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Sony Xperia 1 VII: Two-minute review
The Xperia 1 VII is Sony’s prime Android telephone. It’s concurrently refreshing amongst its friends and too conservative to be thought of all that fascinating or dynamic.
It’s similar to its predecessor, the Sony Xperia 1 VI, however stands out as one of many few higher-end telephones with a headphone jack and microSD expandable storage. These will not be costly options, however do partially come to outline the Xperia 1 VII’s enchantment in opposition to its rivals.
The other side of the phone is a bit more problematic. Aside from using what was at launch the latest, most powerful, Qualcomm chipset, the Xperia 1 series is falling behind in a few areas.
Charging speed, battery capacity, camera slickness, and video modes nowadays feel a little regressive in this class, and some of these areas are more limited than they were in some earlier generations of the Sony Xperia 1 VII’s family.
This would not matter so much were the Sony Xperia 1 VII not extremely expensive, but it costs more than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is the extra dynamic telephone.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: price and availability
- Starts at £1,399 (roughly $1,870 / AU$2,885)
- Launched in June 2025
The Sony Xperia 1 VII was released in June 2025, following an announcement in May.
It costs £1,399 or 1,499 euros, equivalent to around $1,870 / AU$2,885 in a direct currency conversion at the time of writing, but with no current availability in those regions. This is for the model reviewed, which has 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage. There is also a 512GB model in some parts of the world, but this isn’t available in the UK.
In any case, that price puts the Sony Xperia 1 VII among the most expensive Android phones to date, short of unusual models encrusted with jewels or gold bling.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: specs
Here’s a full specs list for the Sony Xperia 1 VII, so you can see what it has going for it at a glance:
| Header Cell – Column 0 | Header Cell – Column 1 |
|---|---|
|
Dimensions: |
162 x 74 x 8.2mm |
|
Weight: |
197g |
|
Screen: |
6.5-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ (1080 x 2340) 120Hz LTPO OLED |
|
Chipset: |
Snapdragon 8 Elite |
|
RAM: |
12GB |
|
Storage: |
256GB |
|
OS: |
Android 15 |
|
Primary camera: |
48MP, f/1.9, 24mm |
|
Ultra-wide camera: |
48MP, f/2.0, 16mm |
|
Telephoto camera: |
12MP, f/2.3-f/3.5, 3.5x-7.1x zoom (85-170mm) |
|
Front camera: |
12MP, f/2.0, 24mm |
|
Audio: |
Stereo speakers |
|
Battery: |
5,000mAh |
|
Charging: |
30W wired, 15W wireless |
|
Colors: |
Moss Green, Orchid Purple, Slate Black |
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: design
Image 1 of 3
- Gorilla Glass Victus 2 screen protection
- Familiar Sony ‘monolith’ design
- 3.5mm headphone jack
Phones these days are often accused of being boring, and in many ways the Sony Xperia 1 VII is also guilty of that. It looks virtually identical to its predecessor, and is part of a design family tree so long it could shame some monarchical dynasties.
The Sony Xperia 1 VII is a metal and glass brick that offers very little in the way of visible outer progress in tech or style. But that’s kind of the point with this series.
Sony offers lots of the bits other manufacturers have long since discarded in the noble pursuit of copying Apple. For instance, the Sony Xperia 1 VII has a headphone jack, which I really like as somebody who really purchased a pair of wired in-ear displays throughout testing.
It additionally has house for a microSD card in its SIM tray, and there’s no notch or punch-hole within the display screen, simply larger-than-most show borders. And it has a two-stage shutter button for the digicam too. I’m not a lot of a fan of the latter as of late, however Sony could make treading water appear invaluable as a result of it provides a lot that different flagship telephones simply don’t have anymore.
Most of the construct bullet factors are largely past reproach too. The Sony Xperia 1 VII is a full metallic and glass telephone, with Corning’s powerful Gorilla Glass Victus 2 up entrance, and aluminum sides. Its rear panel is ‘simply’ Victus relatively than its successor, which has higher drop resistance, however this nonetheless supplies a good quantity of safety.
The again can also be textured, with a sequence of embossed dots, obvious while you look actual shut. It’s very fingerprint-resistant, and easily offers the Sony Xperia 1 VII a special really feel than that of flat shiny glass.
