The Sony Xperia Pro looks unabashedly utilitarian

The $2,500 Sony Xperia Pro is a phone, a camera monitor, a speedy photo file-transfer device and a 5G broadcast/livestreaming machine. Here it is set up as a teleprompter monitor showing the person I'm talking to on a Zoom call.

The Xperia Pro is essentially an Xperia 1 II repackaged into a new, slightly bigger body with the addition of a micro-HDMI port.

It looks plain and utilitarian, which is perfect for a professional piece of equipment. 

It has a dedicated shutter button, a side-mounted power button/fingerprint reader and a new hardware shortcut button.

Yes, the Xperia Pro has a headphone jack.

It has the same easy-to-open dual-SIM card tray that can also be used with a microSD card for extra storage.

On the bottom is a USB-C port, and a micro-HDMI port that can accept video input.

One of the main appeals of the Xperia Pro is that you can use it as a 4K field monitor for a dedicated camera.

A network visualizer app helps you position the Xperia Pro in the best direction to get the strongest 5G signal. I'm just getting 4G here.

To use it as a monitor, simply connect your camera and the Xperia Pro using an HDMI cable (one that has a micro-HDMI connector for the Pro) and then open the aptly named External Monitor app.

Unlike many 4K field monitors, you can control the Xperia Pro like a phone. You can pinch to zoom the preview image larger or smaller. 

The Pro's External Monitor app also has tools for screen lock, brightness control, zooming, grid lines, frame lines and a 180-degree image flip.

My current 7-inch 4K monitor mounted on a Sony A7SIII camera.

The Xperia Pro and its 6.5-inch 4K display mounted on a Sony A7SIII camera.

The Xperia Pro is a much smaller, more convenient package.

For more on the Sony Xperia Pro, read my in-depth review.