Surviving Songkran with Sony Xperia PRO-I -- Apparently, just slapping a Carl Zeiss logo on something is like casting a spell that makes photographers, ready to throw money at it.
- Vladimir
- Apr 19
- 7 min read
Updated: Apr 20
I was, somewhere around the electronics store on the edge of desperation, when the marketing began to hit my subconsciousness. A $1,800 smartphone that promised to be the Holy Grail of mobile photography – the bastard child of a professional camera and a phone. Sony's mad scientists had done it again, creating a technological mutant that nobody asked for but somehow everyone seemed to want.
"This should be a perfect new toy for the upcoming Thailand trip," I muttered to myself, handing over my credit card with the kind of reckless abandon that only comes from too much exposure to tech review videos and professional camera forums.
The Xperia PRO-I arrived in a box that screamed "professional" – sleek, black, reeking of self-importance. This wasn't your grandmother's iPhone, no sir. This was a serious tool for serious people, or at least that's what the price tag wanted you to believe.
The first thing you notice is the massive camera sensor, staring at you like the eye of Sauron. "1-inch sensor," they called it, though that's about as honest as a politician's promise. The real estate agents of the camera world had measured the diagonal, marking their territory with mathematical sleight of hand that would make a Vegas card shark blush.
Technical Highlights:
6.5-inch 4K OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling
Snapdragon 888 5G processor
12GB RAM and 512GB storage with SD card support
Triple 12MP camera system with a 1-inch main sensor
4500mAh battery
IP65/68 water and dust resistance
I remember saying something like "These photos look too natural..." when suddenly the screen erupted into a frenzy of pro-level options.
Three camera apps. THREE. In what universe does anyone need three different apps to take pictures? It's like having three different doors to the same room, each one requiring a different secret handshake. The basic camera app for the peasants, Photo Pro for the pretentious, and Cinema Pro for those who think they're the next Scorsese. The whole setup is as convoluted as a tax form filled out by a monkey on amphetamines. It wasn't a camera, in the traditional sense. Sony, in their infinite wisdom (or perhaps infinite madness), had taken their beloved Alpha camera, stripped it down to its essential organs, and crammed it into a phone's body. The result was something caught between worlds – neither fully phone nor fully camera, but some bizarre hybrid that would make Dr. Moreau proud.
The screen, I'll admit, is beautiful – a 4K OLED marvel that makes other phones look like they're broadcasting from 1985. But try using it in direct sunlight, and you'll find yourself squinting like a detective in a film noir, trying to decode what the hell is happening on your screen.
In good light, the photos are stunning, sharp enough to cut through the fog of your worst hangover. But when darkness falls, that's when the true nature of the beast reveals itself. The low-light performance is about as reliable as a weather forecast in the Mojave. Other phones have night modes that turn darkness into day, but Sony, in their infinite wisdom, decided that was too mainstream. No, they wanted you to work for it, to suffer for your art like a tortured photographer from the analog age.
Then came Thailand – Songkran 2024. Picture this: a water festival that makes Waterworld look like a kiddie pool. The phone's IP68 rating promised water resistance, but that's like bringing a umbrella to a hurricane. The Xperia fought valiantly, recording the chaos until its final breath, like a war correspondent refusing to drop the camera even as the bullets fly.
In the end, it died as it lived – complicated, misunderstood, and somehow endearing. The service technician who recovered the footage looked at me like I was a madman when I told him how it happened. "You took a $1,800 phone to a water fight?" he asked, his voice dripping with the kind of judgment usually reserved for people who bring libraries into swimming pools.
The truth about the Xperia PRO-I is that it's not a phone – it's a statement, a middle finger to the computational photography revolution. While other manufacturers are turning phones into AI-powered point-and-shoot machines, Sony built a device that demands respect, expertise, and possibly a degree in advanced mathematics to operate.
Would I recommend it? That's like asking if I'd recommend skydiving without a parachute. It's not for the faint of heart or the thin of wallet. But for those rare souls who want their mobile photography with a side of masochism, who believe that anything worth shooting is worth shooting manually, the Xperia PRO-I is your ticket to the show.
