Sony Xperia 1 VI vs Sony Xperia 1 VII

Verdict

Sony Xperia 1 VI and Sony Xperia 1 VII tie on the OH Rank at a score of 72. Sony Xperia 1 VI wins on Battery and Screen; Sony Xperia 1 VII wins on Performance and Software. Sony Xperia 1 VII is the more recent release, from Jun 2025.

Score Breakdown

Category

Sony Xperia 1 VI

74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2024 · Rank #76

Sony Xperia 1 VII

74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2025 · Rank #75
Performance /15
7
9
Battery /15
13
10
Screen /15
10
8
IP Protection /15
12
12
Main Camera /15
15
14
Selfie /5
3
3
Video /5
4
3
SD Memory /5
5
5
Software /5
3
5
Desktop Replacement /5
0
3
TOTAL
72
72
Sony Xperia 1 VI
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2024 · Rank #76
7+13+10+12+15+3+4+5+3+0 = 72

EDITORIAL: Sony & Samsung make 90% of all phones camera sensors but Sony has struggled to produce a top performing camera phone. Sony phones have always featured exceptional hardware and introduced many new features (like IP68 protection) but software side was always neglected. The company changed it’s direction with Xperia 1 VI by consolidating all photo/video apps into a very good one. Xperia 1 VI has a new form factor that matches it’s flagship competition – gone is the long and narrow design (21:9) and we have a wider phone (harder to use one-hand at 16:9). The screen went from 4K to a 1020p LTPO. But many great things are there: exceptional 2-day battery life, SDmemory slot (up to a 1TB), a headphone/microphone jack, camera button and a Tool-less SIM tray. The screen is the only notch-free one in the flagship phone world! Sony is pitching it’s top phones as “creator tools” so it would give Sony an better market position if their phones could be used as creator’s computer replacement . Maybe down the road?…

PROs
outstanding design with best grip, tons of great hardware features (see above), still fast SD 8 Gen 3 performance, 2-day battery endurance from a 5000mAh Lithium battery (!), excellent photos from the main (OIS 48MP + 12MP tele + 12MP ultrawide all with PDAF) and (12MP no AF) selfie cameras, strong video performance, SDmemory expansion, headphone jack
CONs
lack of long OS update support & desktop replacement feature (updated Apr 16, 2025)
Sony Xperia 1 VII
74mm (2.91in) · Jun 2025 · Rank #75
9+10+8+12+14+3+3+5+5+3 = 72
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, limited Android 17 desktop replacement functionality
CONs
expensive, lack of innovation, heavy throttling under load, 90min slow charging 5000mAh Lithium battery, sub400ppi non-HDR10+ screen, no-AF selfie, mediocre videos

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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