Sony has officially unveiled the Xperia 1 VII, keeping its familiar design while introducing powerful upgrades under the hood.
The phone brings new camera tech, AI-enhanced features, and a performance boost with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. It’s set to ship in June across Europe and the UK, starting at £1,399/€1,499.
Visually, the Xperia 1 VII stays close to its predecessor, but debuts in two new colors—Moss Green and Orchid Purple—alongside Slate Black. It features a 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED Bravia display, which is 20% brighter than before, and now uses dual ambient light sensors for more accurate brightness and color adjustments.
Key Upgrade: The Ultrawide Camera
Sony kept the main 24mm wide camera and the 85-170mm telephoto lens unchanged, but the ultrawide camera got a big upgrade. It still uses a 16mm lens, but now with a brighter f/2.0 aperture and a much larger 1/1.56-inch Exmor RS sensor, improving low-light shots and detail capture significantly.
The camera system is further boosted by AI features like real-time eye autofocus, subject recognition, white balance tuning, exposure optimization, and AI-based depth sensing. There’s also Ultra HDR support for vivid photos on HDR displays.
Audio and Performance
Sony’s audio commitment remains strong—the 3.5mm headphone jack stays, with enhanced gold solder for better signal quality. The stereo speakers now deliver 10% richer bass, tuned with help from Sony Music Entertainment. Internally, the Xperia 1 VII packs 12GB of RAM, Wi-Fi 7, improved Bluetooth throughput, and 256GB of storage, expandable via microSD.
The device runs on Android 15 out of the box, and Sony promises 4 years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches.
Battery Life and Durability
With a 5,000mAh battery, Sony says the Xperia 1 VII can last two full days or up to 36 hours of video playback. It supports 30W fast charging, and Sony’s battery protection features aim to preserve over 80% capacity after 4 years. The phone is also IP68-rated and uses Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and Victus on the back for added toughness.
The Xperia 1 VII may look familiar on the outside, but with a faster chip, smarter camera, and brighter display, it’s shaping up to be one of Sony’s most refined flagship phones yet.
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