The Sony Xperia PRO ($2,499) exemplifies Sony's trend of making innovative smartphones for niche audiences. Designed for media professionals and content creators, the Xperia PRO has terrific built-in cameras and can also be mounted as a camera monitor—at least in theory. In practice, it misses the mark in multiple ways. If Sony releases updates to fix the issues we uncovered in testing, the Xperia PRO could be a fantastic tool, but right now, its buggy software and intermittent connectivity make it almost unusable. We reported our findings to Sony, and will update this review if there's a major software or firmware release.
Built Like a Tank
The Xperia PRO is a customized version of the Xperia 1 II built for video professionals. It measures 6.7 by 3.0 by 0.4 inches and weighs 7.9 ounces.
The 6.5-inch OLED display has a 21:9 aspect ratio. Resolution clocks in at 3,840 by 1,644 pixels with 642ppi. Color accuracy is spot on, with excellent contrast ratios and deep, inky blacks. Overall, brightness is our only complaint; it’s hard to see the Xperia PRO’s display in direct sunlight, and you’re definitely not going to see any fine detail when using it as a camera monitor unless you use a hood or shield.
The display is dim and hard to see in bright light.
The sides and back of the phone are constructed of a heavy, textured plastic. If the phrase "plastic phone" evokes images of dinky budget phones from years past, let us calm your fears: This phone can take a beating. The sturdy body, accompanied by the Gorilla Glass 6 screen and an IP65/68 rating, means you won’t need to worry about a little jostling or rain.
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The Xperia PRO has a durable plastic body.
A headphone jack sits on the top of the Xperia PRO, and USB-C and micro-HDMI ports are on the bottom. The HDMI port has a cover that's attached to the phone, so you don't have to worry about losing it when you’re working, but we wish the cover could be rotated a little further to make cable attachment less cumbersome.
On the left side, you’ll find a SIM/microSD slot that doesn’t require a finicky SIM key; just use your fingernail or a small tool to open it. Most Sony phones have had this feature for the past several years. It’s especially useful if your workflow requires quickly swapping out microSD cards.
The Xperia PRO is meant to work with cameras, such as the Sony a9 II.
A convenience key, a power button, a shutter button, and a volume rocker are on the right side. A fingerprint sensor is integrated into the power button, and it’s accurate and fast—important when you’re trying to capture a fleeting moment.
The convenience key and shutter buttons are a little smaller and located on the bottom quarter of the phone. The shutter button is textured and located closest to your right thumb when using portrait mode. It sticks out a tiny bit, so you can quickly tap it without fumbling around.
On the back, the camera stack in the top left corner is flush with the case. There’s a white Sony logo etched into the plastic. The aesthetic is pretty utilitarian, but in a way that makes the phone feel like piece of pro gear.
Fast But Intermittent 5G
The Xperia PRO is Sony’s first 5G phone in the US. It's optimized for Verizon; if you're on another carrier's network, only 4G/LTE will be enabled. To get the best data speeds, you'll need to be on Verizon’s network in an area with mmWave coverage.
That lightning-fast mmWave connectivity is one of Sony’s big selling points for the Xperia PRO. Many people want mmWave-capable phones, and Sony is trying to highlight the phone's livestreaming and broadcasting capabilities. However, the real world doesn't live up to the hype. Verizon's mmWave connectivity is still very spotty in the US, and the Xperia PRO’s connectivity is subpar.
After conducting initial speed and connectivity tests on the Xperia PRO and finding that it frequently dropped its mmWave signal, we ran additional tests to see whether the results could be duplicated with an LG V60 ThinQ 5G UW, another flagship with the Qualcomm X55 modem.
The Xperia PRO has spotty mmWave connectivity.
For connectivity, we did spot tests over 10 different areas in Chicago. About half of them were in areas with high-rises that would likely reduce both mmWave connectivity and speeds. The rest were in areas with a relatively clean line of sight to the tower. In 60% of our tests, the V60 connected to Verizon’s mmWave, while the Xperia PRO only connected 30% of the time. Overall, the V60 chose a faster network, and recorded faster speeds, in 80% of the comparisons.
