The Sony Xperia Pro: A Revolutionary Camera and Monitor Hybrid

As I recently had the opportunity to test the pre-production version of the Sony Xperia Pro, I was blown away by its capabilities and versatility. The device is a 5G-enabled camera monitor hybrid that combines the best features of both worlds, making it an ideal tool for content creators, photographers, and videographers.

One of the standout features of the Xperia Pro is its ability to access menu settings and control recording functions directly from the phone. This is particularly useful for Sony cameras, as the app seems to be designed specifically with their devices in mind. The phone's HDMI input also allows users to connect an external monitor, such as a mini teleprompter stand, which can greatly improve video quality during Zoom meetings or live broadcasts.

The Xperia Pro's camera capabilities are certainly impressive, particularly when paired with its 5G cellular modem. This enables users to stream high-quality video content directly from the device, making it ideal for live streaming platforms like YouTube and Twitch. The phone's built-in cameras can also be used for this purpose, but why would you want to when you have access to a dedicated camera like the Sony A7S III? The Xperia Pro's ability to use 5G speeds makes it an attractive option for those who need high-speed data for live broadcasting.

One of the unique features of the Xperia Pro is its use as a mobile broadcast device. It can be used in conjunction with a network visualizer app that helps pinpoint the best way to position the phone for optimal signal reception, and the built-in 5G antennas provide four different options for achieving the best possible connection. This makes it an ideal tool for live broadcasting events, where a stable and high-quality connection is crucial.

Another interesting feature of the Xperia Pro is its ability to use a combination of 5G and the micro HDMI port to stream 4K video content directly from external cameras. This is a game-changer for content creators who want to capture high-quality footage on location, without having to tether themselves to a computer or other device.

The Xperia Pro also has a built-in network visualizer app that can help you pinpoint the best way to position your phone for a live broadcast so one of the reasons behind the practical looking body of the xperia pro is that it houses four different 5g antennas so those antennas along with that app allows you to get the optimal signal for a live broadcast.

The device's built-in network visualizer app only showed me 4G LTE availability, which literally surrounds me and last just as the xperia 5 mark ii brought support for usbc tethering to the A7 S3 for speedy photo file transfers to an ftp server file transfer protocol. The Xperia Pro inherits this ability but with the addition of 5G you could have even faster speeds in theory.

