General Is Sony Xperia Pro-I a real "game-changer"?

[AmataLudu]

Hello, my fellow members:

Like many of you out there, I am in grief

Only a few months ago I purchased the Sony Xperia 1 Mark III and started enjoying it. But that joy did not last long... Sony announced Sony Xperia Pro-I... Now my $1300 top-of-the-line phone is no longer top-of-the-line and it now costs barely $997. Like many of you out there, I am asking myself: should I have waited? Well, if Sony Xperia Pro-i is indeed a game-changer then, yes, I shouldn't rush in buying the Mark III and wait for the next model, but is it? Whell, that's why I am starting this thread to hear your opinions!

I did not put my hands on the Pro-I yet but from its specs listed on gsmarena (see below) they are basically identical with the only difference being the lens and the chip - that is being advertised as a "1" chip".

I am a sony fan, no doubt, as 95% of all electronics I owned or owe are Sony. But when it comes to cameras, I noticed that Sony is very cheap in giving us better chips...They changed their cameras, they upgraded them but inside you would find the same, old, Sony chip. And now I am surprised to see that Sony is pushing it into the cellphone platforms....hmmm, why? Are they ready to make a move and change the chip on the cameras, therefore, they decided to make a little bit of profit still from their old one? Who knows?

Anyway, going back to the Xperia Pro-i, is it a game-changer? Tough question, right? Well, as I said before I own the Xperia 1 Mark III and one of its biggest drawbacks is the battery. Although Sony claims is a 4500mA battery, it does not behave like one - it keeps me running for the day but that's it - at night, I have to charge it.

So, if the Xperia Pro-I has the same battery (as per gsmarena), then how does that battery will power that big 1" chip??? In my opinion: it can not! If Sony would put that big *ss chip in the middle of the phone to work in conjunction with that super-duper, power-hungry display and all other gps , satellite antenas and that octa-core processor and speakers with subwoofer and vibrations and under an android command with many power-consuming applications, then that phone would not last half a day per charge. Therefore, I think that Sony must have cropped that chip but kept the dot pitch and, hopefully, put a better battery with a real 4500mA juice. Therefore, 1" chip might not be a real 1" chip, but still bigger than the one in Mark III.

These are my thoughts, so far. Please share yours! To the lucky future owners of such phones: please be kind and post your opinion. Thank you!



PRO-I MARK III

NETWORK	Technology	GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G	GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G

LAUNCH	Announced	2021, October 26	2021, April 14
Status	Available. Released 2021, December 02	Available. Released 2021, August 25

BODY	Dimensions	166 x 72 x 8.9 mm (6.54 x 2.83 x 0.35 in)	165 x 71 x 8.2 mm (6.50 x 2.80 x 0.32 in)
Weight	211 g (7.44 oz)	186 g / 187.1 g (mmWave) (6.56 oz)
Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 6), aluminum frame
SIM	Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)	Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
	IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins) Built-in strap-hole	IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)

DISPLAY	Type	OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020	OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020
Size	6.5 inches, 98.6 cm2 (~82.5% screen-to-body ratio)	6.5 inches, 98.6 cm2 (~84.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution	1644 x 3840 pixels, 21:9 ratio (~643 ppi density)	1644 x 3840 pixels, 21:9 ratio (~643 ppi density)
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
	Runs at 1096 x 2560 pixels except for select use cases	Runs at 1096 x 2560 pixels except for select use cases

PLATFORM	OS	Android 11	Android 11
Chipset	Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)	Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
CPU	Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680)	Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
GPU	Adreno 660	Adreno 660

MEMORY	Card slot	microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)	microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot)
Internal	512GB 12GB RAM	256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM
	UFS 3.X	UFS 3.X

