The Sony Xperia 1 VII high-end Android phone is here, and it presents itself as one of the most unusual camera flagships on the market, as Sony has installed a telephoto lens with continuous zoom and an ultrawide-angle camera with more than twice the sensor size. Sony’s Walkman team contributes hi-fi sound.
The successor to the Sony Xperia 1 VI (approx. $1,199 on Amazon) promises several exciting upgrades. This doesn’t start with the design, though, as the flagship looks uncannily similar to its predecessor, except for the new green and purple variants. Sony retains the wide bezels above and below the display, which at least eliminates the need for a notch or punch-hole for the selfie camera and front-facing stereo speakers.
Sony didn’t provide us with a complete spec sheet in advance, so it’s unclear whether the company will stick with the 6.5-inch LTPO OLED display of the previous model. In any case, people say the screen looks brighter in sunlight, while an additional ambient light sensor on the back should allow the device to adjust brightness more precisely during the day. According to Sony, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers 40 percent higher performance with lower power consumption, allowing the 5,000 mAh battery to last up to two days.
According to reports, the Xperia 1 VII’s 3.5 mm headphone jack offers the best audio quality of any Xperia smartphone to date, thanks to technology from the Walkman division. DSEE Extreme consistently enhances the sound of compressed music, whether users listen through wired or wireless headphones. Sony also claims the stereo speakers sound better than ever.
Three Lenses, Major Ultra-Wide Upgrade
The most significant upgrades, however, are the triple rear camera setup. This starts with the 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 16 mm lens (35mm equivalent), which features a 1/1.56-inch sensor, more than twice the size of the previous model. This camera can also capture macro shots from a distance of at least 5 cm.
The primary camera uses a fast Sony Exmor T sensor and a 24 mm lens. The in-sensor zoom is designed to simulate a 48 mm focal length with acceptable quality. Continuous zoom is available with the telephoto lens, with Sony opting for a lens with a 35 mm equivalent focal length of 85 to 170 mm, meaning the camera offers 3.5 to 7x zoom.
Sony has installed a dedicated camera shutter button on the right side of the frame to improve ergonomics when taking photos—the Xperia 1 VII ships with Android 15. They guarantees at least four major Android updates and six years of security patches, meaning the flagship will receive one more Android update than its predecessor.
Sony Xperia 1 VII Price and Release Date
The Sony Xperia 1 VII is now available in green, purple, or black for a suggested retail price of 1,399 GBP. A wrist strap is included. Sony offers an optional protective case that allows the smartphone to be used in portrait and landscape orientations. It is now available to pre-order in the UK via Amazon and will roll out in Europe and more countries starting June 6th, 2025.
Also see: Vivo X200 Ultra Quick Review
Sony Xperia 1 VII specs
- Display: 6.5-inch (1080 x 2340 pixels) FHD+ OLED HDR Display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 1-120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz Motion blur reduction, 240Hz Touch scanning rate, Creator mode “powered by CineAlta”—Inspired by Master Monitor color reproduction, DCI-P3 100%, ITU-R BT.2020 (REC.2020), Illuminant D65 White point, 10 bit tonal gradation, X1 for mobile, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection
- CPU/GPU: Octa Core Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 830 GPU
- RAM+ROM: 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, 256GB (UFS 4.0) internal memory, expandable memory up to 2TB via microSD card
- OS: Android 14 (4 OS upgrades and 6 years of security updates)
- Rear Camera: 48MP rear camera with Exmor T sensor for mobile, 1/1.35″ sensor, f/1.9 aperture, Hybrid OIS/EIS, 48MP f/2.0 aperture 1/56″ 104° 16 mm ultra wide-angle camera, 12MP f/2.3 (85 mm 28° FoV) to f/3.5 (117 mm 15° FoV) 1/3.5″ Exmor RS for mobile telephoto lens, 3.5 to 7.1x equivalent optical zoom, 21.3X hybrid zoom, ZEISS T* coating, Real-Time Eye AF (Human, Animal), Real-Time Tracking, 4K video recording
- Front Camera: 12MP front-facing camera with 1/2.9″ Exmor RS mobile sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 84° wide-angle lens, 4K video recording
- Features: Dual SIM (nano + eSIM), 3.5 mm audio jack, 360 Reality Audio, 360 Reality Audio hardware decoding, 360 Spatial Sound, Full-Stage stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos, DSEE Ultimate, Stereo Recording, Qualcomm aptX HD audio, Side-mounted Fingerprint sensor, Water resistant (IPX5/IPX8), Dust proof (IP6X)
- Connectivity: 5G (sub-6GHz) / 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 7 802.11 be (2.4GHz / 5GHz) 2 x 2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.4 LE, GPS/ GLONASS, NFC, USB 3.2 Type-C
- Battery: 5000mAh Battery with 30W (USB PD) fast charging, Xperia Adaptive Charging, Battery Care, STAMINA Mode, Qi Wireless charging, Battery Share function
- Dimensions: 162 x 74 x 8.2 mm
- Weight: 192g
