Motorola Thinkphone 25 vs Sony Xperia 1 VII

Verdict

Motorola Thinkphone 25 scores higher on the OH Rank (70 vs 69), winning 4 of 10 categories including Battery and Screen. Sony Xperia 1 VII is 2.8mm wider than Motorola Thinkphone 25. Sony Xperia 1 VII is the more recent release, from Jun 2025.

Score Breakdown

Category

Motorola Thinkphone 25

71.2mm (2.8in) · Nov 2024 · Rank #83

Sony Xperia 1 VII

74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2025 · Rank #95
Performance /15
5
9
Battery /15
12
10
Screen /15
13
8
IP Protection /15
15
12
Main Camera /15
9
14
Selfie /5
3
3
Video /5
3
3
SD Memory /5
0
5
Software /5
5
5
Desktop Replacement /5
5
0
TOTAL
70
69
Motorola Thinkphone 25
71.2mm (2.8in) · Nov 2024 · Rank #83
5+12+13+15+9+3+3+0+5+5 = 70
* TOP Midranger

EDITORIAL: Motorola has preserved the spirit of innovation and creativity despite transfers to Google (in 2012) and Lenovo (in 2014). Their phones feature solid build with unusual and fun colors, good ingress protection and solid camera tech. The software is a very clean version of Android with useful but minimal additions such as “karate chop” move to turn on the main camera. This phone features a very interesting aramid fibre back, plastic frame, full IP68 water resistance with military grade drop protection, up to 5 years of OS updates and desktop replacement software bundled inside fast and feature rich OS.

PROs
compact and light 171gr build with fibre back panel, industry best ingress and drop protection, good (50MP main 10MP tele booth with OIS OIS and 13MP ultrawide – all three with PDAF) camera setup, long update support of a great OS with excellent desktop replacement functionality
CONs
could be hard to find, Motorola’s software updates can come with a delay (updated Apr 15, 2025)
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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