Sony Xperia 10 VI Review: More Than Meets the Eye
Explore Sony Xperia 10 VI: a powerful smartphone with a stunning display, advanced camera features, and impressive performance.
Don’t worry if you didn’t know that Sony still makes phones. Every year, they release three models: Xperia 1, Xperia 5 and Xperia 10 series. They use Roman numerals to show the generation & this year it’s the sixth generation, or VI.
In this review, we’ll focus on cheapest model, Sony Xperia 10 VI. It’s a lightweight and compact phone, but surprisingly strong and it has a good update policy. The real question is: Can Sony still compete or will the Xperia 10 VI fall behind?
Main specs:
| 📱 Screen | 6.1″ OLED – 1080 x 2520 | ⚙️ SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 |
| 📷 Camera | 2 (48 MP + 8 MP) | 🔋 Battery | 5000 mAh |
| 📀 OS | Android 14 | ⚖️ Weight | 164 grams (5.78 oz) |
Table of Contents
Sony Xperia 10 VI Specification
| Category | Specification |
|---|---|
| 📺 Display | 🖥️ Type: OLED 📏 Size: 6.1 inches 🔍 Resolution: 1080 x 2520 pixels 🔲 Aspect Ratio: 21:9 📊 PPI: 449 🔄 Refresh Rate: 60 Hz 🌟 HDR Support: Yes, HDR10+ 📈 Touch Sampling Rate: 120 Hz 🛡️ Screen Protection: Gorilla Glass Victus 💡 Max Brightness: 1000 nits 🌈 Display Features: DCI-P3, Always-On Display |
| 🏗️ Design & Build | 📐 Height: 155 mm 📏 Width: 68 mm 📏 Thickness: 8.3 mm ⚖️ Weight: 164 g 🌊 Waterproof: IP68 🔄 Rear Material: Plastic 🔄 Frame Material: Plastic 🎨 Colors: White, Black, Blue 🔑 Fingerprint Scanner: In-button |
| ⚙️ Performance | ⚡ SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 🧠 CPU: 8 cores (4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.2 GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz) 🎮 GPU: Adreno 710 📏 Lithography: 4nm 🧩 Neural Processor: Yes |
| 💾 Memory | 🧮 RAM: 8 GB LPDDR4X 💾 Storage: 128 GB UFS 2.2 📦 MicroSD Support: Up to 1024 GB |
| 🔋 Battery | 🔋 Capacity: 5000 mAh ⚡ Charging Speed: 30 W (36% in 30 min) 🕒 Full Charging Time: 1:53 hr 🚀 Fast Charging: Yes 🚫 Wireless Charging: No 🕒 Battery Life (Web Browsing): 12:53 hr 🕒 Battery Life (Video Playback): 15:00 hr |
| 📸 Cameras | 📷 Main Camera: 48 MP + 8 MP Ultra-wide 🎥 Video: 4K @ 30FPS, 1080p @ 60FPS 🤳 Selfie Camera: 8 MP 🔍 Features: Optical Stabilization, Bokeh Mode, Pro Mode, Digital Zoom, Slow Motion (120 FPS) |
| 🌐 Connectivity | 📶 Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 5 (Dual Band, Direct, Hotspot) 🔗 Bluetooth: 5.2 🔌 USB Type-C: Yes 🌐 NFC: Yes 📶 5G Support: Yes 📍 GPS: GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo |
| 🔊 Sound | 🔊 Speakers: Stereo 🎧 Headphone Jack: Yes 📻 FM Radio: No 📢 Max Loudness: 87.1 dB |
| 📱 Software | 🖥️ Operating System: Android 14 💾 OS Size: 30 GB |
| 🛠️ Other | 🔍 Sensors: Proximity, Accelerometer, Ambient Light, Compass, Fingerprint |
Sony Xperia 10 VI Price and Availability
Sony Xperia 10 VI costs €399 and comes with 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. It’s been available in Netherlands and Belgium since June 2024. One drawback is that there’s only one version while many phones at this price offer 256GB. For example Motorola Edge 40 Neo has 256GB for same price. Xperia 10 VI comes in three colors: black, white and light blue.
Competition in this price range is strong. Besides Motorola Edge 40 Neo, the Samsung Galaxy A35 and A55 are also popular options. While Xperia 10 VI gets 3 years of Android updates and 4 years of security updates, Samsung offers extra year of support and both Samsung models are now cheaper than €399.
Sony Xperia phones are known for being waterproof and dustproof, but other brands have caught up. Xperia 10 VI has an OLED screen, but its 60Hz refresh rate is lower than the 120Hz offered by other phones at this price. The battery life is good, but it doesn’t have fast charging.
Sony Xperia 10 VI is a decent phone but many competitors now offer better value for money.
Sony Xperia 10 VI Design
Sony Xperia 10 VI is a slim, lightweight smartphone with a very long shape. It has a plastic body and a screen protected by Gorilla Glass Victus but bezels (edges around the screen) are thick.
Sony sticks to its design choices. While many brands now use punch-hole cameras, Xperia 10 VI has thicker edges at the top and bottom, making display 21:9 in size. This design makes the phone feel very light and screen is durable. It also has an IP65/68 rating, meaning it can resist water damage.
