Sony Xperia 1 VII Gets First Major Redesign in Years
Sony’s newly-announced Xperia 1 VIII leans into on-device AI and photography, with a redesigned camera experience and a price that will make many of you gasp. And, unfortunately, we likely won't get it here in the US, through official channels at least.
For most high-end smartphone consumers, performance and photography are paramount. To wit, the Xperia 1 VIII looks similar to previous Xperia devices, except for a bold square camera block with a triple-lens setup. According to Sony, the camera array (16 mm / 24 mm / 70 mm) pairs significantly larger sensors with RAW multi-frame processing across all lenses to boost detail and low-light performance. The phone’s AI Camera Assistant powered by Xperia Intelligence, analyzes scene details, weather, and subjects to suggest lens choice, with color tones and bokeh styles derived from Sony Alpha Creative Looks. The company also highlights the telephoto sensor is roughly four times larger than the previous generation's, meaning greater reach and cleaner results when zoomed in.
The handset seems to have also kept the same 6.5-inch FHD+ OLED panel with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and offers up to two days of battery life. It's also got a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 inside (up from the 8 Elite) for significantly more CPU, GPU, and NPU performance.
The handset seems to have also kept the same 6.5-inch FHD+ OLED panel with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, a 3.5 mm headphone jack and offers up to two days of battery life. It's also got a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 inside (up from the 8 Elite) for significantly more CPU, GPU, and NPU performance.
The Xperia 1 VII will also command a hefty premium. Early (redacted) Amazon listings briefly revealed a European launch on June 26 and prices around $2,200 (or €1,868.99 in Germany and £1,728 in the UK). While pricey for sure, to soften the blow a bit Sony includes some bundled goodies; in some cases a pair of flagship WH-1000XM6 headphones. There will be three colorways available: Graphite Black, Iolite Silver, Garnet Red.
Early reactions to the Xperia 1 VII are mixed. Photographers and longtime Xperia fans welcome the improved sensors and deeper software tie-ins to Sony Alpha color science, while others note that the device sits right at premium foldable territory. Availability will vary by region, but once again, U.S. folks have been left out.
What do you think of the Xperia 1 VII? Is the price increase Sony being blind to the rest of the market or simply due to the ongoing memory shortage?
