If you feel underwhelmed by the Galaxy S25 Edge, Sony updated its Xperia 1 with the VII iteration, and it has the things that are missing in current flagships. The overall design looks the same as previous models, and that also means you get an IP68 rating, a MicroSD card slot, and a headphone jack. The battery is the same 5000mAh cell with 30w charging.

The display may look like the same 6.5-inch 120hz OLED panel used by its predecessor, but it is now 20% brighter. Same goes to the front-facing stereo speakers, where Sony tuned them to deliver 10% better bass and mid-bass.

Moving to the rear cameras, the biggest upgrade is with the ultrawide shooter, where it’s using a bigger 1/1.56-inch Exmor RS sensor with a brighter f/2.0 aperture and 16mm focal length equivalent. The main camera is the same 1/1.35-inch Exmor T sensor with OIS, PDAF, f/1.9 aperture, and a 24mm focal length equivalent, while its unique telephoto camera uses a 1/3.5-inch Exmor RS sensor, an optical zoom range that’s equivalent to a 85mm-170mm f/2.3-f/3.5 lens.

You’re getting a AI-infused Alpha features like real time eye AF, AI subject recognityion, AI white balance, AI exposure, and AI Depth. The Xperia’s two-stage camera button is still there, though Sony made it wider and more comfortable to hold. Being a 2025 flagship, you get a Snapdragon 8 Elite processor that’s paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.

The Xperia 1 VII is priced at 1499 Euros(~Php 93k) and will ship in Europe in June. Sony has stopped selling its Xperia phones in the Philippines for years, and one of the reasons is that it has a hard time competing with Chinese brands in the country.