In conclusion, aside from proving all of its capabilities, the $2500 price will definitely cause sticker shock for many people. However, when you add up the features, including phone, 4K monitor, and 5G cellular modem, the price becomes a lot easier to swallow. The question remains, is the Xperia Pro for you? If you're someone who lives and breathes photography and video capture, or if you're into doing live broadcasts over 5G, this device may be an ideal addition to your arsenal. Share your thoughts in the comments below.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is the new sony xperia pro and it is absolutely one of the most compelling phones i've seen in a long time let's take a look over the past few years phones like the xperia one mark ii and the xperia 5 mark ii moved sony phones away from the mainstream and confidently toward photo and video enthusiasts the new sony xperia pro is the most extreme example of this move to date the 2500 phone isn't meant to compete with the likes of the iphone 12 pro max or the samsung galaxy s21 ultra what makes it unique is how an hdmi input transforms the xperia pro into several other devices for photographers videographers and live broadcasters it's a phone a camera monitor a speedy photo file transfer device and a 5g broadcast live streaming machine i got my hands on a pre-production xperia pro which is essentially an xperia one mark ii repackaged into a new slightly bigger body complete with a micro hdmi port it looks unabashedly plain and utilitarian which is fantastic luckily sony kept the squared off side so you can still stand it up on its own it has a dedicated shutter button a side mounted power button slash fingerprint reader and a hardware shortcut key it has the same easy to open dual sim card tray that can also be used with a micro sd card for expanded storage it has the same cameras and seems capable of taking the same excellent photos and videos as the xperia 1 mark ii this also means it has the same snapdragon 865 chip and still runs android 10. though it did get a boost in ram and now has 12 gigabytes so since 90 of this phone is the same as the xperia one mark ii i encourage you to take a look at my review video of that phone for an in-depth analysis of all of those features so you might be wondering if it's the same as the xperia 1 mark ii why does it cost 2500 well that's where things get very interesting and very niche you see the xperia pros 6.5 inch 4k display 5g connectivity the first for a sony phone in the us and hdmi input turned this into a handful of professional tools for photographers video shooters and content creators and even if you're one of those people this still might not be exactly for you the xperia pro can be used as a 4k field monitor for a dedicated external camera it works with any camera that has an hdmi output you simply connect the phone and the camera turn the camera on open up the aptly named external monitor app on the xperia pro depending on your camera settings and output you'll see a preview of what you're filming on the phone to give you an idea of why you might prefer the xperia pro over a cheaper camera monitor here's the affordable 4k camera monitor i use and you can see attached to it is a giant battery that powers it which maybe lasts 45 minutes or less depending on how bright the screen is the xperia pro has a 4 000 milliamp hour battery which lasts for hours and if i need to charge it while on the camera i could plug it in with a usbc cable and a portable charger or a portable battery instead of controlling the monitor with these goofy early 2000s generic computer display buttons i can interact with the xperia pro like a phone to zoom the image in or out i simply pinch the app also has tools for screen lock brightness control grid lines frame lines and a 180 degree image flip now smartly sony hasn't made any of this functionality proprietary i tried the pro out with both a sony a7s iii camera and a panasonic s1h mirrorless camera and the app worked great for both some nitpicks here now since the image of the video feed is well it doesn't take up the whole screen i wish i could offset it to the left or right side of the display and then have the other half of the display for easily accessing controls and menus and since most mirrorless cameras nowadays have their own app for remote control it would be nice to see a version of the external monitor app that lets you access menu settings and the ability to stop and start a recording and maybe that's the kind of function that would be limited to sony cameras since sony makes the app look it doesn't exist but it would be welcome but the fun doesn't stop there you see the phone can accept really any hdmi input so i plugged it into my computer using an hdmi cable and put the phone inside a mini teleprompter stand so if i'm in a zoom meeting i can use the video feed from my camera into the computer and then i can use the other person's zoom feed through the xperia pro and it shows up on my teleprompter and now i don't have that weird back and forth eye contact thing going on and this is great for a zoom video or any video chat that's being recorded i get the nice image quality out of a dedicated camera without constantly looking away from it when i'm listening to the other person as a field monitor the xperia pro does a pretty good job however outdoors i did have trouble seeing the screen sometimes because it doesn't get very bright in sunlight i would definitely need to add some sort of shade around it if i was going to use it i should also mention that the external monitor apps seemed buggy to me but again this was a pre-production unit that i was testing hopefully it's something addressed in the final version and yeah