The external design of Sony's new flagship smartphone resembles earlier models, but the company made a number of changes under the hood to make the Xperia 1 VI a modern device.
The phone continues to focus on media features, such as high-end photography, audio, and gaming, but it dials back several key specs to make it a bit more user-friendly.
The biggest change centers on the display. Sony trimmed the shape and the resolution to more closely match those of competing devices. It cut the aspect ratio from 21:9 to 19.5:9 and lowered the resolution from 4K to 2,340-by-1,080 pixels.
The 6.5-inch OLED panel is protected by Gorilla Glass Vitctus 2 and reaches a peak brightness of 1,600 nits for better outdoor visibility. The screen supports a refresh rate of up to 120Hz as well as a touch sampling rate of 240Hz for gaming response.
(Credit: Sony)Sony refocused the camera module for better zoom. As before, the Xperia 1 VI has a trio of lenses on the rear, including a 48MP f/1.9 main shooter (24mm equivalent), a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide camera (16mm equivalent), and a revised 12MP f/2.3-3.5 optical zoom camera. The latter covers a zoom range from 80mm to 170mm, a change from the previous model's 85mm to 125mm range. This new focal length provides a larger degree of optical zoom for closeups of far-away items. Sony worked with Zeiss to design the lenses and the main camera features optical image stabilization. As for video, it can shoot at up to 4K120.
In keeping pace with rivals, Sony updated other specs across the board. The Xperia 1 VI has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with 12GB of RAM, 256GB of onboard storage, and support for an additional 1.5TB via microSD card. The phone packs a 5,000mAh battery that Sony says is good for two days. This is a step up for Xperia models, which often had lower battery life figures due to the 4K screen. The phone supports wireless charging and reverse wireless charging, but Sony didn't specify at what rate.
(Credit: Sony)Connectivity remains about the same. The phone supports sub-6GHz 5G, including some US bands, but not mmWave 5G. The phone also includes Wi-Fi 6E, NFC, and Bluetooth 5.4 Low Energy with Snapdragon Sound. Sony included an eSIM module in the phone, but it still supports physical nano SIM cards. Other ports include USB-C (v3.2) and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner. The phone runs Android 14 and will receive three OS upgrades and four years of security updates.
(Credit: Sony)Sony says the phone meets the IP6X and IPX8 ratings for dust and water protection. It features an aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus on the rear. The phone will be available in Black, Khaki Green, and Platinum Silver. The company didn't specify when it will go on sale, but the cost remains unchanged at £1,299/€1,399. Sony did not say if the phone will be sold in the US.