Sony Xperia 1 VII test: Good, but not good enough

Sony fans had to be patient, because shortly after the new Sony Xperia 1 VII went on sale, the flagship smartphone had already disappeared again. The reason: the Japanese manufacturer withdrew its top model due to massive problems with the mainboard. The error has now been rectified and the 1 VII is back on sale. We took the opportunity to take a closer look at the new model in our test.

Technical data

Sony Xperia 1 VII test: Design and workmanship

Sony remains true to itself with the Xperia 1 VII. At first glance, it is reminiscent of its predecessors – angular, slim and with a clear design language that clearly differs from the rounder look of many competing devices. The frame is made of high-quality metal and the front and back are protected with Gorilla Glass. The device weighs just 197 grams, making it one of the lighter flagships despite its large 6.5-inch display.

A special feature is the textured back, which not only reduces fingerprints but also ensures a secure grip. And it feels really pleasant. I think this is the first smartphone that I would voluntarily use without a case.

There are fine grooves on the sides that further improve handling. It is particularly pleasing that Sony relies on classic features that other manufacturers have long since done away with: There is still a 3.5 mm jack socket for headphones and a slot for microSD cards. The latter can even be opened with a fingernail without tools. These small details set the Xperia 1 VII apart from many of its competitors and make it attractive for purists.

The workmanship is consistently at a premium level: no sharp edges, a robust housing and an overall classy appearance. However, the design remains a matter of taste – those who like it more extravagant or modern may find the rather sober Sony look old-fashioned.

Beautiful 6.5-inch display

The Xperia 1 VII uses a 6.5-inch OLED panel with a 120 Hz refresh rate. The display is extremely smooth, whether you’re scrolling through websites or gaming. With a peak brightness of up to 1,520 cd/m², the screen is also extremely easy to read outdoors and in direct sunlight. However, the competition is noticeably brighter. The HONOR 400 Pro (our test), for example, shines with a whopping 5,000 cd/m².

Particularly pleasing: Sony continues to do without notches or punch holes. Instead, the front camera and speakers are discreetly integrated into the upper edge, leaving an undisturbed image without cut-outs. This is a real advantage, especially when watching movies or gaming.

The colors are vibrant and the sharpness is high, but not quite at the top of the industry. Some competitors such as Samsung or Apple offer displays with even better viewing angles and higher color accuracy. Even though Sony traditionally emphasizes UHD resolution, the practical differences in everyday use are rather small. Overall, however, the Xperia 1 VII delivers one of the best displays on the market, especially for users who value an uncompromising viewing experience.

Features and performance

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip works inside, combined with 12 GB of RAM. This means the device is ideally equipped for all tasks, from everyday apps to graphically demanding games. Gamers in particular benefit from the front speakers, the wide 21:9 display and the connection options – for example in combination with controllers.

The internal memory is 256 GB, which is fine for a premium smartphone in this price range. Fortunately, it can be expanded via microSD – a unique selling point in the high-end segment. Sony also relies on ultra-modern standards. In addition to Wi-Fi 7, there is Bluetooth 6.0 and NFC for contactless payment, and the USB-C port is also very fast thanks to the 3.2 standard.

The fingerprint sensor is located on the side of the power button, making it very easy to reach thanks to the slim casing. It works very quickly and reliably recognizes the finger to unlock the smartphone.

The system runs quickly and reliably in everyday use. Apps start without delay and multitasking works smoothly. However, the Sony Xperia 1 VII gets noticeably warm under load and throttles performance comparatively quickly, which is evident in the 3D Mark stress test:

The performance already drops slightly in the second of 20 runs, and then noticeably from the sixth loop onwards. The stability is below average at 59.5 percent, which is likely to annoy power users and gamers in particular.

In the classic benchmark tests, the Sony Xperia 1 VII performs on a par with other smartphones that use the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip. Here, the Sony model is undoubtedly on a par with the who’s who in the flagship segment.

With the exception of AI performance, which ranks slightly below that of the competition. However, the Xperia 1 VII is also capable of artificial intelligence, but this is not the main focus here. And yet: Gemini, Google Circle to Search and other functions are also included.

Battery

At 5,000 mAh, the battery is generously sized. Sony promises a battery life of up to two days – and the device actually proved to be very durable in the test. Even with intensive use, it easily lasts a whole day, and even significantly longer with moderate use.

