Sony did something weird in 2019. They looked at the smartphone market, saw everyone making 16:9 or 18:9 screens, and decided to go long. Like, really long. The Sony Xperia 10 Plus was the result of that experimental phase, a mid-range phone that looked more like a remote control than a handset. It was tall. Narrow. Unapologetic.
People laughed at first. It felt like holding a chocolate bar. But honestly? Sony was actually onto something that the rest of the industry would eventually copy, even if they didn't do it as aggressively as the 21:9 "CinemaWide" display found here.
The 21:9 Aspect Ratio: Gimmick or Genius?
The headline feature of the Sony Xperia 10 Plus is that 6.5-inch IPS LCD. Most phones back then were stubby by comparison. By stretching the screen vertically, Sony created a device that could show a full cinematic movie without those annoying black bars at the top and bottom. If you watch a lot of Netflix or YouTube, you've probably noticed that many modern films are shot in 2.35:1 or 2.39:1. On a standard iPhone or Samsung from that era, you lost a huge chunk of the screen to "letterboxing." On the Xperia 10 Plus, the image filled the entire glass.
It wasn't just about movies, though.
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Think about scrolling. You’ve got more vertical real estate for Twitter (now X), Reddit, or long-form articles. You see more text before your thumb has to move. It also made split-screen multitasking actually usable. You could have a YouTube video playing on the top half and a WhatsApp chat on the bottom without both apps feeling cramped. Sony even included a "Side Sense" feature—basically a touch-sensitive area on the edge of the frame—to help you launch these split-screen pairs quickly.
But there was a catch.
The phone was incredibly tall. Reaching the notification shade with one hand was basically impossible unless you were a concert pianist with a massive wingspan. It poked out of jeans pockets. If you wore shallow pockets, the top of the phone was constantly visible, just waiting for a pickpocket or a gravity-induced disaster.
Under the Hood: The Mid-Range Reality
While the screen felt like a flagship experiment, the internals were strictly mid-tier. Sony packed a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 chipset inside.
Was it fast? No.
Was it enough? Mostly.
The 636 was a reliable workhorse, but it wasn't winning any drag races. Paired with 4GB or 6GB of RAM (depending on your region), the Sony Xperia 10 Plus handled daily tasks like email, browsing, and Spotify without much fuss. However, if you tried to play high-end games like PUBG Mobile or Genshin Impact, the frame rates would start to chug. It was a phone built for consumption, not heavy-duty production or elite gaming.
Storage was a standard 64GB, which sounds tiny by today's standards, but Sony kept the microSD card slot. That’s a hill many Sony fans are still willing to die on. Being able to pop in a 512GB card full of 4K movies was the whole point of having that 21:9 screen in the first place.
The Battery Paradox
The battery capacity was 3,000mAh. On paper, that looked terrifyingly small for a 6.5-inch screen.
Surprisingly, it held up better than expected because the Snapdragon 636 wasn't a power-hungry monster, and Sony’s software was—and still is—relatively close to "stock" Android. They didn't bloat it with a thousand background processes. Plus, the Stamina Mode was legitimately effective at squeezing out those last few percentage points of juice when you were stuck away from a charger. Still, for a "Plus" model, many users felt Sony should have pushed closer to 3,500 or 4,000mAh. It was a day-long phone, but barely.
Photography and the Dual Camera Setup
Sony is the king of camera sensors—they supply them to almost everyone else—but their own software processing has historically been a bit... hit or miss. The Sony Xperia 10 Plus featured a 12MP main sensor and an 8MP telephoto lens.
Having a dedicated 2x optical zoom in a mid-range phone was actually a pretty big deal in 2019. Most competitors were slapping cheap depth sensors or grainy macro lenses on their phones just to increase the "camera count." Sony gave you a lens that actually changed the perspective of your shot.
- Daylight Performance: Crisp, natural colors. Sony avoids the oversaturated "neon grass" look that Samsung used to favor.
