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Sony Xperia 1 with 4K Display Arriving in Malaysia Soon
August 13, 2019 Andrew Cheng

Update 13 August, 6PM: Well, it seems like the Sony Xperia X1 will indeed be coming to Malaysia. This is confirmed in Lowyat.NET’s report, which quoted a Sony Malaysia representative. However, there are no further information yet on the local availability of the phone, though it will be sold at Sony Store outlets.

The original article follows.

Sony’s mobile division has been absent from the Malaysian market for quite some time now, but there’s a chance the Japanese company will be making a comeback in the very near future. In fact, Sony could be bringing in its latest flagship smartphone: the Sony Xperia 1.

Surprisingly enough, Sony Malaysia itself registered the Xperia 1 with SIRIM last week on 8 August. While this does not guarantee the local availability of the smartphone, it’s definitely a promising sign. If it does come to Malaysia, here’s what you need to know about the Xperia 1.

What makes the Xperia 1 a unique flagship lies in its display. While other phone makers are sticking with 19:9 or 19.5:9 screens, the Xperia 1’s display has a taller 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s touted as the “cinematic” aspect ratio, so when you’re watching movies on this phone, you won’t get black bars on the top and bottom.

Now, I’d argue the 21:9 display’s sheer length affects the ergonomics of the Xperia 1 – based on my hands-on with the similarly proportioned Sony Xperia 10 smartphones – but it does reduce the width of the phone, making it…somewhat easier to use with one hand. However, reaching for the top of the display, on the other hand, will be a challenge.

Nonetheless, the Xperia 1 does have an impressive screen on paper. Sporting a 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display, this is a very sharp and vibrant panel. According to Sony, the colour accuracy of the screen will also “bring you a picture that’s true to the creator’s vision.”

It’s a lofty claim, and we’ll definitely put this to the test if the Xperia 1 does make it here. On top of that, it’ll be interesting to see how the 4K display will impact the phone’s battery life, especially with its rather average 3,330mAh battery.

In the camera department, the Xperia 1 features a triple camera system. All three shooters have different focal lengths and 12MP sensors, so you are getting a wide angle camera, a regular sensor, and a telephoto lens. As for the front-facing camera, it’s an 8MP shooter.

Other specifications of the Xperia 1 include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM, 128GB of fast UFS storage, a microSD card slot, as well as an IP65/68 rating. Basically, befitting hardware for a flagship smartphone.

Given the cutting edge display and high-end hardware of the Sony Xperia 1, it’s a costly device. In the US, it retails at $950, which comes up to about RM3,985. Even for a flagship smartphone, that’s a pretty steep asking price. If the Xperia 1 arrives in Malaysia in that price range, it may be tough to recommend.

Of course, it wouldn’t matter if Sony Malaysia isn’t actually planning to bring in the Xperia 1. Rest assured, we will keep a close eye on the local availability of the flagship smartphone.

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