We also took measurements in 10-foot increments from a base station in Chicago that Verizon uses to showcase its mmWave 5G speeds. There’s a mostly clear line of sight from the base station when heading north, so both phones, in theory, should get solid mmWave speeds for at least a block. However, mmWave download speeds on the V60 5G UW were significantly faster on average. The Xperia PRO began intermittently switching to LTE at 20 feet, so we weren’t able to test its mmWave speeds after that.
Until Sony addresses these problems, you can’t reliably use the Xperia PRO for livestreaming or broadcasting on mmWave or even a sub-6GHz network. We reached out to Sony and it is looking into the issue, but there's no timeline on when or whether a firmware update will be released.
Even when we were directly in front of the base station, mmWave connections often dropped.
Once calls connect, call quality is excellent. Earpiece volume maxes out at 83dB, which is loud enough to hear on a busy street, and noise cancellation works perfectly.
The Xperia PRO’s Dolby Atmos speakers are also a win. At 90dB, they're loud enough to fill a room. The sound is rich with excellent timbre. Mids are well developed and pronounced, and the lows are good for a smartphone.
If you prefer earbuds, you can connect them via Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD and LDAC support for High Resolution Wireless Audio. (We capitalized that last phrase because it’s Sony’s trademark, not because we think high-res audio via Bluetooth is possible.) NFC for mobile payments and boarding passes rounds out the connectivity options.
Performance Undermined by Software Bugs
The Xperia PRO is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 mobile platform and 12GB of RAM. It’s a solid setup, but not quite top of the line; for half the price, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has a Snapdragon 888 and (in maxed-out models) 16GB. There’s 512GB of storage on board, and you can add an extra 1TB of external storage with a microSD card.
Benchmarks are in line with our expectations of the Snapdragon 865 mobile platform. The Xperia PRO scored 910 on Geekbench single-core (SC) and 3,380 on Geekbench multi-core (MC), compared with the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s scores of 1,128 SC and 3,500 MC. Though the Galaxy S21 Ultra bests the Xperia PRO by 21% in single-core, you’ll be hard pressed to see the difference in daily use. The difference in multi-core performance between the two phones is negligible.
On the GFX Car Chase benchmark, offscreen frames topped out at 52fps compared with the S21 Ultra’s top score of 70fps. For the average gamer, that 29% difference will have little effect on gameplay, but if you like resource-intensive games such as Genshin Impact, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is a better buy.
Basemark’s web-browsing benchmark produced a score of 454 for the Xperia PRO compared with 498 on the Galaxy S21 Ultra in WQHD+ resolution. The negligible difference between scores means you’re not going to see any difference during everyday use.
We tried out some typical daily usage scenarios while the phone was on Wi-Fi, in a vertical position, with an 80% charge. These tests showed the Xperia PRO has the potential to open apps without any delay, easily scroll through webpages and Twitter feeds, and have plenty of apps running in the background without any bottlenecks or caching issues. However, no one is going to use the Xperia PRO that way. It's a tool for photo and video professionals, not a social media device. Below, we get more into its unique photography features and describe the software bugs that made further usage tests impossible.
The Sony Xperia PRO chokes up while using external cameras—and even its own.
Unless you’re using the Xperia PRO as a monitor with constant 5G connectivity, its 4,000mAh battery should easily get you through the day. In our battery drain test, which streams HD video over Wi-Fi at full brightness, the Xperia PRO eked out 11 hours before shutting down. There’s no wireless charging, but the phone does have an Adaptive Charging mode to optimize battery life and wear.
Incredible Cameras
The quad camera stack on the Xperia PRO uses Zeiss lenses. The 12MP primary sensor has a focal length of 24mm and an f/1.7 aperture. There’s also a 12MP telephoto lens with a 70mm focal length and an f/12.4 aperture, as well as a 12MP ultra-wide shooter with a 16mm focal length and f/2.2 aperture. A time-of-flight sensor rounds out the stack.
The telephoto lens does an excellent job with good light.
Both the primary lens and the ultra-wide lens use dual photo-diode sensor autofocus, a technology that splits individual pixels into halves to detect changes in focus. The telephoto lens, on the other hand, combines phase detection and OIS to get the best shot. Real-time Eye AF for humans and pets is also on board to help you get the best shot when living subjects are in frame.
The ultra-wide lens takes beautiful photos without any distortion.
