With the Xperia Pro-I, Sony wants to offer a smartphone that is serious about photos and videos. The manufacturer has thus set itself the objective of putting a camera with ergonomics and professional performance in a compact case.
Is this really a good idea? In theory, it may look like this. It remained to be checked, which we tried to do by living with the Pro-I for a few weeks.
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The Xperia Pro-I is available at a price of €1,799, a very high price that Sony justifies by the integration of state-of-the-art components. The Xperia Pro-I is a professional product and not a smartphone intended for the general public. And when it comes to professionals, prices tend to soar.
Sony Xperia PRO-I at the best price Base price: 1 799 € eBay -28% 1 300 € Check the offerAmazon1 799 € Check the offerFNAC1 799 € Check the offerDarty1 799 € Check the offer See more offers < h2>Ergonomics: it's in the old pots, etc…The Xperia range is a bit like the old pair of slippers you have at home. They are not new and have a not really fashionable look. We are even a little ashamed to put them on when we receive people, but they are so comfortable…
Unless you are nostalgic for the design of the 2010s, the Pro-I should not move you more than that. Made of black metal and tempered glass, it can't really be classified as a smartphone full of originality.
Its screen is surrounded by not really fine black borders (at the top and bottom we can even speak of sidewalks). Their main advantage is to leave enough space to accommodate the front camera without having to suffer a punch on the screen.
Sony Xperia Pro-I © Presse-Citron
The grooved sides ensure a good grip, avoiding the much dreaded soap effect as soon as your hands are wet. The IP 68 certification also makes it resistant to water and dust.
In addition to the USB-C port, we note the presence of a 3.5 mm jack reinforcing this vintage aspect. The mechanical keys are grouped on the right border.
In addition to the power button (which houses the fingerprint reader), there is a “real” trigger, a function key and the volume control.
Sony Xperia Pro-I
Unusual thing on a smartphone (but systematic on a camera), the presence of a clip to fix a strap. Sony hasn't taken the generosity so far as to provide it. For 1799 euros, apparently you can't have everything...
Finally, the back of the Xperia Pro-I has the good taste of being covered in matte glass, making it much less susceptible to fingerprints. The camera is housed on a long protuberance.
The Sony Xperia Pro-I has a mechanical shutter © Presse-Citron
If they are not staggeringly original, the design and ergonomics of the Pro-I prove to be effective on a daily basis. The smartphone fits easily in a jacket pocket or in a handbag. Basic, simple.
Now grouped into a single entity, Sony's Imaging (cameras) and Mobile (smartphone) departments have had no real trouble collaborating in order to design the Pro-I.
They concocted a rear camera made up of three modules. The main one has a 1″ type sensor of 12 Mpxl and a 24 mm lens opening at f/2 and f/4. The ultra-wide-angle features a smaller 12 Mpxl sensor (1/2.55″) and a 16 mm f/2.2 lens. Finally, the telephoto lens is made up of a 12 mpxl (1/2.9″) sensor and a 50 mm f/2.4 lens.
All three benefit from Dual Pixel phase detection autofocus and stabilization to reduce camera shake when shooting.
The 1″ type Sony Exmor RS sensor in the main module is not really new. It is found in the manufacturer's expert compacts, and in particular in the RX100 M7 where it works wonders. Its large photosites (2.4 µm) allow it to produce a faithful image, including in low light.
Sony Xperia Pro-I
A detail that is important, its 24 Mpxls are not fully exploited. In order not to make the Pro-I too thick, its designers have reduced the distance between the lens and the sensor (the focal length, as the pros say).
The image passing through the lenses therefore partially covers the sensitive area, only the center of the sensor being effectively used. This explains why the photos produced are “only” 12 Mpxl instead of the 20.1 Mpxls available. This subterfuge explains why Sony speaks of a 1″ type sensor “specially adapted to the smartphone”.
Why not go for a smaller sensor? Because it sounded worse on the spec sheet, surely. But also because large photosites retain their performance in terms of sensitivity. And above all because using an existing sensor avoids designing a new one, which is inevitably more expensive.
The objectives of the Pro-I have been the subject of all attention. Designed by Zeiss, they are of the Tessar T* type. The lenses benefit from an optimized anti-reflective treatment and the calibration of the sensor + lens couple are calibrated manually.
In order to make the most of the Pro-I, Sony provides three applications: Photo Pro, Cinema Pro and Video Pro. The first two are already known since they have been found on the high-end Xperia for two years. On the other hand, Video Pro makes its first appearance here.
Logically, Photo Pro replaces the Android Camera application. Sony designed it to take the main elements of the Alpha interface. If you have already used an SLR or hybrid camera from the brand, you will therefore not be disoriented by the logic of the menus or by the pictograms used.
Like any camera, the Pro-I has a fully automatic shooting mode. It is particularly useful if you do not want to bother with the parameters.
Sony Xperia Pro-I © Presse-Citron
Limiting yourself to this mode would be a shame, however, as the Pro-I gives its best in semi-automatic or manual modes. After all, that is the very essence of its existence. We then have a good latitude in the setting of the shot in order to create creative images.
Sony Xperia Pro-I © Presse-Citron
In broad daylight, the images produced are of very good quality with the main lens, the wide angle and the telephoto lens. The autofocus is both fast and accurate and the automatic face or eye tracking (human or animal) is a real pleasure to use.
Keeping the default settings, the colors of the JPEG images are of great fidelity and we appreciate the good management of HDR. You can also opt for shooting in RAW (or RAW + JPEG) in order to obtain editable files more efficiently on image processing software such as Lightroom for example.
