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Introduction
Sony Xperia Pro-I is a sequel to the limited Xperia Pro, only this time it is intended for prosumers who know their way around photography and cinematography. It is the first phone with a 1"-Type Sony sensor, it can do 12-bit RAW output and offers plenty of camera apps to make use of the advanced camera system.
The Xperia Pro-I (where I stands for Imaging) has some notable updates over the first Pro - it's a water-resistant Xperia phone with a 6.5" 4K OLED screen that now supports a 120Hz refresh rate. The chipset has been upgraded to Snapdragon 888, there are improved cameras and lenses, and yet somehow, the phone's profile is now slimmer, and the whole thing weighs less!
The primary camera is the real showstopper on this new Xperia Pro-I. Sony has brought its 1"-Type 20MP sensor from the Sony RX100 VII on to a smartphone, which is a first for the industry. The 24mm ZEISS lens on top of this large sensor offer variable aperture with fixed F/2.0 and F/4.0 steps - not a first, but definitely a rarity, nevertheless. This camera supports real-time eye AF, 315 PDAF points. It can also do 4K video capturing at 120fps and eye-AF and object tracking for video.
The 12MP ultrawide camera now supports autofocus, and it can take macro shots in addition to stellar panoramic shots with sharp corners. The 12MP telephoto, on the other hand, has shorter reach as it now uses a 50mm lens, but it relies on a larger sensor with bigger pixels.
The Xperia Pro-I has a lot to offer beyond mobile photography. It has stereo speakers, a microSD slot, a 3.5mm jack, there is a dedicated hardware shutter, an eyelet for hooking a strap like a digital camera, and a number of mics for high-quality audio recording.
The phone can also act as an external monitor and controller to a number of popular Sony cameras. You can also pair it with a new Vlog monitor accessory with an external magnetic display, which can turn the triple rear camera into an unmatched vlogging machine.
Let's take a look at the specs.
Sony Xperia 1 III specs at a glance:
- Body: 166.0x72x8.9mm, 211g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame; IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins).
- Display: 6.50" OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020, 1644x3840px resolution, 21:9 aspect ratio, 643ppi; Runs at 1096 x 2560 pixels except for select use cases.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm): Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680); Adreno 660.
- Memory: 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 3.X; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
- OS/Software: Android 11.
- Rear camera: Wide (main): 12 MP, f/2.0-4.0, 24mm, 1" type, 2.4µm, Real-time Eye AF, OIS; Telephoto: 12 MP, f/2.4, 50mm, 1/2.9", Dual Pixel PDAF, 2x optical zoom, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 124˚, 16mm, 1/2.55", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF; Depth TOF 3D.
- Front camera: 8 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/4", 1.12µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@24/25/30/60/120fps HDR, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 1080p@30fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS.
- Battery: 4500mAh; Fast charging 30W, 50% in 30 min (advertised), USB Power Delivery.
- Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); Stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos; NFC; 3.5mm jack; shutter key.
Sony Xperia Pro-I seems like one potent flagship, at least for people who know what they will be doing with it, and we cannot wait to see it in action!
Design, build, handling
The Sony Xperia Pro-I is not your typical dual-glass smartphone because of the unique frame design. Sony has made the metal frame thick and ribbed to provide a better grip. Indeed, this has to be one, if not the grippiest smartphone we've handled in years, and it should help for a hassle-free handling experience.
Xperia Pro-I is water-resistant as any other recent Xperia flagship and has Gorilla Glass front and back panels. The screen is protected by the most recent Victus edition, and while we have no info on the rear sheet, we can confirm it's a Corning-made piece, too.
The new Xperia Pro-I is as big as the Xperia 1 III; the sides are of similar thickness as well (8.3mm vs. 8.9mm), but this new model is 25g heavier, probably due to the new camera tech that's been crammed inside. Compared to the original Pro, the Pro-I is shorter, narrower and thinner, yet it features the same 6.5" 4K OLED, improved at that.
Sony Xperia Pro-I next to the Xperia 1 III
So, the new Sony Xperia Pro-I borrows its screen from the Xperia 1 III and not the Xperia Pro - meaning it's a 6.5-inch OLED with 1B colors and 120Hz refresh rate. The panel fully supports BT.2020 color space and is intended to rise to the occasion when professionals need so.
