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Sony Editor's Choice 2023

Sony Xperia 1 V

Sony Xperia 1 V — 6.5" 4K 120Hz OLED, Exmor T Sensor & Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Review

Display 1644 × 3840 pixels (~643 ppi den... 21:9 ratio)
Performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 n...
Size 6.5 inches
Type OLED 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020, unnot...
Expert Score
4.5
93% Confidence
Community Score
3.8
0% Confidence
AI Score
4.5
92% Confidence
Final Score
4.3
92% Confidence
Storage
RAM
Color
Regional
-65% In Stock
$490 – $950 $1,399

Lowest $450 Save $909 Best: Amazon

Read Reviews

Category Scores

Overall hardware score: 91/100 — pristine unnotched 4K 120Hz OLED screen, revolutionary Exmor T stacked camera sensor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 efficiency, physical camera shutter key, 3.5mm jack, and microSD slot.

90
93
Performance Excellent

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm) processor hand...

98
Display Excellent

6.5-inch unnotched 4K HDR OLED screen in 21:9 ci...

97
Camera Excellent

Pioneering Exmor T 52MP/48MP stacked CMOS sensor...

86
Battery Great

5000 mAh battery delivers strong daily endurance...

92
Gaming Excellent

Adreno 740 graphics handle intensive mobile titl...

88
AI Great

Real-time Eye AF tracking algorithms and profess...

90
Security Excellent

Fast side-mounted physical fingerprint scanner e...

88
Value for Money Great

Niche creator flagship with premium pricing, tho...

96
Design Excellent

Exquisite ergonomic tactile micro-dot glass back...

72
Repairability Good

Sealed flagship build requiring professional mai...

84
Software Support Great

Shipped with Android 13 with scheduled major And...

94
Connectivity Excellent

5G network support, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3 with...

96
Audio Excellent

Unmatched full-stage front stereo speakers, Hi-R...

96
Durability Excellent

IP65/IP68 water and dust resistance protection p...

78
Charging Great

30W fast wired charging and Qi wireless charging...

Specifications

Display 4
Size 6.5 inches
Type OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020, unnotched display
Resolution 1644 × 3840 pixels (~643 ppi density, 21:9 ratio)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Processor 3
Chipset Key Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU Key Adreno 740
Memory 2
RAM Key 12GB
Type LPDDR5X
Storage 3
Internal 256GB / 512GB
Expandable Yes, via shared microSDXC slot up to 1TB
Standard UFS 4.0
Battery 2
Capacity 5000 mAh non-removable
Endurance All-day usage
Charging 2
Wired Fast charging, 50% in 30 min, USB Power Delivery 3.0
Wireless Qi wireless charging, reverse wireless charging
Camera 3
Main 52 MP full-aspect / 48 MP effective, f/1.9, 24mm, wide, 1/1.35", 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS (Exmor T)
Telephoto 12 MP, f/2.3–f/2.8, 85mm–125mm, continuous optical zoom, 1/3.5", Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS
Ultra Wide 12 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 123˚, ultrawide, 1/2.5", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF
Front Camera 1
Sensor 12 MP, f/2.0, 24mm wide, 1/2.9", 1.25µm
Connectivity 5
Network 5G SA/NSA/Sub6, Nano-SIM + eSIM
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band
Bluetooth 5.3, LE Audio, aptX HD/Adaptive/Lossless
NFC Yes
Audio Jack 3.5mm headphone jack
Sensors 4
Fingerprint Side-mounted (power key)
Shutter Key Dedicated two-stage physical hardware key
Accelerometer Yes
Gyroscope Yes
Dimensions 3
Height 165.0 mm
Width 71.0 mm
Depth 8.3 mm
Weight 1
Weight 187 g
Operating System 1
OS Android 13, upgradable to modern Android versions

Expert Review

By Dickens, Charles

Design

The Sony Xperia 1 V features an exceptional tactical unibody build with micro-dot textured glass back panels, an aluminum frame, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, measuring 8.3mm thick and weighing 187g.

Display

The 6.5-inch unnotched 4K HDR OLED screen delivers a pristine 21:9 cinematic aspect ratio, 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch scanning, and professional Creator Mode calibration.

Performance

Powered by the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 12GB of RAM, professional apps, multitasking, and creator workflows run smoothly with much improved thermal management.

Gaming

Handles heavy mobile games fluidly via Adreno 740 graphics, supported by Game Enhancer thermal suppression options.

Camera

The breakthrough camera suite features the Exmor T 52MP/48MP stacked main sensor, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 12MP continuous optical zoom telephoto lens (85mm–125mm) tuned with Zeiss optics.

Battery

The 5000 mAh battery comfortably powers through daily workloads, supporting USB Power Delivery fast wired charging and Qi wireless charging.

