The Japanese company announced the flagship Xperia 1 handset, which boasts a 21:9 ratio screen, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today.
The phone also has a HDR OLED screen, optimised using Sony’s Bravia TV technology, the ability to take photos and record 4K video in a 21:9 ratio, a triple lens camera, and the ability to use two apps at once on the screen.
It is expected go on sale in Spring 2019, although this is yet to be confirmed, and cost around £799.
Mitsuya Kishida, president of Sony Mobile Communications, said Sony had a rich heritage of meeting the technological demands of professional filmmakers in both sound and vision.
‘Our new Xperia will deliver genuine technologies with a multitude of professional grade features to create entertainment experiences that are only possible with Sony,’ Kishida said at the Congress.
It has also brought the 21:9 screen ration to two mid-range smartphones: the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 plus.
Ben Wood from CCS Insight said the handsets were nicely designed but it was hard to see how they would stand out from the crowd.
‘We are unconvinced that the 21:9 ratio is differentiated enough despite Sony’s strong credentials in content,’ he said.
XPERIA 1 SPECS
Costs about £799
Triple lens camera
Screen ratio at 21:9, the same used to film blockbusters, and 4K OLED smartphone
A cinema recording function called Cinema Pro
Multi-dimensional Dolby Atmos sound
Able to work on two apps simultaneously
Comes in black,purple, grey and silver
Industry analyst Paolo Pescatore at PP Foresight said the new devices were a ‘step in the right direction, but Sony continued to face monumental challenges in competing with rivals who are rolling out new devices, rich with new features at punchy prices’.
‘In particular Asian smartphone makers who are moving at stealth mode and growing market share very quickly, as underlined by latest announcements from Huawei and Xiaomi,’ he said.
The two Chinese companies both announced 5G devices at the event on Sunday. Huawei, which is challenging Apple for the No. 2 spot in smartphone sales, behind leader Samsung , created a buzz with a folding smartphone.
Movies made with a 21:9 ratio include Ghostbusters, The Matrix, Pulp Fiction and Alien.
Source: Dailymail
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