Sony's Xperia 1 VII: AI-Powered Camera Features in a Premium Smartphone Package

Sony Xperia 1 VII Lets You Shoot Video Without Looking

Sony's latest flagship Android phone, the Xperia 1 VII, packs a variety of exciting tech features from its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip to its promise of AI-based audio quality upscaling. But it's the video tools that really caught my attention, in particular the 'AI Camerawork' and 'Autoframing' functions that apparently let you shoot steady, professional-looking video without even looking at your phone. It certainly sounds like a novel idea, but this phone needs novel ideas -- and plenty of them -- to justify its whopping price tag. At £1,399, the Xperia 1 VII is significantly more expensive than both the equivalent iPhone 16 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Both those phones have seriously impressed us in their full reviews so Sony will have its work cut out for it if it hopes to pry that much cash out of your hands. Read more: Best Android Phone in 2025 The phone is up for the preorder today in the UK, although Sony currently has no plans to bring it to the US. For reference, that £1,399 UK price converts to about $1,860. Ouch. The AI video tools certainly seem to be the big reason to choose this phone. While I have yet to test it myself, Sony's press materials suggest that it works by using a wide-angle lens, AI-based subject tracking and "posture estimation technology" to keep your subject in frame. The idea is that you only need to roughly point your phone in the vague direction of your subject and the phone will do the rest. It sounds like it could be great for things like skateboarding videos where you and your friend are speeding down the street, although how it really performs in such high-paced scenarios remains to be seen. It's not just the video camera that's been given the AI treatment. Sony says the phone has its "best sound quality to date" thanks to AI-based algorithms that actively upscale compressed, streamed music to make it sound as good as it can. Sony has even equipped the phone with a wired headphone jack to keep audiophiles happy. Sony also says it uses technology inherited from its Bravia TVs for better looking colors on its 6.5-inch display. I'm quite surprised at its low resolution though; the Xperia 1 VII's 1,080x2,340-pixel resolution gives it a pixel density of only 396 pixels per inch (ppi). That's quite a bit below the iPhone 16 Pro's 460ppi or the S25 Ultra's 501ppi and for the Xperia's price, I'd have expected more. Still, I'll reserve judgment on the overall quality until I'm able to see it for myself. Other features include a triple rear camera system, IP68 water resistance and a 5,000mAh battery. While Sony's spec sheet simply states "USB PD fast charging," it makes no reference to the actual speed it'll charge. The company does say it'll support the phone with six years of security updates, which is fair, although a year less than what Samsung or Google offer for their much cheaper handsets.

Sony's Xperia 1 VII Flagship Phone Is Here, But You Probably Can't Buy It

The next Xperia Android phone has officially been revealed with a focus on bringing all of Sony's key tech divisions together into one device. Sony's next flagship phone is official, but it currently remains unclear if you'll be able to buy one. Sony has yet to confirm or deny whether the phone will go on sale in the US. The phone is available to preorder in markets like Europe, Japan, and the UK. The design of the Xperia VII similar to its most recent flagship smartphones with three color options of Moss Green, Orchid Purple, and Slate Black. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset that we've seen in a lot of top-end phones across 2025. That's paired with 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. There isn't a higher storage option for the Xperia 1 VII, but you do get microSD support up to 2TB if you want some extra room. Sony has leant on its other hardware divisions for the Xperia VII, including the Alpha brand for its camera tech and Bravia TV for the phone's display. The brand also brought in the Walkman division for the first time to help with audio tuning. "The high-performance audio integrated circuit and redesigned signal pathways were developed in collaboration with Walkman engineers, for unparalleled sound quality," says Sony. "Enjoy precise sound image localization and incredible resolution, for an auditory experience you could never before imagine from a smartphone." Alongside the audio tweaks, there's a 3.5mm headphone jack on the Xperia 1 VII. That's a feature almost all other flagship phones have dropped. For this generation Sony also included gold in the solder, which it says will minimize transmission loss. Sony has also brought more artificial intelligence tech to the Xperia line, and most of the new features are aimed at improving the way you watch, record, or listen. These new features fall under the Xperia Intelligence brand. The brand has particularly highlighted the camera side, which works with the phone's triple camera setup. There's a new 48MP ultrawide camera that goes alongside the 48MP main, and 12MP telephoto sensors. Xperia Intelligence features on the camera side include Human Pose Estimation, Real-time Eye Auto Focus, Primary Subject Recognition, and Depth Estimation all aiming to make taking a photograph easier. Android 15 is here on day one, but the company is limited on software updates only committing to four years of upgrades with six years of security changes. That's three years less than what Google offers on its Pixels or what Samsung gives its flagship Galaxy phones. PCMag has asked Sony to confirm whether or not the phone will come to the US and we'll update here when we hear more. Previous Sony phones have often come to the US market, but the company chose not to release its Xperia 1 VI from 2024. The phone is more expensive than previous generations, too. Sony has increased the price to £1,399 in the UK, which is £100 more than the last-gen. If this handset does come to the US, expect it to cost somewhere around $1,500.

