If Sony Should Stop Making Phones, at LEAST Tell Us Why?

We can always count on techies to “punch down” on brands with smaller marketing departments.

Sony is now apparently one of the targeted brands, falling into the techie “common knowledge” net of a company that ‘just can’t do anything right’.

It’s not enough to make videos celebrating Samsung and Apple on their own merits. We also need there to be phone “losers”, so Samsung and Apple can be seen ‘winning’.

Whether it’s refusing to include a Pixel in a camera comparison, or highlighting a Galaxy Fold in a Sony editorial. It seems we’re just going to keep reinforcing the same tired tropes that get our community mocked ruthlessly on Reddit.

It’s fine. This is fine.

I’m reluctant to share Austin Evans latest Sony “critique” for enabling any visibility of the piece. It’s a lazy hatchet job on Sony smartphones, but in the interest of commentary and critique, we should probably hold this up as an example of poor tech editorial.

On the This Is channel, we’re treated to a 15 minute “breakdown” of the Xperia 5ii, where Austin and Ken Bolido are spitting those tasty tech HOT TAKES!

We’re less than a minute into the video before the hack gag of complaining about the XPERIA naming convention is trotted out.

“It’s written out like XPERIA 5 eye eye FOR SOME REASON?”

“It reads like a Final Fantasy title…”

One might wonder if these super savvy geeks have ever held a camera before. Straining the incredulity of a phone name to its snarkiest limit. Especially on a channel titled ‘This Is‘.

When we start with the naming critique as some kind of barrier for discussion or consumer confusion, it sets an early expectation that they didn’t REALLY use the phone as much as they’re about to claim they did. It’s hack filler material to complain about “XPERIA 5 Mark 2” in a world of “Canon 5D Mark Four” or “Sony A7S Mark Three”.

You HAVE to complain about something on the phone, so of course you start with the name.

I will credit This Is for giving us a precious few positives before trying to skewer Sony as a brand. This hard-hitting, in-depth expose comes after a WHOLE WEEK of holding on to the phone. Their first compliment?

“I do like the physical feel.”

It feels nice in the hand.

Yet again, one of the most meaningless “filler” talking points found in current tech reviews. As if we haven’t spent a decade refining phone manufacturing to satisfy the grip of an evolved primate.

Of course, this point is almost immediately rescinded by describing the phone as “incredibly tall”. The XPERIA uses a 21:9 aspect ratio! That’s CRAZY! Let’s demonstrate this by placing an XPERIA next to an iPhone which has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio screen!

The practical difference between 21:9 and 19.5:9 isn’t really that extreme. Coupled with the fact that LG, Samsung, and OnePlus have all moved to similar aspect ratios, most hitting somewhere around 20:9. Cinema style screens aren’t that radical anymore.

But for this iPhone shot, let’s show the XPERIA straight up like a monolith, and let’s show the iPhone leaning and tilted at a thinner viewing angle from the camera. This Is is moving the goal posts around to make the iPhone look “normal”, and to make the Sony look more extreme by comparison.

At least our two hosts acknowledge that this narrow build helps while using the phone, and are all too happy to show off how that’s similar to the outer screen on a Galaxy Fold. If anything on the XPERIA is like a Samsung, that must be a GOOD thing worth highlighting.

About two minutes in, after detailing how unique and tall this screen is, Austin starts his “positives” off by proclaiming the XPERIA 5ii is “generic”. We just spent a minute talking about how the phone design was different and “incredibly tall”, but the phone is ALSO generic.

“It’s glass. It’s metal. There’s just not anything going for it.”

Sitting in front of him is an iPhone 12 Pro. Also made of glass and metal.

Hilariously, after calling it “generic”, Austin then fails to remember what the phone’s IP rating is. For someone who might claim to be good at this stuff, you’d maybe consider putting a cheat sheet on a teleprompter.

“IP sixty something… SOME degree of water resistance…”

The inclusion of a headphone jack gets some props, as does the power button fingerprint sensor. Two EXTREMELY unique hardware choices in a world of premium phones dropping headphone jacks and moving to in-display fingerprint sensors. However, Austin immediately needs to praise the S21 for having one of the best in-display fingerprint sensors. We can’t go TOO long before stroking the egos of Galaxy owners.

Austin also details the hardware shutter button for the XPERIA camera. In this moment, he also praises Sony Alpha cameras, because they use Sony Alpha cameras in their studio. If Austin uses Sony cameras in his studio, how could he be SO CONFUZZLED by the naming convention on Sony phones?

“We have Sony A7S Threes in the office…”

Ken and Austin take a few seconds here to praise how Sony moved the excellent camera controls from the Alpha camera line to the XPERIA. Remember this point, because later, they’ll trip over themselves to point out why that’s not really much of a perk.

“There are a lot of the ingredients here that are very very nice, but here’s the thing…”

We’re four minutes in now, and it’s time to start skewering the phone.

For everything “good” Sony does, Sony also “drops the ball”. The XPERIA camera shoots similar to the excellent cameras they use to produce their content in studio, but the COMPUTATIONAL photography isn’t as good.