In good light, the Xperia PRO can take a gorgeous shot. All of our test photos were crisp with excellent depth of field. Color accuracy was spot on. The Xperia PRO doesn’t bump up the saturation or jiggle the white balance to create unnatural-looking pictures; it simply produces accurate photos.
Neon signs are captured clearly by the ultra-wide lens.
All the sensors performed admirably in low light as well, though we did notice a few minor differences. In our test shots, the primary lens took the most natural and balanced shots in low light. Photos with the telephoto lens were a little darker with a smidge of noise. The ultra-wide lens sort of split the difference, taking slightly darker shots without the noise. All of that is hair-splitting, though; there's no question that the Xperia PRO takes phenomenal pictures across the board.
You'll notice a little noise with the telephoto lens in low light.
We shot most of our test video on a Sony Alpha 7S III camera with the Xperia PRO serving as a monitor, but we did manage to grab a few quick snippets of video on the phone. Those videos looked excellent, with no skipped frames or blurring. They were smooth even with minor bumps and dips, thanks to optical SteadyShot. We were also impressed by how much excess noise the microphones blocked.
Seriously Buggy Software
The Xperia PRO ships with Android 10 with Xperia UI. Sony tends to take a soft touch with custom skins, so it pretty much looks like stock Android with a few minor tweaks to improve the overall user experience. Netflix, LinkedIn, and a few other apps come preinstalled, which seems a little ridiculous when you’re paying $2,500 for a very high-end phone. Is anyone really going to use an Xperia PRO to look at LinkedIn?
Some of the included apps will please video pros and amateur enthusiasts alike. The Cinema Pro app has granular controls and lets you record 10-bit HDR video encoded in H.265. You can select from various color grading options, adjust white balance, and make other quick changes directly from the app. It’s a nice addition, but it lacks some of the convenience of the Video app.
Photo Pro has similar features for photographers. The app looks a lot like the screen on Sony’s Alpha camera lineup, though it’s not quite as robust. And as with the display on an Alpha, there’s no shutter button—you’ll need to use the button on the side of the phone. It takes a quick second to get used to, but the physical shutter button is well placed and easy to reach.
Sony touts the Xperia PRO's ability to function as a 4K video monitor for a camera. Unfortunately, Sony’s software is an absolute mess. We attached a Sony Alpha 7S III via an HDMI cable and the phone soon began to intermittently freeze and enter a boot loop sequence. The only way to fix it was to disconnect the HDMI cable and hard reboot. We swapped in another cable and held both ends in by hand, even though the camera was already secured in the rig. These changes made no difference.
We were also unable to get the phone to recognize the Alpha 7S III in any third-party app, though Sony says it should work with Streamlabs.
If the software issues were only related to using the Xperia PROas an external monitor, that could be tolerable, but we experienced software errors throughout the review process. On several occasions, the phone couldn’t recognize its internal cameras; a quick reboot fixed this. The phone also froze at seemingly random times and would frequently switch from portrait fo landscape mode for no reason whatsoever.
Be prepared for constant, frustrating software freezes and crashes.
These issues are deeply disappointing, but there is a bright side: A software update would probably fix them. We spoke with Sony about all the problems we experienced, and its engineers are investigating solutions.
The Xperia PRO will get an Android 11 upgrade, though Sony has yet to release it. Future upgrades after Android 11 have not been confirmed, but we’d be very surprised if Sony didn’t at least offer an eventual upgrade to Android 12.
Possibly Worth the Wait
We can’t recommend the Sony Xperia PRO at this point. Lousy connectivity and flaky software make it a poor choice for professionals or even casual users. If Sony makes the necessary software and firmware updates, however, the Xperia PRO could live up to its potential.
Since this is a unique phone meant for a specific audience, there isn’t an equivalent alternative on the market. If you’re looking for a high-end phone with 5G connectivity, excellent cameras, and a crisp OLED display, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max are your best bets; our roundup of the best camera phones has some more good choices. Professionals will have to wait and see whether Sony can turn this dud into a photographer's dream come true.
Sony Xperia PRO
Pros
Cons
The Bottom Line
Sony tries to revolutionize mobile content creation with the Xperia PRO camera companion phone, but its astronomical price, wonky software, and subpar connectivity make it tough to recommend.
April 27, 2021 at 10:25PM
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Sony Xperia PRO Review - PCMag
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