Sony has announced a new phone that costs more than almost any other on the market — and our reviewer thinks it’ll only appeal to a niche group.
REVIEW
Sony has announced the stupidly expensive Xperia Pro, which uses an old version of Android and a processor first launched in 2019.
The phone is a US-exclusive device targeted at “creators” who, for some reason, Sony thinks will pay $US2500 for it.
There is one reason they might — unlike most phones, the Xperia Pro has an HDMI input.
It also has 5G connectivity.
This would allow people broadcasting live in news organisations, or independent streamers, to plug an external video camera into their phone, using its 4K screen (actually slightly less than 4K due to its 21:9 ratio) as a monitor and its mobile connectivity to stream.
It’s a very niche use but could get the job done for cheaper than other solutions on the market.
Aside from that specific use case that does at least live up to the Pro part of the name, there’s little else for consumers to get excited about.
The phone will use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor that you could find in phones like last year’s Samsung Galaxy S20, and runs Android 10.
Android 11 was released in September last year.
Some have managed to highlight the potential use for the phone but many have noted the device won’t appeal to consumers and is too expensive and niche.
The Xperia Pro would pair nicely with another massively expensive new Sony device aimed at professionals, one that you will actually be able to get in Australia with deep enough pockets.
The Sony Alpha 1 mirrorless full-frame camera arrives on our shores late next month, carrying a $10,500 price tag.
It offers a 50.1 megapixel sensor and can also shoot 8K video.
Sony call it the “most technologically advanced, innovative camera” it’s ever released. But it remains to be seen if the gadget will be released in Thailand.
