Sony Xperia 1 V unveiled with Exmor T image sensor and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Sony’s top-end flagship is back and it’s more expensive than the iPhone 14 Pro Max
Sony’s high-end flagship for 2023, the Xperia 1 V, has been officially revealed. And while its premium smartphones don’t shy away from premium pricing, this year’s range-topping handset continues this wallet-shaking trend, arriving on 29 June for a whopping £1,299.
That’s the same price as last year’s Xperia 1 IV, if you recall, which means it’s still the most expensive smartphone on the market today. That’s by a comfortable distance, too, with handsets such as the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Galaxy S23 Ultra undercutting the Xperia 1 V by £100 and £150 respectively.
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What’s new for this year, then? Unsurprisingly, Sony is keen to flex the Xperia 1 V’s new photographic capabilities, courtesy of the brand-new Exmor T sensor. The size of this 52MP (f/1.9) sensor is 1.7x larger than the previous version, which in turn apparently means that it’s 2x better at shooting in low light, with reduced visual noise.
Sony says that new computational image processing algorithms should boost daylight and night-time portraits. Sony’s S-Cinetone imaging profile is also making its first appearance for mobile, bringing with it more accurate colour grading and “true to life” skin tones in video.
The rest of the camera lineup consists of a pair of 12MP Exmor RS sensors – one is a 16mm unit and the other is a 85-125mm zoom. New shooting features include a dedicated vlogging mode, with a ‘product showcase’ toggle that focuses the lens on the object you’re holding in front of you, rather than on your face.
Outside of the camera realm, the Xperia 1 V has a 6.5in 4K OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch response rate. It has dual speakers and is still one of the only phones with a 3.5mm headphone jack. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers things, with 12GB of RAM, 256GB of expandable storage and a 5,000mAh battery.
The Xperia 1 V comes in a selection of three colours – Black, Khaki Green and Platinum Silver – with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back. Design-wise, it looks similar to previous models, though Sony has added a grip-friendly textured finish on the back.