World’s first OLED smartphone with 21:9 CinemaWide display and HDR remastering technologies and Dolby Atmos sound, the Xperia 1 was designed with input from the professionals at Sony’s CineAlta brand.

Smartphones with many cameras – or should I write more lenses? – seem to be the norm these days, so when Sony announced the Xperia 1 with “only” three cameras or lenses, no one paid much attention. Even when Sony announced the Xperia 1 as “world’s first Eye AF in a smartphone  with triple lens camera and up to 10 fps burst shooting with AF/AE tracking for precision focus and exposure” no one seemed much impressed, despite the fact that the three lenses associated with 12MP sensor cover the focal lenghts most expect to use with a smartphone: 16mm for wide landscapes, a versatile 26mm lens and a 52mm lens telephoto shooting (35mm equivalent).

More than the number of lenses, though, is what is behind them that makes the Xperia 1, according to the company,  a path to redefine Sony’s vision, offering users a flagship smartphone for “creative entertainment experiences with unprecedented professional-grade technologies”.  The world’s first 4K OLED smartphone  with 21:9 CinemaWide display (6.5”) and HDR remastering technologies is there for one reason: Sony wants this smartphone to take motion picture to the next level.

Cinema ratio display and BRAVIA technology

The 21:9 CinemaWide 4K HDR OLED display allows users to enjoy movies in their original format in the palm of their hands. Not only you get a cinema aspect ratio, the smartphone also delivers, says Sony, accurate colour reproduction that films are created in, for a viewing experience that’s true to what creators envisioned.

“We have established a new vision for our Xperia brand to bring our customers experiences beyond imagination,” said Mitsuya Kishida, President, Sony Mobile Communications. “We are continuing to push the boundaries in pursuit of innovation and our new Xperia delivers genuine technologies with a multitude of professional-grade features for creative entertainment experiences that are only possible with Sony.”

Pushing boundaries means using technology from the award-winning BRAVIA TVs on the display of the Xperia 1. The X1 for mobile engine brings HDR (High Dynamic Range) remastering technologies ensuring everything you watch, including streamed content, can be enjoyed with more contrast, colour and clarity.

Natural colours and Dolby Atmos

It does not stop there, as, claims Sony, “Xperia 1 has 10 bit tonal gradation representing a myriad of colours. Xperia 1 delivers deeper levels of black, while colours appear more natural. Inspired by Master Monitor colour reproduction from Sony’s professional technology, used in leading Hollywood studio productions, now you can experience unprecedent colour accuracy with our new Creator mode to bring content to life exactly as it was envisioned. The display, together with originally developed image processing, supports wide colour space ITU-R BT.2020 as well as DCI-P3 with Illuminant D65.”

Aware that sound is a key element for movies, Sony included multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos sound, for the ultimate vieweing experience, able to transport you into the story with moving audio that flows above and around you with breath-taking realism. The sound tuning on Xperia 1 is developed in collaboration with Sony Pictures Entertainment to ensure the mobile experience is as their creators intended.

World’s first Eye AF in a smartphone

Picture taking and movie shooting are both designed to offer better ways to tell stories. The triple lens camera contributes to that, but the use of technologies from the Alpha family of interchangeable lens camera are present through the BIONZ X for mobile.

The algorithm enables, claims Sony, “the world’s first Eye AF (Auto Focus) in a smartphone to bring the sharp focus exactly to the level of eyes and also delivers continuous burst shooting with up to 10 fps AF/AE tracking (Auto Focus and Auto Exposure) to give you precision focus and optimal exposure. Capture better low light images with the bright F1.6 lens and large pixel pitch 1.4μm Dual Photo Diode image sensor ensuring even moving subjects are blur-free, while RAW noise reduction delivers beautifully clear images.”

Shoot 4K HDR at 24 fps in 21:9 format

Cinema recording is also taken to a new level, through the the collaboration with the engineers of Sony’s professional digital cinema camera division known for its CineAlta brand, famous for its Full Frame digital cinematography camera “VENICE”. You can shoot with natural cinematic tone and further apply expression-based colour management pre-sets with Sony’s new Cinema Pro feature present in the Xperia 1. Users are able to create the intended mood from total of eight different expressions to turn  clips into cinematic stories.

All of this can be shot in 4K HDR at 24 frames per second in 21:9 format… with a smartphone. Only Sony can bring this industry-leading professional technology to Xperia 1, enabling you to capture your everyday life in cinematic style with Cinema Pro. Xperia 1 also lets you grab 21:9 still image off the live view or recorded clips, even with or without the “Look” colour management pre-sets. And the unique hybrid stabilisation system running Optical SteadyShot with a unique algorithm to ensure smooth and shake-free recording.

21:9 display allows multi-window function

With the 21:9 ratio display it is possible to enjoy a new style of productivity with two apps simultaneously on one display, using the multi-window function thyat can be actived by voice. Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform, the Xperia 1 offers up to 25% faster CPU and up to 40% GPU performance versus the previous generation, and Snapdragon Elite Gaming, for handling processor-intensive apps and games with ease. The high capacity 3330 mAh battery, combined with Smart Stamina, Battery Care  and Xperia Adaptive Charging, help to keep you powered throughout the day.

The Sony Xperia 1 ships with Android 9 Pie and will be available in select markets from late Spring 2019.