MAIN CAMERA	Modules	12 MP, f/2.0-4.0, 24mm (wide), 1.0-type, 2.4µm, PDAF, OIS (315 PDAF points, 90% frame coverage) 12 MP, f/2.4, 50mm (telephoto), 1/2.9", PDAF, 2x optical zoom, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 124˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/2.55", Dual Pixel PDAF 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth)	12 MP, f/1.7, 24mm (wide), 1/1.7", 1.8µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS 12 MP, f/2.3, 70mm (telephoto), f/2.8, 105mm (telephoto), 1/2.9", Dual Pixel PDAF, 3x/4.4x optical zoom, OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 124˚, 16mm (ultrawide), 1/2.6", Dual Pixel PDAF 0.3 MP, TOF 3D, (depth)
Features	Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, LED flash, panorama, 12-bit RAW, HDR, eye tracking	Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, LED flash, panorama, HDR, eye tracking
Video	[email protected]/25/30/60/120fps HDR, [email protected]/60/120/240fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS	[email protected]/25/30/60/120fps HDR, [email protected]/60/120/240fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS

SELFIE CAMERA	Modules	8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm	8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm
Features	HDR	HDR
Video	[email protected], 5-axis gyro-EIS	[email protected], 5-axis gyro-EIS

SOUND	Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers	Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack	Yes	Yes
	24-bit/192kHz audio Dynamic vibration system	24-bit/192kHz audio Dynamic vibration system

COMMS	WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
Bluetooth	5.2, A2DP, aptX HD, LE	5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
GPS	Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS	Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS
NFC	Yes	Yes
Infrared port	No	No
Radio	No	No
USB	USB Type-C 3.2; USB On-The-Go, DisplayPort	USB Type-C 3.1; USB On-The-Go, video output

FEATURES	Sensors	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass, color spectrum	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass, color spectrum
	Native Sony Alpha camera support	Native Sony Alpha camera support

BATTERY	Type	Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable	Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
Charging	Fast charging 30W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) USB Power Delivery	Fast charging 30W, 50% in 30 min (advertised) Fast wireless charging Reverse wireless charging USB Power Delivery
Stand-by
Talk time

MISC
Colors	Frosted Black	Frosted Black, Frosted Gray, Frosted Purple
Models	XQ-BE62, XQBE62-B, XQ-BE62-B, XQ-BE62/B, XQ-BE42, XQ-BE42-B, XQ-BE42/B	XQBC62/V, XQBC52V.UKCX, SO-51B, SOG03, A101SO, XQ-BC62, XQ-BC72, XQ-BC52, XQ-BC01, XQ-BC11, XQ-BC21, XQ-BC72
Price	$ 1,798.00 / C$ 2,853.82 / £ 1,599.00 / € 1,799.00	$ 997.00 / C$ 1,370.00 / £ 1,083.79 / € 1,249.99

TESTS	Performance	AnTuTu: 725839 (v9) GeekBench: 3540 (v5.1) GFXBench: 51fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)	AnTuTu: 607423 (v8) GeekBench: 3515 (v5.1) GFXBench: 54fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display		Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera	Compare PHOTO / Compare VIDEO
Loudspeaker	-28.6 LUFS (Average)	-26.5 LUFS (Good)
Battery life	87h endurance rating	82h endurance rating

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[saved-j]

most people would better be off with x1 iii.
bought pro-i. not really excited. it's just a fancy toy

 

[marcus01432]

most people would better be off with x1 iii.
bought pro-i. not really excited. it's just a fancy toy

Do you call it a fancy toy because of the price? The Pro I sensor does not take better pictures? The pictures from the Pro I appear quite a bit brighter in auto mode, no?

 

[saved-j]

Do you call it a fancy toy because of the price? The Pro I sensor does not take better pictures? The pictures from the Pro I appear quite a bit brighter in auto mode, no?

you see, if something looks like a phone, feels like a phone and works like a phone, it's a phone. Even if the marketing team says it's a camera with a phone attached to it.

A camera with a 1" sensor should be a camera that uses the surface of a 1" sensor, dammit, and not 2/3 of it. If Sony boasted 36mp sensor in their Alpha cameras where you could only use 24, a lot of people would be upset, but here it's advertised as a game-changer.

I bought the phone for a review. Now I'm waiting for the release of Android 12 to help my review stay up-to-date for longer. Xiaomi already has updated its flagships to A12, Samsung also has, but Sony hasn't yet rolled out an update to its most pricy flagship, which makes no sense since both Xiaomi and Samsung have hundreds of phones while Sony only has a few.

