Sony Xperia VII release date, price and features
Sony has a rich history when it comes to phones, and since the inception of the Xperia brand back in 2008, the company has come up with dozens and dozens of interesting models.
Now, we're into the seventh generation of Xperia flagship phones after the big restart from 2019 when Sony decided to consolidate its lineup, which means we're going to talk about the Sony Xperia 1 VII.
Summary: Sony Xperia 1 VII at a glance
Here are the most important new features and changes Sony made to the Xperia 1 VII in comparison to the previous model. The phones comes with the fastest Snapdragon processor, a new 48MP ultrawide camera, and some software AI magic in the photography department. Most of the specs are very similar or outright identical to the specs sheet of the predecessor, though.
Here is a summary of the 5 biggest new Xperia 1 VII features:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
- 48MP ultra-wide-angle lens with f/2.0 aperture
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 screen protection
- Four OS upgrades and six years of security patches guaranteed
- AI Camerawork and Auto Framing
Jump to:
Sony Xperia 1 VII release date
- May 15, 2025
Sony officially introduced the Xperia 1 VII on May 15, 2025. The phone was available for pre-orders right away, with market release in early June.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Sony Xperia 1 | February 25, 2019 | May 30, 2019 |
| Sony Xperia 1 II | February 24, 2020 | May 22, 2020 |
| Sony Xperia 1 III | April 14, 2021 | August 25, 2021 |
| Sony Xperia 1 IV | May 11, 2022 | June 11, 2022 |
| Sony Xperia 1 V | May 11, 2023 | July 28, 2023 |
| Sony Xperia 1 VI | May 15, 2024 | June 6, 2024 |
| Sony Xperia 1 VII | May 15, 2025 | June, 2025 |
Sony Xperia 1 VII price and deals
- €1,499.99 ($1,670 after direct conversion)
Sony decided to bump the price of the Xperia 1 VII once again. The phone starts at €1499/£1399 for the 256GB version. The phone is currently available in selected European markets.
| Phone model | 128GB of storage | 256GB of storage | 512GB of storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xperia 1 | $949 | - | - |
| Xperia 1 II | - | $1,199 | - |
| Xperia 1 III | - | $1,299 | $1,399 |
| Xperia 1 IV | - | $1,599 | $1,699 |
| Xperia 1 V | - | $1,399 | $1,599 |
| Xperia 1 VI | - | $1,399 | $1,599 |
| Xperia 1 VII | - | €1,499 | - |
Sony Xperia 1 VII camera
Sony has upgraded the ultrawide camera on the Xperia 1 VII. The new 48MP, 1/1.56" sensor is approximately 2.1 times larger than the one on the previous model, promising better night shots, more details, and lower noise levels. The other two cameras have been carried over from the Xperia 1 VI.
Sony Xperia 1 VII camera setup:
- Main: 48MP Exmor T, 1/1.35" (1/1.43" in 4:3) 24-48mm (2x crop zoom available)
- Ultrawide: 48MP Exmor RS, 1/1.56", 16mm
- Periscope zoom: 12MP Exmor RS, 85-170mm (3.5x-7.1x zoom range)
Sony Xperia 1 VII storage
Sony Xperia 1 VII storage capacity:
- 256 GB
Sony is offering a single 256GB variant of the Xperia 1 VII, at least at the moment. This shouldn't be a deal-breaker as the phone still sports a microSD card slot, and you can use cards with up to 2TB of capacity to expand the onboard storage.
The phone also features the same 12GB of RAM as its predecessor.
Sony Xperia 1 VII design
The Xperia 1 VII colors | Image by Sony
There are no substantial changes to the Xperia 1 VII design, the phone looks almost identical to its predecessor. There are subtle differences, such as the position of the LED flash in the camera bump, and the design of the camera rings inside.
The same buttons and ports are present, you have the 3.5mm headphone jack, a side-mounted capacitive fingerprint scanner, a microSD card slot, and a double-action camera shutter button.
In terms of colors, the phone comes in three different hues, just like its predecessor, and they are somewhat similar, but there's one color that stands out.
Sony Xperia 1 VII available colors:
- Moss Green
- Orchid Purple
- Slate Black
Sony Xperia 1 VII display
- 6.5", FHD+, 1-120Hz LTPO, OLED
Even though there were rumors that Sony will bring back the 4K display on the Xperia 1 VII, it turned out we're getting the same 1080x2340 pixels FHD+ screen with a resulting pixel density of around 394 PPI. It has the same 19.5:9 aspect ratio as the Mark VI, and can do 1-120Hz display refresh rate.
Sony Xperia 1 VII battery
- 5000 mAh
No changes have been made to the battery capacity. The Xperia 1 VII sports the same 5000 mAh cell as its predecessor. Thanks to the lower resolution screen and the efficient chipset, the previous generation had a very good battery life, and the same goes for the Xperia 1 VII.
In terms of charging, again there are no changes - the Xperia 1 VII supports 30W wireless charging, and also have wireless charging coils on the back.
Sony Xperia 1 VII features and software
- Android 15, four years of major OS updates
The Xperia 1 VII launched with Android 15 out of the box, and it's a pretty clean and stock version of the operating system. There are new features on board, such as the AI Camera Work tool that helps to create pro level stable and framed videos, keeping the subject fixed in the center of the composition, or the Auto Framing feature that tracks the subject and frames it in the center.
Sony also included some of the Walkman DNA in the Xperia 1 VII''s sound system, enhancing the sound quality when using wired headphones. In terms of software updates, Sony now offers four years of major OS updates (up from three on the previous model), and six years of security patches.
Sony Xperia 1 VII hardware and specs
Sony Xperia 1 VII's specs:
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM: 12GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Charging: 30W wired, 15W wireless
- Storage: 256GB
- Camera setup: 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 12MP periscope telephoto (85-170mm)
There's an updated ultrawide camera sensor, the Xperia 1 VII now features a 48MP ultrawide camera with a bigger 1/1.56" sensor underneath, but the other two cameras have been carried over from the previous generation.
The battery and charging situation is the same - the Xperia 1 VII comes with a 5000 mAh battery and supports 30W wired and 15W wireless charging.
Should you buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII?
- You should buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII if you're a dedicated Sony fan and you want to stand out in the normal Samsung and Apple crowd. If you also value continuous optical zoom, the Xperia flagship phones are your only option. If you're coming from a much older device, let's say the Xperia 1 III or Xperia 1 IV, upgrading to the Xperia 1 VII is a huge step up, especially if you want to stay loyal to Sony.
- You should not buy the Sony Xperia 1 VII if you don't fancy the new FHD+ screen, the Galaxy-like aspect ratio and the premium price tag that still goes with the phone. If you own and love an Xperia 1 V device, you should probably stick with it or move to something different (a Pixel 9 Pro will last you seven years, for example). For the Xperia 1 VI owners out there, there's probably little to no reason to upgrade, as well.
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