Sony's New Xperia 1 VII Smartphone Looks Amazing but Won't Come to US

Following a brief teaser period, Sony has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the Sony Xperia 1 VII. Designed and built in collaboration with Sony engineers who work on Alpha digital cameras, Walkman portable audio players, and Bravia televisions, the Xperia 1 VII combines diverse Sony technologies. Plus, like most contemporary smartphones, the Xperia 1 VII incorporates various AI features under the umbrella "Xperia Intelligence," including AI to improve camera capabilities, audio performance, and content viewing. The Xperia smartphone series has long focused on the camera experience, both for still photography and video, and the Xperia 1 VII is no exception. Sony promises a "totally new camera experience for smartphones," propelled by AI and improved hardware. Looking first at the software changes, a new "AI Camera Work" feature helps creators capture professional-quality, stable, and framed videos. This feature, like a similar one found on Sony ZV-series vlogging cameras, keeps the subject fixed in the center of the composition, even when recording while moving. This works through a combination of image stabilization and posture estimation technology. A similar "Auto Framing" feature uses artificial intelligence to track the subject automatically and crop it to stay in the center of the frame. Auto Framing gives users the choice between two types of videos: one showing the whole scene and another cropped to provide a close-up of the subject. Underpinning these automatic framing features are cameras. Like its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VII features three cameras. However, the ultra-wide camera has been upgraded with a new 16mm equivalent lens and a larger 48-megapixel Type 1/1.56 image sensor, which is about 2.1 times larger than the sensor on the Xperia 1 VI's ultra-wide camera. The new ultra-wide system promises minimal distortion and macro capabilities -- it can focus as close as five centimeters (just under two inches). The 24mm wide-angle lens, which can also be used in a 2x mode for a 48mm equivalent field of view, features a Sony Exmor T for mobile image sensor, promising excellent low-light performance. The 48-megapixel sensor is a Type 1/1.35. Like the main wide-angle camera, which is unchanged from last year's phone, the telephoto is also identical. The 12-megapixel Type 1/3.5 sensor offers an optical zoom range from 85mm f/2.3 to 170mm f/3.5 (in 35mm terms). Additional camera features include Zeiss-quality lenses, up to 30 frames per second burst shooting with full AF/AE, real-time Eye AF for human and animal subjects, and HDR photography modes. As for video, the Xperia 1 VII records 4K HDR video at up to 120p, includes Sony's S-Cinetone for mobile color profile, and offers Optical SteadyShot stabilization. Concerning the Xperia 1 VII's other features, the flagship phone packs plenty of punch. The device includes full-stage stereo speakers, a Bravia-infused 6.5-inch OLED with 100% DCI-P3 coverage and a 120 Hz refresh rate, and Qualcomm's latest chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The Sony Xperia 1 VII offers many compelling features and promises a strong mobile photography experience. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to enjoy it. The Xperia 1 VII is coming to Asia, Europe, and the United Kingdom -- the United States and Canada are once again left out of the mix. The Xperia 1 VII is €1499/£1399 and comes in Slate Black, Moss Green, and Orchid Purple colorways.

