The Sony Xperia 1 VII, Sony’s latest flagship phone, has officially arrived, bringing with it a suite of enhancements derived from Sony’s Alpha cameras, Walkman audio players, and BRAVIA televisions. Leveraging “Xperia Intelligence,” the 1 VII promises a refined user experience across camera, audio, and visual departments, building upon the legacy of the Xperia 1 VI.
As expected, the Xperia 1 VII’s camera capabilities take center stage. While the physical lenses have seen minor adjustments, the 2025 model introduces innovative software features, “AI Camerawork” and “Auto Framing,” designed to elevate your mobile photography and videography.
AI Camerawork ensures stable and well-composed videos without constant screen monitoring. This is achieved through sophisticated image stabilization and posture estimation technology, keeping your subject centered within the frame.
Auto Framing, another AI-powered feature, tracks and automatically crops your shot to maintain focus on the subject. Impressively, it simultaneously saves two videos: a full scene view and a close-up, providing greater flexibility in post-production.
Sony Xperia 1 VII: Specifications and Features
Sony Xperia 1 VII
The Xperia 1 VII boasts a triple rear camera system. Notably, it features a new 16mm ultra-wide lens with a 48MP 1/1.56-inch sensor—a significant 2.1x increase in size compared to its predecessor. This larger sensor promises improved low-light performance and reduced noise, while also supporting macro photography from approximately 5cm. The primary 48-megapixel wide-angle lens offers 24mm/48mm equivalents for 2x optical zoom, and the 12-megapixel telephoto lens provides an 85mm to 170mm optical zoom range.
Audio and Display Enhancements
Drawing upon Sony’s Walkman heritage, the Xperia 1 VII incorporates specialized circuit design and components to enhance wired headphone sound quality. DSEE Ultimate technology, powered by AI, upscales compressed streaming audio for both wired and wireless connections. The phone’s full-stage stereo speakers have also been refined for clearer sound across all frequencies.
The Xperia 1 VII features a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, Full HD+ resolution, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Building upon the Xperia 1 VI’s display, the new model includes an additional light sensor to dynamically optimize brightness and color based on ambient lighting conditions. This feature, along with enhanced peak brightness and “Sunlight Vision,” aims to improve outdoor visibility, especially in direct sunlight. While Sony hasn’t specified the brightness in nits, the improvements suggest a better experience in bright environments.
Performance and Battery
Powering the Xperia 1 VII is Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, coupled with 12GB of RAM. A robust 5,000mAh battery promises up to 36 hours of continuous video playback and rapid charging, reaching 50% capacity in just 30 minutes.
Availability and Software Support
The Sony Xperia 1 VII will be available for order starting May 13th in Slate Black, Moss Green, and Orchid Purple, directly from Sony and select retailers. European pricing is set around €1499, and UK pricing is around £1399. US pricing and availability are yet to be confirmed.
Sony is committing to four OS upgrades and six years of security updates for the Xperia 1 VII. While this is shorter than the support offered by Google and Samsung, it surpasses Motorola’s commitment by a year.
