Sony Xperia 1 VII camera and sensor hardware details

Sensor Rivalry and Hardware

I see the Sony Xperia 1 VII camera system prioritizes specialized sensor hardware over the massive megapixel counts used by Samsung. The main sensor uses a 52MP Exmor T IMX888 design that outputs 48MP effective resolution with an f/1.9 aperture and 1/1.35" sensor. This hardware choice follows recent leaks regarding the dual-layer Exmor T sensor. While the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra competes with a 200MP main sensor and a 50MP ultra-wide lens, the Xperia 1 VII relies on a 48MP ultra-wide sensor and a 12MP telephoto lens. The telephoto unit provides 3.5x and 7.1x continuous optical zoom with a 1/3.5" sensor. I find the Sony 12MP telephoto lens lacks the resolution of the Samsung 50MP periscope zoom. The Samsung also uses a 200MP f/1.4 wide angle sensor. The Samsung ultra-wide lens has a 24mm focal length, while the Sony ultra-wide camera uses a 16mm focal length. Sony’s ultra-wide camera uses a 1/1.56" sensor with 1.0mm pixels, whereas the Samsung ultra-wide uses a 1/2.5" sensor with 0.7mm pixels.

Software and Reliability

Sony integrated AI Framing and posture estimation into the camera software to help keep subjects in focus during movement. These updates aim to improve the user experience, even though the Xperia 1 VII lags behind competitors in photo and video quality. I like that the physical shutter button remains large and responsive for manual control. The 48MP ultra-wide lens also improves low-light performance in that specific format. I must note that the phone’s low-light performance remains a point of contention in some testing environments. The manufacturing issues occurred because temperature and humidity fluctuations during the production process affected the circuit boards, causing some devices to power down randomly or fail to turn on entirely until Sony resumed sales in late August. You should check if the current batch avoids these power inconsistencies. Does the improved quality control fix the power instability for long-term users? The 6.5-inch LTPO OLED display exceeds 2000 nits in 20% APL testing and includes a 120Hz refresh rate. The display shows a 1080×2340 resolution and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. I noticed the ribbed aluminum frame and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back provide a grippy feel. The Moss Green, Orchid Purple, and Slate Black options provide different aesthetics.

Audio and Specifications

The phone carries a price of €1,499 in Europe and £1,399 in the UK, and it comes in Moss Green, Orchid Purple, or Slate Black. It uses a 5,000mAh battery and a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The device includes 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with the option to add up to 2TB via a microSD card. Sony engineers included components from the Walkman lineup to improve audio performance through a high-performance audio circuit and gold in the headphone jack solder. This reduces transmission loss for those using the 3.5mm jack. The phone runs Android 15 and provides four years of OS updates. It supports 30W wired charging and 15W wireless charging, alongside IP65/IP68 water and dust resistance.