One thing we love about Sony is its firm stand on the screen cutouts - the maker has never ever crippled a display with such thing, and it seems it never will. Unlike Apple, which now makes notched MacBooks! That's the reason you are seeing a bit thicker top and bottom screen bezel, but we'd say they do help a lot when using the phone in landscape orientation.
Above the screen is where you'd find the ancient 8MP selfie snapper and one of the speakers, which doubles as an earpiece. There is also a notification LED light around the top left corner, yet another thing that appears only Sony is keeping alive these days.
Below the screen is the other stereo speaker - the Xperia Pro-I is one of the few phones on the market with truly symmetrical speakers.
Speaking about nearly extinct features, you will also find a 3.5mm audio jack, a hardware shutter key, and a hook for your favorite strap. And we do applaud Sony for including these things, which may seem absurd on an iPhone, but are of great help for professionals on the go.
The back of the Sony Xperia Pro-I is truly fascinating. It is covered with a flat Gorilla Glass sheet with a matte finish. The triple camera is here, along with all additional sensors and the flash, but if you've expected a Galaxy Ultra, iPhone or Oppo monstrosity, you are in for a surprise.
There are three 12MP cameras here, each with different sensors. They are all centered at the back of the Xperia Pro-I. The large 1-Type Exmor RS BSI CMOS is in the middle, sitting between the 12MP ultrawide (top) and the 12MP telephoto (bottom) snappers. The TOF camera and the IR light source are visible just below the main camera.
The LED flash is outside the large camera setup, near the top. And the white dot next to it is probably the color spectrum sensor. Finally, the last thing of interest is a monoaural microphone - it is used to enhance voices when shooting videos.
The cameras are jutting out a bit, but as we said - nothing as prominent as on other flagships and the wobbling on a desk isn't as annoying.
The sides of the Xperia Pro-I are interesting, too, as they are jam-packed with different features.
The top of the Xperia has the 3.5mm jack and another microphone.
The primary microphone is at the bottom, next to the USB-C port.
The left side has the hybrid-SIM tray and the hook eyelet.
The right is overcrowded - here you can see the volume control, the power/lock key, a small round key intended for you to configure, and the two-step hardware shutter.
Speaking of the shutter key, it's been massively improved since the previous Xperia models. Its two-step mechanism is borrowed from the Sony RX100 models and is incredibly responsive with pleasant tactile responses. The button itself is also larger and is now textured. For the first time in a while, we actually found ourself using this shutter instead of the virtual one, which is exactly what Sony wanted to achieve.
The fingerprint reader is on the power key itself, always-on and blazing-fast.
The round key can be configured by your liking - Sony imagines photographers will assign a specific camera app or pre-configured shooting mode and parameters. There are a ton of possibilities.
Sony is selling a dedicated leather case, which envelops the front edges and covers the whole back. It provides even more grip, but it also protects the screen from scratches and/or cracks if dropped.
Sony will be also selling a cool accessory called the Vlog Monitor.
It's a stick with plenty of camera controls, a phone holder, a connection cable and a magnetic 3.5" LCD screen, which you can mount on the back of your phone and use the rear cameras for vlogging. It looks really nice and seems plenty useful for vloggers.
The Xperia Pro-I ticks all the right boxes for a keen photographer or cinematographer, at least as far as design is concerned. It is a durable phone with outstanding grip, thoughtful controls, and non-nonsense looks and shape. It is not a large slab either but strikes the right balance between screen size and comfort. Overall, we'd give it an excellent mark.
6.5-inch 4K 120Hz OLED
The top-notch Xperia Pro-I model deserves the best Sony screen, and it gets it - it's the same panel from the Xperia 1 III. The 6.5-inch display has 4K resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, and it is protected with a Gorilla Glass Victus sheet. And there is no cutout or a notch.
The 4K in this Sony Xperia translates to 3840x1644px resolution - the 4K UHD, you know, but in 21:9 aspect ratio - it's the same exact resolution as the Xperia 1 III. Pixel density on the 6.5-inch diagonal equals the astonishing 643ppi - when you get it to actually work in 4K.
As with other Sony 4K mobile screens, this one also runs at 2,560 x 1,096 pixels at most times, though it automatically switches to 4K resolution as soon as you start playing back any 4K video.
