Sony has recently introduced its new flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 V, in global markets, highlighting its unique Exmor T for mobile stacked sensor that promises a significant improvement in low-light photography. Along with this, the device comes with top-tier specifications, including a 4K OLED display and a state-of-the-art Snapdragon chipset. To determine if the device is worth its price tag of €1,399, let’s delve into its features in detail.
Design and display
Not much has changed in the physical appearance of the Xperia 1 V compared to its predecessor, however, the device is much sturdier and easy to handle this time around.
It features a boxy frame with flat edges and a pill-shaped vertical camera island. The back and the front are both covered with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 bringing its toughness to the next level. Along with that, the back and the side frame feature a grippy texture which is always appreciated on an expensive device.
The device comes with a 6.5-inch 4K OLED display boasting a 120Hz refresh rate and an aspect ratio of 21:9. The display has moderate bezels at the top and bottom, and the front camera is located in the top bezel. The device comes with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating despite featuring a 3.5mm audio jack and a microSD card slot. The device has an improved set of front-facing speakers equipped with a new amplifier to deliver a more dynamic and richer sound.
Performance & software
The Xperia 1 V boasts impressive hardware, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. What sets Sony apart is their inclusion of a microSD card slot, allowing for easy storage expansion. Large smartphone cameras generate a significant amount of heat, but the Xperia 1 V tackles this issue with a 60% larger heat diffusion sheet volume than its predecessor.
With a 5,000mAh battery, the Sony Xperia 1 V supports 30W wired charging, which can recharge the device to 50% in 30 minutes. The smartphone also features wireless charging and reverse wireless charging. According to Sony, the battery will retain a minimum of 80% of its capacity after three years of use.
Out of the box, the phone runs on Android 13 and has minimal bloatware. Instead, Sony has included its pro-grade creator-centric apps such as Photography Pro, Videography Pro, Cinema Pro, and Music Pro. Sony has introduced a convenient change in its Photo Pro and Video Pro apps, allowing their user interfaces to be displayed vertically. This modification will enhance the user experience of taking pictures and videos in portrait mode.
Camera
As always, the flagship Xperia’s key selling point is the camera system, and this time around it is quite special. The primary camera onboard is a 52MP unit with an F/1.9 lens and a 1/1.35” sensor. Sony calls it the Exmor T stacked sensor and it is 70% larger than its predecessor. The photos however are shot in 48MP due to the 4.3:3 aspect ratio, which gets further binned to 12MP images in normal mode.
Sony has separated the photodiode and transistor, placing them on distinct layers that are stacked upon one another. This has allowed the company to independently adjust the size of each component, resulting in a significant improvement in the amount of light captured and reduced noise levels. According to Sony, the new camera sensor can perform twice as well in low light compared to its predecessor.
In addition to the primary camera, the Xperia 1 V retains the same 85-125mm F/2.3-F/2.8 12MP telephoto camera with continuous zoom as its predecessor. Alongside this, there is a 12MP sensor supporting the 16mm ultrawide camera, which features autofocus. The Time-of-Flight (TOF) sensor has been removed and replaced by AI algorithms for focusing purposes. The AI algorithms are also said to boost performance in modes such as Night Portrait, Daylight Portrait, and Night View.
Sony has introduced S-Cinetone for mobile mode, which enables users to capture videos using pre-set cinematic modes that generate professional, authentic colors without the requirement for post-recording color-grading. While on the topic of videos, the camera phone is able to record up to 4K videos in 120 frames per second. Sony’s Alpha camera features have also been included on the Xperia 1 V like the high-performance real-time AF, real-time Eye-AF, burst shooting, etc. Last but not least, the selfie camera has a 1/2.9” sensor capable of taking 12MP images.
Price & availability
Sony’s latest flagship smartphone, the Xperia 1 V, will be released in black, platinum silver, and khaki green color options in late June. Specific market availability details are yet to be announced. The phone is priced at €1,399 in continental Europe and £1,299 in the UK. The cost for the US market is still to be confirmed.
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