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    Sony unveils Xperia 1 II with triple cameras and focus on professional photo features

    Synopsis

    The company launched its first 5G smartphone with ZEISS optics for advanced camera capabilities.

    Sony Xperia 1 II is touted as the world's first smartphone to offer up to 20fps AF/AE tracking burst shooting.Agencies
    Sony Xperia 1 II is touted as the world's first smartphone to offer up to 20fps AF/AE tracking burst shooting.
    MADRID: Japan's Sony, which lags its South Korean and Chinese rivals in smartphone sales, on Monday unveiled a new handset featuring advanced camera technology to boost its appeal for video and film professionals.

    Speaking via web streaming from Tokyo, President of Sony Mobile Communications Mitsuya Kishida said the newest incarnation of the flagship Xperia 1, the triple-lens Mark II, will include features from the company's Alpha camera range, such as eye-tracking autofocus, as well as 5G connectivity.

    The premium-smartphhone company launched its first 5G device with ZEISS optics for advanced camera capabilities.

    Sony Xperia 1 II is touted as the world's first smartphone to offer up to 20fps AF/AE tracking burst shooting. It is equipped with a triple-lens setup with three focal lengths of 16mm/24mm/70mm, the official release notes. It packs a 21:9 CinemaWide 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G platform, and 4,000mAH battery. It comes with IP65/68 water resistance. Sony Xperia 1 II will be available in Balck and Purple in Europe. It will start shipping from late Spring 2020.

    The Japanese company had planned to present its new phones at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, but the event was cancelled because of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.


    In addition to announcing its first 5G smartphone, Xperia 1 II, the tech company also added a new smartphone to its mid-range segment, the Xperia 10 II.

    Sony Xperia 10 II boasts a 21:9 wide 6-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC, IP65/IP68 water and dust resistance, 3,600mAh battery, and Android 10 out-of-the-box, the official release notes.

    The highlight of the smartphone is the triple cameras that support 4K video recording and includes a 12-megapixel lens, and two 8-megapixel lenses with focal length combination of ultra-wide-angle (16mm), wide-angle (26mm) and telephoto (52mm). Sony Xperia 10 II will be available from Spring 2020 in Black and White colour variants.

    Equipped with three separate lenses, the new phone will include a dedicated app to allow finer manual control over video and photo settings. Along with the mid-range Xperia 10 Mark II, the phones should start to be shipped over the coming weeks, Kishida said.

    He also announced plans for a handset aimed at video and photography professionals. The Xperia Pro, which is still in development, will be able to livestream images over 5G connections from professional cameras via a micro HDMI input and will function as an external monitor for cameras.

    Sony, which usually pitches its phones to visually-minded users who appreciate the company's high-end screens and cameras, is a small player in the smartphone market, beneath the top 10 biggest sellers.

    It did not reveal the prices of the new phones.

    Analysts were sceptical the latest addition would boost sales as rivals such as China's Huawei or Korea's Samsung have already made a strong bet on high-performance cameras in their smartphones.

    "Sadly, it is hard to see how these devices will change @Sony Mobile's fortunes. Dependence on the home Japanese market is growing and Xperia Pro is clearly aimed at 5G services likely associated with Japanese Olympic Games," Ben Wood, head of research at consultancy CCS, said in a tweet. (Reporting by Silvio Castellanos and Nathan Allen in Madrid; Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine; editing by Andrei Khalip and Barbara Lewis)

    (With inputs from Reuters & ANI)

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