the unique features it has that we already want in every other Android phone

When Martin Cooper made the first phone call from a mobile, an era of communication began that evolved at high speed. We have seen the birth and decline of companies that have failed to adapt to changing times. LG and BlackBerry are two examples, Nokia and HTC two others. But in this highly competitive industry, a Japanese company, Sonlydecided to do things their own way rather than throw in the towel, aspiring to create what, for them, is the best smartphone possible.

We spent a few days with the new Sony Xperia 1 V ($1,399), the best mobile designed by the Japanese firm to date, a device with a very high price and spectacular features, but which does not stand out for this in particular. Sony, like Nintendo, has strayed from the rules that seem to dominate their industry and have wanted to do things their own way for a few years now. The Xperia 1 V is the pinnacle of that, with some necessary concessions like computational photography, but with things you don’t often see on other models.

Instead of performing a custom scan we wanted to highlight what the company has managed to stand out from the firms that sell the most in the world, from Apple to Samsung via the Chinese. However, the Xperia 1 V is not a perfect terminal, which is why we also wanted to highlight the elements that Sony should work on for the future Xperia 1 VI.

The Xperia V 1 stands out

When talking about high-end mobiles, you almost have to take it for granted that the weight will be high. Even without going through the foldable models, it is normal to see terminals that easily pass 220 grams. This affects usability, especially when we spend a lot of time with the smartphone in hand. The Xperia 1 V weighs only 187 grams, and it is not to use bad materials. The structure of this model is made of aluminum, and the front and back are made of glass, with Corning Gorilla Glass protection.

Another aspect worth noting about this phone is the grip. Sony has provided all mobile phones, except for the screen, a texture that makes picking up much safer even without a lid. The frame, the back glass and even the camera button have a texture that helps in use. And yes, we said camera button because this phone is one of the few, if not the only one, to have a two-step physical trigger for the camera. This not only allows you to shoot, but also to focus with light pressure, without reaching the end of the stroke.

In the sketch we find two other remarkable elements. The first is the headphone jack, something we can say without fear of being wrong that it is something unique in the price range that this phone offers, at least if we take out gaming mobiles, which they sometimes maintain, although even there , it is already something rare. In addition, the telephone card slot also offers the possibility of host a microSD card, which would extend the memory of this phone, 256 or 512 GB depending on the variant. As if that weren’t enough, you can remove the tray without the need for a pickjust with your fingers.

You would think that would make this phone unable to withstand water and dust. We could think so, but we would be wrong, the Sony Xperia 1V is IP68 certified, which some of the higher-end models from other brands usually have, but not all of them. This is helped by the design of the model, which is very rectangular and without any strange curvatures. This model has a 5000 mAh battery, with fast charging, which we will talk about in the next section and wireless charging, which is generally common in the high end but not always seen. What is not so normal is to have a USB-C Type 3.2 connectorwhich facilitates the transmission of data by cable if necessary.

special mention required there screen, the only one on the market with 4K resolution. Imagine the screen of a brand new next-gen TV compressed to fit in the palm of your hand without reducing the amount of pixels used. The sharpness it delivers in streaming, video and photo applications is amazing. Moreover, it has a refresh rate of 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz.

And if the visual part is striking, the sound is no less so.. To begin with, Sony attaches great importance to this when studying the software functions of the Xperia 1 V. Even in applications like YouTube, we can accompany the sound of videos with a vibration that gives us a greater feeling of immersion. But the protagonists here are the two front speakerssomething we’ve only seen in some gaming mobiles and here makes the front bezels a bit thicker, but that makes up for a lot.

But the key aspect of this terminal is the photographic section. It has a triple rear camera system which includes a telephoto lens capable of giving us two types of possible increases in a single lens, which allows for versatility without the need to complicate the design or increase the price. And the software section is also essential, with professional applications which are not intended for the average user, but offer endless options for the professional or semi-professional user.

is not perfect

As we argued at the beginning of this article, this mobile is far from perfect, and there are things we can ask Sony to improve in future generations, as it did in this one- here compared to the previous ones. One of the things that has improved is the heat management, but it’s still something that needs tweaking, especially when you want to get the most out of the processor and the screen, two of the elements that require the most energy.

It is appreciated that support for fast charging is included, but the 30 W is a bit slow, in addition to not having a charger in the box, something we’ve seen in brands like Samsung or Apple, but that’s not why we’re going to stop asking. In the same vein, it should be mentioned that wireless charging works on horizontal chargers, but not always on vertical chargers, probably due to the very elongated aspect ratio of this terminal. The fingerprint sensor is fast and works well, but the position isn’t ideal For those who want to use their mobile with their right hand.

The number of options Sony offers in Android is appreciated, but it doesn’t make sense to have three different apps just for taking photos and videos. Ideally it would be to fit everything into a much more advanced one, and maybe create a second one just for auto mode photography, so less advanced users aren’t as overwhelmed. And it is curious that there is no macro mode in the camera. It’s not that we want a sensor for that, but a camera-focused mobile should be able to let you take photos with that mode, when not videos, like the Pixel 7 does now. Pro.

Regarding the screen, we appreciated its elongated aspect ratio when watching videos, we appreciated the color and the resolution, even with the absence of curves on the long sides. What we didn’t like was not being able to manually vary resolution or refresh rate from the screen.

I buy it?

If you doubt whether or not to buy this mobile, surely it is not for you. It is a very niche product, very particular and very well executed, but it was not designed to be a bestseller. And that’s not a problem. If you value camera versatility, quality in all sections, video and audio recording, and integration with the Sony ecosystem, there might not be a better mobile on the market.

If you want a high-end mobile for gaming, with a competent camera and a good design, there are more options there, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Xiaomi 13 Ultra or larger iPhones. You can also consider the high-end vivo, the X90 Pro, or Google, with a discounted Pixel 7 Pro while you wait for the Pixel 8 Pro to launch.

Sony is clear that it is not going to change its strategy because of what the competition is doing, it is simply going to improve its models generation after generation, and this ensures that we have a very different top of the range every year, designed for a small group of peoplewho surely appreciate that it exists.

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