It isn’t a secret that Sony is no longer a top player in the smartphone business, at least for quite a while. Since its naming reshuffle in 2019, Sony’s Xperia lineup consists of three core models – the Xperia 1 series, Xperia 5 series, and the Xperia 10 series, representing the brand’s flagship, compact flagship, and midrange options.
Throughout the past six years, Sony has never failed to push out yearly updates for the Xperia 1 and 10 series. The Xperia 5 series, on the other hand, has not received a successor since 2023.
Now it seems like the brand’s flagship is getting a new update this year, in fact as soon as May, according to reports. Tech tipster OnLeaks and XpertPick have put up CAD renders of the alleged Sony Xperia 1 VII, along with a 360-degree video of it, showing us what the upcoming flagship might look like.
Sony Xperia 1 VII to return to a 4K display?
If you’ve been paying attention to Sony’s smartphone designs for a while, you’re already expecting the Xperia 1 VII to look pretty much similar to its predecessor, right? Well, you’re once again correct.
Overall, not much has changed to the Xperia 1 VII’s looks, as compared to its predecessor(s). Specifically, the upcoming Xperia flagship is expected to measure 161.9mm tall, 74.5mm wide, and 8.5mm thick. This makes it just a hair wider and thicker than the Xperia 1 VI (162 x 74 x 8.2mm).
At the front, the seventh-generation Xperia 1 is said to retain a 6.5″ OLED display, laid out in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, along with a 120Hz refresh rate and LTPO technology. However, Sony is rumoured to bring back the 4K resolution to its flagship smartphone, up from the Xperia 1 VI’s Full HD+ resolution.
If you’re not a stranger to Sony Xperia smartphones from the past five or six years, you will know that the Xperia 1 through Xperia 1 V have been rocking 4K displays, with the Xperia 1 VI being the first one in the series to be downgraded to a Full HD+ panel. In fact, the Xperia Z5 Premium from 2015 was the brand’s and also the world’s first smartphone with a 4K panel.
Whether this rumour will turn out to be true, we will have to wait until May to find out, as the Xperia 1 VII is expected to make its international launch as soon as next month.
Like its predecessors, the new Sony flagship will most likely feature a forehead and chin, with no notch or punch hole, leaving us with a fully uninterrupted display. Other features that are also expected to be retained include a 3.5mm headphone jack, a two-stage camera shutter button, and a microSD card slot, making it the ultimate enthusiast smartphone.
A new member of the Snapdragon 8 Elite club
Like many other Android flagships launched this year, the Sony Xperia 1 VII is said to feature Qualcomm’s latest and greatest smartphone chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. With the Sony phone, the SoC is rumoured to be paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage.
Enabling the flagship to keep its lights on is a battery that’s larger than 5,000mAh. Charging is said to be set at just 30W via USB-C. The phone is also expected to ship with Android 15 out of the box, with Sony’s Xperia UI on top.
Camera: Old on the outside, but new on the inside?
Flip the phone around, and you might see a familiar vertically aligned camera island. However, the Xperia 1 VII is expected to rock Sony’s new Exmor T sensor technology on all three of its camera modules, which is most likely to consist of the 48MP main camera, 12MP ultra-wide shooter, and the 12MP periscope telephoto unit that packs a 70-200mm focal range. Last year’s Xperia 1 VI only had the Exmor T sensor on its main camera unit.
But what is Sony’s new Exmor T sensor all about? Well, like the decade-old Exmor R sensor it replaces that’s been with Sony Xperia phones since the Xperia Z from 2013, the Exmor T is a stacked CMOS sensor, but this time being equipped with a 2-layer transistor pixel technology. Long story short, this new sensor is said to provide better low-light performance with reduced noise, along with higher dynamic range.
So, if these rumours turn out to be true, will the Sony Xperia 1 VII be enough to satisfy all of you Xperia fans out there?
