Sony Xperia 1 V review

11 May 2023


Sort by:

  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • LH6
  • 18 May 2023

Nick Tegrataker, 17 May 2023I really like the fact that you ignored literally everythin... moreOnce you resample those 48mp to 12mp photos you don't achieve any extra detail compared to Sonys native 12mp shot. I just did that in Photoshop and all images look on par or pretty much the same, Sonys native 12mp included. Sonys issue is focusing thats why plants on top of the building as well as balconies are super soft cause they are out of focus, I would assume Auto mode has switched to center focus instead of whole area focus or something.

Overall In my oppinion when it comes to Samsung you get better 12mp image if you downscale 48mp image compared to what Samsung offers you at native 12mp because there is no additional frame stacking, tone mapping additional sharpening etc.

    • J
    • Jonnyboy
    • mY8
    • 18 May 2023

    I'm very tempted to buy this phone. One extra thing I like is,in cinema Pro that allows you to use two focus points and manage them. One question if anyone knows; Does the eyefocus apply on animals as well? For example,if a pigeon sits on your balcony will it focus on its eyes?

      • m
      • mbtathcx
      • Afb
      • 18 May 2023

      The main camera is truly a beast, although as said some photos are bit too much dark, but that can be patched. They finally added focus peaking which is nice feature to have, but how well it works is a question. It is also nice they resolved the overheating issue finally. If I didn't have mark IV I would definitely buy it, but I take mostly photos so i don't really have a problem with the overheating and zoom lens and sensor is the same which is kind of meh. So maybe next year or another one :). The main camera and sensor upgrade alone, although significant, wont do it for me this year.

      I am just wondering why the photos from tele camera looks bit worse then from mark IV and the video looks really bad, 3,5x zoom seems like it has only focus on the left bottom corner and 5,2x I have no idea, maybe bottom mid? Even on mark IV the autofocus on this camera is problematic but not like this and I can see they didn't fix that.

      Did you try to use focus peaking or set the focus manually? I would love to see if there would be any difference.

      On my mark IV I don't use that tele camera for long range photos unless necessary and video even less, the output can be pretty poor unless there are perfect light conditions, (so you can go at least 1/400, lowest ISO and HDR) and even then its a hit or miss, mostly a miss nevertheless. Imo this camera is better suited for tele macro and portraits although I wouldn't go too far over 4x zoom.

      In overall, Xperia 1 is a very unique and the only phone on the market I would buy for many reasons. There is many things what Sony could do better of course, but hey, nobody is perfect.
      And for me, any other alternative is not acceptable as they all have just more cons than pros.

        Anonymous, 18 May 2023Read again review of 14 pro when writer says 48MP mode used... more"writer says 48MP mode used to shoot 48mm equivalent has less detail than default 12MP mode"
        Well, let's see..

        From GSMArena's iPhone 14 Pro review:
        "The new 48MP sensor allows Apple to offer 2x lossless zoom by cropping from the center of the 48MP image. And the 2x zoomed photos are outstanding - the detail is plenty, the sharpening is just right, and the photos are as contrasty and colorful as the standard output."

        From their iPhone 14 Pro Max review:
        "This exceptional performance is undeniably the reason why the iPhone 14 Pro Max is capable of producing great shots at the 2x zoom level - they are sourced from this main 48MP camera, after all. Detail is excellent, better than some dedicated 2x cameras, we'd say, while global parameters remain the same as in images saved at the native field of view."

        Stacking lies on top of another lie won't help your case at all.

          Anonymous, 18 May 2023No. Sharpening. Sony jpeg has least amount of all brands,... more"Sony jpeg has least amount of all brands"
          BS. While Sony's JPEG processing doesn't apply Apple or Samsung level of sharpening, it still does just as much as Find X6 Pro, which means it's considerably more than the amount applied by Xiaomi 13 Ultra or Vivo X90 Pro. You can tell this by looking at the studio comparison chart and checking how much ringing there is around high-contrast edges (e.g. The white borders surrounding the black GSMArena logo on the centre or "+" signs on the chart). In fact, it's only recently that Sony finally started to go easy on image processing - for instance, Xperia Pro-I suffered from fairly excessive JPEG sharpening which was noticeable even on a small screen.

