Sony Xperia 1 review: Powerful, but not sensible

There's little question that the Xperia 1 is the kind of device only Sony would make, and that no other smartphone maker out there is working with the same set of priorities. The rest of the time, though, it's enough to make you wish Sony had just made a few decisions differently.The new Xperia 1 is a powerful, ambitious smartphone that draws on Sony’s expertise with different kinds of hardware. It's a good thing Sony went with that durable glass here, too — as sleek and as well-put-together the Xperia 1 is, it's easily one of the most slippery phones I've used this year (only Apple's iPhones skitter to the floor with more regularity). If that sounds familiar, well, you've been paying attention — most other premium smartphones released this year have used a similar configuration, and as a result, they're all similarly fast.Admittedly, I wondered going into this whether the Xperia 1 could struggle in driving such a high-resolution display. Sony used to really go heavy with its skins, but it gave the Xperia 1 a cleaner, more focused vibe.More interesting are the features here that make this big screen more useful and usable. That said, if your hands are small enough that you'd need to use one-handed mode frequently, do yourself a favor and just buy a smaller phone.Side Sense, meanwhile, strives to make it easier to access important apps and settings without having to stretch your hand across the screen. When Sony talked up the Xperia 1 earlier this year, it talked a big game — this would be a phone that benefited from all the different kinds of hardware expertise inside the company. Sony's smartphone camera sensors are essentially the industry standard at this point, so it's probably no surprise that each of these cameras is capable of taking some pretty impressive, detailed photos.Sony's intelligent Auto mode is generally helpful, too. That was a specific decision to make sure those ultra-wide photos could capture as much of the space in front of it as possible, but most regular smartphone users will probably go hunting for that setting pretty quick.Beyond all that, Sony's camera interface still needs a lot of polish. People itching to make truly cinematic videos with their smartphones will probably still be better served by investing in third-party software, Cinema Pro seems like a great way to get impressive results without too much fussing.At the end of it all, the Xperia 1 is a powerful device, and I have to give Sony credit for bucking just about every smartphone trend out there to build something truly unique. We're all spoiled for choice when it comes to expensive flagship devices, and while the Xperia 1 definitely has its charms, they don't quite make sense for the masses.This is a niche gadget, through and through — if you're the kind of person who loves watching and making movies, you'll probably find something to appreciate here.