The Pro-I does not have a specific night mode. This does not prevent it from producing photos of excellent resistance in low light. For this, it has quality optical stabilization and a sensor with large photosites. As good as this duo is, it will still be necessary to wedge the device on a stable support in night photography, stabilization cannot work miracles.
Sony Xperia Pro-I © Presse-Citron
Sony Xperia Pro-I © Presse-Citron
If you're not the patient type and are looking for a push-button shooting experience, then don't choose the Pro-I, but rather an AI-powered smartphone like the Pixel 6 Pro or the iPhone 13. Sony's foal requires a minimum of experience as well as a learning curve in order to give the best of itself. But then, what a pleasure to produce images! Sony's promise to demanding photographers is therefore well kept.
Of the two applications available for video recording, Cinema Pro is undoubtedly the most complete. It offers everything a demanding videographer should expect from a professional camera. In order to design it, Sony had the excellent idea of recreating the colorimetric rendering of its CineAlta pro cameras. And in particular the VENICE CineAlta model, very popular with feature film directors.
Like Photo Pro, Cinema Pro takes a bit of time to get used to. The operation of the application in "projects" allows better consistency in the recording of several plans. In broad daylight and in low light, we appreciate the quality of the image produced, especially with the wide-angle lens. The other two are not lagging behind and we appreciate their performance.
The Pro-I is the first smartphone to capture 4K HDR video at 120fps. This allows for beautiful slow motion, even in difficult lighting conditions. It should also be noted that the double aperture of the wide-angle lens is perfectly exploited in video. Enough to produce beautiful effects, especially in terms of background blur.
Video Pro is getting its start on the Pro-I. The application is in no way a restricted version of the previous one. It has been designed for vloggers and spontaneous recording and has a simplified interface. This does not mean that it is not effective, far from it, since it offers almost all the functions of Cinema Pro. It will be used for everyday recording, where it is extremely effective while maintaining image quality.
Whether you use one or the other, it is possible to record up to 4K at 24, 25, 30, 60 and 120 fps. The image quality is always there, both in low light and in good light. The sound captured is also very satisfactory, even if it does not equal what one could obtain with microphones.
As with photography, the Pro-I will in no way make a demanding videographer blush with shame. The sequences he records are simply excellent. Vloggers will finally appreciate the availability of an optional external monitor specially designed for the Pro-I. Sold for €199, it connects to the USB-C port and attaches to the smartphone using a supplied support. It has an external microphone socket and above all allows you to use the rear camera to film yourself.
While Sony goes to great lengths to market the Pro-I as a professional-grade camera/camera, it's still a smartphone . Small detailed review of the other aspects of the beast.
In a nutshell: the Pro-I screen is a marvel. It consists of a 6.5 '' 21/9 OLED panel displaying 1644 x 3840 pixels. In order to produce an even sharper image, the effective resolution is 1096 x 2450 pixels, each point of the image being made up of several display elements. In theory, this makes it possible to display more precise images, which we have been able to verify in practice.
The image is bright, fluid and offers real respect for colorimetry. The lack of a punch is definitely a plus, as is the 120Hz variable refresh rate and HDR 10+ compatibility. We love.
In this aspect, everything is fine. The Pro-I comes with a Snapdragon 888, 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage. We can even extend this capacity by inserting a micro-SDXC card (1 TB max).
We'll spare you the detailed results of the benchmarks, which are necessarily excellent. Moreover, at no time did we encounter the slightest slowdown during these tests. On the other hand, the Pro-I heats up quickly and a lot when performing tasks that require a lot of computing power.
Things go a bit wrong when you look at the software aspect. Using Android 11 (and soon Android 12) on a smartphone is good. But sticking over a homemade overlay from the last century is not good. No possibility of personalization, unremovable Google search bar from the home screen, imposed application drawer, etc.
Worse still: Sony persists in installing unnecessary software (especially for a smartphone like the Pro-I) and does not allow them to be uninstalled. This is for example the case of the games Call of Duty Mobile and Asphalt 9 which between them occupy more than 5 GB of storage. What a waste of a professional smartphone!
Despite a 4500 mAh battery, the Pro-I is not an endurance monster. This is not really surprising, the very high definition screen requiring a lot of energy. Add to that a non-adaptive refresh rate, 5G compatibility as well as greedy video capture and you will not be surprised to rarely reach a full day of autonomy.
We also regret the absence of wireless charging, which seems surprising to us for a high-end smartphone designed in 2021, shameful for a model sold for 1,800 euros. Wired charging is done rather quickly using the supplied 30 Watt power supply (30 minutes to go from 0 to 50%). Small consolation.
Sony Xperia PRO-I at the best price Base price: 1 799 € eBay -28% 1 300 € Check the offerAmazon1 799 € Check the offerFNAC1 799 € Check the offerDarty1 799 € Check the offer See more offers< h2>Our opinion on the Sony Xperia Pro-IDesigned to satisfy very demanding photographers and videographers, the Pro-I is aimed at a wealthy audience since it is still worth 1800 €. Is it a good investment? Without a doubt, if you want to use it intensively to produce professional quality images and video content.
Beyond the actual recording, it offers the processing power needed for editing photos and clips without having to go through a computer. However, it suffers from a few drawbacks that we regret to find on a product of this price. Starting with a not really extraordinary autonomy, a software overlay from another time as well as the presence of bloatware that is impossible to uninstall easily.
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