Xperia PRO-I: finally a Sony smartphone (really) serious in photos? – 01net.com

After a slew of promises not really kept, will Sony finally release the big picture game to bring its smartphone division out of torpor? This is what one might be tempted to believe (or at least to hope) by reading the data sheet of the new Xperia PRO-I. During the general public of the Xperia Pro 5G, the Xperia PRO-I does not reinvent the wheel on the technical platform side since it is still a Snapdragon 888. But it incorporates (finally!), One of Sony’s fatal photographic weapons: its famous 1-inch sensor.

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After the various versions of its 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor RX100 compacts swept away the competition in expert compacts since the release of the first model in 2012, Sony ended up doing what everyone expected. him: integrate it into a phone. Among the three camera modules of the Xperia PRO-I – 16 mm, 24 mm and 50 mm equivalents – it is the 24 mm wide angle that benefits from this “giant” sensor.

A giant sensor equipped with cutting-edge technologies

This sensor which equipped the first hybrids from Nikon (the Nikon 1) as well as all recent expert compacts or high-end bridges such as the RX10 Mark IV boxing in a category above the sensors of smartphones. Each of the 12 million photodiodes (improperly called “pixels”) measures 2.4 microns across. These larger, less crowded pixels allow the 1-inch sensor to collect more light and take advantage of a wider dynamic range than smaller sensors in a single shot, where traditional small sensors actually capture multiple images and make a mean.

Read also: Sony, the great emperor of sensors

Another advantage of the 1-inch sensor: it is the latest generation Exmor RS. First, it incorporates a phase correlation AF system, which should guarantee ultra-fast focusing. Second, in addition to the fact that it has a so-called “back-side illuminated” structure which collects more light than conventional sensors, it benefits from an integrated memory in its back (stacked CMOS sensor) which offers it a super fast read speed.

Alongside this large format sensor, Sony has developed a stabilized optics (OIS) with variable aperture, a 24 mm f / 2.0-4.0. In f / 2.0 mode, it will collect more light, especially in low light, the f / 4 value allowing it to limit the effects of wide-aperture diffraction (greater accutance, therefore more “sharp” images). Sony has already developed an ultra-compact fixed focal length with great optical qualities for the late RX0, its “almost-pro-but-not-really” webcam. Moreover, on paper, we even wonder if it is not the same lens equipped with a variable diaphragm …

1-inch sensor promises, supporting coprocessor

Sony’s 1 inch 12 Mpix sensor is the Exmor RS version. it is derived from those found today in expert compacts like the RX100 Mark VI. A component that has many strengths and promises a lot. Its native AF coverage is 90% with its 315 phase correlation points distributed over the entire surface of the sensor. Ultra fast collimators (thanks to the RAM integrated into the sensor!) Which allow it to follow eyes and faces in real time: working at 60 Hz (60 measurements per second), it can follow a subject and shoot it up to 20 images per second.

Performance that cannot be achieved by magic either. Because if Sony does not integrate its famous photo image processor, the Bionz, the Japanese were not satisfied with the ISP of the Snapdragon 888 (Spectra 580). In addition to this Qualcomm SoC, Sony has incorporated an “LSI front-end”, a dedicated chip that it already integrates into its hybrids in support of its Bionz processors. When these manage the system, AF or parameters (white balance, etc.), this unnamed chip works upstream to reduce the signal-to-noise ratio from the sensor and accelerates demosaicing and image compression .

Testing the Xperia PRO-I will be the perfect opportunity to assess whether or not mastering the hardware of such a component brings real added value to the ISP of smartphone chips. From the capacity of this 1-inch sensor to work in 12-bit RAW and the addition of an image pre-processing chip, we expect much less noisy images, more homogeneous areas and more natural outlines.

Ultra wide-angle and telephoto in moderato cantabile

As for the other camera modules, Sony has remained more modest in terms of sensor size: the module equivalent to a 16 mm f / 2.5 has a small 1 / 2.5 ” sensor and the 50 mm f / 2.4 equivalent has a larger sensor. small again (1 / 2.9 ”). But Sony was keen to keep photodiodes (yes, pixels, if you will) larger than one micron (1.4 µm for the 16 mm sensor, 1.2 µm for the 50 mm one).

The manufacturer has maintained the same target definition as previous generations of the 12 Mpix Xperia 1. A conservatism that extends to the focal lengths themselves: we have seen wider than 16 mm and much more powerful than a simple 50 mm. We therefore hope that Sony has taken care of the optical partition and signal processing, because on paper, nothing allows them to stand out. Only the 4^e ToF sensor that supports autofocus, may allow them to stand out from the crowd on the AF side, one of the weak points of secondary focal lengths in smartphones.

4K HDR, 4K120p, 21: 9 and 120 Hz

On the video side, both in terms of experience (screen) and capture, the Xperia PRO-I sets the bar high enough on the technical sheet. On the one hand, its 3/2 ratio sensor allows you to enjoy 4K without too much cropping unlike most current smartphones. Then, its technologies are also available in video, with for the first time in a smartphone, subject and eye tracking in video.

And also a true 4K120p mode, namely not an automatically slow-motion mode, but a mode with 120 full frames per second. What to produce in output, with the choice either a slow motion x4, or an ultra fluid sequence… on a 120Hz screen, like that of this smartphone. A screen in “cinema” format 9/21^e which is, precisely, 120 Hz compatible.

On paper, the video potential of the terminal is excellent. Except that opposite, the ecosystem of iOS in terms of video apps is much more developed than that of Android. Sony has therefore developed its own “pro” photo and video applications to take full advantage of the potential. It remains to be seen whether the videographer audience will bite. Sony has done everything for, in particular to seduce vloggers with a panel of accessories – grip, clamp for setting up the smartphone, 3.5 ” screen with magnetic attachment and external microphone – for the most serious of them.

Ergonomic keys with an analog scent

By infusing so many technologies from its range of cameras, Sony had to add material touches of this world. Like the grip for a wrist strap, placed on the lower right side, a textured physical trigger, a programmable button or even a reinforced “box body” – rather thick with almost 9 mm, certified IP65 / 68 against water and dust and protected by Gorilla Glass.

And, a little refinement of a technological reactionary: a magnificent 3.5mm jack plug. Logical equipment for a brand that offers audiophile equipment. Sony has also taken care of other elements such as heat dissipation, the 45,000 mAh battery with very high-end cells (performance guaranteed for 3 years), or the slew of audio and video certifications (Dolby Atmos, HiresAudio, etc.)

In the biggest paradoxes of tech, the photographic case of Sony arises in the classroom: how can a company, both world number two in photography and world number one in CMOS sensors, both perform with its Alpha and equip both iPhone and Fujifilm medium-formats, and fail each time for its own smartphones? Faced with this, the new Xperia PRO-I sounds like the camera of “redemption”.

A redemption coming soon: the Xperia PRO-I (pronounced “pro-ouch”) will be launched by the end of the year at € 1,799. Hopefully he keeps his promises …