- Low Light: This is where it struggled. Without a dedicated Night Mode like we see on modern Pixel or iPhone devices, the 10 Plus would get noisy and soft once the sun went down.
- Video: It could shoot 4K in 21:9. This was a niche but cool feature for aspiring filmmakers who wanted that "anamorphic" look without expensive gear.
The front-facing camera was an 8MP shooter housed in a pretty chunky top bezel. No notches. No punch-holes. Just a solid forehead at the top of the phone. While it looked a bit dated even then, it meant the screen was a perfect, unbroken rectangle. No sensors cutting into your movies.
Why People Still Look for This Phone
You might wonder why anyone cares about a mid-range phone from years ago. It comes down to design philosophy.
The Sony Xperia 10 Plus represents a time when Sony stopped trying to copy Apple and went back to being "Sony." It was industrial, elegant, and functional. It had a headphone jack (thank god). It had a side-mounted fingerprint sensor that was actually fast and ergonomic.
In a world of glass sandwiches, the Xperia 10 Plus used a metallic-finish polycarbonate. It didn't shatter when you dropped it. It didn't attract fingerprints like a forensic lab. It felt like a tool, not a piece of jewelry.
Common Problems and Real-World Wear
If you’re looking at a used model today, there are things you’ve got to watch out for. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner on this specific generation was notorious for occasionally "falling asleep" and requiring a restart to function again.
Also, the screen brightness.
The LCD panel on the 10 Plus isn't the brightest. If you're using it under direct midday sun, you'll be squinting. It’s not an OLED, so you don't get those deep, infinite blacks. In a dark room watching a movie, the "black" bars or dark scenes will have a slight grey glow. That's just the nature of the tech.
Comparing the 10 Plus to the Modern Xperia Line
Since the 10 Plus, Sony has refined this formula with the Xperia 10 II, III, IV, V, and beyond. They eventually switched to OLED screens. They made the bodies narrower and the batteries much, much larger.
But the 10 Plus was the "Grandfather of the Tall Phone."
It set the stage for the flagship Xperia 1 series. It proved that there was a market—albeit a small, loyal one—for people who valued ergonomics (width-wise) and cinematic viewing over following the latest trends.
Is it worth it in 2026?
Honestly? Probably not as a primary device. The software support has long since ended, meaning you're stuck on older versions of Android without the latest security patches. Apps are getting heavier, and the Snapdragon 636 is starting to show its age.
However, as a dedicated media player or a secondary "distraction-free" device? It’s still interesting. The 21:9 screen remains a fantastic way to watch films on a plane or a train.
Actionable Steps for Xperia Fans
If you are looking to buy or still own a Sony Xperia 10 Plus, here is how to keep it relevant:
- Replace the Launcher: Use something like Nova Launcher or Niagara Launcher. Niagara, in particular, is designed for tall screens and makes one-handed use on the 10 Plus feel like a dream.
- Manual Camera Apps: If you find the stock camera app too slow, try "Open Camera." It sometimes handles the legacy sensors better and gives you more control over the ISO to mitigate that low-light noise.
- Battery Health: Since the battery is small, avoid fast-charging it overnight. Use Sony's "Battery Care" setting to limit the charge to 80% or 90% if you're keeping it as a backup device.
- Media Server: Turn it into a dedicated remote for your home theater or a Plex client. That screen is too good to let sit in a drawer.
The Sony Xperia 10 Plus wasn't a perfect phone. It was underpowered and awkwardly tall. But it was different. In a sea of clones, Sony took a swing at a different way of interacting with a screen. We see the DNA of this phone in every 21:9 device on the market today. It was a bold, weird, and ultimately influential piece of tech.
Next Steps for Optimization:
Check your current device's screen aspect ratio. If you're on a modern flagship, you're likely already using a 19.5:9 or 20:9 ratio—just a hair away from the "extreme" height Sony pioneered. To maximize your experience on any tall Sony device, enable the "Multi-window switch" in the settings menu to take full advantage of that vertical space.