Sony Xperia 1 VII Review

Sony has officially launched Sony Xperia 1 VII, marking seven years since the first Xperia 1 was introduced. While the new model looks very similar to its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI, there are some subtle design changes and important upgrades under the hood.

Sony Xperia 1 VII continues Sony’s tradition of sleek design and premium features. It brings a larger ultrawide camera sensor, enhanced display quality, improved speakers, and updated headphone jack circuitry. Powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and running Android 15, this phone promises a smooth and powerful experience for users.

In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the Xperia 1 VII’s design, camera improvements, performance, and other key features to see how well it keeps up with today’s flagship smartphones.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Specifications

Feature	Details
📅 Release Date	June 2025
📏 Size & Weight	162 x 74 x 8.2 mm, 197 g
🏗️ Build	Glass front & back, aluminum frame
💧 Water Resistance	IP65/IP68 (water and dust proof)
🤖 Operating System	Android 15
🔥 Processor	Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Elite
🧠 RAM & Storage	12GB RAM, 256GB or 512GB storage
💾 Memory Card Slot	microSD (shared with SIM slot)
📱 Display	6.5-inch OLED, 1080 x 2340, 120Hz
📸 Main Camera	3 cameras: 48MP wide, 12MP telephoto, 48MP ultrawide
🤳 Front Camera	12MP selfie camera
🎥 Video Recording	4K video, up to 120fps
🔊 Audio	Stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack
🌐 Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 6.0, NFC, USB-C
📶 SIM Options	Dual SIM or SIM + eSIM
🛡️ Sensors	Fingerprint (side), accelerometer, gyro, proximity
🔋 Battery	5000mAh, fast charging 30W, wireless charging 15W
🎨 Colors	Green, Purple, Black
💰 Price	Around £1,399 / €1,499

Sony Xperia 1 VII Review: Design, Build Quality and Handling

Sony Xperia 1 VII looks very similar to last year’s Xperia 1 VI. Sony likes to keep the same design style, and this phone follows that tradition.

There are small changes. The aluminum frame is now a bit thicker and smoother around the edges, which gives a better grip. The phone feels strong and well-built. The shutter button is also slightly bigger and easier to press, but it works like a normal camera button.

Sony has added new colors this year: Moss Green, Slate Black, and Orchid Purple. These colors give users more choice and make the phone look fresh.

The Xperia 1 VII is water and dust resistant with an IP68 rating. It can stay underwater up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes. It also has IPX5 protection against water splashes.

You can easily insert a nano SIM and a microSD card without using a SIM pin. The phone also supports eSIM.

The fingerprint sensor is on the side, built into the power button. It works fast and is easy to use with one hand. But unlocking the phone while it’s on a table might not be as easy.

The front design is simple. Sony keeps the selfie camera in the top bezel, so there is no hole in the screen. The top and bottom bezels are a bit thicker but house the stereo speakers. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Xperia 1 VII has a clean and classic Sony design. It may not be very flashy, but it feels solid, practical, and easy to recognize.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Review: Display, Battery, Charging and Speakers Performance

The Sony Xperia 1 VII has a 6.5-inch OLED screen with good colors and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. It is the same screen as the last model but not as bright as some other phones. It’s easier to see outside because the screen reflects less light.

The phone has a 5,000mAh battery, which is okay but a bit small for 2025. It lasts about 14 hours with normal use, which is decent but not the best. The phone charges slowly with a 30W charger, taking about 1 hour 40 minutes to fully charge. Even faster chargers don’t speed it up. Sony says slow charging helps keep the battery healthy.

You can also charge it wirelessly up to 15W. The phone has features to protect the battery by stopping charging at 80% or 90%.

For sound, it has front stereo speakers that give clear and good audio. The sound is good but not as loud or deep as some top phones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max or Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Review Software and Performance

The Sony Xperia 1 VII uses Android 15. It will get 4 years of system updates and 6 years of security fixes. The software looks very close to regular Android, so it’s clean and simple.

The home screen is basic with no big changes. You can see Google Feed on the left if you want, or turn it off. The quick settings use square buttons, which is a bit different from other phones.

Sony adds some cool features like Multi-window, which lets you run two apps on the screen at once. You can open this from the app switcher or a shortcut.

There’s also Side Sense, a small menu you open from the phone’s side with shortcuts to apps and features. Plus, there’s a Game Enhancer tool that helps improve gaming by letting you change settings like refresh rate and touch sensitivity.

The phone has a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Elite chip with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage (some places have a bigger version).

In speed tests, the Xperia 1 VII performs well but is not the fastest. It handles games and apps smoothly.

When used for a long time with heavy tasks, the phone lowers its speed to stop getting too hot. The graphics stay strong but also slow down a bit under stress.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Review Camera

Sony Xperia 1 VII has three main cameras like last year: a regular camera, a wide-angle camera, and a zoom camera. The zoom can go from 3.5 times to 7.1 times close.

The main camera is 52 megapixels but takes pictures at 48 megapixels. The zoom camera has 12 megapixels and zooms from 85mm to 170mm. The wide camera is new and better than before. The front camera is the same as last year.

Sony made one app for all camera functions. The camera screen looks like a professional Sony camera. It can focus on people’s or animals’ eyes and follow them around.

There are two new video modes that help keep moving things in the picture, even if you are moving.

In daylight, photos from the main camera look sharp and colorful. Skin looks okay but not perfect. The portrait mode sometimes makes the background too blurry.

Photos taken at full size are good in good light. Zoom photos look good outside but softer inside.

The zoom camera works well from 3.5x to 7.1x. It makes good pictures, but inside shots have some noise.

Cameras are good. The wide camera is better, and the zoom is smooth. The software is easy to use and has smart features.

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Pros and Cons of Sony Xperia 1 VII

👍 Pros	👎 Cons
✔️ Comfortable and compact design	🌧️ Competitors have better water resistance (IPX9)
✔️ Good water and dust protection (IP65/IP68)	💾 Only 256GB internal storage in most places
✔️ Two-stage shutter release button	⚡ Slow charging
✔️ microSD card slot and 3.5mm headphone jack	📷 Telephoto camera photos are soft
✔️ Full-featured camera app	🎥 Video quality not very sharp
✔️ Great telephoto close-ups	🌞 Screen brightness is lower than some rivals
✔️ Possibly best ultrawide camera for photos	🔒 Fingerprint sensor can be hard to use on a flat surface
✔️ Excellent selfies

Conclusion

Sony Xperia 1 VII is different from most phones. It has good and bad points.

The zoom camera zooms smoothly but the pictures are not very clear. Video quality is okay.

The phone charges slowly. It has 256GB storage, which might be small for some people.

You can add more storage with a memory card. It has a headphone jack and a real camera button.

The main camera takes good pictures. The front camera is good. The wide camera is very good. The camera app has many features.

This phone is made for certain people. It may not be for everyone, but it can be great if it fits what you need.