Software

Runs clean, bloatware-free stock Android paired with dedicated professional Sony Alpha camera suites (Photography Pro, Videography Pro, and Cinema Pro).

Ai

Leverages advanced sensor architecture and Alpha algorithms for real-time Eye AF tracking, noise suppression, and computational low-light HDR processing.

Connectivity

Supports 5G sub-6GHz networks, Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth 5.3 with LE Audio, NFC, and 4K/60fps video output via USB-C.

Pros

  • Pristine unnotched 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED 21:9 display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and professional Creator Mode
  • Revolutionary Exmor T stacked CMOS sensor delivering massive improvements in low-light light gathering and noise reduction
  • Retains enthusiast-favorite physical features: a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD card slot up to 1TB, and a dedicated two-stage camera shutter button
  • High-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm processor with significantly enhanced thermal regulation
  • Exceptional full-stage front stereo speakers and rugged tactile micro-dot glass back grip design with IP65/IP68 water resistance

Cons

  • Expensive retail price tag with a sparse retail box bundle (no charger adapter included)
  • Display refresh rate lacks dynamic switching behavior (fixed at 60Hz or 120Hz)
  • Advanced manual camera apps require a learning curve compared to simple point-and-shoot software
The Sony Xperia 1 V is engineered for professional creators, photographers, and media purists, standing out with its unnotched 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED 21:9 display and signature textured tactical grip body. Powered by the 4nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, it debuts the revolutionary Exmor T for mobile stacked sensor (52MP full-aspect / 48MP effective) which dramatically improves low-light light capture and noise reduction. It features a continuous optical zoom telephoto lens, full-stage front stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack, a dedicated hardware shutter key, microSD card expansion, and a 5000 mAh battery supporting fast wireless and wired charging.

Verdict

An uncompromising creator flagship that combines an unnotched 4K screen, a revolutionary Exmor T camera sensor, and rare physical legacy ports like a 3.5mm jack and microSD slot.

Final: 4.3/10 Best for: Value seekers Segment: Mid-range

Product Intelligence

Unnotched 6.5-inch 4K HDR OLED 21:9 display with 120Hz refresh rate and professional Creator Mode color grading World's first stacked CMOS sensor with 2-layer transistor pixel technology ('Exmor T' for mobile) delivering exceptional low-light clarity Continuous optical zoom telephoto lens (85mm–125mm) with optical image stabilization Retains enthusiast-favorite physical legacy hardware: a 3.5mm headphone jack, a microSD card slot (up to 1TB), and a dedicated two-stage camera shutter key Full-stage front stereo speakers and robust 5000 mAh battery supporting wireless charging

Who Should Buy

Professional photographers, videographers, audiophiles, and content creators looking for a unique creator phone with a 4K unnotched screen, physical shutter key, 3.5mm headphone jack, and microSD card expansion.

Who Should Avoid

Casual mainstream users looking for point-and-shoot simplicity without complex manual camera apps, or buyers who require bundled wall chargers.

Key Takeaways

  • A specialized, uncompromising flagship tailored specifically for media creators and mobile purists who value physical hardware ports
  • Offers massive secondhand and refurbished value today compared to its initial high retail launch cost

Buying Recommendation

The 512GB storage model paired with 12GB RAM provides maximum capacity for storing large 4K video files and RAW photography datasets, backed by microSD expansion.

Competitor Comparison

DeviceScorePriceNotes
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Xiaomi 13 Ultra

Upgrade Path

Upgrade From Sony Xperia 1 IV
Benefits
  • Massive jump to the revolutionary Exmor T stacked sensor
  • drastically cooler Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 thermal efficiency
  • and textured grip comfort

Pricing & Price Intelligence

In Stock
Current $490 – $950
Lowest $450
Highest $950
Historical Low $490
Launch $1,399
Average $520
Savings $909
Discount -65%
Confidence 80%
Trend Down

Price Analytics

Best Deal Amazon $490
Best Value Amazon
Stability Low
Buy Timing Good time to buy

Prices are trending down with low stability. Compare offers at Amazon before buying.

Regional Pricing

PK Rs.398,140 EU €519

Store Comparison

Store Price Shipping Availability Rating
Amazon $490 In Stock Buy
Sony Official (Historic) $1,399 In Stock Buy

Variant Pricing

Colors

  • Khaki Green $490 – $950
  • Midnight Blue $490 – $950
  • Black $490 – $950

Storage

  • 256GB $450
  • 512GB $550

Ram

  • 12GB $490 – $950
Low: 490 High: 1399 Avg: 944.5 Volatility: 48.12%

Track Price

Alternatives

Sony Xperia 1 VI View device

Switches to a more mainstream 19.5:9 FHD+ display aspect ratio, upgrades to Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and features an extended macro-capable zoom lens

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