          "Gsmarena is tired of saying full mode is upscaled version"
          And guess what, I'm absolutely tired of saying for FIVE straight years that there's a TANGIBLE👏 RESOLUTION👏 ADVANTAGE👏 for shooting in a full-res mode, which you would've surely noticed if you had ever, EVER taken a look at even a single of the photo examples I presented you in the past. In case you missed every one of them, here are a few that you can look into: https://imgur.com/a/HV8gFZL
          Start using your eyes instead of literally taking everything GSMArena throws at you at face value.

          "AF system would never be at 48MP as efficient as 12MP because of readout modes"
          You keep conveniently ignoring that having the option to shoot in 48MP mode in the camera app will NOT prevent you from shooting in a faster 12MP mode.

          "Instead you should complain to samsung and oppo why both do worse despite larger sensors"
          I will rather complain about why Xperia 1 V captures such a noisy image in low light despite using a 2x longer shutter speed than Find X6 Pro.

          You don't have to go full-bent on defending every single decision Sony has made simply because you support the brand. Sony won't love you back or reward you for telling blatant lies such as "48MP QB has no advantage in terms of details over 12MP Bayer".

            • ?
            • Anonymous
            • LH6
            • 18 May 2023

            Anonymous, 18 May 2023Sony is doing the absolute minimum. The lowest low possible... moreThey also give you the thickest glass coating on both front and back compared to other manufacturers. You get some you loose some.

              • s
              • sol42
              • p8K
              • 18 May 2023

              Love the finger reader, 3.5 mm and SD, but format is both too long and too narrow for me. How are you supposed to carry this dildo shaped thing in a normal pocket? What if you want to look at a 4:3 photo, a map, desktop mode on a web page or use it with one hand when buttons and menues are at the top?

              A second problem for me is that updates are way too limited for the price. It's not 2018 anymore. You have to have at least 4 years of Android updates at this price, wake up Sony.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • pWD
                • 18 May 2023

                Mangoon, 17 May 2023Likely 2, 3 years security. Pretty abysmal.Sony is doing the absolute minimum. The lowest low possible so that still some people are willing to give them money.

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • 70d
                  • 18 May 2023

                  Xperiafan5, 18 May 2023Can you tell me which flagship phones support Dolby Vision ... moreYou could have checked it yourself. Anyway, Xiaomi 13 Ultra, Oppo Find X6 Pro, vivo X90 Pro+, and OnePlus 11 support Dolby Vision.

                    I hope the Xperia 5 V has the same camera setup or maybe if those rumours are true, then a telephoto with the new sensor tech.

                    I got the Pixel 7a and I like the smaller size compared to my older Xperia 1, so I will most likely get the 5 series from now on since the ToF is gone from the 1 series.

                    Returning the Pixel since it was running really hot for some reason, that Samsung chip turned out to be really bad.

                      • ?
                      • Anonymous
                      • vaS
                      • 18 May 2023

                      this has to be the best flagship so far (considering sd card slot and audiojack)

                        Anonymous, 13 May 2023No Dolby Vision on flagship in 2023? Please have some digni... moreCan you tell me which flagship phones support Dolby Vision apart from the iPhone, because that's the only one I know of. Dolby Vision is not that important to me on a phone anyway. You have put so much focus on Dolby Vision, but forgotten the fact that the Xperia is the only device that supports 4K, HDR10+, as well as 10bit output altogether. Your complaint here just doesn't make any sense to me.

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • 0p}
                          • 18 May 2023

                          Nick Tegrataker, 17 May 2023I really like the fact that you ignored literally everythin... moreRead again review of 14 pro when writer says 48MP mode used to shoot 48mm equivalent has less detail than default 12MP mode.