it just shouldn't be buggy for 2500 now i do wish there was a way to record a video signal coming in from hdmi like other high-end monitors can that kind of functionality would really appeal to me in the kind of work i do then using a combination of 5g and the micro hdmi port you can actually live stream 4k video content from a dedicated external camera what's great is you can do this directly to social media platforms like youtube and twitch and that means i can use a sony a7 a7s3 camera and a really nice lens to capture video live and use the xperia pro to upload the video signal over 5g preferably millimeter wave i should note that this pre-production xperia protested only supported 5g millimeter wave but i didn't have millimeter wave 5g anywhere near where i was filming to take advantage of the speeds the final version of the xperia pro will support both sub 6 and millimeter wave 5g so that means you can basically use it anywhere you can also use the built-in cameras on the phone to stream live but come on when you have access to such a fantastic dedicated camera like a sony a7s iii why would you want to use the phone cameras to do that remember when i said that this phone was aimed at a niche audience well this particular feature definitely is now an interesting proof of concept that sony shared with me was on full display along the sidelines of nfl games in the form of a camera rigged nicknamed the megalodon it's made up of a sony alpha mirrorless camera a gimbal a monitor and a cellular modem which was in the camera operator's backpack and that cellular modem allowed the camera person to share his signal to the broadcast truck wirelessly so that means a camera operator isn't tethered to a giant physical cable and it's not hard to imagine an xperia pro being used in lieu of a cellular modem and or the monitor to find the best 5g support there's a built-in network visualizer app that can help you pinpoint the best way to position your phone for a live broadcast so one of the reasons behind the practical looking body of the xperia pro is that it houses four different 5g antennas so those antennas along with that app allows you to get the optimal signal for a live broadcast since where i was filming only had sub 65d support and the phone doesn't support that the network visualizer app only showed me 4g lte availability which literally surrounds me and last just as the xperia 5 mark ii brought support for usbc tethering to the a7 s3 for speedy photo file transfers to an ftp server file transfer protocol the xperia pro inherits the same ability but with the addition of 5g you could have even faster speeds in theory so to wrap things up aside from proving all of its capabilities the 2500 price will definitely cause sticker shock for many people but if you add up its functionality phone 4k monitor 5g cellular modem the price becomes a lot easier swallow but the question remains is the xperia pro for you so i want to hear from you guys what do you think of the sony xperia pro are you someone who lives and breathes photography and video capture are you into doing live broadcast over 5g throw your thoughts in the commentsthis is the new sony xperia pro and it is absolutely one of the most compelling phones i've seen in a long time let's take a look over the past few years phones like the xperia one mark ii and the xperia 5 mark ii moved sony phones away from the mainstream and confidently toward photo and video enthusiasts the new sony xperia pro is the most extreme example of this move to date the 2500 phone isn't meant to compete with the likes of the iphone 12 pro max or the samsung galaxy s21 ultra what makes it unique is how an hdmi input transforms the xperia pro into several other devices for photographers videographers and live broadcasters it's a phone a camera monitor a speedy photo file transfer device and a 5g broadcast live streaming machine i got my hands on a pre-production xperia pro which is essentially an xperia one mark ii repackaged into a new slightly bigger body complete with a micro hdmi port it looks unabashedly plain and utilitarian which is fantastic luckily sony kept the squared off side so you can still stand it up on its own it has a dedicated shutter button a side mounted power button slash fingerprint reader and a hardware shortcut key it has the same easy to open dual sim card tray that can also be used with a micro sd card for expanded storage it has the same cameras and seems capable of taking the same excellent photos and videos as the xperia 1 mark ii this also means it has the same snapdragon 865 chip and still runs android 10. though it did get a boost in ram and now has 12 gigabytes so since 90 of this phone is the same as the xperia one mark ii i encourage you to take a look at my review video of that phone for an in-depth analysis of all of those features so you might be wondering if it's the same as the xperia 1 mark ii why does it cost 2500 well that's where things get very interesting and very niche you see the xperia pros 6.5 inch 4k display 5g connectivity the first for a sony phone in the us and hdmi input turned this into a handful of professional tools for photographers video shooters and content creators and even if you're one of those people this still might not be exactly for you the xperia pro can be used as a 4k field monitor for a dedicated external camera it works with any camera that has an hdmi output you simply connect the phone and the camera turn the camera on open up the aptly named external monitor app on the xperia pro depending on your camera settings and output you'll see a preview of what you're filming on the phone to give you an idea of why you might prefer the xperia pro over a cheaper camera monitor here's