The Xperia Pro-I display is HDR capable, and we got HDR streams from popular services like Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube.
Android 11 with Xperia spices
The Xperia Pro-I runs on Android 11 with the usual Xperia skin on top of it. The lockscreen is basic, with a clock (that you can customize), a shortcut to the camera and another one for Google Assistant (a bit redundant when there's a hardware key for that already).
The homescreen is as standard as they come. The Google feed is the leftmost pane, but you can disable it if it's not your thing. The quick toggles/notification area is Google's stock too. With this version of Android, you get Notification history and the Bubbles shortcuts as part of the Conversations features - both available on the Xperia, unlike some more heavily customized UIs.
Xperia UI
The Sony's cool Multi-Window implementation is on the Xperia Pro-I, too. Sony's Game Enhancer is part of the software package as well. It's a comprehensive utility for dealing with games and comprises of two interfaces - a game hub/launcher, and an overlay you pull out from the side while in a game.
The rest of the software suite includes a couple of Sony apps for photographers and the default Google apps.
Game Enhancer • Game Enhancer • Google Photos
Camera apps
The default camera app on the Xperia Pro-I is Sony's Photo Pro like on the Xperia 1 III. Essentially, it merges the functionality of the previous regular camera app with the advanced Photography Pro app and takes the name of the latter.
Basic mode is the heir of the old app and likely where you'll spend most of your time. The controls for (implied) white balance and exposure compensation, bokeh mode, drive mode, flash and aspect ratio have been moved immediately next to the shutter release.
Even if this is Basic mode, you still need to manually select the aperture you'd like used for each shot - F/2.0 or F/4.0 for each photo. With the zoom selector already here, you can just about operate all functions with a single thumb without having to use your other hand.
Meanwhile, the zoom selector itself now uses numerical values instead of the tree designation of the old app.
At the opposite end of the viewfinder, and for these you'll need your other hand, you'll find a More button, a shortcut to Google Lens, a Menu button to access the (rather lengthy) Settings menu, and the button that lets you switch between this Basic mode/app and its Pro alter ego.
Photo Pro UI
When in the Pro section of Photography Pro, you get an Auto mode, as well as the classic Program, Shutter priority and Manual modes, plus a Memory Recall option where you can store a pre-set state of settings to be able to come back to quickly.
The Photo Pro interface is reminiscent of that of a dedicated Sony Alpha camera, only adapted for smartphone use. On the right, you get to change photographic settings like focus mode and area, white balance and ISO, but it's exposure compensation that's apparently the most important control since it gets about a third of the screen area.
One thing we complained about the previous Photography Pro app was the lack of a touch-based way to engage the shutter release. The dedicated mechanical button is the default way, and the volume rocker is also an option, but that's that. Unfortunately, it's much the same situation here. If you like the Photography Pro interface but you're not too keen on having to squeeze the phone to take a picture, you're out of luck.
The Basic and the Pro modes feature Sony's Real-time Tracking autofocus. Available on all three cameras, it lets you tap on your subject in the viewfinder, and the phone will track it as it moves inside the frame. It's the industry standard for autofocus on standalone mirrorless cameras, and it's nice to see it make it to smartphones.
Real-time Tracking also works in conjunction with the shutter release button. Half-pressing the button will engage continuous AF and keep the subject focused on top of tracking it.
Mind you, if you're used to tapping on the screen to acquire focus and/or bias exposure for that point, you'd need to go into the menu and change the respective setting. It's otherwise set to Object tracking in both Basic and Pro modes.
Real-time tracking comes in addition to human and animal eye AF, another feature Sony pioneered on standalone cameras. It was introduced on last year's Xperia flagships, and there's something really satisfying in seeing the small green rectangle lock onto your subject's eye.
There are also Cinema Pro app for advanced video capturing and a new Video Pro for not-so-advanced video recording. You can also capture videos with the Photo Pro app, too, if it wasn't confusing enough already.
Video Pro • Cinema Pro
Advanced triple camera
The Sony Xperia Pro-I features three 12MP cameras on its back - one for the standard wide-angle photos, one for ultrawide-angle, and the last one is a telephoto with 2x optical zoom. There is also a ToF camera, a color spectrum sensor, and a LED flash.
