Primary

Sony Editor's Choice 2024

Xperia 1 VI

Q: What are the cons of Sony Xperia 1 VI — 85-170mm Continuous Optical Zoom Flagship Review & Specs?

Replaces 4K resolution screen with 1080p panel , 30W wired charging speed is modest for a flagship

Q: How much does Sony Xperia 1 VI — 85-170mm Continuous Optical Zoom Flagship Review & Specs cost?

The Sony Xperia 1 VI — 85-170mm Continuous Optical Zoom Flagship Review & Specs is priced at $1,150 – $1,399.

Sony Xperia 1 VI — 85-170mm Continuous Optical Zoom Flagship Review & Specs

Display 1080 x 2340 pixels 19.5:9 ratio (~396 ppi density)

Camera 4K at 30/60fps 1080p at 30/60fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS

Performance Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8...

Battery 30W wired PD3.0, PPS (50% in 30 min)

Expert Score

4.6

94% Confidence

Community Score

3.9

0% Confidence

AI Score

4.6

92% Confidence

Final Score

4.4

92% Confidence

Storage

RAM

Color

Regional

-18% In Stock

$1,150 – $1,399 $1,399

Lowest $1,100 Save $249 Best: Sony Official Store

Compare Track History Buy

Read Reviews

Category Scores

Overall hardware score: 93/100 — true 85-170mm (3.5x-7.1x) continuous optical telephoto zoom with tele-macro focus, Exmor T main sensor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 speed, vapor chamber cooling, 3.5mm headphone jack, microSD expansion, and IP65/IP68 rating.

Performance Excellent

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm processor with i...

Display Excellent

6.5-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED screen rendering 1080 x...

Camera Excellent

Zeiss-backed camera suite featuring a 48MP Exmor...

Battery Excellent

5000 mAh battery cell achieves outstanding batte...

Gaming Excellent

Adreno 750 GPU backed by Game Enhancer software,...

AI Great

AI Pose Estimation subject tracking derived from...

Security Great

Fast side-mounted capacitive fingerprint reader...

Value for Money Great

Premium flagship price tag reflecting continuous...

Design Excellent

Tactile micro-patterned Gorilla Glass Victus bac...

Repairability Good

Sealed IP68 chassis and complex periscope lens a...

Software Support Great

Boots Android 14 (upgradable through Android 16)...

Connectivity Excellent

Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC & aptX Lossless...

Audio Excellent

Best-in-class full-stage front stereo speakers,...

Durability Excellent

Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front, Victus rea...

Charging Great

30W USB-PD wired fast charging (50% in 30 mins),...

Specifications

Display 5

Size 6.5 inches

Type LTPO OLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR BT.2020, BRAVIA Powered

Resolution 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~396 ppi density)

Refresh Rate 1-120Hz dynamic

Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2

Processor 4

Chipset Key Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)

CPU Octa-core (1x3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3x3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x3.0 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2x2.3 GHz Cortex-A520)

GPU Key Adreno 750

Cooling Internal Vapor Chamber cooling module

Memory 2

RAM Key 12GB

Type LPDDR5X

Storage 3

Internal 256GB / 512GB

Expandable Yes, microSDXC card slot (uses shared SIM slot up to 1.5TB)

Standard UFS 4.0

Battery 4

Capacity 5000 mAh

Wired Charging 30W wired, PD3.0, PPS (50% in 30 min)

Wireless Charging 15W wireless (Qi)

Reverse Charging Reverse wireless

Camera 4

Main Wide 48 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.35" (Exmor T), 1.12µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS

Continuous Telephoto 12 MP, f/2.3 (85mm) - f/3.5 (170mm), 1/3.5", 1.0µm, Dual Pixel PDAF, 3.5x-7.1x continuous optical zoom, OIS, 4cm macro @ 120mm

Ultra Wide 12 MP, f/2.2, 16mm, 123˚, 1/2.5", 1.4µm, Dual Pixel PDAF

Lens Features Zeiss optics, Zeiss T* lens coating, color spectrum sensor, Eye tracking

Front Camera 2

Sensor 12 MP, f/2.0, 24mm (wide), 1/2.9", 1.22µm

Video 4K at 30/60fps, 1080p at 30/60fps, 5-axis gyro-EIS

Connectivity 5

Network 5G, 4G LTE, Nano-SIM + eSIM or Dual Nano-SIM

Wi-Fi Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA

Bluetooth 5.4, A2DP, LE Audio, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless, LDAC

NFC Yes

USB USB Type-C 3.2, OTG, DisplayPort video output

Sensors 3

Fingerprint Side-mounted capacitive

Special Hardware Two-stage tactile physical camera shutter key, Sony Alpha camera monitor support

Other Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, barometer, compass

Dimensions & Weight 2

Dimensions 162.0 x 74.0 x 8.2 mm

Weight 192 g

Materials & Durability 2

Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), micro-textured glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus), aluminum frame

Water Resistance IP65/IP68 dust tight and water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)

Operating System 1

OS Android 14 (upgradable to Android 16)

Expert Review

By Dickens, Charles

Design

The Sony Xperia 1 VI features a refined 19.5:9 chassis with micro-dot textured rear Gorilla Glass Victus, grooved tactile aluminum sides, dedicated shutter key, IP65/IP68 rating, and a weight of 192g.