the affordable 4k camera monitor i use and you can see attached to it is a giant battery that powers it which maybe lasts 45 minutes or less depending on how bright the screen is the xperia pro has a 4 000 milliamp hour battery which lasts for hours and if i need to charge it while on the camera i could plug it in with a usbc cable and a portable charger or a portable battery instead of controlling the monitor with these goofy early 2000s generic computer display buttons i can interact with the xperia pro like a phone to zoom the image in or out i simply pinch the app also has tools for screen lock brightness control grid lines frame lines and a 180 degree image flip now smartly sony hasn't made any of this functionality proprietary i tried the pro out with both a sony a7s iii camera and a panasonic s1h mirrorless camera and the app worked great for both some nitpicks here now since the image of the video feed is well it doesn't take up the whole screen i wish i could offset it to the left or right side of the display and then have the other half of the display for easily accessing controls and menus and since most mirrorless cameras nowadays have their own app for remote control it would be nice to see a version of the external monitor app that lets you access menu settings and the ability to stop and start a recording and maybe that's the kind of function that would be limited to sony cameras since sony makes the app look it doesn't exist but it would be welcome but the fun doesn't stop there you see the phone can accept really any hdmi input so i plugged it into my computer using an hdmi cable and put the phone inside a mini teleprompter stand so if i'm in a zoom meeting i can use the video feed from my camera into the computer and then i can use the other person's zoom feed through the xperia pro and it shows up on my teleprompter and now i don't have that weird back and forth eye contact thing going on and this is great for a zoom video or any video chat that's being recorded i get the nice image quality out of a dedicated camera without constantly looking away from it when i'm listening to the other person as a field monitor the xperia pro does a pretty good job however outdoors i did have trouble seeing the screen sometimes because it doesn't get very bright in sunlight i would definitely need to add some sort of shade around it if i was going to use it i should also mention that the external monitor apps seemed buggy to me but again this was a pre-production unit that i was testing hopefully it's something addressed in the final version and yeah it just shouldn't be buggy for 2500 now i do wish there was a way to record a video signal coming in from hdmi like other high-end monitors can that kind of functionality would really appeal to me in the kind of work i do then using a combination of 5g and the micro hdmi port you can actually live stream 4k video content from a dedicated external camera what's great is you can do this directly to social media platforms like youtube and twitch and that means i can use a sony a7 a7s3 camera and a really nice lens to capture video live and use the xperia pro to upload the video signal over 5g preferably millimeter wave i should note that this pre-production xperia protested only supported 5g millimeter wave but i didn't have millimeter wave 5g anywhere near where i was filming to take advantage of the speeds the final version of the xperia pro will support both sub 6 and millimeter wave 5g so that means you can basically use it anywhere you can also use the built-in cameras on the phone to stream live but come on when you have access to such a fantastic dedicated camera like a sony a7s iii why would you want to use the phone cameras to do that remember when i said that this phone was aimed at a niche audience well this particular feature definitely is now an interesting proof of concept that sony shared with me was on full display along the sidelines of nfl games in the form of a camera rigged nicknamed the megalodon it's made up of a sony alpha mirrorless camera a gimbal a monitor and a cellular modem which was in the camera operator's backpack and that cellular modem allowed the camera person to share his signal to the broadcast truck wirelessly so that means a camera operator isn't tethered to a giant physical cable and it's not hard to imagine an xperia pro being used in lieu of a cellular modem and or the monitor to find the best 5g support there's a built-in network visualizer app that can help you pinpoint the best way to position your phone for a live broadcast so one of the reasons behind the practical looking body of the xperia pro is that it houses four different 5g antennas so those antennas along with that app allows you to get the optimal signal for a live broadcast since where i was filming only had sub 65d support and the phone doesn't support that the network visualizer app only showed me 4g lte availability which literally surrounds me and last just as the xperia 5 mark ii brought support for usbc tethering to the a7 s3 for speedy photo file transfers to an ftp server file transfer protocol the xperia pro inherits the same ability but with the addition of 5g you could have even faster speeds in theory so to wrap things up aside from proving all of its capabilities the 2500 price will definitely cause sticker shock for many people but if you add up its functionality phone 4k monitor 5g cellular modem the price becomes a lot easier swallow but the question remains is the xperia pro for you so i want to hear from you guys what do you think of the sony xperia pro are you someone who lives and breathes photography and video capture are you into doing live broadcast over 5g throw your thoughts in the comments\n"