Anyway, Sony is the most balanced flagship imo, but its camera is only good for videos. It does do a much better job in that department, with its 10-bit rec.2020 video, it's unmatched. But you need straight hands to be able to use this stuff properly.

Either way, if one is a photographer, I recommend getting an APS-C camera in the likes of Fuji X-T## series. For videography, the Pro-i has an edge.

 

[marcus01432]

you see, if something looks like a phone, feels like a phone and works like a phone, it's a phone. Even if the marketing team says it's a camera with a phone attached to it.

A camera with a 1" sensor should be a camera that uses the surface of a 1" sensor, dammit, and not 2/3 of it. If Sony boasted 36mp sensor in their Alpha cameras where you could only use 24, a lot of people would be upset, but here it's advertised as a game-changer.

I bought the phone for a review. Now I'm waiting for the release of Android 12 to help my review stay up-to-date for longer. Xiaomi already has updated its flagships to A12, Samsung also has, but Sony hasn't yet rolled out an update to its most pricy flagship, which makes no sense since both Xiaomi and Samsung have hundreds of phones while Sony only has a few.

Anyway, Sony is the most balanced flagship imo, but its camera is only good for videos. It does do a much better job in that department, with its 10-bit rec.2020 video, it's unmatched. But you need straight hands to be able to use this stuff properly.

Either way, if one is a photographer, I recommend getting an APS-C camera in the likes of Fuji X-T## series. For videography, the Pro-i has an edge.

Now I get your comment. Thanks for the full explanation. Your suggestion of an APS cameras like the Fuji is a suggestion with which I agree and have suggested myself. I want to upgrade phones from the Xiaomi Note 10 Pro from 2019 I have now. The Xiaomi Note 10 Pro camera still gets rated above many new phone releases at 131 DXO points. Anyway.... choices for new phones have not justified a purchase to since 2019. From Sony I appreciate the micro card storage, 3.5 jack, the lanyard and the other phone features etc. Close to stock android is a big deal to me. I ran with Pixels for 6 or 7 years. Xperia's are freer from monetization than Sammy or Apple. And I have a history with Sony cameras: the Sony HX 9 travel camera and the Sony Mavica with the floppy drive.

Sony gets top dollar from consumers. But Sony the downsizing of a lot of their divisions and off- loading the TV's etc. I think they are challenged with support. Sony obviously isn't devoting a lot of organizational assets or manpower to their phone division. So the step-child doesn't get the robust support out to consumers with updates.

On top of all that, the Sony dealer where I live in Indonesia doesn't sell the phones (... I won't go into details on that) so I will have to go to Singapore and I have concerns about the service to an overly expensive phone. I really don't know what I would buy that gives me micro-card storage and a 3.5 inch jack for the classical music to which I listen.

I do disagree with you about the big sensor. So what if they only use part of the sensor? There is no way with the tech to take advantage of the whole sensor in today's slab phones. Anyway... mobile phones are a lot of fun to play with.... you are right, maybe all of them are just toys. Have fun amigo.

 

[saved-j]

I do disagree with you about the big sensor. So what if they only use part of the sensor? There is no way with the tech to take advantage of the whole sensor in today's slab phones. Anyway... mobile phones are a lot of fun to play with.... you are right, maybe all of them are just toys. Have fun amigo.

Advertising the 1" but only letting users utilize 1/1.3" is a end-user deception. Still, 1/1.3" is big, it's nice, but it's far not the same as having a true 1" sensor. Also, relative aperture is pretty bad, f2.0 was already not impressive in 2017 - mi11 Ultra utilizes a bigger sensor and it's got a bigger relative aperture which resolves the sensor faster.

They should stop deceiving people and say the truth and explain it wisely - say, "We installed the same sensor as in the rx100m7, and cropped it so you could have 4k120 which the rx100m7 is not capable of! Also, the cropped area is the area that is almost entirely covered with phase detection AF points, so you'll only benefit from it in terms of AF speed!" But they don't. And lots of people feel they've been lied to - especially those who own the both devices and find out that Pro-i is limited to 12mp and it's not the same as the 20mp they got out of their RX100.

