and i loved it. I was 33 at the time. I kept upgrading my phones to sony ones, but last year i decided to switch to LGG8. I hated it, and i mean i hated it so much i smashed it against my knee and started using my Sisters S8, and to be honest i hate that thing as well. My next upgrade will be back to sony. I don't understand the love the Samsung phones get, to me they feel cheap, I agree that phones don't need these High resolutions, it is a battery drain forsure. There is no need. I also hate phones are using the 21:9 ratios, i hate it. And i hate phones are removing the headphone jacks. It is the reason i went to LG actually. Sony to me, means quality and when you look at all the products they have made over the years you cannot deny it don't. Sony Xperia phones are way underrated. Can't wait to get to my next upgrade to go back to them.
  • MobiusPizza - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Anecdotal but I hated my Xperia Z2 phone. It was unreliable, hot and filmsy. My phone overheated so much I thought it will start to explode. The screen also cracked very easily despite screen protectors I replaced it twice. I went to Samsung S8 and that was slightly more longer lasting but the touch screen failed. I had no issue with my Huawei Mate 20 Pro to this day.
  • Sharma_Ji - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    True, Samsungs have a majority of screen failure issue from a slight drop only, never saw this much on other OEM's.
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    S8 only, not before, not after, a single series. My S6 and Note8 both took multiple drops and the glass on both sides are still fine.
  • khanikun - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    I had a Xperia Z2 and it's the phone that kept me buying Sony phones. I owned the original Galaxy S, Dell Streak 5, LG G2x, and then the Xperia Z2.

    The LG wasn't bad and worked well, just didn't like the design. The other 2 easily broke or just had crap that never worked on them. Galaxy S gps never worked from day 1.

    The Z2 works well, never broke, but the camera was horrendous. I eventually moved to a X, which I thought was a flagship phone, which it wasn't. Didn't research it, since it was a free phone, but got off it quickly and moved to a Z5. Currently on an XZ1.

    Zero problems with any of the phones, except the Z2 like 2 years after I replaced it. Was going to use it as an alarm clock and with it being shuffled around in drawers full of crap, the screen digitizer went. Turns on, just can't make touch inputs on the screen.

    I was going to move to a different phone manufacturer for my next phone, cause I thought Sony was going to stick with the horrible looking XZ2, with it's weird round back. Then the 1 came out and was so glad they went back to the flat back.

    The only thing I wish they'd do is increase the thickness, so they can get rid of the camera hump.
  • V1tru - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    right now Sony problem is camera. that's tragic, considering how much experience Sony has in camera field
  • Andrei Frumusanu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I'd argue that Sony has no experience at all in the camera field - dedicated cameras have almost no processing at all and solely rely on dynamic range and capabilities of the actual hardware sensor.

    Smartphone cameras *require* software processing to be viable, and that's where the Xperia lineup falls flat on its face.
  • Eris_Floralia - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Actually part of the reason was the in-fighting between their camera department and smartphone department
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Which is a common rumor, but IMO the Alpha department doesn't really have what it takes either, like Andrei said.
  • whyaname - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Ever thought that Sony gimps the software on purpose.
    They have like nearly 50% market share on the mobile sensor area, often even things that are not labled Sony are actually Sony sensors.
    Hell Samsung even copied Sony technology for their "supposedly" own sensor.

    What if the reason Sony post procession is bad is because Sony wants it to be bad.
    As Huawei and others then can claim to have best bla bla bla whatever.
    Selling the sensor to those companies nets over all more than losing possible contracts just to sell a few more phones.
  • Quantumz0d - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    I do not understand this part at all. So you mean Digic, ExSpeed, Bionz all are garbage vs Smartphone photography ?

    I do not think at all. A Fujifilm Finepix S3, S4 shot pictures from 2007 have solid color depth and high detail of face/skin texture than a 2020 smartphone. Even an Olympus E20 can snap high detail pictures than the smartphone. This is based off the physical photos (over 20GB of DSLR pictures) comparision on my phone right now. If we take 5D Mark series or Alpha series (Mirrorless on top) it blasts Smartphone bs to hell.

    One thing is certain. No matter what magic you do the sheer Physical Size of the sensor beats all bells and whistles of the "Computational" Gimmick.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    >I do not understand this part at all. So you mean Digic, ExSpeed, Bionz all are garbage vs Smartphone photography ?
    Yes, but namely Google's HDR+, hard to say for the others. If HDR+ could somehow be extracted into an executable like Kandao RAW+ to process generic RAW, it would present a huge jump in image quality.

