Sony Xperia 1, the Long 21:9 Smartphone, Available for Pre-Order

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• wr3zzz - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  I am willing to spend a lot for technology but just don't see the point of spending $1000 for this generation of flagship phones. What can I do with a $1000 Snapdragon 855 phone that I cannot do with a $600 Snapdragon 845 phone? Hell, is there even a usage scenario where 845 makes that much a difference from a 660?

• flyingpants265 - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  You're right. I honestly do not see the difference between S8 and S10. I'm still using a G3. To me, S8 is still brand new. The "lag" and scrolling problem has been more or less persistent in every Android release.. it's been a full decade now and we're still falling for the specs scam..
  
  Everyone enable dev mode and turn off animations right now, suddenly your app-switching is light-speed, and you didn't even need to pay $1000 to upgrade.
  
  Here's what I would actually pay $$ for:
  -REAL WIRELESS CHARGING, i.e. a little desk-lamp with a beam that tracks your device and charges with 1 watt anywhere on a 5ft surface, not in your pocket.
  -Unbreakable screen, or easy/cheap replaceable glass if it breaks.
  -Waterproofing with WATER DAMAGE WARRANTY, this will force them to really go hardcore with the sealing, and protecting the components with a new kind of gel.
  -Focus on making a plastic back that feels premium (no more glass) so we can wirelessly charge.
  -A phone with front stereo speakers that get louder than most laptop speakers.
  -A special screen with ultra-low-power modes, for 24hrs of screen-time.
  -Vita-style game controller phone case. I've seen what's currently out there and it's a complete joke.
  -IR blaster, which has been mysteriously removed from many phones.
  -Grippable phone, flat sides.
  -Tap-to-wake feature should be on every phone.
  -Wireless headphones should last for days before I even consider using them.
  
  Can't think of anything else, besides the fold, which MAY come in handy in a few years, once all other problems are solved.

• flyingpants265 - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  Oh yeah, and a banana curve (Samsung Galaxy Nexus, LG G Flex) makes it a lot easier to hold. You know, like old house phones were curved..
  
  Notice I didn't mention 4k screens or 7 cameras...
  I also didn't mention any feature that already exists... because they already exist...

• Tams80 - Saturday, March 16, 2019 - link

  Android is a dog of an OS to run and Google have done very little to make it better. Not surprisingly though, as to fix Android's inefficiencies would require extensive work; at which point they might as well create a whole new OS. Android gives them money and control as it is anyway.
  
  It's rather tiring seeing reviewers fawn over the 'smoothness' of new devices. They say that EVERY TIME. If it's smoother every time though, was ever really 'smooth'? Don't get me started on battery runtime. Almost none of them revisit devices either, which is not representative of how everyone else uses devices.

• Wardrive86 - Sunday, March 17, 2019 - link

  Current crop of high end games (Shadowgun Legends, ARK, RoS, PUBG) Emulators like Dolphin, Damon, PPSSPP, Citra. You will notice huge differences between a 660 and an 845. This will only be magnified more soon with new releases like Oceanhorn 2, Cod LoW, Payday. Big difference in browsing performance, decompression, etc.

• BedfordTim - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  Sadly the short 16:9 version that I actually want to order never made it.

• hybrid2d4x4 - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  Out of curiosity, what's the use case driving these really tall aspect ratios?
  When the Mi Mix popularized small bezels, I thought "sweet, now we'll get shorter phones with the same screen size" but they just kept stretching the screen taller and taller :(
  What apps benefit from this? Or is this another round of greater diagonal lengths for marketing while giving us the same or less screen area?

• Death666Angel - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  Everything but some videos and some photos? Many programs I use on my smartphone are text based (browser, messaging, news) even Youtube with comments can take advantage of the increased vertical real estate. Many cinema movies are in 21:9 or thereabouts and with photos and other pictures, it is of course all over the place. But increased real estate can help with keeping the photo totally in view while offering buttons to edit above and below it. With my current 16:9 phone, the photo gets zoomed out when certain buttons (share / edit etc.) appear beneath it.

• flyingpants265 - Friday, March 15, 2019 - link

  Right, so we can use 17.5:9 or something. No need to go crazy and make the phone as long as a TV remote. Nobody can reach the top of the screen with their phone, they just accept it and use 2 hands. It's just bad design.

• Calin - Monday, March 18, 2019 - link

  Because total width is limited by anatomic concerns (size of hand), and the only way to increase display area (once the "wide" bezels of the previous 10 generations are gone) is to lengthen the phone.