What we were expecting to be the Sony Xperia XZ4 is actually the Xperia 1. Announced three months ago at MWC, it is now finally available to pre-order, with shipping expected on 30 May.
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When is the Sony Xperia 1 release date?
The Xperia 1 was unveiled on 25 February 2019 at Mobile World Congress. This marks six months on from the launch of the XZ3 at IFA, and the XZ2 launched at MWC six months before that.
It’s available to pre-order now on a range of plans from Carphone Warehouse, EE, O2, Sky Mobile and Vodafone, and has a SIM-free price of £899. It’s expected to ship on 30 May.
Here’s how the old and new models compare: Xperia 1 vs Xperia XZ3.
Also see: What to expect from the MWC 2019 heavyweights
How much will the Sony Xperia 1 cost?
The Xperia 1 will cost £849 in the UK. You should be able to pick up the Xperia 1 from O2, EE, Sky and Vodafone and Carphone Warehouse.
Right now, Vodafone is bundling a PlayStation 4 with Xperia 1 monthly plans.
Sony Xperia 1 specifications and design
These are the key specs:
- 6.5in OLED screen with 4K resolution, 21:9 aspect ratio
- ‘X1 for mobile’ engine
- Gorilla Glass 6 front and rear
- Triple 12Mp rear cameras (ultra-wide, wide and telephoto)
- Support for recording 4K HDR video in 21:9, 24fps
- 8Mp selfie camera (3D support)
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
- 6GB RAM / 128GB storage
- MicroSD up to 512GB
- Hybrid dual-SIM (tray can accept second SIM or microSD)
- 3300mAh battery
- USB-C
- IP68 water-resistant
- Bluetooth 5 / NFC / 802.11ac
- Android 9 Pie
- Colours: Black, Grey, White, Purple
- Dimensions: 167 x 72 x 8.2mm
The big new feature is the 4K HDR screen, using technology from Sony’s TVs. As well as the 21:9 aspect ratio, which is the same as most films, it uses OLED tech. That’s not a first for a phone of course, but Sony is claiming the combination of the resolution, aspect ratio and HDR is a world first.
There’s no headphone jack, nor wireless charging, but you do get stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The fingerprint scanner has been moved back to the side for this phone.
You can read more in our Xperia 1 hands-on first look to find out more about the new features including a game enhancer, Eye AF tracking and other highlights.
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Author: Henry Burrell, Phones Editor
Henry is Tech Advisor’s Phones Editor, ensuring he and the team covers and reviews every smartphone worth knowing about for readers and viewers all over the world. He spends a lot of time moving between different handsets and shouting at WhatsApp to support multiple devices at once.