OCTOBER 2019 • TECH ADVISOR 29REVIEWIt’salsohandytosplit-screenappsin portrait
mode,allowing you to watch video in the top
thirdandusemapsin thebottomtwothirds,for
example–there’senoughscreentonotmake
thebottomapptoo cramped.
There’s also no notch on the 6.5in display and
leaves Sony as practically the last manufacturer not to
introduce one on any of its phones. There’s a hint of
a forehead, but otherwise this is an unapologetically
angular, thin phone that feels more like a sequel to the
Xperia XZ1 than the more recent Xperia XZ2 and XZ3.
Thecompany’sfirstOLEDon2018’sXZ3was
alreadygood,butthisoneis wellcalibratedwith
goodcolour reproduction, and 4K video looks
absolutely amazing on it.
Sony has added a ‘creator mode’ display setting to
go along with the out the box mode, which nicks its
CineAlta branding from its high-end video cameras.
It basicallymeansfaithfulreproductionofa specific
colourgamut and 10-bit colour HDR specifications.
Sony has also nailed its video image enhancement
software, noticeably sharpening video quality via
the inclusion of a clever new X1 image processing
engine. Watching video on the Xperia 1 is a pleasure,
andwhenthecontentis 21:9andin HD,thebeston
asmartphone at the time of release in June 2019.
Design
That comes at a price, though. Unless you’re a film nut
who wants a cinema-accurate aspect ratio screen on
their phone, the tall design of the phone is weird. While
it’s slim enough to mean one-handed scrolling is okay,