Sony Xperia 1 initial review: Standing tall

 

Sony is looking to stand out from the crowd with its latest flagship - the Xperia 1. The company's new darling succeeds the Xperia XZ2 Premium, ditching the complicated naming system and offering a 21:9 aspect screen in a tall and slender frame.

This device sits at the very top of Sony Mobile's smartphone portfolio and it is all about the display. First 4K HDR OLED screen, first 21:9 ratio on a smartphone, but can it compete with the Samsung's and Huawei's of the Android world? Here are our first impressions.

Design

• 167 x 72 x 8.2mm,
• IP65/68
• Purple, Black, Grey, White

Put the Sony Xperia 1 alongside its competition and it does stand out. Not because of a notched display, a sliding design or a punch hole front camera though. The Sony stands out for its height and slenderness.
The Xperia 1 is a super-slim smartphone, measuring just 8.2mm. While that number might sound pretty standard, the 167mm height makes the body of the Xperia 1 feel significantly slimmer. It will tower above its competition, but it's only 72mm wide, meaning despite that height, it's very comfortable to hold and it looks great too - especially in the purple and grey colours.