Display

The 6.5-inch LTPO OLED screen renders 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution at 1-120Hz dynamic refresh rate, featuring 1300 nits peak brightness and BRAVIA Powered image processing.

Performance

Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm processor with 12GB RAM, UFS 4.0 storage, and Sony's first built-in vapor chamber cooling system for smooth multi-tasking.

Gaming

Adreno 750 GPU paired with FPS Optimizer and Game Enhancer tools provides steady 60-120fps gaming with bypass charging support.

Camera

Features a 48MP Exmor T OIS primary main camera, 12MP 85mm-170mm continuous optical zoom lens with 4cm macro, and 12MP ultrawide camera with Zeiss T* coating.

Battery

The 5000 mAh battery achieves outstanding battery life lasting up to 2 days, refueling via 30W USB-PD charging alongside 15W Qi wireless charging.

Software

Boots Android 14 (upgradable to Android 16), featuring unified Camera app with Pro Photo/Video modes, Creator Mode color calibration, and Sony Alpha connection tools.

Ai

Integrates Sony Alpha AI pose estimation algorithms for subject tracking, auto-eyafocus, and dynamic display brightness boost.

Connectivity

Includes dual 5G mode, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD card slot, and USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort output.

Pros

True 85-170mm (3.5x-7.1x) continuous optical zoom periscope lens with 4cm tele-macro mode
Exmor T 48MP primary main camera sensor with Zeiss T* coating
Vapor chamber cooling system prevents Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 thermal throttling
3.5mm audio jack with Premium Audio Circuit and microSD expansion slot
Outstanding battery life with 5000 mAh battery cell

Cons

Replaces 4K resolution screen with 1080p panel
30W wired charging speed is modest for a flagship

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is a pro-grade photography flagship smartphone featuring a refined 19.5:9 aspect ratio and an expanded 85-170mm (3.5x-7.1x) continuous optical zoom periscope camera. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 4nm processor with 12GB RAM and up to 512GB expandable storage via microSDXC, it incorporates a 6.5-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 with 1300 nits peak brightness. Its triple rear camera system uses Zeiss optics and T* lens coating, featuring a 48MP Exmor T 1/1.35-inch main sensor with OIS, 12MP 85-170mm optical zoom lens with 4cm tele-macro focus, and 12MP ultrawide camera. The device is built with IP65/IP68 water resistance, a tactile two-stage shutter button, a 3.5mm headphone jack with premium DAC circuitry, and a 5000 mAh battery with 30W wired and 15W wireless charging.

Verdict

The Sony Xperia 1 VI is a supreme optical photography flagship, combining 85-170mm true continuous zoom optics with an Exmor T sensor, 3.5mm audio jack, microSD slot, and multi-day battery endurance.

Final: 4.4/10 Best for: Photography enthusiasts Segment: Flagship

Product Intelligence

True continuous optical zoom periscope lens ranging from 85mm to 170mm (3.5x to 7.1x) Dedicated 120mm Tele-Macro mode with 4cm close focus & manual peaking aid 48MP Exmor T 2-layer transistor main camera sensor with Zeiss T* coating 6.5-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED display in standard 19.5:9 ratio with BRAVIA AI image tuning 3.5mm audio jack with Premium Audio Circuit + microSDXC expansion card slot

Who Should Buy

Pro photographers, audiophiles, and creators seeking true continuous optical zoom (85-170mm), dedicated tele-macro focus, microSD expansion up to 1TB, 3.5mm headphone jack, physical camera shutter key, and multi-day battery endurance.

Who Should Avoid

Casual users looking for budget options, 65W+ ultra-fast charging, or automated computational auto-mode snapshot algorithms.

Key Takeaways

Switches from previous 21:9 4K screen to a practical 19.5:9 LTPO OLED panel for superior battery life and outdoor brightness
Continuous 85mm-170mm zoom mechanism uses moving internal optical glass for loss-less optical zoom across the entire focal range
One of the only ultra-flagships on the market offering both a 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD storage expansion

Buying Recommendation

The 256GB base model with 12GB RAM combined with a high-speed microSD card offers optimal long-term value for storing 4K HDR videos and RAW photo files.