Every now and then, a piece of tech just hits different. This was very true for me in 2024 when I picked up the predecessor of the current Sony flagship phone. I’ve been using the new v7 since November and oh boy is the news good. Sony has chosen to further tweak and improve what already was my favorite Android phone. So no this isn’t going to be an all-business all-serious review of the incremental improvements. Instead let me try and explain why I am using this as my daily driver and try to define why I love this about all other phones.
The Xperia is the best Android Phone period.
At first I thought I couldn’t clearly explain why this phone is better than all others. It is almost as if the Sony Xperia has an element of unexplainable-likability. But after some thoughtful consideration here are my key factors on why this phone is extremely good:
- The first is the size of the body and screen, yes these are tho things but they’re interlocked. Let me explain; Sony has been boldly fiddling with aspect ratios. And while the idea of 21:9 (cinema style) screens was tickling my interest, in daily use it was awkward in everything except for watching movies, for that is was Briljant! With the previous Xperia 1 Sony settled on 19.5:9 and which they continued with the VII (v7). Yes a lot of flagship phones of different brands use this aspect standard, but the interesting thing is that Sony maintained that sliminess in the body design 162 x 74 x 8.2 mm (or 6.38 x 2.91 x 0.32 inches). Alright it all seems a bit nerdy but I am telling you; it makes a difference! the thin profile makes it modern and sleek and fit nicely into your hand.
- Continuing on the outside: Symmetric flat sides a classic Sony Xperia styling, and luckily Sony isn’t a brand that tries out a complete different style each year. I personally very much like the design language that Sony is using and with each model they make small adjustments which is something I like even more. It’s proper gown-up stuff, and somethings that should be appreciated more in my opinion. It’s also very rugged by default all surfaces have texture to them making the phone easy to grip.
- Use it without a case! adding arguments 1 and 2 in the mix and finishing it with the cherry on top: the Xperia 1 is the perfect phone to use without a case. Yes it is still an expensive bit of kit but because of the size, grip and overall build quality you can easily use this phone without a case, I’ve used it in all sorts of outdoor activities and never had any whoops moments. Even the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 has held op pretty great! In my humble opinion using a phone without a case is arguably nicer than with rubber-wrap-around your prized possession. Just.. don’t come crying to me when you break your new Xperia during rock climbing.
- THE 3.5 MM Audio Jack: Yes, yes, yes, yes oh super YES! this is probably the main reason why I gravitated tot the Sony Xperia 1 in the first place. You can read it in my review of the previous mark 6. And I don’t know when, I don’t know Why but somehow the phone industry decided that the public no longer needed a 3.5mm audio jack or Hi-Res audio. But man.. is this decision wrong for lots of reasons. Have some cool retro headphones lying around? or some serious audiophile in-ear monitors? Sony is the last of the big phone companies that truly understands that flagship phones should offer PRO features when compared to non-flagship phones.
- Sony doesn’t degrade Android: lots I mean a-lot of companies over-engineer the software side of things. What I mean with this is; they’re trying to build an cloud-eco-system or whatever that may be. End-result Android with a heavy layer modifications in some cases so heavy that it hard to recognize which version of Android it is running. And I have become really bored of helping people to understand that there are 2 camera apps and 2 photo album with different folder locations. Sony again seems to have chosen the PRO route; only introducing apps or modifications when there is a quality gain to be had. Which means that everywhere else Android looks and feels like Android.
- Expandable Storage: I quickly becoming bankrupt using countless cloud subscriptions. It is a breath of fresh air to see Sony offering you the freedom to store more on your device without needing to-go-cloud. I sometimes travel back and forth between Europe and the US and have a bunch of storage on you device makes all the difference.
- No nudge: Alright nudges, holes and or Dynamic Islands don’t bother me that much. However not having them is kind of nice I have to say. At first I didn’t notice but when editing video I realized Sony kept the bezel on top and included the selfie camera in the bezel. Some say old-fashioned, I say a way better solution and fit for a PRO-flagship phone.
- Next-Level-Battery-Life: Do I really need to explain this one? Sony offers top-of-class battery life with the Xperia 1 mark7 I’ve been easily getting more than 8 hours of screen-on (video playback or web browsing). During normal workdays the battery tends to last me 2 days. Charging with 30watts is a bit slow but ey, you don’t need to charge that often.
- Amazing pictures: without naming names, I really do not like over processed photos of phone manufacturers fiddling with quality between camera and on-screen. Usually when you go and print-out some of these photo’s you realize that the photo you had taken wasn’t all that amazing. Sony is way more natural with its photo processing and screen performance this is something which I personally really like. There is a lot of marketing around photo quality and mobile phones not just with Sony, and truth be told a lot of them kind of perform the same with some marginal unique qualities. Overall the Sony takes nice pictures and it does have one of the biggest sensors (1/1.56-inch sensor) of any smart phone. This is beneficial in low light situations and to help extract the most out of the 48mp lenses. Bridging the gap ever so slightly towards full-frame big body cameras. Especially since the UI of the Sony Camera App mirror the UI of it’s Alpha camera’s
No drawbacks?
The Xperia 1 VII isn’t perfect. For me the quality of video recording sub-par compared to other flagship products. Switching between lenses during filing gives a noticeable stutter and colour mis-synchronization. And if I’m complaining the audio of the speakers could be better and charing could be improved. Maybe one final request; please re-introduce the silver colour.
Conclusion: I love this phone
If you’re a professional and no longer a teenager you’re going to love this phone. The build quality is very good and it is just a nice thing to hold. Features are good in some cases excellent. There is some negativity surrounding Sony for not innovating enough. And I hope Sony doesn’t listen to this feedback. When a phone is this good, it doesn’t need a radically new design. Sony’s user-base is best served with incremental improvements and further perfecting the phone we know and love and use in our daily busy lives.
