Sony Xperia 1 V review

11 May 2023


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The battery life in web browsing test, the most relevant in my book, is rather abysmal when positioned against its competitors.

    YUKI93, 12 May 2023The fact that it scored an extra 15 hours of battery endura... morethe extra 15 hours came from 3g talk time (47hours vs 26hrs,51 mnts)
    the video streaming increased only 1hr(16:05 vs 15:06) and the browsing period increased only 2 hours(13:24 vs 11:26)

    the other 8gen2 phones with qhd+ ltpo panels and 5000mah batteries have better video playback and browsing time. Samsung galaxy s23 ultra (23:29 & 21:18)
    Xiaomi 13 ultra (19:13 & 15:29) oppo find x6 pro (19:39 & 19:05)

    most of the time, tge xperia's resolution is 2520×1080p

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      • Anonymous
      • nrH
      • 12 May 2023

      Leanzazzy, 12 May 2023I really love that Sony is literally the only manufacturer ... moreOneui isnot betterthan miui. Miui wins for me.

        I really love that Sony is literally the only manufacturer to still offer a headphone jack, toolless MicroSD card slot and a notchless 21:9 display on their flagships.

        They also have stock Android (better than One UI, which is still infinitely better than MiUI) and support for unlocking the bootloader without any hassle.

        But all that doesn't mean jack if the phone's sustained performance is literally worse than that of midrangers from other companies.

        Seriously, at that point, you can't call it a flagship anymore.

        Sony's the definition of "He's a little confused, but he's got the right spirit."

        They know what fans what and deliver without compromise, but they literally fail in the most important aspect of a phone - the performance.

          kek, 12 May 2023I think its useless to be taking 48 MP from a Quad Bayer se... moreI find it quite surprising that some people are still inclined to believe this "Quad Bayer is a marketing gimmick" theory without any basis.. For real, it's been nearly five years since Huawei demonstrated how it is possible to extract a great level of details out of this type of sensor using stacking & suitable image processing. I'll let GSMArena's photo samples do the talking since it would be easier to convey my point to you this way than to explain it in words.

          https://imgur.com/a/HV8gFZL
          Correction: The last set of images are from Xiaomi 13 Ultra, not from Find X6 Pro.

          "or the ones Huawei used in some of their flagships"
          Yeah, those were Quad Bayer sensors as well.

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            • David
            • 0R@
            • 12 May 2023

            Why is the 1V still only running at 1096x2560 most of the time when flagships like the OnePlus 11 can run at 1440x3216 all the time? Give an option now to run it in 4K permanently.

            Also is anyone else a bit disappointed with the textured back and ridged sides? I prefer a smooth phone because it’s easier to clean. So much dirt is going to get trapped in there!

            I noticed only the middle camera has Ziess T* coating and not the others, don’t know if this is cost cutting or if the 1IV was also like that.

              I'm really considering biting the bullet and getting this phone or if I decide to just go for a Pixel 7a and save money ( I don't want to import another phone again, it costs even more lol).

              I either spend a lot on this phone and enjoy shooting like an alpha or I just get a midrange 7a and save money while letting the phone do everything for me.

              I'm going to wait for more reviews to make a final decision.

              Better hardware (Sony) vs better software (Google).

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                • Xxax
                • sxs
                • 12 May 2023

                I wonder if they have the screen burn problem like before.

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                  • Anonymous
                  • vaS
                  • 12 May 2023

                  YUKI93, 12 May 2023The thing with the 888 and 8 Gen 1 is that they are notorio... moreQuite a lot of dirt cheap 5 II here but no trace of 1 II. The challenge left is to find a lineage/custom fw friendly variant since only one JP variant supports it.

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                    • Anonymous
                    • 0w7
                    • 12 May 2023

                    raiseApint, 12 May 2023Too narrow. A deal killer. Sony, some of us use a phone to ... more77+ wide is a freakin gameboy. I don't wan to text with two thumbs like I'm playing Double Dragon/

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                      • Anonymous
                      • vaS
                      • 12 May 2023

                      Anonymous, 12 May 2023And as usual one year of updates, then the device can be th... moreMan must've missed the anti repair practices of Apple and their no1 copycat fan Samsung in the past few years. Like involving software drm on phone parts lmao.

                        Tann Hauser, 12 May 2023Nicely done Sony. Now I await 5 V with that same sensor. H... morePrecisely same here.

