Sony has launched its new Xperia 1 VI smartphone, but for all the useful upgrades and top-tier specs, the display has lost its most impressive feature.
Last year’s Xperia 1 V and all four of its predecessors had a screen with a 4K resolution. It left Sony as the only major company releasing phones with such a high-quality panel.
While a niche feature, there was one huge benefit compared to the 1440p or 1080p panels you see on most smartphones: watching TV shows and movies.
If you had access to 4K HDR content, be it via a streaming service like Netflix or your own digital download, the Xperia 1 V was the absolute best phone to watch it on.
Content looked simply stunning on the 6.5-inch OLED panel, especially with a tall 21:9 aspect ratio ensuring there was no letterboxing (black bars above and below the content) for widescreen video.
However, both are gone on the new Xperia 1 VI. It’s now an unremarkable 1080p OLED panel with a more typical 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The strength of the 1080p screen on the Xperia 10 V from last year suggests it’ll be a good display, albeit without anything to stand out from Android rivals such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro.
On the plus side
It’s not all bad news, though. The Xperia 1 VI’s screen now supports LTPO technology, meaning it can automatically adjust the refresh rate between 1- and 120Hz, helping to save battery life when not required.
Alongside the lower resolution and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset (known to be more power efficient than the 8 Gen 2 on the Xperia 1 V), Sony says the 5000mAh cell offers the longest battery life of any Xperia 1 phone – up to two full days.
Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry
Sony will be hoping it’s one of the best battery life phones as a way of standing out in a tough market.
More room to zoom
The Xperia V I uses the same Exmor T sensor as its predecessor, which crops a 52Mp sensor to create a 48Mp one. It’s still joined by a 12Mp ultrawide and 12Mp selfie lenses, but the 12Mp telephoto has been upgraded.
Its variable focal lengths have been extended to 85-170mm meaning an optical zoom range of 3.5-7.1x. That’s one of the highest on any phone, and means you won’t have to rely on digital zoom for most zoom shots.
This offers plenty of flexibility for portrait-style shots, but Sony also specifically recommends it for close-up macro photos, which can stay in focus up to 4cm away from the subject.
But who’s it for?
It’s difficult to understand who would buy the Xperia 1 VI other than loyal fans. Its predecessor suggests photography will be a step down from the absolute best camera phones, while the display no longer stands out from rivals.
The commitment to three Android OS updates (ships running Android 14) and four years of security updates is better than before, but still well behind Google and Samsung, which offer seven on their latest flagships.
And the Xperia VI doesn’t come cheap – it costs £1,299/€1,399, making it one of the most expensive Android phones you can buy.
With that in mind, the new Xperia 10 VI might be a better choice. With a starting price of £349/€399, it’s very much a mid-range phone and retains the 21:9 display, albeit still with a 1080p resolution and downgrades to the chipset and cameras.
Pre-orders for both phones are live now. The Xperia 1 VI will go on sale in “early June”, before the Xperia 10 VI is released in the “middle of June”.
Author: Anyron Copeman, Mobile Editor, Tech Advisor
Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Advisor, where he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his current role, Anyron is responsible for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the site. A BA Journalism graduate, he has experience with a wide range of consumer tech products and services, including smartphones, tablets, foldables, wearables and more.