Sony phones don't sell in great numbers, but they have established a reputation. The majority of the time, it is their displays that have made them so well-known. Whether it is the first 4K display or simply how small they are, there is always a lot to discuss when a new Sony phone is released.
We made the decision to divide the phones into three categories: premium, flagship, and mini. Although we are including the Z Ultra in this list as well, the Premium models used to be referred to as that for a while. Regarding the minis, the majority of them belonged to the Compact line, and we have included a few prototypes.
The charts we've included make it simple to visualise the table's interesting story, which it does on its own. Nearly as important as what is present is what is missing. Take a look at the Premium segment's many gaps; those were special occasions. For more information on the first phone with a 4K display, see our Flashback post on the Xperia Z Ultra.
Should the Xperia 1 series have been placed in the Premium category? We discussed it, but there won't be any flagship models after that. The Xperia 5 series isn't particularly small, but it is the smallest Sony flagship. The same is true for the "minis".
The charts make it simple to see how Sony's lineup has changed over time. For a number of years, the flagships stuck with screens between 5.0 and 5.2 inches and a 1080p resolution, while the compacts adopted 4.6-inch 720p screens.
According to us, Sony's introduction of the Xperia XZ3 was a turning point. It was its first phone with an OLED display, replacing the Triluminos LCDs it had long promoted (which incorporated equipment sourced from Sony's TV division).
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But if you look closely, the XZ3 also substituted an 18:9 aspect ratio for the conventional 16:9. The XZ3's new screen helped it achieve a much better screen-to-body ratio, in contrast to Sony phones from previous years that received criticism for having relatively large bezels. The resolution of this phone increased past 1080p to 1,440 by 2,880 pixels.
After launching the number series the following year, Sony completely revamped its selection of smartphones. The aspect ratio was widened even more to 21:9, which is now the standard for the Xperia 1, 5, and 10.
Screen sizes increased significantly across the board at the same time. Despite maintaining standard bezels above and below the displays, Sony was able to increase the StB ratio thanks to the new design. Sony phones now have front-facing stereo speakers in place of notches. Even notification LEDs are included.
Although it may have cost us the Compact line, Sony has developed a distinctive identity, a key component of which are flat, rectangular displays with exceptionally wide aspect ratios.
We should discuss the Xperia 1 series before we end. First off, the 4K label for the display resolution has an asterisk next to it. The display does have 3,840 pixels on one side, but due to its narrow aspect ratio, the other side only has 1,644 pixels.
Additionally, only multimedia should be rendered at that resolution; the interface is rendered at 1080p. Although 20/20 vision is pushed to its limit by these absurd pixel density figures. Additionally, Sony was late to the High Refresh Rate (HRR) party, which is another factor that we don't fully understand. The Xperia 5 II's 120Hz panel featured the company's first HRR display in 2020, and the Xperia 1 models started using it the following year.
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However, as we've emphasised numerous times before, Sony isn't "late" in implementing a certain feature (be it HRR, OLED or whatever). Instead, the company follows its own path, and occasionally it seems as though the Tokyo headquarters is unaware of the overall smartphone market.
