Sony Xperia 1 VII Review: The Phone I Can’t Help But Love

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Whilst not for everybody, the Xperia 1 VII brings a highly premium approach to the build and camera quality, especially with video. It is expensive though and your paying or some niche features.

The Good

1. Superb video quality
2. Clean UI
3. Detailed audio settings

The Not So Good

1. Expensive
2. Niche features aren't worth it for everyone

• User Ratings (5 Votes)
  5.5

Need-To-Know

• Similar to last year’s Xperia VI
• Excellent camera system with great video
• Premium design materials
• Expensive compared to competitors

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It’s that time of the year again when Sony pops out of hiding, brushes off its smartphone shoes, and releases the next generation in the Xperia lineup. Say hello (again) to the Sony Xperia 1 VII, or as Sony insists on calling it, the Xperia 1 Mark 7. Sony’s naming conventions continue to defy the laws of marketing.

But for me, this is all part of the charm. I’m a massive Sony fanboy across the board, with no shame in admitting that. Their headphones are excellent, their cameras too and I’ve always had a soft spot for the always quirky and often forgotten Xperia phones.

Seriously, do you know anyone who actually owns a Sony Xperia phone? Me neither, unless, like me, they’re reviewing one. It’s niche, but not in a Nothing kind of way. There are some subtle Sony-things at play with the Xperia that make it interesting instead. Here are my thoughts!

At A Glance

Feature	Specification
Price	£1,399/€1,499
Display	6.5″ FHD+ OLED, 120Hz LTPO, 19.5:9, HDR10, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM & Storage	12GB RAM, 256GB or 512GB storage, microSDXC support up to 2TB
Operating System	Android 15 with 4 years OS updates, 6 years security patches
Rear Cameras	48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (85–170mm continuous zoom)
Front Camera	12MP with 4K video support
Video Recording	4K at up to 120fps, AI Autoframing, full Pro Video and Photography apps
Battery	5,000mAh, 30W wired charging, wireless charging supported
Audio	3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, LDAC, Dolby Atmos, Hi-Res Audio
Build & Extras	IP65/IP68 rated, textured matte back, dedicated shutter button
Connectivity	5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort support
Dimensions & Weight	162 × 74 × 8.2 mm, ~192g
Colours	Slate Black, Moss Green, Orchid Purple

Design & Display: Familiarly Premium

The Xperia 1 VII looks a lot like its predecessor. If you’ve handled the VI, this will feel like déjà vu. It still has that grippy, matte-textured rear panel that defies all of the other glass slabs that other manufacturers put out. It could very easily feel cheap but it doesn’t, in fact it’s the opposite; it’s very premium.

The screen is a 6.5-inch OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and a slightly odd 19.5:9 aspect ratio. That means the phone is on the long, slender end of the spectrum rather than shorter and wider.

Related: Sony WH-1000XM6 review

Many people will dislike this. It’s a very distinctly different form factor than the iPhone 16 for example. But I don’t mind it, you get used to it pretty quickly and it’s surprisingly comfortable to use one-handed. 

And no, the Xperia 1 VII’s display is not 4K, Sony dropped that a couple of versions ago. Do you notice? Absolutely not. It’s a feature that only really matters if you regularly watch 4K content and that isn’t most people. It can’t have been a huge factor as Sony hasn’t chosen to reinstate it this time around. It’s still a very nice display that keeps up with any competitors. 

Related: Sony Xperia 1 VI review

Overall, this is a very similar look and feel to the VI.

Performance and Battery: As Good As Anything Else!

I am over talking about performance in smartphone reviews. The differences between the major players are minute and have zero impact on people’s day-to-day usage.

Sony’s gone with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, meaning you get top-of-the-range performance and some upgrades over last year’s model, which used the Gen 3. I have nothing left to say here. You can game on it, do AI stuff with it, whatever. It’s fast. 

As for the battery, it’s the same 5,000mAh size as the VI before it, which is a slightly puzzling decision. Upping the mAh is an easy marketing win, but it matters little in reality. Like most other Android phones these days, the Xperia 1 VII’s battery is great and will get you through two days easily. There’s wireless charging too, but not the super-fast variety.

Best smartphone battery? OnePlus 13 review

I will just mention that there was a product recall issued by Sony after some power supply issues were traced back to some faulty circuit boards. Obviously this is not great from Sony but they’re replacing people’s devices, which is all you can ask.

On to something much more interesting!

Cameras: This Is Where It Gets Juicy

Ah yes – the cameras. This is where things start to get exciting. We’ve got:

• 48MP main sensor (similar to the VI)
  
• 48MP ultrawide (massive upgrade from the 12MP in the VI)
  
• 85–170mm continuous telephoto (same as the VI but still impressive)
  

A very handy mid-range phone: OnePlus Nord 5 review

That continuous telephoto is excellent, but as I said, nothing really new to shout about as it’s the same as last year. What I’m really interested this time around is the video. And the Xperia 1 VII absolutely smashes it out of the park here, perhaps more so than any other Android I’ve used.

I can say this because I’ve put the phone through its video paces. This weekend I filmed two car reviews (a Porsche Macan Turbo and an Audi Q6 e-tron if you’re interested) for my car channel ‘The Next Drive’ using nothing but the Xperia 1 VII in 4K for the b-roll.

The final footage is brilliant, quality that I have no issues using in my videos. You can see for yourself here but the shots are crisp, there’s no motion blur, the colours feel natural and I doubt you would notice if I hadn’t told you.

More from Sony: Sony ULT Field 5 review

The camera performance is bolstered by Sony’s pro photo and video apps which allow you to get really granular with your shot setup. Most users won’t touch those apps, but for those who do, they’re excellent.

That said, I do wish Sony would unify their camera UI across devices. The interface here bears zero resemblance to my FX3 camera. I’d love a bit of consistency! But other than that, huge thumbs up.

Audio: Some Sony Quirks

The Xperia 1 VII still has a headphone jack. That’s not a given these days, in fact it’s a dying breed. But I love that Sony still does this. They go even further into the detail too.

Guide: Sony WH-1000XM6 vs Bowers & Wilkins Px7

There’s support for LDAC, enhanced DSEE Ultimate, gold solder internals, and Dolby Atmos. If you plug in something like the Sony WH-1000XM6, you’re going to have a great time in terms of audio quality.

Again, will many people make use of these features? No way. But this is the kind of stuff Sony obsesses over and it is what makes the Xperia lineup a little bit special. Not in any huge way, these small details are for the enthusiasts but I respect that Sony takes them seriously. They aren’t swayed by chucking in a load of trendy AI features, instead opting for things that their design philosophy has always prioritised.

Wrapping Up

Let’s not pretend this phone is for everyone. It’s niche and it’s pricey, considerably so on that latter point at £1,399. There’s also no USA release planned yet, another Sony quirk.

But if you’ve got this far in your Xperia research, and you’re the kind of person who watches Xperia reviews in July when everyone else is talking about upcoming iPhones or foldables, I’ve got good news: you won’t regret buying this phone.

Best budget earbuds? Sony WF-C710N review

That being said, if you own the Mark 6, there’s not enough here to justify an upgrade. From the Mark 5? Maybe, but you’ll lose the 4K display if that bothers you.

But as a first Xperia? Go for it. Treat yourself.

Sony continues to carve its own path in the smartphone world. And in a market increasingly dominated by boring, cookie-cutter designs and AI fluff, the Xperia 1 VII is a glorious oddball.