It is principally an similar really feel to the Sony Xperia VI, although, particularly as the 2 generations even have a sort-of corrugated impact to the body.
The rectangular form makes the Sony Xperia 1 VII really feel powerful, the kind of telephone you might use as a bludgeoning weapon. But in earlier generations I’ve discovered it lower than perfect for the end’s longevity. Eventually the paint will put on off the sharp corners of the body, exhibiting up as vibrant, uncooked aluminum highlights. A few weeks in, that put on is already seen on the Sony Xperia 1 VII’s digicam lens housing.
You can repair that with a case, after all, however the Sony Xperia 1 VII doesn’t embody one.
Like different telephones on this sequence, the Xperia 1 VII additionally has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor relatively than an in-screen one. It doesn’t really feel as instantaneous as some, and I discover it annoyingly choosy. As quickly as I’ve finished a little bit train, only a little bit of sweat will trigger my finger to not be acknowledged.
The speaker array deserves a word too. There are front-mounted stereo audio system, with the pretty full-sounding audio I’ve come to anticipate of top-tier telephones. It might not be the loudest stereo pair amongst flagship telephones, however I’ve fortunately spent many (many) hours listening to podcasts utilizing nothing greater than these audio system.
Water resistance is great too, as is typical for Sony. The Xperia 1 VII is rated for IP65 and IP68, for cover from immersion in recent water and being subjected to jets of the stuff. This end could also be simple to scrape, however the telephone is troublesome to drown.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: display
- Bright screen makes good use of HDR
- Lower resolution than older Xperia flagships
- Colorful and contrasty
This Sony series used to employ some pretty wild display panels, with ultra-tall shapes and ultra-high resolutions. But the Sony Xperia 1 VII has a far more ordinary 1080p screen that measures 6.5 inches across.
There’s no notch, it’s a totally flat panel, and this is a 120Hz OLED display screen with OLED staple deep shade and flawless distinction.
The Sony Xperia 1 VII’s default shade mode has robust saturation, however there’s additionally a Creator mode that lowers saturation for a extra measured look. This additionally kicks in as normal in apps that attempt to take over the colour presentation of the display screen, which is nice.
It means your pictures find yourself trying as they are going to on different well-calibrated screens, relatively than severely oversaturated.
There’s nothing too particular happening right here, however the Sony Xperia 1 VII’s display screen is at the very least very vibrant. Legibility in robust direct daylight is nice, and the excessive peak brightness makes the a lot of the newest actions in HDR.
And I’m not simply speaking about HDR video. You’ll discover in Instagram that generally the highlights of the image are brighter than the app’s white border. That’s HDR for you, and it might probably look nice. It’s used while you have a look at your individual pictures within the gallery too, most notably bringing out the brilliant highlights in clouds in a really eye-catching method.
Let’s not get carried away, although. Phones are presently on an upwards peak brightness development because of the underlying OLED panel tech growing pretty quickly within the background. Even pretty inexpensive telephones have ridiculously excessive peak brightness claims — just like the 3,000-nit Nothing Phone 3a.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: cameras
- High-quality primary camera
- Could feel more responsive and quick
- Zoom is fun to use but disappoints on image quality in 2025
You’d think phones like the Sony Xperia 1 VII would have the best phone cameras on the planet. A division of Sony, in spite of everything, does make virtually all the digicam sensors utilized by the best phones.
Yet regardless of that the Sony Xperia 1 VII does not fairly match one of the best rivals right here, not in all respects anyway. While the Sony Xperia 1 VII has largely top-tier {hardware}, the expertise of really utilizing the digicam doesn’t have the standard-setting gloss and slickness you may anticipate.
For instance, the shutter doesn’t at all times really feel instantaneous, and there’s generally a fractional wait between captures as you shoot single stills. The best-feeling telephone cameras seem to function as quick as your finger will go. The Sony Xperia 1 VII isn’t fairly there.
Its preview picture isn’t one of the best both. For instance, Samsung supplies a strong estimation of what a photograph will seem like earlier than you even take it, together with the consequences of its HDR processing. The Sony Xperia 1 VII will generally present blown highlights within the preview view, even when it just about at all times fixes these highlights by the point the picture hits your gallery.