The charging options are also solid: fast charging and wireless charging are supported. Although the charging speeds are not quite as fast as those of Chinese manufacturers, Sony protects the battery and focuses on longevity.

A maximum of 25 watts can be charged via cable, with a wireless charging speed of 15 watts. With the cable, 30 minutes of charging is enough to supply the smartphone with 53 percent energy. Another positive feature is the intelligent energy management, which reduces unnecessary background processes and also extends the battery life.

This makes the Sony Xperia 1 VII a real endurance runner and outperforms even models with a larger battery and all flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, Honor Magic 7 Pro and Xiaomi 15 Ultra in the battery test, in some cases significantly.

Software

The Xperia 1 VII is delivered with Android 15. Sony’s interface remains pleasantly lean and close to the standard Android, supplemented by some useful extras. These include Side Sense, which allows apps to be opened quickly at the edge of the screen, and various camera apps that are very similar to Sony’s Alpha cameras.

Ambitious users in particular will benefit from the AI features for photography and cameras: automatic focus tracking, eye tracking and scene recognition. However, these only work reliably in good lighting conditions – the software quickly reaches its limits in low light.

One point of criticism remains Sony’s update policy. Although the manufacturer has now switched to longer security and function updates, it has not yet reached the level of Google, Samsung or Apple. If you want to use your device for several years, you have to be satisfied with somewhat shorter support periods. A maximum of 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of security updates are offered.

Professional cameras? Unfortunately not really

The cameras are traditionally the heart of Sony’s Xperia series – at least on paper. The Xperia 1 VII has three lenses: an ultra-wide angle, a main lens and a variable telephoto lens with optical zoom between 85 and 170 mm (7.1x). This concept is unique, as the zoom can be continuously adjusted.

In practice, however, the picture is mixed. While the manual control and RAW recording are real professional features, the image quality is not always convincing. Photos often appear less brilliant than with Samsung or Apple.

While good results can often still be achieved with the main camera and ultra-wide-angle camera, the zoom lens is less convincing.

Colors, exposure and sharpness are also not consistent throughout and often the focus is simply not right. The colors often look very washed out, especially in automatic mode, so that the pictures lack the right “pep”.

There are clear weaknesses, especially with the zoom. This is where the weaknesses of the telephoto camera come to light, with highly visible image noise and a lack of detail even in good lighting conditions.

In a direct comparison with my Google Pixel 9 Pro, the Sony Xperia 1 VII clearly loses out across all lenses:

Video recordings are possible in 4K with up to 120 FPS – a powerful feature that will delight film enthusiasts in particular. However, the stabilization is also weak here, meaning that moving scenes don’t look quite as smooth as with the competition.

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is undoubtedly not a point-and-shoot camera. Here you MUST venture into professional mode and make fine adjustments to get convincing photos.

Sony Xperia 1 VII test: Conclusion

The Sony Xperia 1 VII is undoubtedly an interesting flagship smartphone that does a lot of things right. It scores with a very high-quality OLED display, excellent speakers, strong battery life and an innovative telephoto zoom camera with variable focal length. The 3.5 mm jack connection and microSD card slot are also impressive, both of which are simply no longer available in the flagship class these days.

And yet the seventh edition is a real disappointment. This is mainly due to the cameras which, despite good hardware, are not convincing across the board in terms of quality. The colors are washed out, the focus is less accurate than you would like and the image noise is far too strong.

In addition, the chip, which is actually very powerful, tends to throttle very quickly. And then there is the recommended retail price of 1,499 euros, which is simply (once again) far too high.

There are much better alternatives for the money. Too bad, because the Sony Xperia 1 VII actually offers enough exciting unique selling points.

VORTEILE

• Great display
• Good speakers
• Strong battery life
• 3.5 mm jack; microSD

NACHTEILE

• Much too expensive
• Weak dynamic range
• Strong image noise
• Disappointing autofocus
• Performance drops

Detailbewertung

Workmanship 97

Hardware 86

Multimedia 94

Performance 75

Battery 92

Value For Money 65

Fazit

The Sony Xperia 1 VII offers a classy design, great display and long battery life, but has some major flaws when it comes to cameras and system performance.

85

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