Sony finally unveiled the Xperia PRO for the United States yesterday with a whopping $2,500 price tag. Sony said that that the Xperia PRO would not be heading to Europe, but nothing was said about other regions. Now we have confirmation that the Xperia PRO will be landing in Japan on 10 February for 227,091 yen (£1591, €1801, $2183) excluding tax.
The version heading to Japan will be SIM-free with model number XQ-AQ52, while the US version has model number XQ-AQ62, which probably highlights differences in the bands that each device supports. The Xperia PRO will have 12GB RAM, 512GB internal storage and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset. [read more…]
Right on cue, Sony is now seeding the Android 11 firmware update for the Xperia 10 II (Mark 2). The update arrives with build number 59.1.A.0.485 with December 2020 Android security patches. At the time of writing, the update is only released in South East Asia (SEA), but availability should widen in the coming days.
It has been great to see Sony hit the release windows for Android 11 that it set itself. We still long for the days where Sony provides even a basic changelog. However, you will see native Android 11 additions in this firmware including media controls in quick settings, conversations in the notification shade, chat bubbles, native screen recorder, temporary permissions, notification history, smart device control and more. If you have updated on your Xperia 10 II, please let us know your impressions below. [read more…]
Sony has finally launched the Xperia PRO for the US market. This follows news last week that the firmware was released highlighting its imminent launch. One big missing point since the phone was announced last February was the price point, and it’s not going to be cheap. Sony has priced the handset at $2,499, which firmly pitches the phone outside the consumer market towards the professional photographer/videographer market.
The phone is already available to pre-order in the US from Amazon.com
, and appears to be in stock at B&H Photo. Sony says the phone will not be heading to the Europe market. [read more…]
Steve Hemmerstoffer (@OnLeaks) has followed up on his recent CAD leak of what will likely be the Xperia 10 III (Mark 3), with renders of a new device. Steve categorises this device as a new Xperia Compact model, however this model will not be a flagship device according to our sources.
Xperia Compact devices were so revered by fans as they packed in flagship specs into a smaller former factor, much like what Apple has done with the iPhone 12 mini. Instead, this new leaked device is likely to be a smaller successor to the Xperia L4 from last year, or similar model targeted to the budget range. [read more…]
The Sony Xperia PRO was announced at the same time as the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) back in February last year. Sony targeted the handset towards videography and photography content professionals – while the handset carried mostly the same specs as the Xperia 1 II, it came with a number of extras.
This included a HDMI micro connector (Type D) to allow direct camera connectivity, support for 5G mmWave, a dedicated shortcut key to quick launch certain apps and a 360-degree antenna design for optimal signal strength. [read more…]
Sony has commenced the Android 11 firmware rollout for the Xperia 5 II (Mark 2). Sony has once again hit its release schedule promise – it was targeting the Xperia 5 II Android 11 update “from the end of January 2021”.
Build number 58.1.A.1.178 has started to seed to the handset with a limited regional release, but should expand in the coming days. The update is only live in Russia and South East Asia (SEA) handsets at time of publication. This is the same build number that was released to the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) last week. It comes with December 2020 Android security patches, the same as the previous firmware. [read more…]
It looks like we have our first look at one of Sony’s 2021 smartphone mid-rangers. Steve Hemmerstoffer (@onleaks), who has an impeccable record when it comes to early CAD renders, has published the first images of what is believed to be the Xperia 10 III (Mk3). Sony is looking to continue with its 21:9 design language seen over the last couple of years, as the Xperia 10 III design looks almost identical to that of its predecessor, the Xperia 10 II.
The positives is that once again there is no notch or hole punch in the 6-inch display, which is something we applaud. We can’t be the only ones who abhors these more ‘modern’ recent design trends – give us a cleaner front any day – the small bezels don’t bother us. It’s also great to see the 3.5mm headphone jack, we’re hoping Sony carries this forward to the 2021 flagships too, in line with last year. [read more…]
Sony has commenced the rollout for Android 11 on its 2019 flagship smartphone devices – the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5. The Android 11 update is arriving through new firmware build version 55.2.A.0.630, and is already available across a number of regions including Russia and South East Asia. The update was due to land from February 2021 according to Sony’s initial Android 11 roadmap, so it’s great to see an early rollout.
As per usual with Sony, there is no changelog included with the rollout. What we do know is that the firmware rolls with the same December 2020 security patches compared to the prior Android 10 firmware (build number 55.1.A.12.28). From initial reports, we also know that Sony has not included the new Photography Pro app, as seen in the 2020 flagship devices. The stock camera app also uses the older interface, so no refresh here. If you’ve updated, please let us know your impressions in the comments below. [read more…]
by XB on 11th January 2021
in News
The CES tradeshow is not normally where Sony reveals the latest updates to its mobile smartphone portfolio, but it’s always interesting to hear the big new tech and innovations coming from Sony in 2021 whether that be for televisions, audio or other devices.
Like most things at the moment, Sony’s 2021 CES press conference will be taking place remotely. Sony has set up a dedicated digital event platform called ‘Sony Square’ where attendees can watch the whole press conference. The event takes place later today (11 January) from 5pm Eastern Standard Time (US)/10pm GMT. [read more…]
Sony had a redemption of sorts when it came to its 2020 flagship devices, the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 5 II. Sony brought tangible improvements over its predecessors including most notably, the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack, bigger batteries and new ZEISS camera lenses. The Xperia 1 II also added wireless charging, and while this didn’t make it to the Xperia 5 II, the latter did get a 120Hz refresh rate display. Both phones also brought 5G for the first time for Xperia devices.
Sony’s mid-range offering was also well served with the Xperia 10 II, bringing OLED and IP65/68 water resistance to this class of devices for the first time. The phone offered a decent spec list, but was perhaps a tad overpriced vs the competition – a common criticism when it comes to Xperia smartphones. [read more…]
by XB on 24th December 2020
in News
We wanted to wish all of our readers a wonderful and restful break over Christmas and New Year. Those interested in Xperia smartphones seem to be a smaller and smaller crowd each year, but we’ll still keep kicking around for those that still love Sony’s offerings, and wants to keep abreast of key news.
All of this has taken a back seat in 2020 to the pandemic, which has no doubt had an impact on everyone reading this in some way or another. It has certainly been an unforgettable year, and not for all of the right reasons. We’re all hoping for a better and brighter 2021. In the meantime, we wish all of our readers a peaceful holiday season. Please take care and have a fun time with your friends and families. [read more…]
, and appears to be in stock at