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Sony has just announced a new variant of the Xperia 1. This one features hands-free Amazon Alexa, meaning that it would work like an Echo and would always be listening for that command. It’s essentially a Prime Exclusive smartphone, but not by name. You will still need to be a Prime member to get the discount.
To celebrate this new launch, Sony is offering a limited time $100 discount on the Xperia 1. So instead of it costing you $949, it’ll cost you $849. That right there basically pays for having Prime for a year, which is pretty cool.
The only real difference between this model and the regular Xperia 1, is having Hands-Free Amazon Alexa included. Otherwise, it’s the same great smartphone that you’d expect from Sony.
Internally, the Xperia 1 sports a Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. There’s also a pretty small 3330mAh capacity battery. It seems small, since Sony has outfitted the Xperia 1 with a 6.5-inch 4K OLED HDR display. However, when we reviewed the phone last month, we found that Sony’s software optimization was really good, and the battery lasted throughout the day – even after plenty of 4K video being played.
The real story with the Xperia 1 is going to be that display. It’s a 6.5-inch 4K OLED HDR display, which just sounds like alphabet soup. But basically, it has the best looking display on the market. The only thing that might turn some people off, is going to be that 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s taller than most other smartphones, but with that aspect ratio, it makes it a much better entertainment experience. Especially considering the fact that movies are shot in the 21:9 aspect ratio. On top of that, it makes dual-window pretty incredible, as you’re getting a larger window for multi-tasking.
The display isn’t the only real story though, for the Xperia 1. Sony has also brought over its Alpha team to the Xperia 1, to work on the triple-camera setup on this one. And it has worked out really well. So there’s three 12-megapixel sensors, with an ultra-wide, wide and telephoto sensor available. This is going to give you a great shot, no matter the condition. Additionally, it also works really well in low-light.
We can’t forget about the video capabilities here either. There’s 4K recording support, but that’s nothing new. However, it does CineAlta, which is going to allow you to color-grade the video you just shot, so that it is as accurate as possible. That right there is a game-changer. LG has done some cool stuff with video, but nothing like this, yet.
The Xperia 1 is made for content creators, and now that Amazon is selling it with Alexa Hands-Free and a $100 discount, now is definitely the time to pick one up. This discount won’t be around for long, however, Sony says that it will be $849 through August 26. If you are not an Amazon Prime member, and want to take advantage of this sale, you can do so by signing up for a free trial of Prime here.
You can pick up the Xperia 1 with Hands-Free Alexa from Amazon using the link below.
Sony Xperia 1 - Amazon - $849