Say what you want about Sony’s Xperia 1 series flagships, but the Japanese tech giant’s efforts in keeping its premium-tier smartphones feeling familiar thanks to signature hardware traits is sorely needed, especially in a day and age where smartphone manufacturers are reducing battery sizes in lieu of design and other such shenanigans. That being said, the Xperia 1 VII is now official, and it somewhat unsurprisingly doesn’t change a lot of things.
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In terms of aesthetics, the Xperia 1 VII is nearly indistinguishable from last year’s Xperia 1 VI, as it does feature the same general look and design profile. You still get that bit of bezel on the top and bottom of the display, which adds a bit of identity to the Xperia 1 VII. As for the display itself, you get a 6.5-inch Bravia-branded OLED panel, which features a 1080 x 2340 pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s mostly the same with last year’s model, albeit with a slight difference in the overall brightness.
Additionally, the Xperia 1 VII also comes with IP68 dust and water protection, in addition to Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and GG Victus on the back glass panels. You’ll also find a good old 3.5mm headphone jack on the side of the handset, along with dual speakers that according to Sony have been designed with enhanced bass. The phone is available in Moss Green and Orchid Purple and variants.
On the rear you’ll find a triple camera setup which remains a bit identical to the setup found on the Xperia 1 VI, although it does features a newer ultrawide lens with f/2.0 aperture and a larger 1/1.56-inch Exmor RS sensor. The main camera is a 48MP main sensor, which is accompanied by a 12MP telephoto lens and is tuned with Zeiss optics; there’s a 12MP front camera housed in the front bezel which handles selfies and video calls. As with other brands, Sony is incorporating “AI” features into its cameras like AI white balance, AI exposure and AI subject recognition, to name a few. The two-stage camera button remains present as well.
Inside you’ll find the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is rather unsurprising given that it’s the default flagship-tier chip for many smartphone brands this year. Unlike other premium smartphones which come in multiple RAM variants, the Xperia 1 VII is only available in a single 12GB configuration that’s paired with 256GB of built-in storage. A bummer for sure, but there is a built-in microSD slot for storage expansion, so you can still increase your phone’s space for media and whatnot. A 5,000 mAh battery powers the entire phone, with support for 30W charging.
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For software, you’re getting Android 15 on the phone, and Sony does keep a mostly-clean experience with its mobile UI, with the exception of a few added features. The Xperia 1 VII will receive up to four years of major Android upgrades, and ships in June starting at €1,499.