The highlight of the Sony Xperia Pro-I is the 1"-Type sensor used for the main camera. It is the same sensor behind the Sony RX100 camera - a 20.1MP 1" Exmor RS BSI CMOS with 2.4µm pitch. You've probably caught the resolution discrepancy - a 20MP sensor shooting 12MP photos. That is because Sony is not utilizing the entire sensor, but just its 12MP center.
While Sony is technically correct by saying it is using a 1"-Type sensor inside the phone, the sensor area that is effectively used is smaller - even if the pixel pitch remains at 2.4µm like on a 1" sensor.
After running some calculations of our own, we're fairly convinced the effectively used sensor area is equivalent to a 1/1.33" sensor or in the thereabouts. And while impressive, it's not unheard of, and it's definitely not the largest in the smartphone industry.
Sony has equipped this sensor with a 24mm stabilized lens and variable aperture with fixed f/2.0 and f/4.0 steps. This solution is extremely rare and so far only Samsung has had a few such smartphone cameras, but the Korean maker eventually abandoned this path. Interestingly, unlike Samsung's implementation, the aperture on the Sony Xperia Pro-I has no automatic solution - you need to manually switch to the desired f/2.0 or f/4.0 even when in the Basic (full Auto) camera mode.
From a creative standpoint, when there is plenty of available light, having the choice of two aperture levels allows the photographer control over whether they'd like more focus depth and better sharpness (f/4.0) or better background defocusing in closeups (f/2.0). Of course, in any situation when there is not enough light, any sharpness advantage from stopping down the aperture to the darker f/4.0 is quickly outdone by the increased noise and noise reduction smearing.
Sony is also using the power of image stacking, HDR, and various software improvements, which have become standard features in most phones and are often referred to as computational photography.
There is no Night Mode as on other phones, but the Xperia Pro-I makes automatic decisions based on the scenes how many frames it will snap and then blend them together to achieve a photo with low noise and good dynamic range.
The ultrawide camera uses a Sony IMX363 12MP 1/2.55" sensor with 1.4µm pixels. It sits behind a 16mm f/2.2 lens and supports PDAF, meaning it can do macro shots, too.
The telephoto camera packs a Sony IMX486 12MP 1/2.9" sensor with 1.25µm pixels and uses stabilized 50mm f/2.4 lens. Note this camera was not operational on our early review unit because Sony is still fine-tuning it.
There is also a Sony IMX316 ToF camera.
The selfie shooter is an ancient 8MP Samsung snapper.
And now, let's finally see some samples. Before you move on, you should know we have a pre-production unit of the Xperia Pro-I where some video features and the 2x zoom camera are not working yet. Sony, however, assured us that the unit is running commercial firmware and the output by the main camera is 100% representative of what the final retail units will be capable of in terms of image quality.
Xperia Pro-I photo samples
The daylight photos we took with the main camera using F/2.0 aperture are class-leading. Their quality is similar to those of the last few Xperia flagships and we are glad. Sony's processing has been one of the most potent we've seen lately because it produces some incredibly natural photos.
The resolved detail is on par with other flagship 12MP cameras, but how the detail is presented is what distinguishes Sony from the rest. Everything, from foliage and grass to people and buildings, looks more organic and, well, realistic.
Just compare Sony's photos to ones from a recent iPhone or a Galaxy and you'd immediately notice how gentle is Sony with the intricate detail, and how abusive are Apple and Samsung with sharpening and processing.
The color presentation in these photos is outstanding - the saturation and warmth are quite pleasing and make these samples lively, contrary to Apple's stale look and tedious accuracy.
Finally, just like on other Xperia cameras, this one excels in dynamic range, but sometimes the shadows are too deep and can benefit from a touch of brightening.
Main camera, F/2.0
We also shot the same scenes with F/4.0. This aperture allows for more focus depth and you can see this in close-up photos - it allows for extra sharpness around the subjects in focus, while the background is less defocused than on the F/2.0 samples.
Main camera, F/4.0
We've handpicked a couple of scenes for you to see the difference. The darker aperture always allows for more depth in the background and sharper surroundings of your subject.
