Sony’s smartphones probably haven’t made much money in a long time, but they do provide a showcase for the company’s latest camera and AV tech. A case in point is the new Xperia 1 VII flagship, a model that borrows Sony’s Alpha camera and Bravia TV tricks and now features Walkman audio technology for the first time as well.
On the camera side, Sony introduced a new 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (16mm full-frame equivalent) with a good-sized 1/1.56-inch sensor, significantly improving the specs of the Xperia 1 VI’s ultrawide. That’s on top of the main 48MP 1/1.35-inch 24mm camera and 12MP 85-170mm telephoto zoom.
Another new camera feature is AI-powered Auto Framing. It lets you capture an entire scene with a wide angle, while automatically creating a closeup crop (vertical or horizontal) of a subject within the frame. That matches technology already available on Sony’s Alpha camera lineup. Other key camera features include an improved Bokeh mode, real-time tracking and real-time eye autofocus, “telemacro” photography via the 120mm equivalent lens (with focus as close as 4cm), pro controls, a dedicated shutter button, live streaming and “low-light capability in line with full-frame cameras,” Sony claims.
As for audio, Sony has upgraded the Xperia 1 VII considerably from the previous model. It now uses the high-end Walkman components in key areas like sound resistors. Unlike other smartphone makers, Sony has kept its headphone jack and improved wired sound via a premium-grade integrated circuit, while also improving its LDAC wireless audio quality. Plus, the Xperia 1 VII supports Sony’s DSEE Ultimate AI sound upscaling technology, along with 360 Reality audio or Dolby Atmos formats.
The Xperia 1 VII is also taking a cue from Sony’s Bravia displays with a new adaptive brightness feature for the 6.5-inch OLED display. It now has light sensors both front and back to better gauge environmental light levels and adjust brightness, contrast and color accordingly.
Other key features include a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage (expandable to 2TB with microSD), WiFi 7, FPS gaming optimizer, two days of battery life via the new 5,000mAh battery, a vapour chamber cooler and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for environmental protection. Sony is even throwing in a free set of its top-end WH-1000XM5 headphones worth around $300.
Unfortunately there’s no sign that the Xperia 1 VII is coming to the United States. It’s now available to order in Europe and the UK for €1,499 and £1,399 respectively, or around $1,700.
