The good and bad part is, it feels like many hit smartphones from the past. There's a satin-like shimmer to the aluminum body, like we've seen on multiple Android phones in recent memory, and it all feels classy, if a little bit already-done. And while I'm more than happy with a phone that sticks to 1080p resolution, the screen quality isn't all that good. Tilt the phone away from square-on and the brightness and colors fade away. Bright spotlights and daylight soon make viewing a challenge unless I crank the brightness levels to full, and it already feels odd to see a new smartphone without a USB-C port -- aside from an iPhone, that is.

The aluminum engineering ensures it feels suitably premium though the press release fluff about how someone is going to want to use one for years and years is lost on me. Then again, Japan is the country where flip-phones still cling to life -- so perhaps VAIO has chosen the right market. Priced at more than $400, SIM-free, it might have to do a hell of a lot of networking to sell itself to the typical phone buyer: a challenge for all Windows phones.