    >the sheer Physical Size of the sensor beats all bells and whistles of the "Computational" Gimmick
    To the extent that both are given the same exposure time. In reality smartphones are given the chance for pseudo-long exposures in most cases, and the many stops longer total exposure makes up for much of the sensor size gap. I know that my a7RII is vastly superior to my Note8 on Gcam, but Gcam comes pretty close to MFT given a high enough stack and enough ambient light. I currently use a 36 exposure stack.
  • Aephe - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    I own an EM5 II and from my experience it's not really like that because, besides the sensor size, you also have to consider the lens as well. With my 12-40 2.8 my phone doesn't even come close to the detail resolving power.
  • s.yu - Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - link

    What phone? That still matters.
    And what version and settings of Gcam?
    Either case we're nearing a tipping point, I'm very curious how much resolving power the HMX will recover from subpixel sampling(pixel shift-like merge by HDR+) on that Tetracell, it may far surpass 24MP on a MFT. GS20U will be at a disadvantage here due to the Nonacell CFA.
  • BenSkywalker - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Canon and Nikon getting crushed in the mirrorless market by Sony is because of hardware?

    Which SoC is in charge of tracking a person as they randomly walk around doing their thing, remaining in focus no matter where in the frame they go?

    Also, what chip does Sony use to track a dog's eye movement? If you could let the crew at Nikon and Canon know I'm sure they'd appreciate it.

    The DSLR market sounds like what you are saying, the camera market moved on from those relics a while ago.

    Even putting the latest and greatest from Apple, Google and Samsung up against a low tier offering like the a6400 it is an absolute slaughter *on the software side*.
  • Alistair - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    why hate the LG G8? only decent phones with flat screens and headphone jacks
  • BenSkywalker - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    V40?
  • yeeeeman - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    For letters, starts with S and ends with T.
  • c933103 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    So, compact version below 65mm width when?
  • flyingpants265 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Terrible, 72mm x 166mm is just a bad size, it's like a TV remote

    Also no front speakers = no buy.
  • Sp12er - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    You ever feel a tv remote not hard to handle in one hand?
  • flyingpants265 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    No, that's my point. You need to move up and down a TV remote to find what you want, doing that with the phone is annoying. Not being able to reach the notification area is particularly stupid.

    Phones that were great for one-handed use were the original S3/S4 with a similar width.
  • Makaveli - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I have no problems using my Galaxy S10 one handed and its has a 6'1 inch display. I just upgraded from a black berry Keyone and thought it was going to be an issue. These phone are the same physical size.

    However I think 6.5 is just big enough that if you have small hands you will need both.
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    That's an issue with all tall phones, not just this one which is just narrower than other flagships, it doesn't get any easier with a particularly wide TV remote. And Android was supposed to address this a long time ago.
    Some models allow pulling down the notifications with the back fingerprint sensor, that is, if it has such a sensor.
  • Sp12er - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Also, the mk2 does have front firing speakers, 2 of them even, i dont know why Anandtech think its side firing and earpiece...
    Source: https://www.sony.com/electronics/cell-phones/xperi...
  • flyingpants265 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Holy crap, it actually does! Nice. this is actually missing on some of Sony's other phones.

    Too bad about the shape (too thin & tall). If it were wider more curved, like a larger Nexus 4 or something, this would be my #1 top pick, despite the lack of wireless charging.

    Don't know if I can get used to Sony's OS, though.
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    It doesn't lack wireless charging either, if you would just read the specs...
    The OS is similar to vanilla Android, which could be a good or bad thing.
  • flyingpants265 - Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - link

    Honestly, I didn't read the specs because I'm not interested in 99% of phones that are all the same.

    I'm pleasantly surprised that these features are on this phone!
  • Jumangi - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    A $950 phone that doesn't include wireless charging in 2020. Yea Sony, this is why nobody buys your devices.
  • dotted - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    The $950 Xperia 1 with no wireless charging is a year old, this article is about its successor.
  • Sp12er - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Yes the Mk2 has wireless charging, Water resistance, NFC, Dual stereo speakers and 3.5mm jack.
  • wrkingclass_hero - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Personally, as someone with strong myopia, I appreciate all the resolution these screens can get.
  • Sp12er - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Agreed, even the 800 ppi 4K screen in my XZ premium, i can still see the pixels when i watch videos in my bed.
  • peevee - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Microsopes for eyes?
  • wrkingclass_hero - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Essentially
  • mrochester - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Still android and still missing 3D Face ID.
  • TheinsanegamerN - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Dissapointing. 4000MaH for a screen that size is very last gen. Samsung is pushing 4500MaH, Xaiomi is pushing 5200+ at that size. All the optimization in the world wont make up for a cell that is too small, apple figured that out the hard way.

