Sony’s flagship phone for 2024 has landed, and as usual with Sony flagships, the Sony Xperia 1 VI has some real standout features for certain types of users.
Primarily, this phone is focused on photographers and audiophiles, but it’s a high-end handset all round, though surprisingly the screen is actually a downgrade in some ways from the Sony Xperia 1 V’s.
Below, you’ll find full details of the Sony Xperia 1 VI, including its price, design, and all the key specs and features.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The latest flagship Sony phone
- When is it out? Announced on May 15, ships on June 6
- How much does it cost? £1,299 (likely around $1,399 / AU$2,099)
Sony Xperia 1 VI: release date and price
The Sony Xperia 1 VI was announced on May 15, 2024, with pre-orders open now, and it ships on June 6 in the UK (there's no word yet on US or Australian availability).
It costs £1,299, which is the same launch price as the Sony Xperia 1 V. That might mean it will also cost the same in other regions, so we could be looking at $1,399 / AU$2,099 if and when it launches in the US and Australia.
Sony Xperia 1 VI: design and display
The Sony Xperia 1 VI has a glass back with a “textural rear panel finish”, designed to improve grip. It has a metal frame, a dedicated shutter key, and it comes in three shades – Khaki Green, Platinum Silver, and Black.
It’s 162 x 74 x 8.2mm and 192g, and it’s water resistant, having been tested to both IP68 and IP65 standards. The front is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and the back by the first generation of Gorilla Glass Victus.
As for the display, the Sony Xperia 1 VI’s screen is 6.5 inches and has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, which makes it a little less narrow (in portrait orientation) than the Sony Xperia 1 V, with its 21:9 screen.
Interestingly, the OLED display this year is actually a downgrade in terms of resolution, coming in at just 1080 x 2340. So it’s FHD+, rather than the 4K (1644 x 3840) of the Xperia 1 V. Arguably, such a high resolution was overkill on a device of this size, but it’s surprising that the Sony Xperia 1 VI doesn’t even match the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in being QHD.
Still, this year’s screen can get up to 1.5x brighter than the previous model, and it includes a new ‘Sunlight Vision’ feature, which uses AI image processing to prevent overexposed highlights when brightening the screen in environments with lots of glare.
AI is also used to improve the contrast, color, and clarity of the screen, and this display has a variable refresh rate that can move from 1Hz to 120Hz.
Sony Xperia 1 VI: camera and battery
Arguably, the headline feature of the Sony Xperia 1 VI is its camera, and specifically its 12MP telephoto camera, which can zoom from between 85mm to 170mm (for roughly 3.5x – 7.1x). That means it offers way more focal lengths than most phones, and tops out at a greater zoom than most can offer too.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI also has a 48MP f/1.9 main sensor and a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, plus a 12MP f/2.0 front-facing camera.
The telephoto camera can also take macro shots, and the phone is capable of shooting video in 4K HDR at 120fps. There’s a dedicated shutter button too, and the Sony Xperia 1 VI uses AI to improve the autofocus and process images.
The battery could also impress, as while it’s a fairly standard flagship size at 5,000mAh, Sony claims that it offers two days of life with typical use, and can manage up to 36 hours of continuous video playback.
The company’s Xperia Adaptive Charging tech also works to keep the battery healthy, so that it won’t degrade as fast as the batteries in other phones, and it supports both wireless charging and reverse wireless charging.
Sony Xperia 1 VI: specs and features
The Sony Xperia 1 VI is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, like most of 2024’s best Android phones. It also has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and it’s a rarity among high-end handsets in having a microSD card slot too.
It runs Android 14, and comes with the promise of three years of Android updates and four years of security patches. That’s in line with a number of other brands, but well behind Samsung, Google, and Apple.
There are some potentially handy software features here, though, like an FPS optimizer, which will help you get the perfect balance of image rendering performance, power consumption, and low surface temperatures when gaming.
There are also other gaming tools, such as the ability to adjust the touch sensitivity and white balance.
And Sony has gone big on audio, providing a 3.5mm headphone port, “full-stage stereo speakers”, and support for numerous audio technologies and formats, such as High-Resolution Audio, High-Resolution Audio Wireless, LDAC, Bluetooth(R)7LE Audio (Low Energy), and Snapdragon Sound18.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI also uses AI to enhance the quality of music played through the phone, and its Music Pro feature aims to let you record studio-quality vocals using the built-in microphone.
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