Just keep it away from Thai water festivals. That's a bad scene, man. A bad scene indeed.
Maybe get insurance. Lots of insurance.
Pros:
| Cons:
|
The Xperia PRO-I is clearly a niche device aimed at professional photographers and content creators rather than the average smartphone user. Its exceptional camera capabilities and professional features come at a premium price point, and while it excels in certain areas, the limitations in battery life, charging capabilities, and software support might be deal breakers for some users.
The camera system on the Xperia PRO-I is a perfect example of Sony's "identity crisis" in the smartphone space.
The Three Camera Apps Problem: Sony provides three different camera apps:
Basic Camera app
Photo Pro
Cinema Pro/Video Pro
This creates unnecessary confusion. The basic camera app is designed to be intuitive, but then you have two "pro" apps that essentially port over the complex interfaces from Sony's Alpha and Cinema camera lines.
The Core Issues:
Interface Mismatch:
Sony essentially tried to cram a full Alpha camera interface onto a smartphone screen
What works on a dedicated camera with physical dials and buttons doesn't translate well to a touchscreen interface
Workflow Confusion:
Users shouldn't need to think about which app to use for basic photography versus professional projects
The separation between apps creates a fragmented experience
Instead of trying to replicate their professional cameras exactly, Sony should:
Create a unified camera app with smart phone-optimized controls
Include a "pro" mode that's actually designed for smartphone use
Keep advanced features but make them accessible through a touch-first interface
The Ideal Approach:
Start with smartphone users' needs first
Add professional features in a way that makes sense for mobile
Create a clear progression from basic to advanced features within a single app
Focus on making the interface touch-friendly rather than trying to replicate physical camera controls
Even professional users have noted that while the hardware is impressive, the software experience could be much better. Sony's approach feels like they're trying to serve their Alpha camera users first, rather than creating a great smartphone camera experience that can scale up to professional use.
This relates to a broader issue: Sony's mobile division operates with a smaller team due to cost-cutting measures, which likely impacts their ability to develop and refine a more intuitive user experience. They're trying to leverage their Alpha/Cinema camera expertise, but they need to adapt it better for the smartphone form factor.
A reimagined approach focusing on smartphone-first design while maintaining professional capabilities would make the Xperia PRO-I much more appealing to both casual and professional users. Right now, it feels like they're asking users to adapt to their cameras, rather than adapting their cameras to users.
Disappointing low-light performance
Low-Light Performance Issues:
The phone produces bland and dim images in low-light conditions compared to competitors like the iPhone
The low-light capabilities are notably lacking compared to other high-end smartphones
Autofocus Problems:
In lower light conditions, even slight movement can cause blurry images unless using very high shutter speeds
This is particularly frustrating given Sony's reputation for excellent autofocus systems in their Alpha cameras
Night Mode Limitations:
The basic camera app lacks a dedicated night mode, expecting users to switch to advanced modes for low-light photography
This makes it less user-friendly compared to competitors' automatic night modes
The Zeiss Collaboration Results: While the main Zeiss lens with T* coating is technically impressive, the real-world results don't always match expectations. Interestingly, the main imager actually offers slightly less light-gathering ability than the iPhone 13 Pro in single-shot mode.
The Disconnect: The issue seems to stem from Sony's approach to smartphone photography:
They rely too heavily on traditional camera philosophy rather than embracing computational photography
The phone performs better in manual mode than auto modes, which isn't ideal for a smartphone
The lack of advanced computational features like night mode puts it at a disadvantage against competitors
While the overall image quality can be superior in good conditions, the phone struggles to match competitors in challenging lighting situations where computational photography could help. This highlights a fundamental issue with Sony's approach: they're trying to apply traditional camera solutions to smartphone photography challenges, when sometimes the computational approach used by other manufacturers might be more effective for certain situations.
Surviving Songkran with Sony Xperia PRO-I -- Apparently, just slapping a Carl Zeiss logo on something is like casting a spell that makes photographers, ready to throw money at it. 4/19/2025
yes Sony will not make a good phone because phones are not their thing really at all