Sony Xperia smartphones look so good on paper. So why is it that we don’t recommend them? Here’s our answer to that and a brief 2023 review of the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
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Shit updates, expensive, terrible marketing (since ever). I used to buy Xperia phones exclusively, the compact ones to be precise, then Sony decided that compact phones and affordable phones had to go, I bought an Xperia 10 (I or II, can’t remember) and it absolutely sucked. When it broke I bought a random Chinese phone from the store, ended up with a Realme. Works better, with worse battery life tho.
Pixel OS. It’s the best out of the box experience for most users.
I loved my Xperia XA2, but when the next android update came down the pipe I literally lost features.
I was planning on getting an Xperia 1 VI.
Gonna flash LineageOS on it.
Flashing Lineage on the 1 II is trivial now compared to a few years ago.
The stock ROM is loaded with shitware in II III and V.
The shape is great not too big for the hand.
The camera is decent, surely better in VI. No stupid AI color boost and faking pictures.
The price is steep as you know.
The screens feel like they could have been brighter.
3.5mm AUX, MicroSD as you know.
Sony ASOP is about the only thing keeping me interested in their lineups.
Better than Sam or Apple. But to be honest all cellphones are trash, satellite StarLink phone and others can’t happen soon enough or a decent Linux phone.
Its a solid plan.
I have the 1 VI, it’s great. No lineage available yet, might take a while
Is it bootloader unlockable?
If it is, try checking treble compatibilty.
If passed, Lineage may be supported.
Yes you can unlock the bootloader (not supported on the Japanese model and there is no US model this time), I’m not sure how well the camera system works on a gsi. On previous models they had to use proprietary blobs to get it to work properly
I got a 1ii and though LineageOS works great compared to stock, it still has its downsides - on the top of my head screen mirroring is lost and since LOS21 can’t make Magisk w/ zigisk work.
Does Sony still make phones ? … The last time I saw someone using a Sony phone was probably 8 years ago
Probably because you buy them upfront and online mostly and not from the service providers.
Sony phones are great for custom firmware support
Marketing and availablity. Unless you watch Phonereviews you probably have no idea these phones exist.
I probably would consider them, but their phones tend to have lackluster US carrier/band support and lack of security updates. Coupling that with the high price tag, no go.
I used to have an Xperia pro, the one with the physical keyboard. It was my last keyboard phone. I absolutely loved it.
Flashed a different OS, cyanogenmod I believe, which broke the governor chip (irreparable; known issue but super buried, would have done the same with any OS of that version number, including stock) so it would read as a dead battery if not on the charger.
Never touched Sony phones again. Don’t trust them at all.
Their phones are far too expensive and their software support is horrible.
I just bought a new phone. I went with a Galaxy again. I really wanted the Sony because it has a great feature set. However, I was not confident in long term support, which Sony has said will be much shorter than competitors. And it also cost about 30% more than the other flagship phones. I can’t justify spending more money for a phone that will last me half as long.
Stubborn ideologies, slow to changes, devices get abandoned after 2 years.
Used to be a big fan of Xperia phones up until the Xperia 5.
I loved my XZ premium . Would still use it if it hadn’t come down with an unfixable charging issue.
No entry level options, relatively lower specs for the price asked, mediocre software support. That being said, they are one of the few OEMs in their price segment to still offer headphone jacks.
Yeah headphone jack is a nice bonus, my only method of playing audio from my phone in the car is the aux cable
Me too. I bought a ugreen Bluetooth to aux adapter. Just a USB stick with wire an 3,5mm headphone jack on. Works great and I payed 20€.
They’re also comparatively “small” in this world of bricks.
My favorite phone was a Sony Xperia Compact. If they still have SD Card slots my next phone will be Sony.
Posted from my Xperia 5.