As we’ve seen throughout the telephone, a lot of the digicam is fairly acquainted in comparison with the final technology. The Sony Xperia 1 VII has a large-sensor 48MP major digicam and a still-unusual real optical zoom lens – nearly each different telephone zoom has what’s referred to as a primary lens, the place the view is mounted.
The ultra-wide will get a notable improve, although. Sensor decision jumps from 12MP to 48MP, which could possibly be good or dangerous relying on the sensor used. But this time it’s additionally a a lot bigger sensor, leaping from 1/2.5-inch within the Xperia VI to 1/1.56-inch right here. It’s one of many higher-spec ultra-wide cameras you’ll discover.
Sure sufficient, the ultra-wide takes pretty footage, giving the Xperia 1 VII an admirable sense of consistency between the large and ultra-wide lenses. Colors aren’t oversaturated, as an alternative showing largely pure.
Are these two lenses really equals? It’s not even shut, and that turns into clear at night time. The Sony Xperia 1 VII can solely take (barely) satisfactory low-light photographs with the ultra-wide, missing the dynamic vary and element of the primary digicam. Far-away brick work turns to mush, and it additionally appears the ultra-wide photographs don’t get as a lot low-light processing both.
The foremost digicam’s night time photographs are good, though Sony maybe leans barely much less egregiously on computational images to reinforce dynamic vary. This can imply pictures look extra pure than the norm, if additionally much less spectacular in some scenes.
The deficiencies of the zoom digicam aren’t too arduous to search out both, regardless that having what quantities to 16mm-170mm framing versatility is superb. This digicam lets you shoot at wherever from 3.5x to 7.1x optical zoom, however when taking pictures on the additional reaches of the zoom specifically, element integrity and readability are literally fairly poor contemplating we’re taking a look at a non digitally-zoomed picture.
It’s probably all the way down to a conjunction of two elements that restrict the standard of pictures we’ll have the ability to get. There’s the lowly f/3.5 aperture – which is okay in a ‘correct’ digicam however very poor in a cell phone. And the sensor itself is small. That mentioned, I’ve discovered that picture high quality points can seem in any form of lighting, from blazing sunshine to nighttime.
That’s to not say the Sony Xperia 1 VII’s excessive zoom photos are unusable. They can look good on the floor, however collapse a bit when approached with a important eye.
The zoom digicam additionally has a form of superb macro mode, which is obtainable on the 120cm focal size. You can focus at as much as 4cm away from the digicam. It’s sufficient to disclose the printed dots in a Magic the Gathering card, or the subpixels in a MacBook Air’s show. I’ve used it to establish tiny spiders, and get a better have a look at ripening blackberries, however you want a gentle hand because the depth of area is extraordinarily shallow. Thankfully the Xperia 1 VII does have a spotlight peaking possibility to assist out. This is the place in-focus components of the scene are highlighted.
But, stepping again as soon as extra, in comparison with the extra standard pericope designs in telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Xiaomi 15 Ultra, Sony must up its sport to compete.
For video, the Sony Xperia 1 VII has some strong expertise, with some odd lacking components. It can seize 4K video at as much as 120fps, and there’s a software-generated ‘bokeh’ blur video mode and an additional stabilized ‘AI’ mode.
However, the place Sony was once the grasp of slow-mo video, the Xperia 1 VII has no actual notable expertise right here. Back when ultra-powered slow-mo modes turned a show-off contest, there was usually interpolation concerned. But it was enjoyable to mess around with, and that’s largely absent right here.
Around the entrance, the Sony Xperia 1 VII has a 12MP selfie digicam. It’s good, able to rendering natural-looking pores and skin tones, and has the element to pick pores, single facial hairs and so forth – while you aren’t obliterating such particulars with filters.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review camera samples
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Sony Xperia 1 VII review: performance
- Gradual thermal throttling attempts to manage heat
- A high-performing phone
- Still gets a little too warm on occasion
The Sony Xperia 1 VII has one of the best chipsets available to Android phones in 2025. This is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite. It’s enormously powerful (though now beaten by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5), and right here it’s paired with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
This will have the ability to deal with any sport you throw its manner and, the largely non-processor-related digicam hitches apart, common efficiency is nice. But that is accurately, as now we have each proper to anticipate the most effective attainable processors within the Sony Xperia 1 VII, given how a lot it prices.
