Sony Xperia Pro: The Real Pro or Just a Clause?

Sony has been infamous for launching phones with more focus on enthusiast features at the expense of everyday user experience. The same continues with the new Sony Xperia Pro. This new phone by Sony is a rebranded Xperia 1 Mark II with an added dedicated HDMI port. It might seem like a good addition for creators, streamers and gamers, however, the price is something that is grabbing a lot of attention.

Xperia Pro is powered by the previous-gen Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 with the same internal specs and display as the Xperia 1 Mark II. Now Snapdragon 865, even after the launch of the new and more powerful Snapdragon 888, is still a very good and relevant processor out there. That being said, the Xperia Pro is priced at 2500 USD which is way above than the Xperia 1 Mark II that was priced between 1100-1200 USD. This whopping price gap is the only deciding factor that can stop this phone from becoming one with the consumers.

Adding to that, the inclusion of the HDMI port won't be a utility for the common consumer. This phone has taken the narrowing consumer base of Sony phones to a whole new level. Talking about the HDMI port, the output from it is restricted to 21:9 aspect ratio meaning that anything that is being shot or streamed on a 16:9 aspect ratio will black out the sides of the panel while using the phone as an external display.

In cameras like the Sony FX 9 or the Sony a7S Mark III, the display provided is already decently sized. Switching to a Sony Xperia Pro won't bring in a huge difference as the 21:9 display is being letterboxed into a 16:9 display and the big black borders on the sides do not seem to solve the purpose. Another important thing to consider is that the touch response on the Xperia Pro doesn't respond when it is connected via the HDMI cable and needs to be toggled only with the navigation buttons on the camera.

Most of Sony's cameras like the FX 9 or a7S3 allow for native streaming meaning that you can actually use a regular old Xiaomi phone as a viewfinder. Granted that it is not going to be 4K, the screen will only be HD or an FHD panel, but you can still monitor media if that is what you aim at doing. So the real question is, Is this a new and improved addition to the Sony smartphone line-up to just a rebranding with a clause?