Fingerprint scanner is built into the power button but it can be slow and sometimes doesn’t work well, especially with sweaty fingers. It can also be too sensitive and unlock when you just want to lock it.
One nice feature is inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is rare nowadays. SIM card slot is designed so you can open it with your finger, making it easier for those who use microSD cards for extra storage.
Sony Xperia 10 VI Display
Sony Xperia 10 VI has OLED screen that shows good colors. However, its 60Hz refresh rate is too low compared to other Android phones around the same price, which usually have 120Hz display. If you’re coming from a phone with 60Hz screen, you might not notice much difference but a 60Hz display feels outdated now.
While resolution and overall quality of OLED screen are good, and the viewing angles are impressive, 21:9 aspect ratio causes some issues. For example clock on the screen is too close to the left edge and sometimes first number of the time is even cut off. You would expect basic features like clock to display correctly, especially when buying a phone at this price.
Sony Xperia 10 VI Cameras
Sony Xperia 10 VI has a good main camera for taking portraits but wide-angle camera can be blurry at the edges and is slow in low light.
This phone has two rear cameras instead of three. 8MP telephoto camera is gone but you can zoom in using 48MP main camera, which works well. 8MP wide-angle and 8MP selfie cameras are same as before.
At €400, this phone is mid-range. Most phones at this price have a good main camera and decent wide-angle camera. Wide-angle camera takes nice daytime photos but edges can look blurry.
In low light, Xperia 10 VI uses night mode for both cameras. Main camera does okay but you need to hold it steady. If your subject moves, photo might be blurry. Wide-angle camera takes longer to capture night photos which can lead to noise and loss of detail.
Video quality is surprisingly good, even at night. Phone is also good for portraits, keeping the subject in focus. Just watch out for movement, as it can make the picture blurry.
Unlike Sony’s more expensive phones, Xperia 10 VI has just one simple camera app.
Sony Xperia 10 VI Review: Performance and Software
Sony Xperia 10 VI works well for everyday tasks and games. It doesn’t heat up quickly but can sometimes freeze. It runs on stock Android which means you won’t see ads or extra apps.
This phone has Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip and 8 GB of RAM. There is only one version available with 128 GB of storage. Sony uses stock Android so it’s clean and simple.
Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is mid-range chip, and we hoped it would perform better. Compared to similar phones like Motorola Edge 40 Neo, Galaxy A35 and OnePlus Nord 3, Xperia 10 VI usually ranks lower. It works fine for everyday use and 60Hz screen puts less strain on processor than 120Hz screen. However, we had a few crashes like when we opened TikTok. On the bright side, lighter games like Hearthstone run smoothly. If you lower the settings on heavier games like Honkai Star Rail you can get about 60 fps.
Phone comes with Android 14 and offers three major updates and four years of security updates. Samsung gives one extra year for updates, while Motorola offers one year less. Sony matches Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus for updates but it’s unclear if Xperia 10 VI will still be fast in four years.
Sony Xperia 10 VI Battery
Battery lasts up to two days, but charging is very slow. There is no charger or cable included in box.
5,000mAh battery in Sony Xperia 10 VI is impressive for such a light phone. Because it has a simple design and 60Hz display, it can last up to two days without charging. Even with gaming and taking photos, we sometimes had 25 to 30 percent battery left at the end of the day. With light use, you might get up to three days but we didn’t test that.
However, charging is a downside. Sony didn’t include a charging cable, which is disappointing. Phone doesn’t support fast charging either. Other budget phones offer fast charging at 20W or 33W, while brands like Motorola and Xiaomi have models with 66W fast charging. Using a regular charger, we added about 30 percent battery in half an hour. Charging from 0 to 100 percent can take about two hours especially if you don’t use phone during that time.
You could say that slow charging is better for the battery’s health over time. Xperia 10 VI can learn your charging habits. If you charge it overnight, it will wait to fully charge until you wake up. Other brands have similar features with fast charging so you can enjoy both benefits. But if phone isn’t charging well in morning, you won’t be able to quickly add 50 percent of battery while you shower.
Pros and Cons of Sony Xperia 10 VI
| ✅Pros | ❌Cons |
|---|---|
| 🛡️ Strong, water-resistant design | ⚡ Charges very slowly |
| 📷 Good camera quality | 📺 60Hz display |
| 🔋 Excellent battery life | 🕰️ Outdated design |
| 🌟 Lightweight and compact | 💾 Only one storage option (128GB) |
| 📱 Stock Android experience (no bloat) | 🎮 Limited performance for gaming |
| 🔒 Durable Gorilla Glass protection | 🚫 No fast charging feature |
| 🎨 Three color options available | 🌑 Average low-light performance |
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Conclusion
With its robust construction, high water resistance, respectable cameras, and good update schedule, Sony Xperia 10 VI is a phone that should survive for many years. Its 60Hz display is too low for this price, and its performance is poor. Some people may not appreciate long shapes. Additionally, many other phones offer quick charging, even if it won’t extend the battery’s life.
