Sony Xperia 1 Vii: Ultimate Buyers Guide

• Sony Xperia 1 VII specs
• How much does the Sony Xperia 1 VII cost?
• Where can I buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII?
• What colors does the Sony Xperia 1 VII come in?
• What new upgrades does the Sony Xperia 1 VII have over the Sony Xperia 1 VI?
• What cases are available for the Sony Xperia 1 VII?
• Images & Video
• Should I buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII?
• Updates

The Sony Xperia 1 VII has been announced , Sony’s brand new flagship. The device was announced on May 13, which is within Sony’s release schedule. The Sony Xperia 1 VI also arrived in May, but in 2024. With that being said, this phone looks a lot like its predecessor. Sony opted not to change the design, but to focus on what lies on the inside. It’s not easy to tell apart Sony’s flagships in recent years.

The Xperia 1 VII does come with a brand new processor, the most powerful Qualcomm has to offer. It also includes an improved ultrawide camera, some new camera features, and so on. A lot of things did remain unchanged compared to the Sony Xperia 1 VI, which is not all that surprising, in all honesty. With that being said, let’s get into it, starting with the phone’s specifications .

Sony Xperia 1 VII specs

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. That is Qualcomm’s most powerful chip. That processor is backed by 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The company has also included 256GB/512GB of UFS 4.0 flash storage on the inside, and that is the only storage option. Luckily, however, you can expand that via a microSD card, if you want. This phone can take a microSD card up to 2TB.

A 6.5-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) OLED HDR display is included on the front. That panel is flat, and it supports an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. A 5,000mAh battery is also a part of the package, and the phone supports 30W wired charging. Qi wireless charging is also supported, as is the Battery Share function. A side-facing fingerprint scanner is included here, as it’s embedded inside the power/lock key.

Android 15 comes pre-installed here, while three cameras sit on the back. A 48-megapixel main camera uses a 1/1.35-inch camera sensor and supports hybrid OIS/EIS. A 48-megapixel ultrawide camera is also included, and it uses a 1/1.56-inch sensor size, plus it offers a 104-degree FoV. The last camera on the back is a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with a 1/3.5-inch sensor size, and 3.5x to 7.1x equivalent optical zoom. 21.3x hybrid zoom is also on offer.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Specs

How much does the Sony Xperia 1 VII cost?

The Sony Xperia 1 VII has been announced in Europe only for now, so we have only the European price for the device. The phone comes in a single variant, and it’s priced at €1,499 in Europe, £1,399.00 in the UK. That is the equivalent to $1,665, though the price will be different if the phone makes its way to the US. The device will go on sale starting on June 4 . There’s still no word on the US availability.

Where can I buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII?

Sony Xperia 1 VII

What colors does the Sony Xperia 1 VII come in?

The Sony Xperia 1 VII was announced in three color options . You can choose between Moss Green, Orchid Purple, and Slate Black. These are, essentially, green, purple, and black colors. Sony just wanted them to sound more… flashy, as do many other companies. These three colors are quite different, and do look nice, though they’re not particularly bright, if you’re into that sort of thing. Not many smartphone OEMs do flashy colors these days.

What new upgrades does the Sony Xperia 1 VII have over the Sony Xperia 1 VI?

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is more powerful than its predecessor, but… it’s also very similar, in so many ways. In this section, we’ll note some of the upgrades that stand out, and also note the similarities at the same time. We’ll also note some of the main selling points/features of the phone.

New chip, newfound power

The Snapdragon 8 Elite fuels the Sony Xperia 1 VII. That is Qualcomm’s latest and greatest processor that many flagships have adopted this year. It is paired with the same RAM and storage as in the Xperia 1 VII, though. We’re looking at 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB/512GB of UFS 4.0 flash storage. Do note that the storage is expandable , though, you can easily pop in a microSD card in there. A maximum of 2TB microSD card can be used.

Improved ultrawide camera

The Sony Xperia 1 VII comes with a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera, which includes a 1/1.56-inch sensor size. Its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI, featured a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit with a 1/2.5-inch sensor. This is a major hardware improvement.

New camera features

The Sony Xperia 1 VII comes with some new camera features. The all-new AI Camera Work feature helps create pro-level, stable, and framed videos. It can keep the subject fixed in the centre for composition. The Auto Framing feature utilizes AI in order to track the subject and automatically crops the shot to center it on the screen.

The display hole is not included here

There is no display hole on this display, nor a notch. Those of you who are familiar with Sony’s flagships know that this is nothing new, but it’s worth noting. Almost every other flagship on the market has some form of display obstruction. Truth be said, you do get somewhat thicker top and bottom bezels here, because of it, but… many people will prefer that.

Very good ingress protection

The Xperia 1 VII is, much like its predecessor, both IP65 and IP68 certified. It offers really good protection not only against water, but against dust as well.

Expandable storage & audio jack

Here are two more features that most other flagship smartphones don’t have. Sony allows you to expand the Xperia 1 VII storage up to 2TB via a microSD card. There is also an audio jack placed at the top of the phone.

What cases are available for the Sony Xperia 1 VII?

Sony has listed only one accessory on its website thus far. The Style Cover with Stand has been listed. That is basically a smartphone case with a kickstand built into it. It is available in the colors of the Xperia 1 VII. So it comes in Moss Green, Orchid Purple, and Slate Green colors. It’s made out of plastic, offers good protection, and it’s priced at £34.99 in the UK. You can check out all the colors below, and also get the case if you’d like.

Images & Video

Should I buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII?

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is, in many ways, similar to its predecessor. If you are using last year’s Xperia flagship, you may want to skip this one. Well, unless you really want the new SoC, or the much-upgraded ultrawide camera, that is. If you own an older Xperia flagship and are looking to upgrade, this may be the perfect option for you. The Xperia 1 VII looks great on paper and is, in every shape and form, a Sony smartphone.

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Updates

Updated August 14, 2025: (power failures)

Sony was forced to halt the sales of the Xperia 1 VII in Japan due to power failures . These issues affect only a select batch of the Xperia 1 VII phones, but it’s not affecting only Japan. Other parts of Europe seem to be affected too. The company has decided to replace your Sony Xperia 1 VII if you’re having such issues. A free replacement program is now live. In order to find out whether your device is affected, you can enter its IMEI number on the company’s support website. That way you can get a replacement device, if there are any issues.

Updated September 17, 2025: (Android 16 update)

Android 16 is now rolling out to the Sony Xperia 1 VII . The update was spotted in Europe, as users on Reddit have started sharing screenshots of it. This update keeps the device on the August 2025 security update, it does not bump it to September, unfortunately. Users have only spotted changes in the Settings section, that’s pretty much it. The UI remains mostly the same as in Android 15, for some reason. The update is rolling out in stages, so be patient, it may take a while to reach your phone. It weighs over 1.1GB, though.