Sony Xperia 1 VII Review – Most Underrated Flagship of 2025?
Xperia 1 VII Specifications
| Spec | Details |
|---|---|
| OS | Android 15; promise of 4 major OS upgrades, 6 years security updates |
| Chipset | Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm); CPU: Octa‑core (2×4.32 GHz + 6×3.53 GHz); GPU: Adreno 830 |
| Memory / Storage | 12 GB RAM; 256 GB / 512GB; UFS 4.0 storage; microSD expandable (up to ~2 TB) |
| Display | 6.5‑inch LTPO OLED, 120 Hz; resolution 1080×2340; Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front; HDR; ~396 ppi |
| Body / Dimensions / Weight | Aluminum frame; glass front (Victus 2) / back (Victus); water/dust resistance IP65/IP68; ~162×74×8.2 mm; ~197 g |
| Rear Cameras | • 48 MP main (24 mm, f/1.9, OIS, PDAF), 1/1.35″ • 12 MP telephoto (85‑170 mm variable zoom, f/2.3 – 3.5, OIS) • 48 MP ultrawide (16 mm, f/2.0) 1/1.56″ |
| Front Camera | 12 MP f/2.0 |
| Battery & Charging | 5,000 mAh Li-Ion battery; 30 W wired charging; supports 15W wireless charging and reverse wireless charging |
| Connectivity & Others | • USB‑C 3.2 with OTG and video output • 3.5mm audio jack • Dual‑SIM (nano + eSIM or 2 nano) • Tri-band Wi-Fi 7 with Wi-Fi Direct • Bluetooth 6.0 with A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless • NFC • Fingerprint sensor side‑mounted |
| Colours | Slate Black, Moss Green, Orchid Purple |
Xperia 1 VII Benchmarks and Tests
Performance
In Antutu v11, the Xperia 1 VII had a pretty great score as it’s clearly ahead of last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 flagships and practically on par with other flagships of this year. There are a number of devices that managed to beat it despite running the same chip but I would attribute that to thermal efficiency and optimization tweaks. More likely than not, you won’t be able to tell the difference in performance when using this over another Snapdragon 8 Elite flagship.
The Xperia 1 VII also had a good showing in Geekbench 6, showing that it’s noticeably stronger than any Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 device in both single and multi core performances. While not outright listed here, it’s worth noting that the multi core score is on par with other Snapdragon 8 Elite chips but the single core score here is a little bit lower than expected, though it’s not within the realm of being noticeable by most.
Battery Life
The Xperia 1 VII shows remarkable battery life, lasting over 16 hours in our PCMark’s Work 3.0 endurance test. While the 5,000mAh battery capacity certainly helps, it’s still a big surprise since it lasted longer than a lot of flagships out there running the same chip. Theoretically, even heavy users should easily last a full day out with it. It’s not class-leading by any means, but it’s still great nonetheless.
Camera
The classic two-step shutter button is tactile and well-placed. I have to say this because the iPhone’s Camera Control button is too far in for it to be comfortable to use. The main wide-angle as well as the ultrawide lens performs especially well, offering sharp, low-distortion shots. Color reproduction is natural, especially in Creator Mode, making it great for content creators.
Interestingly, we produced a BYD SEAL 6 EV short video recently, which was filmed entirely using the Sony Xperia 1 VII. Details look rather clean considering that the lighting of the stage area was on the dimmer side and the video stabilization works great. When zooming in while it’s shooting, the movement feels a bit jagged instead of having a smooth flow but it’s still relatively decent.
While the Sony Xperia 1 VII has good optical zoom figures, the results can be lacking in detail. This is because a lot of photos tend to look overly softened at times, which is normal to make the pictures look as clean as possible but a lot of times to me, the softening effect can get rather excessive. For Bokeh shots specifically, the subject will need to be further away from the background for it to work well, otherwise you’ll either get no blur or almost everything gets blurred.
Pros
Unique, Eye-catching Design
The Xperia 1 VII keeps Sony’s signature slim and elegant look, with thin bezels, a grippy ribbed aluminum frame, and a unique dimpled Gorilla Glass back. Despite housing front-facing stereo speakers, the forehead and chin remain impressively thin. If there was ever a complaint for it, it’s that the looks don’t change much over the years but with how its competitors are usually designed, it allows the Xperia to stand out more.
Cinemawide Display
The OLED panel delivers punchy colors and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. Thankfully, they stuck with FHD+ and didn’t move back to 4K resolution, which would severely affect battery life for minimal gains. The 21:9 aspect ratio may seem a bit odd but it does help make the viewing experience feel more cinematic and immersive. Brightness peaks at over 2,000 nits (20% APL), and minimum brightness drops to 1 nit, ideal for most lighting conditions.
Interesting Audio Proposition
Front-facing stereo speakers are loud with decent bass. Some phones out there like the ROG Phone 9 certainly have better, more full-sounding speakers but for general use, most people would be happy with this. On the plus side, you do have a 3.5mm audio jack here should you choose to connect it to an external speaker, earphones or headphones.
Clean, Stock-like UI
The Sony Xperia 1 VII comes with Android 15 and it has a mostly clean, stock-like interface. Interestingly, Sony is offering 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches, so you will be well-supported if you plan on using the device for long term. Minor UI tweaks like the compact quick toggles and sidebar add useful touches, but will require a bit of learning to make good use of it.
Others
For haptics, the vibrations are quick and precise, making for satisfying touch feedback. Slightly subtle, but responsive during general use. The internal storage is plenty fast at UFS 4.0 and if the capacity isn’t enough, you can expand it via the microSD slot, which is something you can’t say about most other flagship ones out there today.
Cons
Barebones Package
Minimal packaging; just the phone and cable. No charger or extras. In Malaysia, it does come with the Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones as part of a bundle package but that certainly inflated the price of it being sold in Malaysia. Speaking of which…
Far From Affordable
At RM6,499, it’s very expensive. Sure, you do get a proper flagship experience and some forgotten features like a headphone jack and microSD card slot but considering that you can get similar-level flagships at noticeably lower prices, it’s going to be a hard sell. If it was RM2,000 cheaper (which is roughly the price of the XM6), it would be a very strong contender in this year’s flagship space.
Slow Charging Speed
In this day and age where a lot of smartphones, even the affordable ones, can come with high wattage charging like 50W and above, the Xperia 1 VII is stuck at 30W. This means that a full charge will take roughly 1.5 hours, which is painfully slow. The wireless charging at 15W is perfectly fine for me since it can be comfortably used for overnight charging at that speed.
Not the Brightest Screen Out There
Though excellent at 20% APL, Sony doesn’t push peak brightness like the competition does which might matter for bright outdoor use. It’s still plenty bright so this shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for you unless you absolutely must have the highest numbers possible.
Should You Buy the Xperia 1 VII?
The Sony Xperia 1 VII is a great flagship smartphone but it’s also not one for the masses. It caters to a niche audience, particularly content creators who may want to expand their mobile photography / videography setup with ease. At its asking price of RM6,499, most consumers would opt for a Samsung or Apple flagship instead but if you want something more unique or prefer having a microSD card slot and headphone jack, you can’t go wrong with this.
PriceShop Rating
Not Bad Leh!
✅ Good main and ultrawide cameras
✅ Cinemawide Display, 21:9 aspect ratio
✅ Loud stereo speakers with decent bass + 3.5mm audio jack
✅ 4 years of Android updates and 6 years of security patches guaranteed
✅ Excellent battery life
❌ Barebones package
❌ Very pricey
❌ Slow charging speed
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