In the end, if one is into photography that much, they might consider a Xiaomi mi11 Ultra. In my opinion the Xiaomi gives the most camera hardware for money, and out of all the phones you see on the attached photo (i took it, it's not a stock photo), I am most impressed with the potential of mi11 Ultra. That's where you have the biggest relative aperture and a properly utilized huge sensor. At the same time, colors are not the best, Vivo x70pro+ gives colors that are more eye-pleasing if one prefers portraits. But one must not rush into buying Xiaomi if they ever take photos of moving objects due to catastrophic shutter lag. Only Xperias and iPhones, and AFAIK Google Pixels have minimal shutter lag, most other phones left me unsure whether I will always be able to capture rapidly vanishing moments. Xiaomi has the best detail and Vivo has the best color, but it won't matter if the smile is gone or the bike has left the viewfinder.

Pro-i has a very fast camera. Sadly you can't have both speed and high megapixel count on a phone.

In the other topic I uploaded a bunch of photos I took with Pro-I: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/reviews-are-in-on-the-xperia-pro-i.4371697/post-86298867

I saw that you already gave me kudos for that post. Thanks!

 

[marcus01432]

I'll wait now and see part of the round of 2022 devices. The Xiaomi I have has a nice camera. You are right, the shutter is slow. I really should stick to a phone like the Xiaomi's that you can get here in Indonesia. The Vivo is nice, but I find the colors oversaturated but the people I know with shoot in auto mode all the time.The Oppo Find X and a few other phones are interesting. The new Xiaomi ultra should be interesting. Still I don't like the operating systems on the Xiaomi. It is getting better, but I prefer a fairly pure android if I can get it.

 

[jagwap42]

Look, I am going to nit-pick here, but Sony never said it had a 1" sensor. It said it had a type 1.0 size sensor. Also they did not hide using 1/1.31 size area.

That aside, the real question is: is the Pro I a game changer? Yea and no: There are faster and larger sensors on phones. There are more powerful AI computational phones out there. However, if you don't want your grey rainy skies tinted blue, or yellowing grass made artificially green, then Xperia is the way to go. The Pro I is slightly thicker and noticeably heavier than the Xperia 1 III, which I like, but most will not. Also there is very limited zoom on the Pro I, and I find this a little limiting.

However, the main sensor is better. Better in colour, low light and detail. On phone screen you will not notice it. But on a 4k monitor or 10"x8" is is better. Not a huge difference, but it's there if you care.

This is the game changer: More interestingly is the RAW performance: if this guy is right, then most computational cameras ruin the raw output even if they have amazing jpg output. Here is the Vivo X70 Pro Plus against Xperia Pro I in raw

 

[marcus01432]

Look, I am going to nit-pick here, but Sony never said it had a 1" sensor. It said it had a type 1.0 size sensor. Also they did not hide using 1/1.31 size area.

That aside, the real question is: is the Pro I a game changer? Yea and no: There are faster and larger sensors on phones. There are more powerful AI computational phones out there. However, if you don't want your grey rainy skies tinted blue, or yellowing grass made artificially green, then Xperia is the way to go. The Pro I is slightly thicker and noticeably heavier than the Xperia 1 III, which I like, but most will not. Also there is very limited zoom on the Pro I, and I find this a little limiting.

However, the main sensor is better. Better in colour, low light and detail. On phone screen you will not notice it. But on a 4k monitor or 10"x8" is is better. Not a huge difference, but it's there if you care.

