Sony Xperia 1 VII: A New Flagship Joins the Ranks
Sony enthusiasts rejoice. Sony's new flagship, the Xperia 1 VII, has officially joined the elite Sony smartphone ranks. This phone is chock-full of the latest technology, a photog's eye for detail, and an audio surprise for music buffs.
An Impressive Screen, No Notch to Be Found
And now on to that screen. The Xperia 1 VII boasts a gorgeous 6.5-inch OLED screen with pristine 2340x1080 pixel resolution. One of the standout features, however, is its adaptive refresh rate that seamlessly scales from 1Hz up to a full 120Hz depending on what you're doing. And because it's Sony, there's no pesky cutout; the front camera fits comfortably in the top bezel. Creators, listen up: the "Creator mode" handles 100% DCI-P3 color space and the D65 White Point standard. Its durability: It arrives with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the front and Gorilla Glass Victus at the rear.
Power Under the Hood
Performance is most certainly not an afterthought. The star of the show on the Xperia 1 VII is the mighty Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. That's backed up by a staggering 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB quick UFS 4.0 storage. Run out of space for your snaps, clips, and tracks. No issue – there's a microSD card slot accommodating cards up to a staggering 2 TB.
Moment Capture: The Camera Rig
Sony is famous for its camera tech, and the Xperia 1 VII does not disappoint. Here's what it brings to the table in terms of lenses:
- Main Camera: A 48 MP camera that uses Sony's Exmor T sensor (1/1.35"), f/1.9 aperture, 24mm equivalent focal length, and Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).
- Ultra-wide Camera: A second 48 MP lens, an Exmor RS sensor, f/2.0 aperture, a wide 104° view, and equivalent focal length of 16mm.
- Telephoto Camera: A 12 MP Exmor RS sensor (1/3.5") with practical variable zoom of 3.5x to 7.1x (85-117 mm equivalent).
- Front Camera: A 12 MP Exmor R sensor for selfies and video calls.
The camera system also gets a few AI intelligences. These include subject tracking and auto frame cropping when shooting video, as well as Sony's AI Camerawork processing methods to further refine your shots.
Sound That Reminisces About a Legend: Walkman Influence
This is where it becomes pretty interesting for audiophiles. Sony has particularly taken care of the audio side, going so far as to invoke the Walkman brand name in designing the audio pathway on the phone. They have also prioritized the gold-plated contacts on the wired headphone jack – something that audiophiles will surely value.
Battery, Software, and Durability
Keeping everything running is a 5000 mAh battery, which allows for fast charging at 30 watts and simple wireless Qi charging. The Xperia 1 VII will come with Android 15, and Sony is promising a solid software update plan: four major OS updates and six years of security patches. And on top of all that, the phone boasts IP68 protection, so it's weatherproof.
Pricing and Availability
Want to get your hands on one. The Sony Xperia 1 VII goes on sale on June 4th. Pre-orders in Europe are €1499.
It looks like Sony is going big with the Xperia 1 VII, pairing high-end performance with a strong focus on camera and audio quality. This positions the device as a consideration for your next phone.
