Sony Xperia 1 VII - 7.1x continuous optical zoom camera, SD 8 Elite for €1X99

Sony Xperia 1 VII Review

Introducing Sony's latest flagship, the Xperia 1 VII, part of the brand's annual Xperia 1 series, which typically sees a new release every May. Launched on May 13, 2025, the Xperia 1 VII follows closely behind its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI, released just a year earlier. While many features remain similar to the previous model, the Sony Xperia VII brings several noteworthy upgrades, though at a higher price point—€200 more than the Xperia 1 VI.

One of the standout features is the 7.1x continuous optical zoom camera, offering impressive photographic capabilities. Additionally, Sony has equipped the Xperia 1VII with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, which is currently one of the most powerful on the market. Despite these enhancements, many features appear to mirror those of the Xperia 1 VI. In this article, we'll dive into both the upgrades and similarities between the two models, and explore what makes the Sony Xperia 1VII a compelling choice for smartphone enthusiasts.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Design and Colors

The Sony Xperia VII retains a familiar look, closely resembling its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI. It features a sleek flat aluminum frame with a slim 8.2 mm profile and a weight of 197 grams. Sony has made only subtle tweaks to the design, keeping the overall dimensions nearly identical to the previous model—measuring 162 mm (6.38 inches) in length, 74 mm (2.91 inches) in width, and 8.2 mm (0.32 inches) in thickness. As with its predecessor, the Xperia 1 mark 7 also boasts an IP65/IP68 rating for water and dust resistance.

Turning to the front of the Xperia 1 VII, the smartphone sports symmetrical bezels on the top and bottom, housing the selfie camera and front facing speakers. It features a 6.5-inch display protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. Due to the larger bezels, the screen-to-body ratio stands at 86%. Surprisingly, despite being a flagship device, Sony hasn’t introduced any major upgrades in this area—you still won’t find an under-display fingerprint scanner. Instead, the fingerprint sensor is side-mounted, integrated into the power button.

The back of the Sony Xperia 1 VII features a familiar design, with a capsule-shaped camera module housing a triple-camera setup and an LED flash. The key design change from its predecessor is a slightly larger camera ring and a repositioned LED flash, now located beside the middle camera instead of the top one. The back panel is crafted from glass and protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, offering both elegance and durability. The Xperia1VII comes in three stunning color options: Moss Green, Orchid Purple, and Slate Black.

On the right side, you'll find the power button, volume controls, and a dedicated shutter button, while the left side remains clean and button-free. Up top, there's a microphone alongside a 3.5mm headphone jack. At the bottom, you'll see another microphone, a USB Type-C 3.2 port, and a SIM card slot that supports either dual nano SIMs or a nano SIM paired with an eSIM.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Display

The Sony Xperia1 VII features the same display as its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI—a 6.5-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a Full HD+ resolution. Thanks to LTPO technology, it offers a dynamic refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz, along with a 240Hz touch sampling rate for smooth responsiveness. The screen has a pixel density of 396 ppi, which is on the lower side compared to other flagship smartphones in this price range.

The display supports HDR10+ and Always-On Display functionality, and it reaches a peak brightness of up to 1300 nits. While the overall quality is solid, the Xperia 1 VII's display feels a bit underwhelming for its price—especially when many competitors offer higher resolution, brighter screens, and sharper pixel density.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Performance and Software

One major upgrade Sony has made to its latest smartphone is the processor — a key improvement that sets it apart from the Xperia 1 VI. The new Xperia 1 7 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, a step up from the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. This advanced octa-core chipset is built on a cutting-edge 3nm architecture and comes paired with the powerful Adreno 830 GPU.

Breaking down the core setup, the Snapdragon 8 Elite features two high-performance Oryon V2 Phoenix L cores clocked at 4.32 GHz, along with six Oryon V2 Phoenix M cores running at 3.53 GHz. Supporting this powerhouse are LPDDR5X RAM and ultra-fast UFS 4.0 storage, ensuring smooth multitasking and rapid data access.

Sony Xperia 1 VII single core score: 3094

Sony Xperia 1 VII multi core score: 9293

Sony Xperia 1 VII antutu score: 2681282

On the software front, the Sony Xperia VII ships with Android 15 out of the box and is guaranteed to receive four major Android updates. Connectivity is also top-tier, with support for Bluetooth 6.0 and the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard — making it a truly future-ready flagship.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Battery and Charging

Next up is the battery. Sony hasn’t made any upgrades here—it’s still a 5000mAh Li-Po unit. It supports 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. Using a 30W charger, you can expect a 51% charge in just 30 minutes, with a full charge taking around 1 hour and 27 minutes.

Another thing is that the battery has not been upgraded but Sony has not optimized it either while it has a good processor so it could have optimized the battery and made the battery backup a bit better but despite having the same battery the battery backup is 15% less than Xperia 1 VI.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Camera

Next up is the camera system, where we see the second major upgrade—though it's limited to just one lens: the ultrawide. The device features a triple-camera setup, headlined by a 48MP main camera with OIS, an f/1.9 aperture, and a Sony IMX888 sensor (1/1.35").

The secondary camera is a 12MP telephoto lens with OIS, offering optical zoom from 3.5x to 7.1x. It uses a Sony IMX650 sensor (1/3.5") and has a variable aperture ranging from f/2.3 to f/3.5.

The third camera—the one receiving the notable upgrade—is the 48MP ultrawide lens. It now features a larger Sony IMX906 sensor (1/1.56"), replacing the older IMX563 (1/2.55"), with an f/2.0 aperture.

On the front, there's a 12MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture, powered by a Sony IMX663 sensor (1/2.9").

As for video capabilities, the rear camera supports 4K recording at up to 120 fps, while the front camera handles 4K at 60 fps.

Sony Xperia 1 VII Price

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is currently available in just two regions: Europe and the United Kingdom. In Europe, it starts at €1499 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant, marking a €200 price increase compared to its predecessor, the Xperia VI, which launched at €1299. This time, Sony has priced the Xperia 1VII at a premium, offering only one configuration—12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The UK pricing is also listed below.

Sony Xperia 1 VII 256GB +12GB: £1399 (UK)

Sony Xperia 1 VII 256GB +12GB: €1499 (Europe)

Your Queries

1. What is the release date of Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• The Sony Xperia1 VII was released on May 13, 2025, in Europe and the UK.

2. What color options are available for Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• It is available in three color options: Moss Green, Orchid Purple, and Slate Black.

3. How is the display of Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• The Xperia VII features a 6.5-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1300 nits of peak brightness.

4. What is the battery capacity of Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• Xperia 7 comes with a 5000mAh battery that supports 30W wired charging.

5. Which processor is used in Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• The device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.

6. How is the camera of Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• The Xperia VII has a triple-camera setup, including a 48MP main sensor, a 12MP telephoto lens, a 48MP ultrawide, and a 12MP front-facing camera.

7. What is the price of Sony Xperia 1 VII?

• It starts at €1499 for the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant.