New Sony Xperia 1 II update makes the Xperia Pro seem like an even worse deal

Sony launched the Xperia Pro as a professional photographer aid and a smart external video monitor. Now, it seems that this aspect of the phone is no longer unique. Sony has pushed an Android 11 update to the Xperia 1 II that gives it similar external monitoring smarts to the Pro.

Per a Reddit post (h/t: XDA), the feature lets users connect their phone to a supported Sony Alpha camera as an attached monitor.

While the Xperia Pro remains unique in that it also features an HDMI type-D input, this omission doesn’t limit the Xperia 1 II. The phone can seemingly get around this obstacle with a USB-C to HDMI cable.

Great for users, a nightmare for the Xperia Pro?

It’s great for users that Sony is updating its current flagship with the unique capabilities of its most expensive smartphone. However, the update does throw into question the real purpose of the Xperia Pro. Beyond the HDMI port and shortcut key, nothing much separates the Xperia Pro and Xperia 1 II bar the $1,500 price difference. If you really need the 5G mmWave support, you can grab a cheaper smartphone.

For what it’s worth, it’s unclear if the update to the Xperia 1 II brings live streaming features for captured camera content. That’ll likely be a small miss for some anyway.

XDA believes the feature will also be rolled out to the Xperia 5 II in due course. This would sweeten an already saccharine deal. But there are no indications of this happening just yet. According to comments on the Reddit post, the update to the Xperia 1 II has yet to roll out in the US.

Android Authority readers found it difficult to justify forking out $2,500 on the Xperia Pro before. It’s now likely that Sony’s update will make that proposition even tougher.

If you’ve received the new update for the Sony Xperia 1 II, let us know in the comments.