Xperia 1 is Sony’s new flagship smartphone but it probably won’t come to Australia

Sony today unveiled the Xperia 1, a new flagship smartphone with a “cinematic” 21:9 aspect ratio display. Most smartphones currently have 16:9 to 19.5:9 aspect ratio screens, which makes the Xperia 1 taller than your average handset.

So why a taller display? Many movies are filmed in a 21:9 aspect ratio (the Netflix app will be updated to support this on the Xperia 1), but Sony is also betting the screen will be great for multitasking. The Xperia 1's software will let you pin a second app to the top of your screen - such as a map - while using another below at what would be close to full size on any other phone.

Additionally, Sony has partnered with Epic to bring a 21:9 version of Fortnite to the Xperia 1.

As a 2019 flagship device, you'll also find plenty of cameras. There's a trio of 12MP sensors on the back, paired with a standard, wide, and zoom lens.

Other key specifications include a 6.5-inch 4K HDR display, a Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, a side-mounted fingerprint reader.

The Xperia 1 is however unlikely to get an official launch in Australia, with the fate of Sony’s local business in serious limbo at the moment. Major retailers including JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman no longer range a single Sony smartphone, Telstra dropped the Xperia XZ2 from its line-up recently, and the Australian Sony website lists each of its mobile devices as discontinued.

To add to this, a number of key Sony Mobile Australia staff - including local managing director John Featherstone - are no longer with the company and Sony Mobile Australia also no longer appears to have a public relations team.

We’ve been trying to get further clarification around the fate of Sony smartphones in Australia, but it’s not looking good.

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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