The photos aren’t “amazing” enough. We get three TERRIBLY composed examples that one might assume were hastily shot in-studio while sitting down to produce this commentary. They couldn’t even be bothered to crop or zoom into the photo, instead shrinking it so it takes up even less space in a 1080p frame. They shoot on Sony Alpha A7S3’s, but they don’t even upload 4K videos.

“The computational photography is usually way smarter than you…”

“I don’t think a Pro mode is what you need on a phone.”

There you have it. Sony did an amazing job of porting an Alpha-style interface to this phone. Such a shame that NO ONE should use those controls, even if they have specific ideas of what their content should look like.

Austin then travels down a road of:

“I guess I might use that in a studio situation, but I’m not going to adjust every little setting for every shot I take”.

This of course ignores the fact that the Sony camera app has a full auto mode which largely operates like the “green box” mode on a standalone camera. You can also switch to Program mode if you want basic control over exposure brightness (Something they show Austin playing with in B-Roll).

“We get these Pro modes which are cool, but don’t really do much for you…”

When Austin claims we lose out on fun features like “Night Mode”, it just further showcases his ignorance of the platform. Sony has an auto scene detect that enables cleaner output while shooting in low light conditions. It’s not difficult to trigger.

Here’s the XPERIA Camera Pro app in Program Mode.

Here’s the XPERIA Camera Pro app in Auto.

And the resulting photo isn’t half bad. Not the most exciting ‘hyper-color’ night mode, but certainly a solid reproduction in near blackout conditions.

“It’s easy to forget how much is missing out of stock Android…”

Austin points out how even Pixel’s and OnePluses now use heavier skins on top of Android, and how the Sony experience is stark by comparison. I’m not sure what features he really feels are missing though.

“There are so many things I wish I had better control over…”

“There are reasons why people go for the Samsungs of the world over the Sonys…”

At no point do they list what those features are. It’s so “obvious” that “average consumers” gravitate to Samsung because of “features”, but none of those features are articulated.

Instead the duo take a detour here, in the middle of a video mostly focusing on the XPERIA 5ii, to pan the XPERIA Pro for being off the pulse, and too expensive. Again, we see a general conflating of different products, built for different consumers, as one overarching issue with the brand, but they also can’t tell us why competing products are better.

“It’s weird and wacky, but not in the way that will push them forward.”

We’re now seven minutes into this video, and roughly three minutes since our last Samsung plug, so now it’s time to pick up the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Samsung is the only correct way to stray from a traditional smartphone feature set. At $2000 of course.

The Z Fold is:

“about as weird and wacky as it can get, pushes the bar forward. There’s a lot of innovation here.”

“Sony making phones that are unique, the form factor is unique, but then there are so many things that it lets you down with…”

Austin’s transition to performance is awkward, as we still haven’t gotten any tangible insight on what features Sony let’s you down with, or why certain software features are desirable on competing products.

We glaze over the general specs, the Snapdragon 865, but the main point they’re building towards is the lack of 5G support in the USA, and the omission of wireless charging. These are points to consider when shopping a phone to be sure, but this isn’t much more insightful than reading over a spec sheet.

“To be fair, it has 20 watt fast charging, which is fine…”

Well, that’s not entirely fair, is it? The XPERIA 5ii significantly increased battery capacity in the same size shell over the 2019 XPERIA 5. Sony includes some of the most bleeding-edge power management features available on any phone, including the ability to NOT CHARGE your phone while it’s plugged in, to reduce battery degradation. “Fair” would be mentioning tangible consumer benefits which might appeal to folks looking for a premium experience.

“I will always go towards the phone that either works best for my use case, like the iPhone, or in the case of my second phone, the ZFold. You’re going to go back to the ZFlip…”

Now, I’m not sure how valuable wireless charging might be to you, but if the argument is:

“Don’t buy a $950 Sony when you could buy a MUCH more fragile ZFlip, with a smaller battery, and slower cabled charging for $500 more.”

I’m not sure we’re really crafting this commentary for ‘The Common Consumer’.

“It has a lot of things that I’m sure Sony imagines people would like a lot… I’m sure this headphone jack is phenomenal…”

I mean. You could just plug in some headphones and tell us if you thought it sounded good…

“The phone is good, but good is not good enough, when there are excellent phones everywhere…”

Austin repeats his point about how basic the software is, and the lack of features, with ZERO specific features mentioned. He reiterates how the camera app is lacking (though WE showed where that was somewhat incorrect), and then repeats his disdain over 5G and wireless charging. I’m starting to worry that neither Austin nor Ken tried doing much with this phone for the week they had it…

“This is also something I give LG flack, at least until recently…”

See, we ALWAYS need a brand to ‘punch down’ on. Until recently, that was LG. High profile enough to be the third place phone manufacturer in the USA, so it makes the perfect whipping boy to help Samsung “win” every implied comparison.

