The Sony Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) received its first update last week, but Sony has followed that up with another update just a week later. Sony has moved the build version from 58.0.A.3.31 to version number 58.0.A.3.39. Sony doesn’t include a changelog so it’s tricky to work out what’s changed, we guess it must be small performance enhancements and bug fixes. If you’ve downloaded the update, let us know if you’ve noticed any tangible changes. [read more…]
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Sony’s Album app for its Xperia smartphones has consistently been one of the best apps from its home stable of apps. Over some time we have seen Sony retire a number of its own apps, and its Album app could soon follow.
Frustratingly, Xperia 1 II owners have found that the Sony Album app was not preinstalled on their devices. Even worse, while users are able to download the app from the Google Play Store, it will not work once launched – the app is basically not supported, which is a real shame for fans of the app. We’re not sure why Sony decided to close access to one of its best apps, but perhaps it highlights a longer-term sign of the company moving support away from its own smartphone apps. [read more…]
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The Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) has now been out for a few days, so it’s a perfect time to ask new owners what their impression of Sony’s flagship has been so far. For those lucky owners, please let us know how you are finding the device so far in the comments below. What do you like, and what has you frustrated? If you have previously used a Sony Xperia device, how does the Xperia 1 II compare? Or, if you’re new to Xperia, is it living up to expectations?
Some of the consistent criticism we’ve seen on social media and through forums, is targeted on the Xperia 1 II’s front-facing selfie camera. People are complaining that videos through WhatsApp or other apps are making them look ‘cartoony’ with aggressive skin-smoothing effects. It’s unlikely a hardware issue, but more likely a software issue which is applying a bad filter – hopefully, an easy future software fix. [read more…]
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Sony is rolling the first firmware update for the Xperia 1 II, its newest flagship device. The update moves the build number to 58.0.A.3.31 and the latest June 2020 Android security patches. This update hit dual SIM devices (XQ-AT52) around a week ago, but is only rolling out to single SIM devices (XQ-AT51) today.
Some users are reporting that the update is adding Wi-Fi calling for them. There are no other big changes of note, users waiting for RAW and Night mode are likely going to have to wait for next month before these features are added. If you’ve updated, let us know if you’ve noticed any other changes in the comments below. [read more…]
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Sony started to roll June 2020 Android security patches for a variety of recent devices earlier today. Last year’s flagship devices, the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 are seeing firmware update 55.1.A.9.21 release across a couple of regions so far (Russia, SEA), but availability should widen in the coming days.
Last year’s mid-range Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus are receiving build number 52.1.A.3.20, with a focus on European carriers such as T-Mobile, EE, O2, Vodafone and Three. [read more…]
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Today is the eve of the launch of the Xperia 1 II flagship in Europe – the phone was due to be available from 18 June i.e. tomorrow. Therefore it is disappointing for us to hear from numerous irate Sony eStore customers across Europe who have been receiving emails saying that their orders will be delayed to 31 July 2020.
From what we have heard, the delay is only affecting those that ordered directly from the Sony Europe eStore, and not independent retailers such as Clove, or carriers such as O2 in the UK. If the delay is true, this is hugely disappointing news for those customers, who have already been waiting for months for the handset since the February reveal. [read more…]
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The colour purple has been a fan-favourite in Xperia smartphones ever since the Xperia Z, but it was an often used colour in Sony Ericsson phones of the past too. We saw a very vibrant purple used in last year’s Xperia 1, and Sony has re-thought the colour for its re-introduction in the Xperia 1 II.
Sony has married the mirrored chrome finish used in the Xperia Z5 Premium/XZ Premium with the colour purple to create what Sony is describing as a ‘mirror slate’ finish. This creates an almost transparent look, where the colour purple can only be seen under certain angles. It looks different depending on the angle, but not in an OTT way that certain manufacturers have chosen displaying the full array of rainbow colours. [read more…]
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US pre-orders for the Sony Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) flagship already opened up a while ago. The handset is available to pre-order at $1,199 across various retailers including B&H Photo and Video, Best Buy, Focus and Adorama. Sony is bundling the WF-1000XM3 Noise Canceling Wireless Earbuds with Xperia 1 II US pre-orders.
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The Sony Xperia 1 II is due to hit many more regions across Europe and Asia from next week. If you’re interested in finding out some of the design decision behind the device then it’s worth checking out a comprehensive interview with the development team conducted by Engadget Japan.
The interview covers a number of areas giving insight on the camera, display, headphone jack, the colours used amongst other points. We’ve included some excerpts from the discussion below, revealing interesting titbits on why certain decisions were made, for example why choose a triple 12MP camera array rather than a bigger sensor? Or, why is super slow mo recording no longer available? All of these questions and more are answered below. Check out Engadget Japan for the full interview. [read more…]
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The Xperia 1 II, Sony’s 2020 flagship seems to be selling very well – at least in Europe. Sony was offering the device on pre-order in Europe, which was bundled with a free pair of Sony WH-1000XM3 Noise Cancelling Wireless Headphones across a number of retailers and carriers.
Sony sold through its initial pre-order allocation in its official eStore within a matter of days. The Sony eStore, which was selling the Xperia 1 II in UK, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, was offering the WH-1000XM3 headphones but has now changed this to offer a Sony Style Cover View case instead – quite a downgrade. [read more…]
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There is a lot of excitement for Sony’s latest flagship device, the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2). Initial buzz for the device is strong, particularly for its camera capabilities. Even outside that though, the Xperia 1 II looks to be a solid all-rounder, ticking the box of many spec-sheet wishlists including 5G, wireless charging, headphone jack, good battery life, water resistance, great 4K OLED display and more.
The device has seen a limited release to date in Japan, but will open up to many other regions in Europe and Asia over the coming weeks. Pre-orders are open across a number of countries, many of which includes promotions for freebies such as the Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones in Europe. We thought it was a good time to gauge the level of interest with a quick reader poll on who plans to pre-order. [read more…]
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