When stress is utilized, Sony takes a extremely progressive method to thermal throttling within the Xperia 1 VII. Where some telephones dangle on for expensive life till the interior temperature sensor reaches a sure degree, right here the efficiency scales with temperature in a extra high quality grain manner, chipping down virtually from the start of a gaming session or benchmark take a look at.
After 20 minutes the Xperia 1 VII finally ends up at 55% of its peak efficiency. And as that take a look at was carried out on a sizzling day through the summer season, I additionally slung the telephone in a fridge to see what occurred with the identical take a look at. Once once more, there was that very gradual lack of energy, ending up with 78.8% of its max after 20 minutes.
I’ve additionally seen that the Xperia 1 VII will get sizzling occasionally, which is predictably accompanied by quicker energy drain.
In any case, dropping as much as 45% of peak energy might sound fairly dangerous, but it surely’s not unusual to see as much as a 55% loss in telephones with these excessive energy chipsets.
Some people had main reliability points with the Xperia 1 VII at launch, spurring a response from Sony itself. Thankfully, it’s been largely easy crusing day-to-day throughout testing, although.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: software
- Sticks to the AI basics
- Fewer Sony apps than some older phones
- Familiar Sony interface style
The Sony Xperia 1 VII runs Android 15 and has Sony’s long-standing customized interface on prime. It comes with the promise of 4 years of operating system model updates and 6 years of safety patches.
There’s nothing too shocking right here. It has an app drawer, one that may be organized both alphabetically or utilizing your individual structure. Choose the latter and you too can type apps into folders.
The solely interface niggles we’ve discovered are that the Wi-Fi swap wasn’t put within the function toggle drop-down as normal, and that the standby habits and lock display screen structure means it’s simple to by accident have podcasts or songs skip whereas the telephone is in your pocket.
These will not be issues with out fixes, however they’re annoying.
Some time again, Sony went massive by itself apps, together with a number of digicam apps for fanatics and the purpose ’n’ shoot crowd. It made a minor splash on the time, however all that has largely been scaled again in favor of simplicity.
And, let’s be trustworthy, having to take care of a number of apps for a similar job has acquired to be a ache.
The Sony Xperia 1 VII will get a single digicam app, a fundamental video editor, the Music Pro multi-track recorder app, and what Sony calls the Creators’ App. This is an element social community, half a approach to convey over the pictures taken together with your ‘correct’ Sony digicam(s).
Sony’s idea right here does form of make sense, to convey collectively the opposite sides of Sony’s wider enterprise to lend the Xperia 1 VII extra credibility. It desperately desires to make telephones for creatives, however doesn’t actually have a hope in hell of bringing lots of them over to its steady, particularly as there are options to all of those apps floating round, ones with extra workflow-boosting options.
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This telephone additionally doesn’t have an app pre-installed that permits you to use the telephone as an exterior monitor for Sony Alpha mirrorless cameras, regardless of that function as soon as being hailed as a photographer’s USP for getting a top-tier Xperia. I did set up a Sony app that appeared to do this job, but it surely additionally seems to be largely brand-agnostic on the telephone aspect, and I’m primarily a Fuji digicam person anyway.
Sony has not gone heavy on AI software program in the way in which different producers have – which can be interesting or a turn-off relying in your tastes. It is right here, although. Long-press the aspect energy button and Google Gemini AI seems. There’s simply not a lot in the way in which of Sony-made AI options, which might be for one of the best given how at-risk they’d be of coming throughout as superfluous and try-hard.
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: battery
- Bottom rung ‘fast’ charging
- One-day real-world battery life
- 5,000mAh capacity
The Sony Xperia 1 VII has a 5,000mAh battery, just like its predecessor. I have found that with my use it lasts a solid day and no more.
Is it worse than last year’s model? Perhaps not, or at least not hugely, but Sony has not caught up with one of the new meaningful developments in phone tech of late. This is the silicon-carbon battery, which allows for higher-capacity batteries in the same size of cell.
