Apple iPhone 16 Pro vs Sony Xperia 1 VII
Verdict
Apple iPhone 16 Pro and Sony Xperia 1 VII tie on the OH Rank at a score of 69. Apple iPhone 16 Pro wins on Performance and Screen; Sony Xperia 1 VII wins on Battery and Main Camera. Sony Xperia 1 VII is 2.5mm wider than Apple iPhone 16 Pro. Sony Xperia 1 VII is the more recent release, from Jun 2025.
Score Breakdown
Performance /15
Battery /15
Screen /15
IP Protection /15
Main Camera /15
Selfie /5
Video /5
SD Memory /5
Software /5
Desktop Replacement /5
TOTAL
69
69
Apple iPhone 16 Pro
71.5mm (2.81in) · Sep 2024 · Rank #93
11+6+13+12+12+5+5+0+5+0 = 69
* TOP Selfie* TOP Software
EDITORIAL: The small version of iPhone 16 Pro Max is a technological marvel (with a less-than-a-day battery life). It offers outstanding video recoding, top processor, screen and a camera like iPhone 16 Pro Max but trades battery endurance for a one hand size. The new camera control button may be just a gimmick but some of the Apple AI tricks have arrived at the end of October and help make 2024 iPhones that much better.
PROs
smooth A18 Pro chip performance, >1700nits bright (460ppi) LTPO OLED with Dolby Vision, up to 6m of water submersion, the 16 Pro Max matching camera setup: 48MP main and 12MP tele with OIS and PDAF plus a 48MP PDAF ultrawide, a 12MP OIS PDAF Selfie and up to 6 years of updates of already very mature iOS
CONs
lack of innovation in recent years, disappointing AI effort, barely a day of battery endurance, >90min 45W slow battery charging (25W wireless), lack of expandable storage, no Desktop replacement software
Sony Xperia 1 VII
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2025 · Rank #95
9+10+8+12+14+3+3+5+5+0 = 69
FLY* TOP Software* TOP Memory Expansion* TOP Camera
EDITORIAL: Sony seems unsure about the direction of it's mobile business. This year's Xperia announcement didn't introduce Xperia 10 VII- their midrange phone. Xperia 5 V from 2023 was the last compact flagship Sony put out and now they seem to have slimmed their model range from 3 to just 1. The 1 VII is still a great phone. It's hardware is unique and more functional then any other flagship phone. Great grip and a bright screen, forward facing stereo speakers, hi quality headphone jack, SDmemory - this phone offers so much value. The battery life is still a great affair, cameras are as good as ever (tho selfie lacks AF) and software is simple, elegant and bloatware-free.
PROs
excellent build and grip, relatively narrow (easier to use one hand) body, headphone/microphone jack, tool-less SD card slot for quick memory expansion, dedicated two-step camera button, fast SnapDragon 8 Elite chip with UFS4.0 performance, >30hr endurance from a 5000mAh battery, >1500nits bright LTPO OLED screen, IP68 protection, great photos from the 48MP OIS main + 12MP OIS continuous optical zoom + 48MP ultrawide (all 3 have PDAF), a tried and true Sony skin Android with 4 years of OS updates
CONs
expensive, lack of innovation, heavy throttling under load, 90min slow charging 5000mAh Lithium battery, sub400ppi non-HDR10+ screen, no-AF selfie, mediocre videos, no desktop replacement functionality that should be a logical extension of Sony's "creator tool" marketing.
Both phones here were scored by me, using the same ten categories, with no ads, sponsorships, or manufacturer relationships — this comparison is as objective and honest as it gets.
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