A great professional camera with premium lenses will not achieve its potential if the camera design is poor or its functions are lacking. This is perhaps my one-sentence summary for the Sony Xperia PRO-I.
On one hand, there is this refreshing experience when I set up the PRO-I as an Android phone, impressed with the overall metal build, stripped sides, and a lengthier form factor. It is lightweight and comfortable to hold, feels premium and well-built. The power button doubles as a fingerprint sensor instead of in-display, which I prefer. The display does not feature zero-bezel, fortunately. The tiny front camera is located above the 4K 21:9 HDR OLED display, which features 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit display, X1 HDR mobile engine for content brilliance. There is also a 3.5mm audio connector, true to Sony’s commitment to wired audio, plus DAP-like features like DSEE Ultimate, 360 Reality Audio, LDAC Hi-Res Wireless Audio spec. There is also a shutter release button and a video mode shortcut button next to it.
Of course, the star of this smartphone is the 1.0-type Exmor RS CMOS image sensor, giving the camera high-speed performance. Indeed, I like how professional-looking the camera and video UI is, and that I can also switch back to the standard smartphone UI view. The images turn out very nice and reminds me of the compact camera quality.
The “Video Pro” controls will surely get enthusiasts excited, and furthermore, there is even a “Cinema Pro” for the film pros that even I do not understand. Plus, the phone supports external microSD card slot and USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 which can achieve up to 10Gbps transfer speed.
The smartphone also comes with some unique Xperia flavour on top of the Android OS. For instance, you can easily expand a notification into a pop-up window so that you do not leave from your current app. The Side sense bar brings up selected menus and function so that you can access them any time without going back to the home screen.
So many features that make the Xperia PRO-I stand out. What do I not like about the smartphone?
Drawbacks
The biggest problem with the Sony Xperia PRO-I is that the smartphone heats up when doing video recording after a few minutes. When it gets really hot, the overheat warning will pop-up on-screen and if recording is still ongoing, eventually the recording will stop automatically to prevent further overheating. I think to myself: what use is the device with professional videography functions if it cannot record long videos? The camera also could not transition the zoom from one lens to the other seamlessly, something that Huawei achieved with ease and later implemented on iPhone and other multi-lens smartphones. I had to manually tap one of the zoom levels to switch camera.
The other challenge when using the phone is that it is too slim for me to hold it horizontally like a compact camera without fear of losing grip and dropping it. While I love that the PRO-I has a dedicated shutter button that can even do half-press AF lock, I cannot operate the physical shutter with one hand like a traditional camera as my palm has no place to grip the phone. Eventually, the shutter button turned out to be a hindrance as I often half-press accidentally and caused the on-screen camera controls to be greyed out. Initially I was baffled, but once I knew the cause, I just shifted my finger to avoid touching the shutter. It seemed that the default volume button as shutter is still a better approach for single-hand operation.
The final major issue I find after using the Xperia PRO-I for a few weeks is that I keep accidentally unlocking the phone when handling the phone, which happens rather often. You see, the location of the fingerprint sensor is where my fingers usually rest when I hold the phone. So, sometimes when I was trying to slip the phone into my trousers pocket, I would unlock it and cause accidental screen taps. Again, after a few mishaps, I just had to be more careful to make sure I do not touch the fingerprint sensor. Sadly, fingerprint unlock is the only biometric method available. I sorely missed facial unlock.
Conclusion
Just by looking at the design and the specs, the Sony Xperia PRO-I could have been a great smartphone. But ironically, its compact size turns out to be a bane in using the phone. I suppose getting a phone case could resolve my pain points, but I am unable to overcome the overheating during video recording. At S$2,299, you are paying a premium for compact camera image quality in a solid slim smartphone with a mix of great UI and poor heat management.