The Sony Xperia 1 VII lasts a full day with my kind of use, but rarely has much spare to keep it going overnight or into the next day. On a couple of occasions – usually when I’ve watched too much YouTube – it has wanted a night top-up too. And, as famous earlier, there have been moments when it has inexplicably acquired hotter than it ought to, indicative of extra energy drain.
I believe if you’ll be able to get Sony’s claimed two-day use, you’re not utilizing your telephone intensively sufficient to justify one this expensive.
Charging speeds will not be notably spectacular both, as 30W is the ability ceiling. Sony doesn’t embody an influence adapter with the telephone, however loads of non-Sony plugs will have the ability to cost it at max velocity, over USB-PD.
A full cost from flat took 88 minutes, whereas it reached 50% in a a lot better-sounding 29 minutes. It’s not an actual quick charger, and is now additionally crushed by Samsung – not a fast-charging pioneer both, however at the very least prime telephones just like the Galaxy S25 Ultra help 45W charging.
The Sony Xperia 1 VII may be charged wirelessly too, however at as much as a dismal 15W. Reverse wi-fi charging is in as effectively, although, which ought to come in useful when you’ve got wi-fi earphones that help Qi charging.
Should you buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Value |
The phone costs a fortune. And while it has the raw power expected at this level, and uses great materials, it’s not clear Sony has really done enough to justify asking for this. |
2 / 5 |
|
Design |
It’s that same old Sony design. Largely impeccable materials and great water resistance, but the brick-like shape creates areas that wear down quickly, and Sony doesn’t include a case. |
3 / 5 |
|
Display |
It’s bright and it has OLED color and contrast. But it’s also pretty ordinary considering the panels Sony used to employ. You don’t miss much, other than the sense you’re paying a lot for a screen like this. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Software |
Sony offers us some creative apps we imagine most buyers will ignore, but the rest of the software is business as usual. Android 15 with a layer of Sony interface pasted on top, and no obvious AI obsession for better or worse. |
3 / 5 |
|
Camera |
A zero-fat camera array like this is what we want to see. And the phone can take beautiful pictures. It could be better on the slickness of the experience, though, and the zoom is falling behind rivals despite sounding great on paper. |
3.5 / 5 |
|
Performance |
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is swiftly and progressively throttled in the phone to manage heat. A sensible move, if not one the techy gamers may love. |
4 / 5 |
|
Battery |
We’re in the process of seeing a big leap in phone battery capacities. But Sony isn’t there yet, and this phone doesn’t last more than a day in our experience. Fast charging needs to improve too. |
3 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Sony Xperia 1 VII review: Also consider
Not sure about the Sony? Here are a few alternative options.
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Sony Xperia 1 VII |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
Google Pixel 9 Pro |
Xiaomi 15 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Price (at launch): |
£1,399 (roughly $1,870 / AU$2,885) |
$1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149 |
$999 / £999 / AU$1,699 |
£1,299 (roughly $1,740 / AU$2,675) |
|
Dimensions: |
162 x 74 x 8.2mm |
162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm |
152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm |
161.3 x 75.3 x 9.4mm |
|
Weight: |
197g |
218g |
199g |
226g |
|
Displays |
6.5-inch OLED, 120Hz |
6.9-inch AMOLED, 120Hz |
6.3-inch OLED, 120Hz |
6.73-inch AMOLED, 120Hz |
|
Cameras |
48MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto |
200MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto, 50MP telephoto |
50MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto |
50MP main, 50MP ultra-wide, 200MP telephoto, 50MP telephoto |
|
Chipset: |
Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite |
Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite for Galaxy |
Google Tensor G4 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite |
How I tested the Sony Xperia 1 VII
- Review test period: several weeks
- Testing included: everyday use, photography, long days away from a charger, a weekend away
- Tools used: Geekbench 6, 3DMark
The Sony Xperia 1 VII was used as my primary phone for several weeks, to get the best idea of how it works. I took hundreds of photos with its cameras, and used it during a weekend away, with long days away from the charger.
Some benchmark performance testing was done too, in order to back up, or potentially challenge, observations I found from my everyday phone use. However, there were not any grand surprises to be found in those benchmarks anyway.
First reviewed October 2025