The new Sony Xperia 1 VII brings AI and camera upgrades to the photo-focused flagship phone

The phone costs £1,399 in the UK, with no US availability at the time of writing Sony has launched the Xperia 1 VII smartphone, bringing a slew of hardware and software updates to the company's creator-focused flagship handset. The Japanese tech giant is keen to emphasise the incorporation of technologies from its various tech brands in the new phone, specifically Alpha-branded photography tools, Bravia display tech, and Walkman-branded audio. It's good to know that Sony has thrown the full weight of its tech talent at the Xperia 1 VII, especially considering the phone is no cheaper than its predecessors - at £1,399, it's one of the most expensive flagships on the market. As well as sporting the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, the phone's headline hardware features include a new ultra-wide camera, an upgraded headphone jack, and improved display calibration. Sony has given the Xperia 1 VII a new 48MP ultra-wide camera with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, up from a 12MP 1/2.5-inch camera on the previous generation Xperia 1 VI. In the official Xperia 1 VII product page, Sony states that the new ultra-wide camera can achieve "clear night shots equivalent to full-frame cameras", and while a larger sensor should increase low-light performance, this claim seems dubious given that full-frame sensors are more than twice the size of the Xperia 1 VII's ultra-wide sensor. This new ultra-wide sits alongside two cameras carried forward from last year's Xperia 1 VI - a 48MP main camera and 12MP telephoto camera with continuous 3.5x-7.1x telephoto zoom. The camera system is controlled by a dedicated shutter button with half-press focus, the same as prior iterations. As mentioned, the Xperia 1 VII is one of the only phones on the market that still has a headphone jack - an elegant feature for a more civilized age. The phone has inherited components from Sony's line of Walkman media players to enhance wired audio quality, while AI-enabled DSEE Ultimate processing can add clarity to compressed audio streams. And in collaboration with Sony Bravia, a light sensor has been added to the rear of the phone to assist with brightness and color calibration in indoor and outdoor conditions. Even bigger steps have been taken on the software side - the Xperia 1 VII is the launchpad for Xperia Intelligence, a suite of tastefully subtle AI tools centred around photography and filmmaking. For example, the AI Camera Work tool assists in keeping video footage stable, while the AI Auto Framing tool keeps a human subject in the center of the shot. That Auto Framing tool also allows users to film a second vertical close-up video of said subject while filming a wider horizontal shot. The phone also comes with Google Gemini installed, with access to tools like Circle to Search. The Sony Xperia 1 VII is out now in three colors - Moss Green, Slate Black, and the eye-catching Orchid Purple option. It's likely to top our list of the best Sony phones, but let us know if you think this £1,399 handset will be worth its high price in the comments below.

Sony's Xperia VII will capture smooth video without you even looking

Sony has announced its latest flagship phone, which as the numerous rumors over the last couple of weeks have predicted, is called the Xperia 1 VII. It succeeds the Xperia 1 VI that launched in May 2024 and it incorporates technologies from Sony's Alpha cameras, Walkman audio players, and the company's BRAVIA televisions, integrating these features through 'Xperia Intelligence' for enhanced camera, audio, and viewing experiences. As has been the case for several years with Sony phones, the focus of the Xperia 1 VII continues to be its camera capabilities and while there have only been some slight adjustments to the camera lenses themselves, new software tricks have been introduced for 2025. Recommended Videos The seventh iteration of the Xperia 1 comes with 'AI Camerawork' and 'Auto Framing' functions as its feature highlights. The former - 'AI Camera Work' - is designed to allow you to capture stable and well-composed videos even without continuous monitoring of the shooting screen. It maintains a centred subject in the frame by utilizing image stabilization and posture estimation. 'Auto Framing' meanwhile, uses AI to track and automatically crop your shot to keep the subject central, offering both a full scene and a close-up view simultaneously, with two videos saved to the device when using this feature. What specs does the Sony Xperia 1 VII have? In terms of camera setup, the Xperia 1 VII has triple rear lenses, including a new 16mm ultra wide lens with a 48MP 1/1.56-inch sensor that's claimed to be 2.1x larger than the ultra wide lens on the Xperia 1 VI. This larger sensor is intended to improve low-light performance and reduce noise, and it also supports macro photography from around 5cm. The main 48-megapixel wide-angle lens offers 24mm/48mm equivalents for 2x optical zoom, while the 12-megapixel telephoto lens provides an 85mm to 170mm optical zoom range. The Xperia 1 VII also incorporates circuit design and components from Sony's Walkman devices to enhance wired headphone sound quality, while 'DSEE Ultimate' technology uses AI to improve the quality of compressed streaming audio for both wired and wireless connections. The phone's full-stage stereo speakers have also been improved for clearer sound across frequencies. There's a 6.5-inch OLED display on board the Xperia 1 VII, which features a 19.5:9 aspect ratio Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The display's specs are similar to the Xperia 1 VI but there is now has an additional light sensor to optimize brightness and colour based on the viewing environment. It is designed to improve visibility in various lighting conditions, while an enhanced peak brightness and 'Sunlight Vision' have been introduced for help with using this phone outdoors in direct sunlight. Unlike the likes of Samsung, Apple and OnePlus however, Sony doesn't detail the brightness in nits so it's not clear how it compares. Under the hood, Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset runs the Xperia 1 VII, supported by 12GB of RAM. There is a 5,000mAh battery on board too, with Sony claiming it will offer 36 hours of continuous video playback and 50 per cent charge in 30 minutes. The Xperia 1 VII will be available for order from May 13 in Slate Black, Moss Green, and Orchid Purple from Sony and select retailers. It will be priced around €1499 in Europe and £1399 in the UK. US pricing and availability has yet to be announced so it's not currently clear if it will come to the US at all. The Xperia 1 VII will support four OS upgrades and six years of security updates, which is quite a few years less than Google and Samsung, but one year more than Motorola.