    Also, no Compact makes me sad. The iphone 11 pro is the only phone left on the market that I can use one handed.
  • c933103 - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    High aspect ratio mean the screen take up less area for the same given number of inches.
  • Sp12er - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    S20 base model is also 4000 mAh too you have to go S20+ for 4500.
    You probably never handled Xperia 5 and S10e.
  • wr3zzz - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I like the Sony Xperia line of phones but the pricing leave a lot to be desired. The days of me willing to pay for Sony premium are long gone.
  • s.yu - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I'm willing to pay again, since Samsung decides to kill the headphone jack, and the Sony looks more premium anyway.
  • shabby - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    Which phone did you get?
    The Xperia 1 II
    The Xperia twelve?
    No the Xperia 1 II
    The Xperia twelve?
    No the Xperia 1 the second
    What?

    Sony needs to work on its naming scheme.
  • peevee - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    "Sony Xperia 1 II"

    I wonder who came up with that nutty name. Promotion from their camera line (A7 III etc).
  • PenGunn - Monday, February 24, 2020 - link

    I had HDMI on my old Sony, a long time ago. My Huawei Mate 20 Pro from last year is a much better phone. ;)
  • Quantumz0d - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Sony absolutely demolished the Samsung BS and iPhone in terms of sheer design. Ultra polished look and chamfered edge cut with neat not over rounded bs is superb. Also non ugly camera tile or Chinese style iPhone clones.

    Sony this time put not only jack but copied the LGs Wind Noise Filter. In Xperia 1 they copied the Focusing as well along with Pro grade UI which LG always had. They still lack a few features vs LG on that side.

    21:9 is a nightmare tbh. All CMOS sensors are 16:9 this ugly aspect ratio is disappointing however it doesn't have a notch or hole and not over rounded crap. But 4K is overkill and also Cinematic experience woupd be truly stunning. Mobile Bravia mostly will be an Algorithm just like their Bionz X mobile (Shame)

    Their 360 Reality audio is always highlighting on Tidal no idea what dedicated HW is that but it's nothing to cough vs LGs ESS9218P dedicated SoC DAC chipset as LG can do Low Cut Filter, Gain switch, Karaoke, Noise Cancelling and Impulse Response filters for playback, 24 Bit HiFi 192KHz sound. DSEE ultimate is nothing but upscaler algo. But the most curious part is the HW seperation that they are mentioning. Wish they put some in house DACs from Walkman lineup.

    Also the best part is they improved the UWA optics along with other lenses too which is much needed X1 had horrible fish eye distortion for UWA. The design is excellent, Solid usage of 3D ToF. I saw LaserAF on old HTC and LGs this is the best way to get more fast results with a powerful ToF sensor for range.

    Their Dual FF Stereo is always clean better polished sound. I hope this one improves on that too. They still have that DVS lol, Dynamic Vibration System.

    Capacitive FPS reader on side is a boon much better than indisplay or even at back.

    Sub 6GHz 5G is there but is 5G really a must I wonder ? If we use that battery eill drain for sure. Extra mmWave HW plus Seperate 5G modem and all RF. Its power consuming for nothing since datacaps.

    I just hope this phone gets 50% price slash during BF like LG phones and also have a Bootloader unlock which doesn't destroy their Image and Audio processing as Sony is notoriously against their Entertainment features when BL unlocked as they keep all behind a DRM Fuse (X1 bypassed Camera fuse for post processing but Audio and Bravia both got hit) if all goes well I will buy this for sure, looks solid to my eyes.

    One of the best Xperia seen in a long time.
  • Quantumz0d - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Forgot to add. The base RAM and UFS is superb along with MicroSD. Very glad to see its still there. I always rely on Ext SD. Currently sporting 400GB sd in my phone. Fingers crossed BL unlock situation.
  • Quantumz0d - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    And the name is Xperia 1 Mark II to all those wondering.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Most smartphone CMOS are 4:3, not 16:9, so, even worse, but the camera interface is as they already demonstrated.
    I'm good with their audio as long as they don't mess up Neutron compatibility. I don't expect smartphones to perform better than Neutron running normally.

    >One of the best Xperia seen in a long time.
    Yes, the first that makes me want one since Xperia Z.
  • Quantumz0d - Thursday, February 27, 2020 - link

    Oh yea myb 4:3 correct, also I use UAPP instead of Neutron on my V30S and its great as per recommendation from Head Fi thread.

    https://www.head-fi.org/threads/music-apps-tips-an...

