Sony recently announced its new Xperia Pro-I. A flagship that reaffirms the company’s commitment to delivering cutting edge imaging technologies on a smartphone. The Xperia Pro-I is arguably one of the company’s most well defined and boisterous offerings to date which bring together smartphones and Alpha imaging technology.
It comes with a large Type-1.0 Exmor RS image sensor – the same sensor that you get with the Sony RX100 VII. The sensor is complemented with a dedicated Bionz X Image processor. In addition, it also comes with ZEISS lenses with the Tessar T* lens for the best image quality. The 20.2-megapixel sensor brings Sony’s cutting edge imaging into your hands complete with eye-tracking autofocus.
The smartphone comes with a Snapdragon 888 octa-core processor with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. It also supports up to an additional 1TB of storage with a microSD card.
Well, with all the specifications and camera technology out of the way – it’s time to get down to business! The smartphone is available for pre-order in Malaysia! If you’ve been itching for a phone that’s a camera first, you can get the Sony Xperia Pro-I for MYR7,199.
Source: Sony Malaysia Online Store
However, you don’t have to just order the smartphone, instead, you can create your complete creator’s kit with the Complete Creator’s Bundle which adds on the Vlog monitor and the stereo lavalier microphone and shooting grip for MYR8,028 – an MYR839 discount off the regular price of MYR8,867. It also comes with a 256GB microSD card, a screen protector and a casing.
Source: Sony Malaysia Online Store
If that’s a little too pricey, Sony is also offering the Xperia Pro-I in a bundle with the Vlog Monitor which costs MYR8,239. For the pre-order, you can get an MYR519 discount for the bundle.
The preorder offers are available from Sony’s online store starting 15 November 2021 until 15 December 2021.
Every now and then there will be an event so significant, it changes history. In the modern world, that moment happens way too often that it is no longer special. There are one or two rare innovations in today’s world though that makes you turn your heads. Today’s innovation is one of them.
The innovation comes in the form of a Sony Xperia smartphone. That might not sound too special. After all, the Sony Xperia smartphone, at some point, was responsible for Sony’s near exit from the smartphone business. While they pioneered and ushered in the era of water-resistant smartphones, they could not innovate fast enough or even make compelling enough products to compete with their rivals. The Sony Xperia has been reborn in 2018 though and is a completely different beast today. The Xperia PRO-I, this one is not in the same league as the Xperia flagship you know and love.
The Flagship
Source: Sony
We start with the boring stuff. It comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 platform, which is expected anyway. It also comes with 512GB in storage and up to 12GB in RAM. You can slot up to a 1TB MicroSD card into the Xperia PRO-I for good measure. You want to if you are planning to use its camera a lot. Of course, you get WiFi 6 capabilities from the Xperia PRO-I. To keep everything running nicely is a 4,500mAh battery that can charge up to 50% within just 30 minutes.
On the front is a staple 4K display for the Xperia flagship. 4K HDR OLED display refreshes at 120Hz and measures at 6.5-inch. Protecting the panel is a Gorilla Glass Victus. It is not the biggest display you can find in the market, but it is certainly one of the most gorgeous.
To be fair, none of that are new for a smartphone. What is new is what protrudes out the back of the device. The innovation is all in the camera.
The Best Camera on a Smartphone Ever
Source: Sony
This is not some boring innovation in the camera though. It is not some Megapixel addition, because Sony understands that with mobile photography, it is all about the sensor size more than anything else. That is why they fitted a Type-1.0 Exmor RS image sensor with phase detection autofocus mechanism within the compact body of the Xperia PRO-I. To process the photos out of the device, you get a dedicated Bionz X image processor that overrides the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888’s admittedly impressive image processing.
It is the same exact sensor you get from a Sony RX 100 VII. That also means you are getting 20.2-Megpixel of Sony’s Alpha goodness in the Xperia smartphone. The sensor under the 24mm Zeiss Tessar T* lens is capable of capturing images at RAW 12-bit colour depth as well for the best camera experience you can ever have on your smartphone. At the same time, it is Sony’s first smartphone to feature Eye AF that is so common in DSLR and mirrorless cameras these days.
The camera is even able to capture videos at 4K 120fps thanks to the very powerful imaging sensor. With up to 315 of autofocus points, you are going to keep track of your subjects for a long time in your videos and even your photos. For high-speed burst shots, you get to shoot at up to 20fps.
The Xperia PRO-I can do more than just allowing you to capture photos and videos from behind the camera though. It is also made as the perfect vlogging tool. You can pair it to an optional 3.5-inch LCD HD Vlog Monitor and the Xperia PRO-I turns into your vlogging companion without any additional heft in your bag. If you have an external microphone, the 3.5mm combo mic for you to plug in your mic to.
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Source: Sony
Price and Availability
The Sony Xperia PRO-I will be available in Malaysia December 2021 onward. It will be available only through selected retailers and online stores though. There is no confirmed price just yet for the Sony Xperia PRO-I though but Sony says they will announce it on a later date.