Ken spends some time talking about how LG has always recycled the exact same phones, has never been innovative, and has always failed in the consumer space.

But!

With the Wing, LG is turning it around! Now LG is doing some “weird and wacky”! NOW, LG is worth talking about! Because NOVELTY!

For two commentators SO CRITICAL of how LG and Sony have missed the boat with consumers, these two seem REALLY invested in phones that have hinges, which I’m sure are selling significantly better than traditional form factor phones. “Average Consumers” gave up on premium normal phones right?

Then they show us the video of Austin hosting a product launch for the LG Wing.

I’m sure their opinions on LG products have not been swayed by recent collaborations with the brand. Maybe Sony should hire Austin and Ken to do some promo work, and then they’d probably understand some of the XPERIA features better…

“Sony is making tall phones. They’re making really expensive camera monitors which also happen to have 5G for WHO? For WHY?”

As a tech reviewer, let me share, that it’s not particularly difficult to stay on one topic, and critique one device, without dancing around other comparisons. When you really use a product, it’s pretty easy to talk about the pros and cons of that product staying focused on that specific product. But I digress…

“Sony used to innovate SO much… They would do wacky wacky stuff…”

Now were remembering the history of Sony products, like the VAIO and the OLD Sony Ericsson devices.

I’m always game for a fun trip down memory lane, but if the only aspect of tech reviewing that appeals to you is the most absurd flavor of novelty, I’m not sure we should count on your commentary for much practical insight.

“The Sony of today does not push the bar as much in a lot of the industries I feel like that might matter a little more to some people.”

And what industries might those be? The Alpha cameras you use in that studio? The Playstation 5, where the controller is featured behind Austin? We’re grading XPERIA on the least generous curve possible, but we’ve yet to articulate much beyond 5G and wireless charging.

“Sony makes good phones, but they’re not great. Sony needs to make a decision. Are they going to go down the Samsung route… of actually making this a real ‘serious’ part of their business, are they going to double or triple their investment to make these devices more feature complete, where they’re not dropping out wireless charging and 5G at a thousand dollars, and are they actually going to deliver some of these new and innovative form factors to stay ahead of everyone, or to try and catch up really, OR are they just going to stop making phones.”

I mean. Wow. That’s a hot take right there.

Sony you have two options: You can satisfy Austin and Ken’s thirst for hinges and novelty, or you can see yourself out.

I don’t know that I’ve recently seen as entitled and elitist a take on consumer tech in a long while. Delivered with the utmost confidence, and with the most shallow, surface-level understanding of the product being critiqued.

“Significantly more expensive than something like an S21 which I was coming from, which I like better in literally every possible way except it’s slightly wider…”

And that brings us home to the crux of this commentary.

Videos like these don’t serve to inform or educate. I’m not saying guys like Ken and Austin shouldn’t have personal preferences. However, positioning your commentary as some objective look at the industry rings hollow and false when your commentary is nothing more than a shallow collection of truisms designed to help the most popular products win.

Austin prefers the S21 in “nearly every way” to the XPERIA, but near as I can tell from this single episode of This Is, all Austin does on a phone is “use 5G”, shoot full auto HDR, and charge a phone wirelessly.

There’s nothing else here. There’s no meat to this rant.

“I’m sure you could buy this subsidized for a bit cheaper…”

Well Ken, a VERY cursory examination of the topic you are here to discuss would indicate otherwise. Again, being prepared in the slightest for Sony as a topic would help. We’re not expecting you two to be perfect experts on everything Sony does, but covering the basics in a video would certainly help that influencer reputation. Unless it was never the point of this video to fairly assess the XPERIA 5ii…

“To me it feels like the XPERIA line exists because they still sell some of them in markets such as Japan, and it’s probably still enough that they’re if not breaking even, just losing a little bit of money and like, OK cool we have a little foothold in this space…”

Why would two tech influencers bother to look this up?

It’s just easier to speculate and get it wrong. Sony is a pretty brutal corporation, but while XPERIA sales are down year over year, the division actually carved out comparable profits. Sony is making more money per sale in 2020 than they did in 2019. It doesn’t take much Google skill to pull up a Sony financial report.

“My point is this. I want Sony to succeed. There are a lot of good ideas here, but they need to nail that execution.”

We’re wrapping up this video as shallowly as it started.

Over 15 minutes of “commentary”, and we’re no better off than the early impressions videos from when the XPERIA 5ii was first announced. No critical observation. No new insight. No particularly interesting strategies for a brand like Sony to consider. We could sum up Austin and Ken’s hot takes here pretty easily.

Sony! To succeed, you must:

• Add 5G
• Include Wireless charging
• Make a more unicorn puke HDR camera mode
• Design a phone with a hinge that few people will buy
• “Nail the Execution”
• Include features

We recently got a glimpse of how the outside community looks at us techies, our wacky thumbnails, and our shallow product evaluations. Videos like this probably won’t help our reputation among the greater population of tech consumers.

This was a lot of talking, but not much was really said. The B-Roll was pretty though. Those Sony cameras must be nice…