Japanese operator NTT docomo has announced that Sony’s latest handsets, the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) and Xperia 10 II (Mark 2) will both land on the network. The interesting news from a western perspective is that docomo has confirmed that the Xperia 1 II flagship will be launching in Japan in late April – this is earlier than expected, and would be great news if it had a similar launch window in Europe and North America.
The Xperia 1 II (SO-51A) on docomo will launch in three colours (Black, White, Purple) and will cost 123,552 yen (£970, €1045, $1120). We would expect a higher price in western markets, as the Japanese version of the Xperia 1 II has a slightly weaker spec (128GB internal storage vs 256GB in the global model). [read more…]
Sony is updating its two current flagships with a new firmware update that adds the 1 March 2020 Android security patches. The Sony Xperia 1 moves from build number 55.1.A.3.49 to version 55.1.A.3.107.
The Xperia 5 normally gets the same build number, but for this month, the latest update is rolling with version number 55.1.A.3.112. We haven’t noticed any other changes, but if you have updated let us know your impressions in the comments below. [read more…]
Sony is rolling a new firmware update for the Xperia XZ2 family (XZ2, XZ2 Compact,XZ2 Premium) and Xperia XZ3 which adds the 1 February 2020 Android security patches. The build number moves from 52.1.A.0.532, which was the first Android 10 update, to version 52.1.A.0.618.
Since updating to Android 10, users have been complaining about their handsets lagging, with the fingerprint sensor also slower than before. With this new update, some users are flagging that there has been an improvement to the fingerprint sensor speed. If you have updated, please let us know your impressions in the comments below. [read more…]
We have the first hands-on photos of Sony’s new super mid-ranger, the Xperia 10 II (Mark 2). This follows on from our earlier post showing the first hands-on pics of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2). You’ll see a couple of photos below showing the size difference between the 6.0-inch Xperia 10 II and 6.5-inch Xperia 1 II.
Other photos show the Xperia 10 II at all angles, which reveal the soft curves of the device highlighting that it’s likely to have good ergonomics. [read more…]
Sony’s announcement of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) received a lot of buzz earlier in the week, however the one disappointment is the likely 3-4 month wait before Sony’s latest flagship will be available. A consequence of this is the lack of any hands-on previews from the media to sustain the buzz. We can understand Sony’s decision on this as there’s no point overplaying your hand right now, and have nothing to keep the interest going once we get closer to launch. It does make us wonder why it was necessary to announce the phone right now in this case, but Sony have a track record here…
Anyway, if you’re eager to see what the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2) looks like in the real world, away from the press renders, then you can check out a selection of pictures below. The first few photos show Sony’s latest flagship side-by-side against last year’s flagship, the Xperia 1. It’s interesting to note the ‘boxier’ design of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2), which most long-term Xperia fans appreciate more compared to the curves of the Xperia 1. [read more…]
Sony has upped their game when it comes to their mid-range smartphone offering, as its newly announced Xperia 10 II (Mark 2) sports both an OLED display and is IP65/68 water resistant for the first time. It’s nice to see some of these previous flagship features trickle down into the ‘super’ mid-range.
The Sony Xperia 10 II (Mark 2) continues the design aesthetic seen in last year’s Xperia 10 and has a 6-inch 21:9 OLED display with FHD resolution (1080 x 2520), with Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, 4GB RAM and 128GB internal storage with microSD memory card support. [read more…]
Sony has unveiled its 2020 smartphone flagship in the form of the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2). As the name suggests, Sony has taken what made the Xperia 1 great and made some very worthwhile improvements.
Key new features over the Xperia 1 includes 5G (sub 6GHz) support, the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack, 360 Reality Audio, Qi wireless charging, stereo front-facing speakers, new ZEISS camera lenses, a 90Hz-equivalent display and a bigger 4000mAh battery. [read more…]
Sony has teased a new professional smartphone aimed at photographers/videographers called the Xperia PRO. Don’t confuse this with the keyboard-equipped Xperia pro of yester-year, this new Xperia PRO is meant to be Sony’s best of the best in 2020.
The Xperia PRO is in many respects a more souped-up Xperia 1 II. Many of the core specifications are the same, but there are some key differences. The Xperia PRO will feature a HDMI micro connector (Type D) to allow direct camera connectivity. Sony used to include micro HDMI in some of its older Xperia models, such as the Xperia arc and Xperia S, so it’s great to see HDMI functionality return. [read more…]
Sony was due to announce its latest Xperia smartphones at its MWC video reveal tomorrow morning, however it looks like everything has been revealed ahead of time. XDA writer Max Weinbach who has a good reputation for previous leaks, has just revealed full details of both Sony phones due to be announced – meet the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II.
Now, we’re not exactly sure on the nomenclature – is it Xperia 1 II, or Xperia 1ii, or Xperia 1 Mark II (or Xperia 1 Mark 2). We won’t know for sure until tomorrow, but it’s an interesting change in direction for Sony. Is Sony adopting the language it uses for its cameras (for example, RX100 II, RX100 III etc), it sure looks like it and suggests that the smartphones are coming from one-Sony, a holistic view, as has been promised for many years. [read more…]
Sony has introduced its first 2020 smartphone, in the form of the entry-level Sony Xperia L4. As you’ll see from the headline, one of the most notable new ‘features’ as an Xperia fan, is that this is the first Xperia smartphone with a notch. We thought that by now we had ridden out this fad, given that we’ve seen phones with notches since 2017.
We know the notch isn’t going to be loved by the Xperia faithful, who may feel Sony has already lost some of its core customers by pandering to current smartphone trends, but it’s worth remembering this is only their budget phone. If we saw a notch appear on their new flagship that could be another matter… [read more…]
by XB on 19th February 2020
in News
Sony has been collapsing all of its Sony Mobile properties into the parent company for a while now. Sony has already announced that ‘Sony Mobile Communications AB’ will close, and we’ve seen that the Sony Mobile Talk Forums will also close, with users redirected to the generic Sony support forums.
In what appears to be the final step, the sonymobile.com website is no more – it now redirects to Sony.com, or your region’s equivalent. The Sony Mobile website was a dedicated showcase for Sony’s Android smartphones for over 10 years, so it’s a shame to see it go. However, the writing has been on the wall for a while, as Sony has deemphasised the importance of its mobile products in the face of dwindling sales. [read more…]
