Stuff - UK (2020-04)

MOBILE AWARDS

ony’s most attention-
grabbing phone is now
the Xperia 1 II. Confused
by the name? So are we. But all you
need to know is that, from now on,
Sony will be using a similar naming
structure for its Xperia flagships
as it does for its Alpha cameras. So
instead of the Xperia 2, we get the
Xperia 1 II. We’ll get used to it.
Something to admire about Sony’s
mobile strategy is that it’s very much
doing its own thing – and that trend
continues here. Sporting a tall and
skinny 21:9 6.5in 4K HDR OLED
display, the Xperia 1 II is a tempting
proposition for movie-watchers...
especially when you factor in the
Dolby Atmos sound and motion-blur
reduction tech.

For the players
It might lack the high-refresh-rate
display you’ll find on gaming-focused
rival handsets, but it’s not without
its own selling points. That wide
display is as appealing for games
as it is for movies, and the ability

to connect to the PS4’s DualShock 4

gamepads means you don’t have to

put up with touchscreen controls. If

you do, response time has apparently

been upped, and Call of Duty: Mobile

is one of the titles you can play out

of the box.

For the listeners

Sony is one of the few phone makers

that continues to build a 3.5mm audio

output into its handsets – so if you

prefer studio-grade wired cans, don’t

overlook the Xperia 1 II.

This phone’s sound has been

tuned in collaboration with Sony

Music Entertainment, wireless hi-res

audio is still supported, and the Xperia

1 II is the world’s first smartphone

with 360 Reality Audio hardware

decoding to optimise sound quality

if you’re listening to music on Tidal.

Hey, some people do.

For the snappers

In a world where 108MP snappers are

(sort of) becoming the norm, a trio of

12MP lenses – main, ultra-wide and

telephoto – isn’t going to grab any

headlines; but that’s not to say Sony

isn’t bringing anything to the mobile

photo game. Utilising tech developed

for Alpha cameras, this Xperia offers

continuous autofocus that performs

focus and exposure calculations 60

times per second.

It’s the first phone with a 20fps

AF/AE tracking burst mode, and

supports real-time eye-tracking

AF for humans and animals. And

with improved white balance settings

and manual controls for ISO, shutter

speed and more, the Xperia 1 II should

be a capable camera whether you’re

shooting in the day or at night.

There’s no exact release date yet

(Sony says late spring), and no price

either, but we envisage something

in a similar ballpark to last year’s

£849 Xperia 1.

SONY XPERIA 1 II

Tech specs

O6.5in 4K HDR OLED OSnapdragon

865 O8GB RAM O12MP + 12MP +

12MP rear, 8MP front O4000mAh

O256GB O165x71x8mm, 181g

S

Price £tbc / sony.co.uk

HUAWEI

MATEBOOK

PRO 5G

OK, it’s not a phone, but

this iPad Pro knockoff has

a 10.8in display for gorging

on games, movies and

more. The 16:10 aspect

ratio makes it look like a

giant mobile, and with a

Kirin 990 it’s equipped like

a flagship phone too. That

5G capability is something

the iPad Pro can’t muster,

and could be the difference

when downloading box

sets before a flight.

€799 /

consumer.huawei.com

(3 + 5) x 66

Three’s 5G network is now

live in 66 locations, with

major towns (obviously)

getting the lion’s share.

Existing customers get

a free upgrade, otherwise

plans start at £20/m.

BLOCK PARTY

Three claims an advantage

over its rivals in that it

can harness a 100MHz

block of uninterrupted 5G

that no-one else has, for

faster speeds that it won’t

limit in its plans.

SHAKE SOME AUCTION

Vodafone, EE and O2 have

told Ofcom their rival has

an unfair advantage... but

expect the balance to shift

when a ‘spectrum auction’

takes place later this year.

5G: ARE WE

THERE YET?

SONY XPERIA

10 II

Want one of Sony’s

uniquely tall and skinny

phones but don’t want to

pay full whack? The Xperia

10 II gets a 21:9 6in FHD+

OLED display, which

should bring nice colours

and deep blacks. It’s

designed for Netflix, but

if you need to be more

productive, the wider

display facilitates two apps

running side by side for

effective multitasking.

You can also shoot in 21:9

and record 4K video.

£319 / sony.co.uk

OPPO FIND X2

Oppo’s latest 5G phone

has an ultra-responsive

120Hz 6.7in QHD+

AMOLED display with

HDR10+ that, on paper

at least, should make

for an incredible gaming

and movie-watching

experience. It also has

a 48MP main camera,

48MP ultra-wide, 13MP

periscope telephoto,

and a Snapdragon 865

processor. Pick the

pricier Pro version for

beefed-up specs including

a superior snapper.

from £899 / oppo.com

Don’t think Zeiss

Zeiss camera lenses

calibrated for Sony’s

Xperia phones claim

better rendering and

contrast by reducing

reflections.

Deeply dippy

An IP65/68 rating

ensures you don’t

need to worry about

it getting wet if

you’re watching

football in the bath.

M

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