May is shaping up to be a busy month for phones with Samsung not only having announced its super slim Galaxy S25 Edge, but Sony also getting in on the action with the Xperia 1 VII.
Its latest flagship smartphone succeeds the Xperia 1 VI that launched in May 2024 and goes up against the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL and Apple’s iPhone 16 Pro Max. But, and it’s a big but, it’s more expensive than all of them, so what is it offering that others don’t?
Leaning on Sony’s strengths
The Xperia 1 VII integrates technologies from Sony’s imaging, audio, and television divisions – specifically its Alpha cameras, Walkman players, and BRAVIA TVs – through a system called ‘Xperia Intelligence’ aimed at improving the camera, sound, and display performance.
I’ll start with the camera as that’s long been a focus for Sony phones. It will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following phone trends over the last year that AI is involved here just like it is everywhere else. I know, I know, shock. For Sony, the headline additions for this seventh iteration of the Xperia 1 are its ‘AI Camerawork’ and ‘Auto Framing’ modes.
‘AI Camera Work’ is designed to enable you to capture stable videos without you needing to constantly look at the screen. It achieves this by keeping the subject centred within the frame using image stabilisation and posture analysis.
‘Auto Framing’ meanwhile, uses AI to track a subject and automatically crop the video to maintain focus on them. When using this feature, the device saves two video files: one showing the entire scene and another that is a closer, cropped view of the subject.
IMAGE CREDIT: SONY
What are the Xperia 1 VII’s specs like?
In terms of specs, the Xperia 1 VII has a triple-lens rear setup, as has been the case for the Xperia 1 since it first launched in 2019. For the Xperia 1 VII, the setup includes a new 16mm ultrawide lens with a 48-megapixel 1/1.56 inch sensor, which Sony says is 2.1x larger than the ultrawide lens on the Xperia 1 VI. This larger sensor is intended to enhance low-light photography and reduce image noise, as well as allow for macro shots. The primary 48-megapixel lens offers equivalent focal lengths of 24mm and 48mm for 2x optical zoom, while the 12-megapixel telephoto lens provides an optical zoom range from 85mm to 170mm.
When it comes to audio, the Xperia 1 VII leans on Sony’s Walkman line, incorporating design principles and components to improve the sound quality experienced from the phone when using it with wired headphones. The ‘DSEE Ultimate’ technology is also on board though, using AI to enhance the audio quality of compressed streaming content for both wired and wireless listening. The phone’s speakers have also been refined to deliver clearer sound across the entire frequency spectrum.
The Xperia 1 VII’s 6.5-inch OLED display has a Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, which is the same as the Xperia 1 VI. There is a new ambient light sensor on board the Xperia 1 VII however, designed to optimise the screen’s brightness and colour output based on the surrounding lighting conditions. It also has an enhanced peak brightness (Sony doesn’t specify what that is) and a ‘Sunlight Vision’ mode for better outdoor viewing.
Internally, the Xperia 1 VII is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, paired with 12GB of RAM. It houses a 5,000mAh battery, with Sony claiming two days use or up to 36 hours of continuous video playback.
Sony Xperia 1 VII price and availability
The Xperia 1 VII will be available for pre-order starting 13 May 2025 in Slate Black, Moss Green, and Orchid Purple through Sony and select retailers.
Pricing wise, it will cost around £1,399 in the UK and €1,499 in Europe, making it incredibly expensive. You’ll get four years of Android updates and six years security updates.