                          walkman8, 12 May 2023GSMArena is a place like no other. It's like all 50 xp... moreTo leave aside your perception of the Xperia owners, and answer to the second part of your comment:


                          - two years of software support is not enough, that is right. My Xperia 5 ii is just as perfect as it was two years back, when I bought it and I would love more incremental system updates.
                          - software stability is better than anything I have encountered, lest, say, Oneplus
                          - after-sales support is good enough imho
                          - yes, hopefully this iteration solves most of the hardware issues. Too bad they left out the led indicator, that is super nice on my 5ii
                          - i find the main camera better than most, if not any, of the competition. I work in Photoshop, I know my way through numbers. I'm not so sure about the nighttime scenario, though. Must dig more on the topic.

                          Anyway, gorgeous phone overall.

                            Anonymous, 12 May 2023And as usual one year of updates, then the device can be th... moreI just love you update policy obsessed people... 😆

                            Wife bought XZ2 2,5 yrs after its release in 2018 (no more updates), for 1/3 of starting price...phone worked and is still working after extra 3,5 yrs of use now (its almost a 6 yr old model now) without any problem, everything working, no problem with any app install whatsoever, no any security issues, still gets all the google app updates...

                            A month ago she bought a new 5II, again for 1/3 of the starting price, and no more updates for it... Not because XZ2 had any problems, but because it was a good deal atm.
                            Im certain it also will work for her for the next 3-4 yrs, without any security or app problems whatsoever.

                            But just you go on, nag along about those "essential" update policies.
                            Seems to me, from these nags, that some other OEMs phones do indeed end up in bins after their update cycles, as users seem to be quite worrisome of their update cycles.
                            Are they maybe programmed to break down after end of updates, or what?

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                              • Anonymous
                              • Yet
                              • 12 May 2023

                              Anonymous, 12 May 2023Much better cameras? Not really. From my experience, the Xp... moreVariable refresh rate is not about "using" the refresh rates in between, it's about the screen refreshing at a slower rate when you're not touching it/nothing is moving to save battery life. It is an objectively good thing to have

                                Anonymous, 12 May 2023Does that make the 865-powered 1 or 5 mark II the only acce... moreThe thing with the 888 and 8 Gen 1 is that they are notoriously known for excessive throttling and overheating, partly due to Samsung's SoC fabrication. You won't feel much when casually browsing the web or social media, but you can feel it when doing extreme mobile gaming or high-bitrate 4K video recording. Even Sony can't tame them despite their obsession with long-term battery life and developed H.S. Heat Suppression feature. If I want a used flagship Xperia, I'd look at Mk2 1/5. As much as I love the Pro-I, I'd think twice about the SoC.

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                                  • Anonymous
                                  • gLT
                                  • 12 May 2023

                                  And as usual one year of updates, then the device can be thrown into the bin?

                                    GSMArena is a place like no other. It's like all 50 xperia owners gathered here and praise them like it's a God-send, day after day, irregardless if it's an xperia review or a generic article about Android updates 😄 I only know one xperia owner, an enthusiast like you guys. He had xperia I,II,III and IV. Every single one of them ended in repair shop due to hardware malfunctions. And just like you, he won't give up owning another xperia. And they call Apple fan Boys fanatics 😀

                                    Ontopic: I do like Sony's rebel policy, I just want them to be better with software support, OS stability and after-sales support. Hardware issues might be FINALLY solved with this iteration.
                                    Main camera is very powerful, I like the output. But if I had to pick a smartphone primarily for taking shots, that'd be p60 pro. It excells in every scenario- daylight, nighttime, fast-moving or static scenery, uw, wide,3x,10x,macro etc. And with little to no effort at that!

                                      Nicely done Sony.
                                      Now I await 5 V with that same sensor. Hoping 5 series upgrade comes with these improved speakers too....

                                      I just might be tempted to get a new Xperia.
                                      Problem is tho, my now 3 yr old 5II still just works like a charm, so I dont really feel the need for a new one...

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                                        • Anonymous
                                        • Sqr
                                        • 12 May 2023

                                        Anonymous, 12 May 2023Much better cameras? Not really. From my experience, the Xp... moreCall it "realistic" they are just worse in terms of colors, noise, or preserving highlights as well. And this is at day. In low light / night Xperia is simply outclassed especially videos . And still this is just the main camera. At front the diference is even larger at samsung favour.

                                        Overall especially at night and particulary at front samsung just win by wide margin and this is obvious.

                                        And this is obvious even if you put samsung color processing aside but I prefer it anyway.

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