Sony has officially launched the Xperia 1 VII, its latest flagship smartphone packed with top-tier audio and camera innovations — including technology borrowed from its legendary Walkman and Alpha product lines.
The Xperia 1 VII stands out with major upgrades on both audio and imaging fronts. Most notably, Sony has integrated high-end Walkman audio components for the first time in a smartphone.
It retains the 3.5mm headphone jack, a rarity in today’s flagships, and boosts wired sound quality with premium-grade resistors and integrated circuits. Wireless audio is also enhanced with LDAC support, DSEE Ultimate AI upscaling, and compatibility with 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Atmos formats.
On the camera side, Sony has stepped up from the Xperia 1 VI with a new 48MP ultrawide sensor (16mm equivalent) and kept the 48MP main sensor and 12MP telephoto zoom.
A standout addition is AI-powered Auto Framing, a smart feature taken directly from Sony’s Alpha camera lineup that creates dynamic close-up crops while shooting wide-angle scenes. It also boasts real-time tracking, eye autofocus, improved bokeh, and a telemacro mode with 4cm close-up focus at 120mm zoom.
For display tech, Sony adds adaptive brightness inspired by its Bravia TVs. The 6.5-inch OLED display now uses dual-sided light sensors to better adapt contrast, brightness, and color to ambient conditions.
Key Specs and Features:
- 48MP main and ultrawide + 12MP telephoto camera
- Walkman-grade audio with headphone jack
- AI Auto Framing and Pro Camera tools
- 6.5-inch OLED with adaptive brightness
- Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
- 12GB RAM, 256GB storage (expandable to 2TB)
- WiFi 7, vapor chamber cooling, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 5,000mAh battery with 2-day life claim
- Bonus: Free WH-1000XM5 headphones (worth $300)
Despite the impressive hardware, Sony has no plans to release the Xperia 1 VII in the United States. It is now available in Europe and the UK for €1,499 and £1,399 respectively, or around $1,700 USD.