This is the game changer: More interestingly is the RAW performance: if this guy is right, then most computational cameras ruin the raw output even if they have amazing jpg output. Here is the Vivo X70 Pro Plus against Xperia Pro I in raw

You are right. I notice the difference in photos. You are correct, the sensor is better. I don't like the marketing stretch and over-exuberance. But, don't all the phone companies say they are the best? The size and thickness? Those commentators should get over themselves. Pro-i does computational photography. It is a digital product after all. The Sony look appears to be more natural to me and so I prefer it. Remember the days when photographers debated Kodachrome, Ektachrome, FujiFilm, etc. Each had it's own look. I want to remember the image I see with my eyes the way it was, not some computational blue blazing sky on a dreary day. And yes, there is a real difference in Sony vs. Sammy or Apple. SomeGadgetGuy (knows his stuff) and has said so once or more. Sony is offering a very comprehensive package (head phone jack, etc., etc.). One of these days Sony will hit it out of the park with a decent battery and a little bit of cooling for the damn chip sets. Let's hope Sony keeps up it's distinctive set of phones. The phones are quite apart from the fanboy and fangirl mass products. BTW, I do think Oppo, Xioami and Hauwei( and their sub-brands) are putting out some worthy packages. This should be a fun year for phones.

 

[jagwap42]

You are right. I notice the difference in photos. You are correct, the sensor is better. I don't like the marketing stretch and over-exuberance. But, don't all the phone companies say they are the best? The size and thickness? Those commentators should get over themselves. Pro-i does computational photography. It is a digital product after all. The Sony look appears to be more natural to me and so I prefer it. Remember the days when photographers debated Kodachrome, Ektachrome, FujiFilm, etc. Each had it's own look. I want to remember the image I see with my eyes the way it was, not some computational blue blazing sky on a dreary day. And yes, there is a real difference in Sony vs. Sammy or Apple. SomeGadgetGuy (knows his stuff) and has said so once or more. Sony is offering a very comprehensive package (head phone jack, etc., etc.). One of these days Sony will hit it out of the park with a decent battery and a little bit of cooling for the damn chip sets. Let's hope Sony keeps up it's distinctive set of phones. The phones are quite apart from the fanboy and fangirl mass products. BTW, I do think Oppo, Xioami and Hauwei( and their sub-brands) are putting out some worthy packages. This should be a fun year for phones.

Agreed on almost all points.

Size and thickness? That was me. Just comparing to the Xperia 1 III. I already have got over myself

Sure, all digital cameras are computational, but you appear to know what I am describing. The over emphasis of sharpening and saturation. The phone companies have gone overboard for me, and it appears you. Kodachrome or Fujifilm would be a nice optional filter, as opposed to Samsung defaults. Personally I find the Xperia a bit flat, and seems to be compared to the dedicated Sony cameras like RX100. But as a data, it gives you a great raw starting point with lightroom. If the YouTube link I gave is true, the other don't stand a chance if that. Lightroom's auto mode is better than iPhone ect.

Yes Vivo, Huawei and by association Honor are doing great things (Vivo you need to switch to Zeiss Natural Color first or it over saturates).

 

[marcus01432]

We are in agreement. I see in adverts that Sammy now claims the S22 Ultra has natural colors and a better raw. If the marketing claim is true for more natural and better RAW, then Sony moved the bar. Wouldn't it be great if Hasseblad has a real influence on the Oppo, or Zeiss hits the mark with their Sharp branded phone? It's a fun year for mobile phones. Best.

 

[marcus01432]

Take a look at these from the Sony Pro i I bought. Still learning and these are snaps mostly on my 2x's a day dog walks. The dog usually tolerates my camera time. I do need to play more with the video pro and cinema and see if I can unlock the potential. I also just started experimenting with the night time shots. A few shots are in basic. Mostly shot in the P, S, and Manual modes. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BM9Ratorvioy5XKS9

 

[marcus01432]

Take a look at these from the Sony Pro i I bought. Still learning and these are snaps mostly on my 2x's a day dog walks. The dog usually tolerates my camera time. I do need to play more with the video pro and cinema and see if I can unlock the potential. I also just started experimenting with the night time shots. A few shots are in basic. Mostly shot in the P, S, and Manual modes. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BM9Ratorvioy5XKS9

I have added more pics to the mix. https://photos.app.goo.gl/BM9Ratorvioy5XKS9 Getting better with the camera. Want to find the time to go out alone and shoot photos and video. These are taken with a dog on a leash. The dog is quite patient, but....