    That guy knows what he is talking from majority of his posts. And the settings that UAPP has no need to fiddle with them always. But I wish the UI of UAPP gets upgraded that's thr major gripe I have with that.
  • s.yu - Saturday, February 29, 2020 - link

    Thanks for the link, I'll certainly look into it.
  • Psyside - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    Sony absolutely demolished the Samsung BS and iPhone in terms of sheer design. Ultra polished look and chamfered edge cut with neat not over rounded bs is superb. Also non ugly camera tile or Chinese style iPhone clones.

    Hahahhaha, oh my comedy gold
  • R3MF - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    never mind the 1 II, the 10plus II is what i am interested in as the likely platform for the next Jolla Sailfish device.

    6" 21:9 Oled
    128GB/4GB
    IP65/68
    SD665
    ~$400
    3600MH/h
    Happy days
  • watzupken - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    While I think the specs are quite decent, I do feel that Sony is still playing catch up after so many years. Ironically the camera sensors they produce are one of the best, they produce cameras, but camera picture quality on their phones are so so.
    Personally I question the need for a 4K screen since its better to have a higher refresh rate over this. Both saps power, but I would have preferred the latter. The marketed 90Hz doesn't sound like its a true 90Hz refresh rate.
    Design wise, I think it looks quite good despite it not following the notchless and chinless design.
  • s.yu - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    Just use a Gcam port, the larger sensor will be put to good use.
    A slight concern is that Gcam ports' support for cam switching is still wonky and prone to crashes.
  • hanselltc - Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - link

    The big yikes here is that it is a good phone with headphone jack but it'll not sell well cuz the price is insanity. And then they'll blame the jack.
  • s.yu - Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - link

    At this point, I could very well see the jack asking for $100 itself. No need for a dongle or a pair of $150 earphones that sound inferior.
  • s.yu - Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - link

    >$150 earphones
    $150 *wireless* earphones, edit, Anandtech...
  • Handstied - Wednesday, February 26, 2020 - link

    Its crazy how pricey these things are. My last Sony phone was the xz premium. Prices keeps going up so I switched over to oneplus.
  • BliTTzZ - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    I strongly disagree with "Sony always had terrible smartphone cameras" opinion.
    They just should be treated differently, more like cameras and not smartphones. With basic knowledge you can shoot great pictures even with models like XZ1 or XZ2.

    About naming: while it's a bit confusing, anyone who is familiar with their camera naming will understand. Also the lower the number the more advanced model is. This is true to all models but L4. And to be frank other brands naming is more messed up than Sony's.
  • Lolimaster - Friday, February 28, 2020 - link

    Sony finally realizing how to Carter to it's niche market

    Now we need bigger batteries, dc output a bit less bezels top/bottom AND 19:9 instead of the idiotic 21:9.
  • Brane2 - Saturday, February 29, 2020 - link

    Does anyone even care for cutting-edge phone these days ?
    Why would one pay heavy extra for surveillance tool ?

    And to pay for this $1k+ ?
    Who needs 4K on 6 inch screen ?
    One area where one would expect some innovation - phone openness and safety is constantly and consistently ignored.
    If we had that, we could use phones as reliable, secure wallets, for example.

    Does anyone even care for cutting-edge phone these days ?
    Why would one pay heavy extra for surveillance tool ?

    And to pay for this $1k+ ?
    Who needs 4K on 6 inch screen ?
    One area where one would expect some innovation - phone openness and safety is constantly and consistently ignored.
    If we had that, we could use phones as reliable, secure wallets, for example.

    Or have some extra Star Trek Tricorder sensorics that would be useful to more than Intelligence agencies and industrial syphoning of owner's privacy.

    Standardised HW/SW interface for integration fo phone into or on other devices might be great idea.
    Like that photo showing useage of phone with a camera, but as a generic standard and through seriously fast interface, say PCIex4 or somethign similar.
  • UltraWide - Sunday, March 1, 2020 - link

    Sony is not even a competitor. They should just release 1 killer phone or just stick to making camera sensors. This isn't the 80s anymore, no one buys Sony for the name.
  • inperfectdarkness - Tuesday, March 10, 2020 - link

    No Compact version--so it's a hard pass. Sony had a LOCK on the sub 5" screen smartphone market.
  • crotach - Saturday, March 14, 2020 - link

    Lol what is going on with the phone prices? I'll need to take out a mortgage for the next generation.

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