The Sony Xperia 1 Review: A 21:9 Take of the World
by Andrei Frumusanu on July 26, 2019 8:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Sony
- Smartphones
- Xperia 1
Battery Life - Meagre Results
Battery life results of the Xperia 1 is among one of the biggest questions for the device. With a 3330mAh battery capacity, the battery is a tad lower than what we’d find in other devices of the same device footprint this year. Sony managed to keep the size and weight of the phone in check, but it’s still quite on the lower end of capacities we’re finding on the market.
There’s also the big question of as to how then 4K resolution screen will behave. As mentioned on the previous page, the display implementation for the 4K might not be done in the most power efficient way, and the phone did showcase idle full screen black base power consumption of 538mW which is quite high compared to the ~400ish mW we saw from Samsung and OnePlus. As such, I’m heading into the battery results with a bit of pessimism as to how the Xperia 1 will end up.
Unfortunately my fears were validated and in our web browsing test the new Xperia 1 performed well short of its competition. The double-whammy of a smaller battery and more efficient screen isn’t a great combination and the device longevity visible suffers from this.
If one would simply scale up the result and normalise it for a 4000mAh battery, the phone would still largely lag behind at around 10.3h, but at least it’d be in line with other phones such as the OnePlus 7 Pro.
In PCMark the phone is also lagging behind by a tad, although the display’s inefficiencies here are less amplified as on the web browsing test.
Overall, the Xperia 1’s battery life isn’t too fantastic. It falls in line with the LG V40 which also suffered from an inefficient display, and I made the remark on that device that it was a deal-breaker, so I have to be fair and also say that it’s also a massive negative for the Xperia 1.
The display’s 4K resolution and less efficient DDIC is just a big trade-off to make, but to also have a competitively smaller battery really represents a double-negative for the phone which is very unfortunately given its price-range.
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flyingpants265 - Monday, July 29, 2019 - link
You know, they could just make a phone with all the features people want. In all sizes. Why don't you ask for that instead?Front speakers, 5000mAh battery, fast wireless charging, waterproofing that actually works, usb-c/audio jack, in-screen fingerprint reader that works properly, under-screen camera. 5", 5.6" and 6.2" options.
16:9 or 17:9 screen, no ridiculous screens that are the size of a TV remote. MicroSD would be nice, but I'd be willing to sacrifice it if we got cheap 128gb/256gb options.
HJr. - Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - link
Congratulations you describe Galaxy S10!inperfectdarkness - Sunday, August 18, 2019 - link
I have an Xperia XZ2 Compact and I love it. That said, yes, the only compelling reason to buy Sony was for a smartphone that wasn't actually a phablet. I do miss the 3.5mm jack. I can survive w/o wireless charging; and that's really the one and only thing I had to give up over the full size XZ2. Honestly, the Z3 compact was only a smidgen smaller than the XZ2 (127.3 x 64.9 x 8.6 mm for the Z3 compact vs. 135 x 65 x 12.1 mm for the XZ2 compact).My XZ2 will have to be pried from my cold dead hands. It truly is the last of the flagship-level "compact" smartphones.
abufrejoval - Friday, July 26, 2019 - link
I’ve been close to buying a Sony device some years ago, Snapdragon 800 generation when they had a thinner and bigger competitor to the Galaxy Note, I believe and I generally value them as a great engineering company.Betting on this form factor is obviously a risk: If they find enough fans in that niche as well as the compact one, I’d be happy to see them survive.
I may watch a small video here and there on a phone, but watching a full-length movie on that screen would only work for me if you could fit it into a headset, like Google Cardboard or LeEco LeVR: The Sony screen seems to have a good enough resolution to make that attractive e.g. for a longer plane ride. Any idea on if such a device is working/available for this Sony?
My major smartphone usage is reading and browsing so actually I could be more easily tempted by a 16:10 (like the original Galaxy Note) or 3:2 device (another niche, Sony!).
And at that price it requires a fully functioning desktop replacement mode with Ethernet and a 4k monitor available via a docking station as well as properly managed DPI adaptations for OS and apps at dock/undock to work out economically.
Another issue with Sony phone has been that I prefer custom ROMs in general, and Sony devices tend to lose a lot of their photo/video capabilities on AOSP.
I was surprised to see a Czech/French dictionary (and more Czech books) in your library: I would have guessed that your mother tongue was Rumanian and that in Luxembourg you’ll have to manage with French, Germany and Lëtzebuergesch as well as English.
Some commentators here don’t appreciate that when you deal with four languages or more on a daily base, certain errors tend to creep in. I manage German, English, Spanish and French pretty much every day and towards the evening or with current temperatures all can deteriorate to a point just short of mumbo jumbo.
GlossGhost - Sunday, July 28, 2019 - link
If you think Sony have it bad with custom ROM's, try Samsung. You literally get dogshit camera quality, no hardware acceleration (at least on the Exynos model), no Always On Display and probably many of the framework boosters.abufrejoval - Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - link
The custom ROM situation is only getting worse, because vendors need you to buy a new device regularly: Their temptation to boycott is easy to understand and completely intolerable.My Samsung Note 3 followed a Note (1) and that the initial i9000 that made Jobs lose it.
They all still work thanks to replacable batteries and custom ROMs.
The Note 3 is stilly actually still used regularly (runs Pie) as a backup device on my fairly regular business trips across the EU.
Screen protectors, silicon protection cases and a plastic body have kept them look like new, despite various drops on streets not always dry or clean.
Everything Samsung delivered since, was just plain nonsense, badly overpriced or putting corporate interests so much before customers (Exynos), that it hurts: I travel internationally and want a global phone, even if I live mostly in Europe. Geographic market segmentation is so anti mobile they might as well sell them with a cable.
I got a LeEco Le Max2 next (also still active) and can't see any reason to upgrade beyond my current OnePlus 5 (finally a phone so efficient, I totally lost my battery anxiety), rather unfortunately really, because I really like playing with toys with new features. Those three run on linked corporate SIMs with global roaming and with identical apps and launchers, so I can switch between them very seamlessly. Haven't bothered with hotel or public Wifi in years, none come even close to the ~100Mbit LTE data rates tend to get, at least in Europe. 5G? Can't quite imagine why I'd need it any time soon.
Unfortunately, mobile phones develop only features I cannot appreciate or even dislike (rounded screens, glass/metal cases), yet none of those I'd consider valuable (good desktop mode with 4K monitor and cable Ethernet for Wifi-less office use).
So I need to spend my play-money on new toys like the DJI Robomaster, except that for some reason they don't sell it in Europe yet... Nobody wants to sell me what I want!
Is that the new way of selling more? Making sure you never get what you want so you'll have to keep on buying?
philehidiot - Sunday, July 28, 2019 - link
On the ISS they use Runglish or something, which is the blend of Russian and English that just developed on the station due to constantly flipping between languages.sonny73n - Friday, July 26, 2019 - link
AT, Sony experia isn’t worth our time. Give us something else, anything!Teckk - Friday, July 26, 2019 - link
Not sure if the width is enough looks lil weird. For that price - the battery capacity and RAM (compared to other phones) and seems to be relatively less.Arbie - Friday, July 26, 2019 - link
A media machine with no headphone jack. Smart.