The New Sony Xperia Pro: Not Quite the Perfect Smartphone for Content Creators?

Featuring an HDMI port, a 4K display, and the promise of streaming 4K footage over 5G, you can understand why Sony is referring to its new Xperia Pro a “communication device” rather than merely a smartphone. Does it live up to the hype?

If that sounds like a lot of phone, you’d be correct, but keep in mind that rather than the $1,500 price you might have expected, this device will set you back $2,498.

The various packages available quickly demonstrate that this is not a smartphone designed for your average user. There are various “Wireless Streaming” bundles available on B&H Photo, such as that tailored for the a7S III. For $2,651.86, you also get a camera cage, monitor mount, cable clamp, Micro-HDMI cable, and smartphone mount. If you can’t remember the last time you were out in the field and felt the need to stream the 4K footage straight from your $3,500 hybrid camera, you probably don’t need Sony’s new phone. If you live in Europe, you don't have a choice: there are no plans for it to be released on that side of the pond.

The current state of the 5G rollout renders this smartphone fairly limited, but it’s not unusual that one technology appears before another is ready, and you can assume that this is the case with Sony's new device. Within a few years, 4K vlogging via 5G might well be the new normal.

Will you be buying the new Sony Xperia Pro? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.