Xperia 1 VI: Sony’s Smartphone Camera Causing a Stir

Despite having a small market share and declining sales figures, Sony continues to release new smartphones. The Xperia 1 VI is the latest model in the premium segment. As with its predecessors, Sony focuses heavily on the camera, which features an optical telephoto zoom—a rare feature in smartphones.

Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook

According to Sony, the Xperia 1 VI includes functions from Sony’s Alpha cameras, such as autofocus. Additionally, AI technology is supposed to improve image quality. We tested the camera of the new Sony smartphone and compared its optical zoom to a good digital one.

Now, a few words about the rest of the Xperia 1 VI’s hardware: The smartphone has a 6.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels and a maximum frame rate of 120 Hz. Sony has significantly reduced the resolution compared to the previous model, the Xperia 1 V, which had 3,840 x 1,644 pixels.

Shifting From the Narrow 21:9 Format

Additionally, the new model departs from Sony’s typical 21:9 format and adopts a 19.5:9 ratio, making it notably wider than previous devices. The display features excellent color reproduction and is noticeably brighter than the Xperia 1 V’s. Content remains visible in bright daylight. Overall, the Xperia 1 VI’s screen is well-executed, and the lower resolution doesn’t bother us in everyday use.

Inside the smartphone is Qualcomm’s most powerful chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, equipped with its own NPU. Sony utilizes AI capabilities for display optimization and camera functions. In the Geekbench 6 device benchmark, the Xperia 1 VI scored 2,234 points in the single-core test and 6,720 points in the multi-core test. These scores are comparable to other smartphones using the same SoC. The Xperia 1 VI handles all tasks smoothly, even in demanding applications.

Typical of Sony, the Xperia 1 VI’s casing is understated, almost plain. The back is crafted from non-slip Gorilla Glass Victus, and the display is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The relatively wide bezels above and below the display are unconventional. The front camera is housed within this bezel, providing a screen without a notch or punch-hole. The smartphone features impressive stereo speakers and includes a headphone jack with a high-quality DAC.

The triple camera setup resides in an unobtrusive metal module that also integrates the LED flash. Sony has partnered once again with Zeiss for the lenses, promising enhanced camera performance. We will closely examine the results of this collaboration in our camera test.