Sony Xperia 1 VII with 6.5'' FHD+ OLED 120Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Elite, improved ultra-wide camera announced

Sony just announced the Xperia 1 VII (Pronounced Mark 7), the company's latest flagship smartphone at an online event, as expected. It packs a 6.5-inch FHD+ LPTO display with 1-120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch scanning rate, and 19.5:9 aspect ratio, similar to the predecessor, but this is 20% brighter. To improve the viewing experience in bright conditions, an additional light sensor has been added to the back of the device, which enables the adjustment of brightness and colour best suited to the conditions. The phone is powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC with 12GB of RAM, and has vapor chamber cooling. It runs Android 15, and the phone now gets 4 OS updates and 6 years of security updates. The Xperia 1 VII retains the 52MP rear camera with Exmor T lens, Zeiss optics and 24mm to 48mm focal length and the 12MP periscope telephoto camera has 85mm to 170mm focal length for up to 7x Zoom. This gets a larger 48MP 1/1.56-inch sensor for the ultra-wide lens, which is 2.1 times larger than the previous model, has minimal distortion and can also capture 5cm macro shots. The new 'AI Camera Work' feature helps to create pro level stable and framed videos, keeping the subject fixed in the centre of the composition, even in situations where you're walking around while filming a moving subject. Additionally, 'Auto Framing' uses AI to track the subject and automatically crops the shot to centre it on the screen. When filming a moving subject, you can simply point the camera roughly at the shooting subject, and it will automatically capture it without you having to chase it yourself. In addition to a circuit design focused on sound quality, new components proven for their excellence in Walkman devices have been incorporated. This significantly enhances the sound quality when connecting wired headphones, achieving clarity as if listening on a dedicated music player, said the company. Furthermore, there is high-quality enhancement technology 'DSEE Ultimate for both wired and wireless. This utilises AI to allow even compressed streaming audio sources to be enjoyed with immersive, high-quality sound. The phone has Full-Stage stereo speakers with further adjustments to deliver even clearer sound across the entire frequency range, from high to low, Sony's own 360 Reality Audio and also comes with Dolby Atmos sound. It has both IP65 and IP68 ratings for dust and water resistance. It has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection on the front and the back has Gorilla Glass Victus protection. The phone still features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and packs a 5000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging and Qi wireless charging. It promises 4 years of battery health. The Sony Xperia 1 VII comes in Moss Green, Orchid Purple and Slate Black colours and is priced 1499 Euros (USD 1,665 / Rs. 1,41,245 approx.) / 1399 GBP (USD 1843 / Rs. 1,56,325 approx.). It is now available to pre-order, and will roll out in the UK, Europe and more countries starting from June 4th, 2025.