Sony announces Xperia 1 Professional Edition in Japan

Sony’s Xperia 1 is a good (but niche) smartphone, but it’s run here in the West has largely been unsuccessful. However, Sony is doubling down on the handset… but only in Japan. Earlier today, Sony announced the Xperia 1 Professional Edition. 

The Xperia 1 Professional Edition (PE) is essentially the same phone as the Xperia 1, save for a few small tweaks. The screen has been slightly altered to support a 10-bit signal depth and is factory-calibrated with an Illuminant D65 color profile. Otherwise, it sports the same 4K resolution as the standard Xperia 1 with the same 21:9 aspect ratio.

The Xperia 1 PE also supports wireless connections with Sony cameras, allowing photographers and videographers to transfer images and videos directly to the smartphone. This is done via the Imaging Edge Mobile app that Sony includes on the Xperia 1 PE. Users can also attach tags and voice recordings to photos through the Transfer and Tagging add-on.

Lastly, the Xperia 1 PE brings Ethernet support to the USB Type-C charging port. While connecting a phone to a network via Ethernet is not too common in our wireless world, it has its uses. Those that need a more reliable connection or faster speeds would benefit from a hard-line connection. 

Other than these changes, the Xperia 1 PE is the same as its unemployed brother, the standard Xperia 1. However, the Xperia 1’s PE price is significantly higher. The souped-up smartphone will go on sale October 25 in Japan only for JP ¥143,000, or about US $1,320. Compared to the standard Xperia 1’s US $899 price tag, that’s quite a premium for some small features. 

Xperia 1 on sale now at Amazon