The Sony Xperia 1 VII has a unique feature, it's a shame that it's bad
Sony Xperia 1 VII
Yes, it's amazing that you have true optical zoom. But does it make the photos better?
Receive the latest editorials
Subscribe
By subscribing you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy
To top it off, competing phone manufacturers have been perfecting software post-processing over the past few years. And the results are, nowadays, pretty good!
But no, Sony refused to use software to enhance its photos for quite a while. Which is why it is a bit behind the rest right now.
Don't make us pay for tech that isn't there yet
One of the major things holding Sony Xperia flagships back is their price. With an asking price of €1,499, the Xperia 1 VII had better be perfect and deliver on every front. Especially on its major selling points.
The truth is, I do like the phone. The design, the style, the feel. For a lower price tag, I'd be willing to work with the camera and accept its limitations. But as it is, I can't really recommend it. Yes, the new ultra-wide camera is pretty good, if not very ultra-wide. But the main camera's Auto mode is still severely behind, and that zoom camera is there just for bragging rights, not actual zoom quality.
And yes, I know that the price includes a set of Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, which are honestly really nice. For the small percentage of customers that are in the market for an OK flagship and a high-end headset at the same time.
But no, Sony refused to use software to enhance its photos for quite a while. Which is why it is a bit behind the rest right now.One of the major things holding Sony Xperia flagships back is their price. With an asking price of €1,499, the Xperia 1 VII had better be perfect and deliver on every front. Especially on its major selling points.The truth is, I do like the phone. The design, the style, the feel. For a lower price tag, I'd be willing to work with the camera and accept its limitations. But as it is, I can't really recommend it. Yes, the new ultra-wide camera is pretty good, if not very ultra-wide. But the main camera's Auto mode is still severely behind, and that zoom camera is there just for bragging rights, not actual zoom quality.And yes, I know that the price includes a set of Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones, which are honestly really nice. For the small percentage of customers that are in the market for an OK flagship and a high-end headset at the same time.
The Sony Xperia 1 VII launches today, but the phone has already gone through its review cycle. We have the fullreview here, and while I generally like the phone, there are some places where it just doesn't compete.It's an absurd thing, but in 2025, Sony phone cameras are just not up to par with the competition. And the reason why this is so contradictory is that most smartphones out there — from the value midrangers to some of our favorite flagships — use Sony sensors to begin with.It even hurts worse that the super-advanced zoom camera just doesn't produce the quality of photos to justify its existence.Since the Sony Xperia 1 IV, these phones have had actual, true variable zoom inside. Components inside the camera module move around to produce stepless zooming between 3.5x and 7.1x.The implied benefit is that you get lossless magnification — instead of using digital crop-in and sharpening to get a quality zoom shot, it should be perfect and pristine as is.But it's not. The reality is that smartphones have small sensors and small lenses. This limits how much light and detail they can capture, and they can't replace the nice, big sensor of a DSLR. Actually, scratch that, Sony — the camera behemoth that has a true zoom telephoto lens — uses smaller sensors than the competing ' camera phones ' nowadays. Which, I'd say, is a misstep in prioritization when it comes to hardware upgrades.And most of these are Sony sensors!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
GSM Arena
an hour ago
- GSM Arena
Apple starts displaying energy efficiency labels on iPhone and iPad's pages in EU
Starting June 20, manufacturers are required to sell their smartphones and tablets in the European Union (EU) with an energy efficiency label in the box. We don't know about the boxes, but with the regulation in effect, Apple has started displaying this label on iPhone and iPad's pages on its website in EU countries. If you visit an iPhone or iPad's main product page or purchase page, you'll see a colorful little icon, and upon clicking it, you'll see the energy label of that product. iPhone 16 Pro's product page on Apple Ireland's website • iPhone 16 Pro's purchase page on Apple Ireland's website This label is accompanied by a product information sheet that provides the device's repairability information and general parameters, including rated battery capacity, screen scratch resistance on the Mohs hardness scale, minimum guaranteed availability of security updates, and IP rating. iPhone 16 Pro's product information sheet shared by Apple The energy label, on the other hand, displays seven pieces of information about the product, including an overall energy efficiency class rating on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least. Here's a sample energy efficiency label You can check the energy labels for the Apple iPhone 16 Pro and iPad Pro 11" (M4) below. iPhone 16 Pro's energy efficiency label • iPad Pro 11" (M4)'s energy efficiency label Apple found certain aspects of the EU's regulation and testing procedure to be "ambiguous" and, therefore, voluntarily downgraded the ratings of its products. Here's what Apple said: "As an additional cautionary measure, Apple went one step further and downgraded some of its scores to factor in test method ambiguities and variance. For example, Energy Efficiency Index scores for iPhone models on the EU market in June 2025 all qualified for the highest 'A' grade, but Apple chose to voluntarily derate scores to a 'B' grade to minimize the probability that a third-party tester interpreting the regulation differently would achieve a lower grade. We also downgraded scores for the Repeated Free Fall Reliability Class for the same reason." You can read the 44-page document shared by Apple here regarding this matter for more details, and head this way to learn more about the new EU energy efficiency labels. Apple iPhone 16 Pro Source | Via
GSM Arena
6 hours ago
- GSM Arena
Deals: new Motorola Razr prices fall, plus iPad and Galaxy tablet deals Comments
Deals: Pixel 9 is $250 off, 9 Pro XL is $300 off, Sony WH-1000XM6 headphones get first promo
Phone Arena
9 hours ago
- Phone Arena
Nothing Phone (1) may no longer qualify for Android 16, but the latest update is the next best thing
Nothing's first-ever smartphone, Phone (1), made its debut on the market three years ago. The device originally shipped with Android 12 right out of the box, but Nothing promised it will provide owners with three major OS upgrades. That means that Android 15 was the last major OS upgrade for Nothing Phone (1), something that hasn't changed even though most companies are now offering several years of OS updates for their phones. Although Nothing Phone (1) is no longer receiving OS upgrades, the UK brand offers customers who are still using the device the next best thing: a feature-packed update. Nothing OS v3.2 is now making its way to the original Phone, the company confirmed over the weekend. The update includes important new features and improvements that Nothing Phone (1) have been hopeful to get ever since they were debuted on Nothing's other phones. New Features : Introducing Privacy space: Swipe right in the app drawer for quick and easy access to your secure zone. You can now set a separate privacy password for both App Locker and Privacy space. Hotspot Manager: Easily manage devices connected to your hotspot. Other Improvements : Fixed issue with incorrect light strip display when playing music in Glyph Composer. Use the touch feedback toggle in Settings to disable the face unlock vibration for the lock screen. Updated to Android security patch for June. Fixed accessibility issues in Launcher, Gallery and other apps. General bug fixes and stability enhancements. Nothing Phone (1)'s industrial design makes it stand out | Image credit: PhoneArena As per Nothing's announcement, your Phone (1) may experience temporary overheating and increased consumption during the upgrade, but it should quickly return to normal after the update is complete. The update is rolling out in waves, so it might take some time to reach all Nothing Phone (1) users. It's unclear whether or not this phone will continue to receive feature-packed updates, so perhaps an upgrade to a newer device might be in order. Secure your connection now at a bargain price! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Check Out The Offer