                          QB was never meant to be used at full res. But 50% pixels at different E.V compared to other 50%, something nobody uses.
                          There are 3 📷 with this tech, none of them offer full res mode.
                          Panny GH6 100MP is pixel shift only, not QB to Bayer.

                            • i
                            • ivan
                            • nyc
                            • 18 May 2023

                            No autofocus on a selfie cam :)
                            I have a 2021 S21 Ultra that has 40 MP Dual Selfie cam with autofocus. Also

                              • ?
                              • Anonymous
                              • 0p}
                              • 18 May 2023

                              Nick Tegrataker, 17 May 2023I really like the fact that you ignored literally everythin... moreNo. Sharpening. Sony jpeg has least amount of all brands, but you think otherwise. Love to claim detail. Everybody knows you think 50MP file from 13 ultra is on pair with 50MP from Alpha 1 when it comes to texture and noise , no matter we say it is impossible.

                              Measuring sharpening from 0 to 100, sony level is not even 10 ( dng files prove this)
                              Chinese phones are 40-65.
                              Galaxy S/iphones/pixel above 95 ( fact, you like it or not, so youtubers can make viweres believe it is details)

                              Stop acting like 50MP QB would give same texture of 50MP bayer.
                              It does not.
                              Gsmarena is tired of saying full mode is upscaled version instead of QB ➡️ Bayer conversion. Gsmarena has said 10000x the words " no benefit".
                              Another " benefit" to OEMs using this tech is the fact they dont need to buy the lenses they would need if using 48/50MP bayer. Lenses used now are same they would buy if using 12/12.5MP bayer.

                              Sony semicon has Bayer high resolution alternatives Exmor T. No one is interested. Reason? Cost of better lenses.

                              AF system would never be at 48MP as efficient as 12MP because of readout modes. It would not burst 48MP@30fps while doing AE/AF.

                              It is made to cover as much situations as it can, not just photos of food, ppl standing still like statues and neon signs like other brands care about.

                              Instead you should complain to samsung and oppo why both do worse despite larger sensors.


                                Anonymous, 17 May 2023And I would like to challenge you on the notion how other &... moreI really like the fact that you ignored literally everything I said and proceeded to present me 12MP samples when my point is how proficient image processing can extract a great amount of details out of a 48MP full-resolution image from a Quad Bayer sensor that cannot be matched by a regular 12MP binned output.

                                Take a look at the centre of the full-res samples or the 2x zoom samples from Xiaomi 13 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro and compare them to those from Xperia 1 V. There's a world of difference in terms of the resolved details between the formers and the latter.

                                  Anonymous, 12 May 2023excellent, the time has finally come to make an economic sa... moreGood call.

                                    Anonymous, 12 May 2023And as usual one year of updates, then the device can be th... moreLikely 2, 3 years security. Pretty abysmal.

                                      walkman8, 12 May 2023GSMArena is a place like no other. It's like all 50 xp... moreI wouldn't call myself a fanboy, but this is phone is far more interesting to me than my current Xperia 1 III. Overall thermal management and picture quality seems much better. That said, my fingerprint scanner started dying a few weeks ago. At this point Sony is recommending a hard reboot to determine if it's a software or hardware issue. That in itself is a pretty hard pill to swallow for me, as I have a lot of various dedicated apps that are specifically tied to the phone. I will say, having a clean screen without a punch hole or cutout is just so much more elegant than the alternatives. Also, most people just dismiss or discount the utility of an SD card and a headphone jack. For those of us that care, it's amazing. Personally the idea of a cell phone that touts less as a "feature" is nonsense. In fairness though, Sony has sh*t update and support promises. Well, here's hoping I get the fingerprint sensor working again!

                                        • C
                                        • CalinS
                                        • ajZ
                                        • 17 May 2023

                                        Anonymous, 17 May 2023And I would like to challenge you on the notion how other &... moreSammy and Apple - Busted

                                          8 of 23