Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Sony is currently the underdog in the Android mobile market. Their sales have dwindled (though the division now turns annual profits). They don't get anywhere near the mind-share of Samsung or Apple, or even companies like One Plus. Practically every tech reviewer out there has been saying "this phone is overpriced." So why do I like this phone? Am I the weird one who thinks it's worth the money? I don't think so - and here's my case. USER EXPERIENCE The Snapdragon 888 SoC and 12gb of system RAM mean this phone absolutely flies through Android 11 (Sony has promised a minimum of 2 OS updates as well). The user experience is fast and buttery, and it can handle even the most taxing games with aplomb. The 256gb of on board memory means you will likely not worry about app storage or photo storage for quite some time. Android is near stock, but a raft of Sony improvements are available, such as "side sense" and multi-window switch, which make running two apps simultaneously on the tall screen a breeze. SCREEN and SPEAKERS As you can see in the above LOTR picture, this screen is really spectacular when it comes to media. It is 21:9, and video apps intelligently zoom to fit is when using that cinematic aspect ratio. The level of detail and the pop from HDR is palpable. The screen can do 120hz in 4K resolution, but I find 60hz perfectly smooth. The speakers are the best I've heard on a mobile device. Loud, clear up to top volume, and even a little bassy. Terrific for YouTube or podcasts even if you're in, say, a noisy kitchen. CAMERA Sony has brought its Alpha camera interface (pictured) to the Xperia line (though not to worry, there is a standard "Basic" mode enabled by default as well). This affords the user control of basically everything - ISO, white balance, shutter speed, manual focus, and so on. The camera features four native focal lengths to shoot in - 16mm ultrawide, 24mm standard, 70mm 3.7x zoom, and 105mm 4.4x zoom (which I have demonstrated in my attached skyline pictures, all taken from the same position). Results are impressive, and make this phone a real point and shoot replacement. Eye Autofocus detection is a major boon to parents of fast moving children or pets, and it works wonderfully. The camera is also capable of 4K/120fps video, and includes the Cinema Pro app to let your inner film director fly free in 21:9 aspect ratio with all sorts of manual control of camera settings and color timing. UNIQUE FEATURES The Xperia line has two unique selling points that are massively important to me. First and foremost is expandable storage. You can pop a 1tb micro SD card into this phone to store photos, music, movies, whatever. Also, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack - not important to some people, but for those with high quality headphones or a desire to use an external mic, this is a must. Now, I wish these features were not unique in the smartphone world, but they are now, thanks to Apple. CONCLUSION This phone has the same MSRP as the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. It performs equally with them in terms of user experience and camera, but adds expandable storage, a 4K/120hz screen, and a headphone jack. There's even a deal currently to get free Sony noise canceling earbuds. so is this a "bad deal?" Only insofar as any current flagship is a bad deal. This phone is tailored for a specific sort of user - one who likes a lot of features, customization, and user control. If that's not you, this phone isn't for you. But if it is, I have a hard time imagining you being disappointed by it.