After our last review on the LG V60 ThinQ, and its features, it seemed that it would be the phone to get if you were a power user or looking or content creator. However, with the upcoming release of the Sony Xperia 1 II, it’s time for a serious look if you are focused on content creation.
The Price & Value
The Sony Xperia 1 II will sell for approximately $1200 USD, or $1600 CAD. This price is in line with most flagship phones that you can buy right now. However, you may be able to get away with the LG V60 ThinQ for around $799 USD or $1100 CAD if you find that its features suit your needs over the Sony Xperia 1 II.
Bonus For Sony Xperia 1 II PreOrders
To promote their new phone and make you consider it over options from Samsung, iPhone, LG, etc., the Sony Xperia 1 II is being bundled with a free pair of wireless noise-cancelling earphones (Sony WF-1000XM3) at some carriers if you preorder it between June 1st to June 28th, 2020.
Sony Xperia 1 II Specifications
To keep up with the other flagship phones, the Sony Xperia 1 II comes with many of the advertised specs as competitor phones. If you need an explanation for some of the specs below, check out our Ultimate Phone Buying Guide.
- 4000 mAh Battery
- 6.5″ 4K HDR 21:9 CinemaWide™ Aspect Ratio OLED Screen (1644 x 3840 pixels)
- 643 PPI Density
- 8GB RAM
- 256 GB Internal Storage (expandable to 1 TB max)
- 5G Network Ready Connectivity In Europe Only // 4G In The US Currently
- Bluetooth 5.1 & NFC Capable
- 4K Video Recording (24, 25, 30, 60 fps HDR)
- Qualcomm® Snapdragon 865 Chip
- 3 Lens Setup In The Back (24mm Wide, 70mm Telephoto, 16mm Ultrawide) – All At 12 MP
- All lens have the ZEISS® T* Coating to reduce reflections and enhance contrast
- 8 MP Selfie Camera At f/2.0 – 24mm Wide
- 24 Bit LDAC
- 3.5 mm Headphone Jack
- 21W Fast Charging
- USB Type-C Charging Cable
- Wireless Charging (Wireless Charger Is Sold Separately)
- Gorilla Glass 6
- Side-Mounted Power Button Fingerprint Reader
- Dedicated Camera Button
- Dual SIM hybrid (Dual SIM Cards or 1 SIM Card & One microSDXC Card)
- IP65 / IP68 Water Resistance
- Dimensions: 165.1 mm x 71.1 mm x 7.6 mm (6.5″ x 2.80″ x 0.30″)
- Weight: 6.4 oz
Where It Misses The Mark
Even with some of those stellar specs mentioned above, some areas could have been better. These won’t apply to everyone, but if you are passionate about the tech in your phone, take a look to see how much it impacts your buying decision.
- 60 Hz refresh rate (Most flagships have a 90 and 120 Hz refresh rate)
- 4000 mAh Battery (Newer flagships have a 5000 mAh battery)
- 5G (Readiness In The US Is Unclear Right Now – Only 4G Currently Supported)
Sony Xperia 1 II Exclusive Features
Now that specs are out of the way, if you are a content creator, you’re going to love most of the features that this phone offers.
If you are familiar with the Sony Alpha line of cameras, you know that Sony is getting high praise for the features in their recent mirrorless cameras, such as the Sony A7iii and Sony A9II. Sony decided to partner up with their imaging division to upgrade their mobile imaging capabilities to closely match what is offered on their Alpha series of cameras.
Eye AutoFocus & Animal Eye AutoFocus
This feature has been an enormous benefit to photographers when trying to capture subjects that move run, spin, or move quickly. Following the success of Eye AF for human subjects, Sony added Animal Eye AF, which is pretty accurate when taking photos of dogs and cats. Results with other animals may vary, but it is an area that will only become more robust with each update. The system is advanced enough to detect glasses or sunglasses and pinpoint focus there too.
20 FPS Burst Shooting
While many newer flagships offer burst shooting, this phone takes it to the next level by allowing you to capture up to 20 fps of continuous burst shooting while maintaining autofocus and auto exposure. Many cameras may also burst shooting, but will have a hard time exposing the scene correctly and maintaining focus between burst shots. The phone continuously assesses autofocus & exposure as much as 60 times a second due to advanced algorithms to get you perfectly focused shots even with fast-moving subjects and scenes. Autofocus is completed in only 0.03 seconds, thanks to 247 phase-detection points on the sensor. This is similar to their RX100 series of cameras.
Cinema Pro App For Video Content Creators
Most of the time, you use your phone for video, you’re pretty much at your phone’s mercy in terms of autofocus responsiveness and areas. With the Cinema Pro app, you get many of the manual video controls you would find in cameras such as setting shutter speeds and tapping for autofocus points. You can set a focus point and lock it. It also has an option to rack focus as well for smooth focus transitions between subjects.
You have a few shooting profiles (looks) to color-grade your video after. Of course, if you do not want to bother with color-grading after, you can always use the default camera and video app, without using the Cinema Pro App.
It also comes with a wind filtering option for those who will be taking video or vlogged outdoors.
Photo Pro App For Photographers
Similar to using the Cinema Pro app for video, Sony also offers a Photo Pro app for people who want the most manual control. If you use the Sony Alpha series of cameras, the interface will look very familiar to you when it comes to changing manual settings. The app allows you to adjust the most important settings without actually leaving the photo composition screen and going into menus on other screens. Don’t forget about the dedicated camera button on the body as well.
Don’t forget that you can pair your phone with the Sony Imaging app to use the phone as a remote display, or to trigger photo and change settings while you are in front of the camera.
RAW File Support Coming
While RAW file support will not be available right away, it is slated in their update timeline. This is handy if you want to use a program like Capture 1, Lightroom, or Photoshop to edit your images.
Gaming Focused
This phone is also geared towards gaming content creators. It allows you to pair a PS4 Dualshock controller to play games and record your screen, face, and audio commentary, which you can upload to Youtube or Twitch later.
4K 21:9 Screen
The longer screen aspect ratio allows you to see more content on the screen before you have to scroll down. Also, if you’re a fan of Android’s split-screen app functionality, a more extended screen makes that process much more manageable.
Should You Get It?
If you are a casual phone user, some of the features on this phone may be overkill. However, if you like to watch a lot of movies on your phone, the 21:9 aspect ratio will be neat.
If you’re a content creator that vlogs or does product reviews, the rack focus feature will definitely come in handy once you set the phone up on a tripod. Taking photos for thumbnail images will also be a better experience with the manual controls available in the Photo Pro app.
If you’re into gaming, it also fulfills in that area too. The ability to pair your PS4 Dualshock, record the screen, and you speaking and reacting to gameplay is neat. Keep in mind that you cannot do that live though.
The price is definitely on the higher end, however, if you can see yourself making use of some of the Sony Pro features, and you value a 21:9 aspect ratio, you won’t do better than this phone.
I can highly recommend this phone due to its unique features if you can stomach the price!
