Preorders for the seriously capable Sony Xperia Pro have opened in Europe, with the phone offering a host of powerful features that professional video creators are going to be interested in – though you are going to have to put down a substantial amount of cash to get your hands on it.
The Xperia Pro is going for £2,299 in the UK and costs €2,499 in Germany and the Nordic regions. Those prices are just as steep as the $2,499 you'll have to spend in the US to get the phone, but for those who are going to make use of everything the handset has to offer, it could be a worthwhile investment.
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The phone essentially acts as a viewfinder and a 5G connectivity device for a full video camera. Via the integrated HDMI input socket, it offers easy access to livestreaming apps and popular platforms for your video projects – options that aren't usually integrated into digital video cameras.
Many video creators will invest in both an external monitor and a modem to get a better look at their footage and to transfer it to the web, and when you consider that the Xperia Pro does both jobs in one device, its high price isn't quite so off-putting. It's actually the going rate for this sort of functionality.
Specs appeal
As a phone, the Sony Xperia Pro has the same Snapdragon 865 chipset that came inside the Xperia 1 II, which works alongside 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, a 4,000mAh capacity battery, and a triple-lens 12MP+12MP+12MP rear camera with an additional depth sensor.
This being a Sony phone, both the cameras and the screen impress. The OLED display is a 6.5-inch, 1644 x 3840 pixel affair, and creatives will appreciate the support for the BT.2020 color space for more precise color calibration. Sony says the display can match the color reproduction of its high-end monitors.
The external chassis has been bulked up a little bit for extra durability and water resistance, and there are some changes to the ports and buttons around the sides of the handset too – the USB-C port has shifted to accommodate the HDMI input, while there's also a new external shortcut button that the Xperia 1 II didn't have for launching specific apps.
Flagship phone buyers are still more likely to want to pick up the Sony Xperia 1 III – which has better specs than the Sony Xperia 1 II and Xperia Pro – but we still don't have a firm release date for it. Meanwhile, if you need video monitoring, uploading and streaming while you're on the go - in other words, if you're a professional looking for an appropriate smartphone - the Xperia Pro might fit the bill.
