The Xperia 1 VII is Sony’s latest push to stay competitive in the premium Android space, and while the photography-focused phone introduces some standout features, it also falls short in a few important areas – especially for a phone priced at S$1,989.
The design sticks with Sony’s usual formula – slim, minimal, and unmistakably understated. However, for a high-end flagship, it does not feel premium.
The plastic back and lightweight 197g build make it easy to carry around. Yet, they don’t deliver the kind of materials or finish you’d expect from a flagship phone in this price range.
The 6.5-inch OLED screen is an example of the good and bad seemingly cancelling each other out – it’s one of the phone’s biggest strengths yet comes with a glaring weakness.
The display is sharp, vivid, and colour-accurate, with enhanced brightness and smart colour tuning that make it easy to view even in direct sunlight. YouTube or Netflix on this screen looks excellent.
Plus, there’s still a 3.5mm headphone jack – a rarity now – which is great news if you use wired headphones or high-quality in-ear monitors, say, in situations when the phone’s excellent on-board stereo speakers are not suitable.
That said, the thick bezels at the top and bottom of the Xperia 1 VII’s screen really stand out—in a bad way. In a world of sleek, edge-to-edge displays, this design feels dated. For a device that’s meant to be all about visuals and media, it is a noticeable compromise.
Sony continues to emphasise its camera-focused identity, and that’s clear in the features packed into its latest flagship phone.
There is a physical shutter button on the side, a long-running Sony staple that other brands like Apple and Oppo are only now starting to adopt. It’s practical, making snapping photos or recording video much easier, especially one-handed.
Durability is decent too. The phone is IP65/68 rated, so it can handle dust and splashes without issue. Just don’t push your luck with full submersion for long periods.
Unlocking the phone is quick and easy, thanks to a fingerprint sensor built into the power button. It’s responsive and more reliable than face unlock, particularly in low light or when your face is partially covered.
The camera system on the back of the Xperia 1 VII is where Sony aims to stand out. It has a 48MP main sensor with a 24mm lens, a 12MP telephoto lens with 85-170mm zoom, and a 50MP camera with16mm ultra-wide lens.
There’s also a 12MP front-facing camera that handles selfies and group shots just fine. The Zeiss T* coating on the lenses helps reduce reflections and glare, especially in bright settings. The promise: Great image quality.
Sony has also made its advanced camera features more accessible by integrating the Pro Photo and Pro Video modes into the main camera app. This allows for full manual control without jumping between separate apps.
Plus, a new feature, AI Camerawork, keeps subjects centred and reduces shakes while filming. It’s a handy addition for people shooting handheld without a gimbal.
However, I miss some of the consumer-friendly shooting modes not found in Sony smartphones, such as Night Mode, Long Exposure for silky water effects or light trails, Time-lapse, and Slow-Motion video.
In their place, Sony offers a unique Live Streaming mode that allows users to stream directly to YouTube or broadcast via the RTMP protocol to platforms like Facebook. While this feature is powerful, it leans more toward technical users and does come with a bit of a learning curve.
In good lighting, the Xperia 1 VII delivers clean and natural colours, though it’s not flawless. Portrait mode struggles with consistent background blur, and panorama stitching can be hit-or-miss, especially in darker environments.
On closer inspection, the ISO noise can be quite evident in the shadows for low-light shots. So, it is best to shoot with RAW files to clean up the image in post-editing, if you need good image quality.
The phone’s performance is strong, powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 12GB of RAM. The Xperia 1 VII handles editing apps like CapCut smoothly, and 4K video exports are quick.
Onboard, the 5,000mAh battery comfortably lasts through a full day of heavy use, whether you’re filming, editing, or just streaming content. The battery can be charged wirelessly too if you do not want to be tangled with USB cables.
One area that feels limiting is storage. With only 256GB on board, the capacity may be tight if you regularly shoot high-res photos and 4K video. On the plus side, you can add a microSD card offering up to 2TB but it comes at the cost of the second SIM slot.
Strangely, Sony is not offering eSIM support, so you’re forced to choose between having more storage or a second SIM, which might be useful overseas. This is an odd trade-off for a phone that is this expensive.
You can argue that the Xperia 1 VII is not trying to be a mainstream flagship. It seems aimed at a niche group of users who know their way around camera settings, care about lens quality, and want a video and audio entertainment gadget all packed into a phone.
However, with a S$2,000 price tag and a few missing premium phone features, it’s a tough sell for the average buyer. Unless you’re looking for a smartphone that doubles as a content creation tool with professional-level camera flexibility, there are more well-rounded options to choose from.
The “thick bezels at the top and bottom of the Xperia 1 VII’s screen” which “really stand out—in a bad way,” are the main selling point for me in that they allow front facing speakers.