Sony Xperia 1 V review

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Introduction

There are many flagship phones to choose from nowadays, but there is just one made for both casual and professional photographers. It's the one with a timeless design with excellent grip, top-notch cameras with a hardware shutter key, a 4K display, and front-facing stereo speakers. Yes, it's a Sony Xperia 1, the fifth of its line.

The Sony Xperia 1 V is an incremental upgrade over the Xperia 1 IV, but given how good that one was, there is no surprise. Still, the 1 V brings the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, now with a better cooling system and a promise for less throttling and no overheating. There is an improved primary camera with a multi-aspect 52MP sensor, plus, drum rolls, Night mode is now available!

The design has been thoughtfully improved, and you are looking at the only non-rugged smartphone that deserves a Perfect mark for grip. The Xperia 1 V has two Gorilla Glass Victus panels, and the rear one is matte with a dotted pattern for extra grip. The metal frame is all ridged, too, and this is how a premium phone can provide an outstanding grip experience without giving up on looks.

The 4K OLED display is here to stay, and so are the front-facing stereo speakers - now featuring an improved amplifier for richer sound. The lovely haptic feedback the Xperias are known for is available, too.

Let's talk about the camera. The primary imager got a massive update with a multi-aspect 52MP Sony sensor with an effective 48MP resolution. Thanks to the new stacked architecture, it should offer the noise performance and the dynamic range of a full-frame camera (in the dark), according to Sony.

The rest of the cameras remain the same as on the Xperia 1 V - a 12MP telephoto with a 3.5x-5.2x continuous optical zoom, a 12MP ultrawide-angle with autofocus, and a 12MP selfie camera with a fixed focus. All rear cameras support 4K120 capturing, while the front one maxes out at 4K60.

The Sony Xperia 1 V is powered by a 5,000mAh battery, and it supports 30W wired charging, plus both wireless and reverse wireless charging. The phone runs on Android 13 with Xperia UI.

And here are the complete specs.

Sony Xperia 1 V specs at a glance:

• Body: 165.0x71.0x8.3mm, 187g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame; IP65/IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min).
• Display: 6.50" OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020, 1644x3840px resolution, 21:9 aspect ratio, 643ppi; Runs at 1096 x 2560 pixels except for select use cases.
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
• Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4,0; microSDXC (uses shared SIM slot).
• OS/Software: Android 13, Xperia UI.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 52 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.35", 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS; Telephoto: 12 MP, f/2.3, 85mm, f/2.8, 125mm, 1/3.5", Dual Pixel PDAF, 3.5x-5.2x continuous optical zoom, OIS; Ultra wide angle: 12 MP, f/2.2, 124˚, 16mm, 1/2.5", Dual Pixel PDAF.
• Front camera: 12 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/2.9", 1.25µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@24/25/30/60/120fps HDR, 1080p@30/60/120fps; 5-axis gyro-EIS, OIS; Front camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 30W wired, PD3.0, PPS, 50% in 30 min (advertised), Wireless, Reverse wireless.
• Connectivity: Dual SIM 5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 6; BT 5.3, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive; NFC; 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (side-mounted); front-facing stereo speakers; Native Sony Alpha camera support (Creator app).

We are thrilled to see that Sony is keeping alive the microSD expansion and the 3.5mm audio jack, and we love its persistence in having notch-free screens. The symmetrical front speakers are a Sony trademark, too, one that we are quite fond of.

There is one thing that has been retired on the Xperia 1 V is the tiny notification LED. We suspect that Sony still cannot offer dynamic refresh rate, which is essential for better battery life, but we will talk about that in a bit.

Now, without further ado, let's meet the Sony Xperia 1 V.

Unboxing the Sony Xperia 1 V

The Sony Xperia 1 V ships in a small and thin box made of recycled paper. Inside you will find the Xperia itself and, well, nothing else.

Sony offers neither a charger, nor a cable. And if you want the best charger (and cable) for your new Xperia 1 V, you will have to buy Sony's 30W XQZ-UC1 charger bundle for €50 or so.