F/2.0 • F/4.0 • F/2.0 • F/4.0
F/2.0 • F/4.0 • F/2.0 • F/4.0
F/2.0 • F/4.0 • F/2.0 • F/4.0
And here are some Apple iPhone 13 Pro photos taken side by side with the Xperia Pro-I. Apple overprocesses the photos and often ruins the foliage, sometimes people's faces look like oil paintings, and the colors are accurate yet dull. On the other hand, the iPhone often handles more demanding HDR scenes better and brightens shadows when needed.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro main camera
The 12MP ultrawide camera saves impressive photos and they are among the best we've seen. The images look as organic as the ones coming from the main camera, do fit a lot in the frame, and offer an excellent dynamic range, sharpness, and particularly good color saturation.
The corners look good, too, meaning we have some proficient distortion correction thanks to a premium lens and potent algorithms.
Overall, even if some of the photos may benefit from a slight contrast or shadows boost, they are some of the best we've snapped with a smartphone ultrawide camera.
Ultrawide camera
The low-light photos shot on the Xperia Pro-I are stunning. They are rich in detail, with outstanding dynamic range (for a low-light photo, that is), low noise, good exposure and excellent color presentation.
The photos shot with F/2.0 aperture are bright and lively, and they seem to capture more color than, say the iPhone 13 Pro, outside the center. There is equally punchy colors around the frame and the backgrounds, something few phone cameras can do this evenly good.
It takes a steady hand and a bit of patience to capture a night photo as shooting such a scene stacks multiple images and then stitches them into a single photo. It's been a while since we've had to bring up image stacking but, in this case, that's because we see that the Xperia is a bit slower in capturing its takes compared to the iPhones and Galaxies. Of course, you get nice photos in return as long as you can keep still long enough.
Comparing the Xperia images to ones shot on the iPhone 13 Pro we can clearly see Sony's superiority in detail and color presentation - everything looks natural and colorful. Blown highlights are occasional on the Xperia, especially when there is a large patch of lights, the only thing that Apple can handle better.
Main camera, F/2.0
You can get good photos even at F/4.0 darker aperture, thanks to OIS and the multi-stacking, but the images are naturally darker and with a lower dynamic range. Shooting with F/4.0 is recommended only in extreme cases at night. We shot all the scenes to give you the idea of how Sony handles these dark images - very well, indeed, they are sharp, with low noise and pleasant color saturation.
Main camera, F/4.0
And here are the iPhone samples for you to compare (shot with Auto Night Mode). They excel when it comes to highlights and may or may not offer brighter shadows, but as far as natural unprocessed look and colors are concerned, the Xperia is miles ahead.
Apple's Night Mode is faster though and one shot is usually enough to get the scenes, while Sony's app is slower, and we recommend taking two photos as blurred ones are possible.
Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max main camera
The low-light photos from the ultrawide camera are a lot better than most ultrawides we've captured, even with flagships. They have a bright exposure, and the noise reduction isn't destroying all of the detail, leaving some sharpness for us to enjoy. They are soft, but not unpleasantly soft, we can see good trees (for such camera and lens) and nice colors, so we'd say Sony did a good job with these, and they are plenty usable.
Ultrawide camera
First impressions
The Xperia Pro-I will be launching this December for €1799. That's a hefty price, but far from absurd. For a high-end flagship that is also a professional photo and video camera, it sounds... not surprising. And it may even be a reasonable choice for people who both know their ways around cameras and who will use it to create high-quality content on the go where they can bring as little as a phone and the vlogging monitor.
The Xperia Pro-I is not for everyone, and it can be potentially misunderstood. As a professional smartphone camera, it is not for the average iPhone vlogger, which expects to hit a key, then add a filter and click sent. It requires skills and patience and a deep understanding of photography and videography.
The new Pro seems to be living up to the promises, and in addition to the cool technology, it also offers outstanding photo and video quality even when using Basic (all automatic) settings. And that's great!
The only real setback we see for this Xperia is that the competitor's computational photography has already made a huge jump forward, and they can do more with a lot less hardware. Sometimes, they can even beat the "old school" way of shooting photos and videos, which Sony represents in this game. An aperture control, a physical shutter key, and a design that looks like it has been lifted straight from some filming gear - this phone is really something. Maybe it's not for everyone, and Sony is okay with that. But even as a highly exclusive piece of gear, the Pro-I will definitely remain one of the company's hallmark smartphones.
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