Sony has released another flagship camera phone, the Sony Xperia 1 VII, it updates the 1 VI, with a new 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera which uses a larger 1/1.56inch sensor. The focal length remains the same at 16mm equivalent, whilst the other cameras on the phone remain the same, with a 24mm equivalent main camera, and a variable telephoto zoom lens that gives an 85-170mm equivalent (3.5-7.1x) optical zoom. This remains unique to Sony, however, as we found out in our Sony Xperia VI review, the resulting images disappointed with soft images. Here’s hoping that Sony has tweaked the results in the new phone. The new phone also comes with a promised 4 OS updates, and 6 years of security updates.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI key features:
- 16mm ultra-wide-angle, 48MP, f/2.0, 1/1.56inch
- 24mm main camera, with 48mm crop mode, 52/48MP, 1/1.35inch, f/1.9, OIS
- Variable telephoto zoom 85-170mm, 3.5-7.1x with 4cm macro, 12MP, 1/3.5inch, OIS
- 12MP f/2.0 1/2.9inch selfie camera
- 4K 60/30p video
- 6.5inch screen, 19.5:9 FHD+, HDR OLED, 120Hz, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 5000mAh battery
- IP65/68 rating
- Headphone socket and MicroSDXC slot
- 4 major software updates, and 6yrs of security
- £1399 / €1499, orders start now, release June
From Sony: May 13th 2025, Sony today announced its flagship smartphone Xperia 1 VII, designed in collaboration with the engineers of its ‘α™ (Alpha™)’ digital cameras, ‘Walkman®’ portable audio players and ‘BRAVIA™’ televisions, and incorporating cutting-edge technologies found in these iconic dedicated Sony devices. AI technologies cultivated in these various fields are included that have been optimised for Xperia™ as ‘Xperia Intelligence’, these enhance the experience of its camera capabilities, audio, and viewing. For example, Xperia 1 VII offers a totally new camera experience for smartphones, new features named ‘AI Camerawork’ and ‘Auto Framing’ allow you to capture stable and framed composition videos even when you take your eyes off the shooting screen.
A camera feature that allows you to shoot with a stable composition without having to focus on the shooting screen
New features: ‘AI Camerawork’i and ‘Auto Framing’ii
The new ‘AI Camera Work’ feature helps to create pro level stable and framed videos, keeping the subject fixed in the centre of the composition, even in situations where you’re walking around while filming a moving subject. This is achieved through powerful image stabilisation and posture estimation technology, ensuring the subject’s position remains consistentiii so that professional-looking video is possible for even the most novice camera users. Additionally, ‘Auto Framing’ uses AI to track the subject and automatically crops the shot to centre it on the screeniv. When filming a moving subject, you can simply point the camera roughly at the shooting subject and it will automatically capture it without you having to chase it yourself. This Auto Framing, allows you to take two types of videos: one showing the whole scene and another cropped to focus on a close-up of the subject.
Ultra-wide angle lens
Xperia Xperia 1 VII has three rear cameras that feature a new 16mmv ultra-wide-angle lens equipped with a larger 48MP 1/1.56-inch sensor, approximately 2.1 times larger than the previous model, allowing for clear night shots equivalent to full-frame cameras, with low noise and wide dynamic rangevi. It has minimal distortion and can also capture close-up shots from about 5cm away for incredible macro photography. The wide-angle lens offers 24mm/48mm (equivalent to 2x optical zoom) vii and is equipped with the ‘Exmor T for mobile’ image sensor, which also has excellent low-light performance. Thanks to this excellent image sensor, high-quality footage with bright and clear video is possible even
when cropping the image using AI Camerawork and Auto Framing. Additionally, the telephoto lens provides optical zoom from 85mm to 170mmviii, allowing for high-resolution images of distant subjects.
Xperia’s best sound quality to date, inheriting the DNA of Walkman
In addition to a circuit design focused on sound quality, new components proven for their excellence in Walkman devices have been incorporated. This significantly enhances the sound quality when connecting wired headphones, achieving clarity as if listening on a dedicated music player. Furthermore, not only the wired but also wireless connection, the high-quality enhancement technology ‘DSEE Ultimate™’ utilises AI to allow even compressed streaming audio sources to be enjoyed with immersive, high-quality sound. The full-stage stereo speakers of Xperia, known for their sound quality, have undergone further adjustments to deliver even clearer sound across the entire frequency range, from high to low.
Display that reproduces BRAVIA’s high picture quality according to the viewing environment
To improve the viewing experience in bright conditions, an additional light sensor has been added to the back of the device which enables the adjustment of brightness and colour best suited to the conditions. Whether outdoors in bright sunlight or indoors in dim lighting, it accurately recognises the surrounding brightness and adjusts to the optimal brightness, colour gamut, and colour temperature for the environment. Outdoors, the combination of an improved peak brightness display panel and ‘Sunlight Vision’ that enhances visibility under direct sunlight, provides a comfortable viewing experience.
High performance powered by the latest chipset and a battery that supports two days of active use
Equipped with Qualcomm’s latest chipset, the Snapdragon® 8 Elite, the NPU, CPU, and GPU have each been improved by over 40%ix, meaning fast AI processing is supported during shooting and high-performance gaming environments while reducing battery consumption. Additionally, when “Processing Optimization” is turned on, it achieves up to 10%x power savings for specific uses such as social media, web browsing, and online video viewing and enable two days of active usexi. Furthermore, this device supports up to four OS version upgradesxii and six years of security updatesxiii, allowing for comfortable use over an extended period.
Consideration for the environment and accessibility
Xperia 1 VII includes accessibility features for camera use, such as a function that provides horizontal measurement information on the shooting screen through sound and vibration. The Android ‘TalkBack’ feature incorporates unique Sony enhancements for ease of use such as reading the menu in order of usage frequency allowing users to quickly access the features
they use most often. Additionally, the product box and internal tray use Sony’s Original Blended Material xiv, an environmentally conscious paper material, achieving a completely plastic-free packaging solutionxv. Furthermore, approximately 84%xvi of the materials used for some components inside and outside the device include environmentally conscious plastics such as SORPLAS™ which consists of recycled and plant-based resins.
Style Cover with Stand for Xperia 1 VII (QXZ-CBFS)
A dedicated cover for the Xperia 1 VII (sold separately) is also available and comes with a stand cleverly positioned to be usable in both vertical and horizontal orientations. The cover features both a grip and stand, making it easy to hold and provides stable shooting when combined with the included ring strap. The cover is available in three coloursxvii that match the device. Additionally, the dedicated cover uses approximately 78% environmentally conscious resins, including SORPLAS.
Pricing and Availability
Xperia 1 VII will be available to order from 13th May in Slate Black, Moss Green and Orchid Purple direct from Sony and select online retailers (depending on the country) for approximately €1499/£1399.
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