Sony Xperia 1 VI review

15 May 2024


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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • 0CV
  • 22 May 2024

I will be getting the new 1 VI, in green, to replace my 1 III.
Simply because it's about time and although you can probably find other phones out there that are better in some respects, none is "better enough" as a bundle for me to justify the hassle of switching brands. The hassle of moving from one phone to the next is big enough as it is.

Just one teeny-weeny nagging reservation at the back of my head, though...

My phone before the current 1 III was the XZ Premium. It was super. I used it for 4+ years not only because it was so great, but also because after that all the "flagships" Sony put out were simply... not great. XZP happened to be a culmination of the then Sony phones and after that model there came a change and they simply seemed to try out different things for a few generations. To no mentionable successes until the 1-series.

So, the nagging at the back of my head is: is the 1 VI, compared to pretty uniform I-V models, a start of some new middle period of soul searching and underwhelming models that everybody would like to forget about, or is it a worthy continuation of a great line of phones from Sony...

Well, I guess I will find out soon enough.

    I think that most of us here would like it as it's similar to Android phones before they became bad versions of iPhones but they're too expensive and not available in most regions so we comment knowing that we won't spend money on them and have to go through the annoying new phone ritual of passwords, setting up ringtones, walpaper and the rest. Even if I could easily spend the money and justify it, there's something that makes me reticent and hasn't been mentioned. For years now, each new android update makes our devices less user friendly, bugs are becoming worse and are seldom fixed until the next OS which introduces different bugs. Turning the power button into Google assistant is one of the most user unfriendly things that Google did. AI is going to be hell, too. Why spend so much money for a device that could be destroyed by an Android update?

      • A
      • Ab
      • 8pJ
      • 21 May 2024

      LucasN82, 20 May 20241V has the best on the market HDR video recording, day and ... moreI expect that from an experia but the 1080p resolution is just a no NO , I with they keep all these cameras on the 5 vi, on a small screen 1080p is fine

        • A
        • Ab
        • 8pJ
        • 21 May 2024

        DBS, 21 May 2024This phone, much like all other Xperia 1's before it, ... moreThe old xperia Android skin was just AWESOME, My friend had one and I remember using it just to scroll things and see how polished and amazing it looked and felt to use

          • T
          • Thomas
          • p65
          • 21 May 2024

          Anonymous, 21 May 2024Apple has the market cap to bully the supply chain and out-... morehonestly, the single hand operation fails on all phones and that's not because of their size, but because of the software (iOS and Android), they design their OS wrong. It would be really easy to make them operatable with a single hand of they adjusted it properly. And I do agree, that that would be a good thing. But hardware size should not be decreased because of the problem of dumb OS developers... it's just unfortunate that we as users have to suffer for that...

            • v
            • vi
            • S37
            • 21 May 2024

            DBS, 21 May 2024This phone, much like all other Xperia 1's before it, ... moreBloated phone is what you want, what is stopping you to install crap?

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • Yet
              • 21 May 2024

              Anonymous, 19 May 2024im also dont have issue with display, i dont care about res... moreHow can some pseudo feature like LTPO be more important than image clarity, PWM and viewing angle? Its a screen, you stare at it all the time. That's it's sole purpose. Native image sharpness should be the most important thing about it, than it's PWM so you can stare at it longer and just then it's brightness (outdoor use), viewing angle, color accuracy and then after all that it's everything else.

                • j
                • jmydy
                • M4N
                • 21 May 2024

                DBS, 21 May 2024This phone, much like all other Xperia 1's before it, ... more"If that's what you want, get a Xiaomi or even an S24."

                Point and shot and get crappy banana-gate affected picture :)

                  • ?
                  • Anonymous
                  • x0i
                  • 21 May 2024

                  DBS, 21 May 2024This phone, much like all other Xperia 1's before it, ... moreAgree but tbh I can live with most shortcomings except the size.
                  It's a MOBILE phone that should fit in POCKETS and be operable with ONE hand.. the Xperia 1 is not that.
                  Guess I'll be waiting for the 5 to be disappointed by the specs once again.

                    • ?
                    • Anonymous
                    • M5C
                    • 21 May 2024

                    Anonymous, 20 May 2024That site along with MKBHD are the biggest Apple shills. D... moreApple has the market cap to bully the supply chain and out-hire their competitors, but somehow they built a company valued at three trillion dollars building mediocre products that nobody likes?

                      • D
                      • DBS
                      • nqK
                      • 21 May 2024

                      This phone, much like all other Xperia 1's before it, isn't for people who want to point and shoot. That's not what Sony spends time on.
                      If that's what you want, get a Xiaomi or even an S24.
                      This phone's camera is to be used in manual mode. Much like the Nokia 808 and 909 were.

                      What keeps me from dumping Samsung and going back to Sony, unfortunately, is two-fold:
                      1 - The size. This phone is ridiculously big. I don't need another dinner tray. I already have one.
                      2 - The software. While I'm glad Sony got rid of Google's beyond stupid design for the Quick Settings panel, the stock-ish experience of Xperia UI is awful compared to what Sony USED to offer. The fact I can no longer use Xperia Themes on an Xperia, and have been limited to Google's pathetically bad theme engine that doesn't really theme anything, is aggravating. On top of that Sony got rid of the sensible one-handed mode they had (similar to Samsung's and Huawei's) in favour of Google's retarded approach (copied from iOS who copied it from Window Phone).
                      And doesn't have a suite of apps that can customise the OS like GoodLock.

                      If Sony made a Compact again - that's a

                        David, 20 May 2024Huge downgrade to mid ranger resolution whilst everyone els... moreHave you read anything about their supposed 'improved audio circuitry"? That's what interested me, along with expandable memory and a wider screen. It won't be available in the States anyway.

                          • L
                          • LucasN82
                          • pm5
                          • 20 May 2024

                          David, 20 May 2024Huge downgrade to mid ranger resolution whilst everyone els... more1V has the best on the market HDR video recording, day and low light

                            • D
                            • David
                            • 3av
                            • 20 May 2024

                            Huge downgrade to mid ranger resolution whilst everyone else has 3K, same mediocre cameras for a flagship as last year, still with an eye watering price despite the cost cuttings. Possibly the worst “1” they have ever released. Sony literally want to bury the Xperia brand now. Even as Sony fan I’m not delu sional enough think this is amazing.

                              • W
                              • Woozie
                              • ptT
                              • 20 May 2024

                              Anonymous, 16 May 2024"best phone": other phones have Gen 4, other phon... moreWhat an absolute bullshit some people are posting here the snapdragon 8 gen 4 isn't even out and this guys is screaming some phone already hold the snapdragon 8 gen 4.🤡🤡🤡

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • 0p}
                                • 20 May 2024

                                jmydy, 20 May 2024Have you noticed the title? https://www.theverge.com/2024/5... moreThat site along with MKBHD are the biggest Apple shills. Don't bother reading their phone reviews. They're not done professionally and will always favour iPhones when making comparisons.

                                  And their 'selling points' are gone.... now just similar with other phones. Only price matters I guess.

                                    • j
                                    • jmydy
                                    • DD{
                                    • 20 May 2024

                                    Have you noticed the title? https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/16/24158174/sony-xperia-1-vi-flagship-smartphone-photography-price-availability

                                    "Sony’s new Xperia 1 VI flagship zooms in on photography nerds"
                                    Isn't it bit negative wording? Why not "Sony’s new Xperia 1 VI flagship zooms in on photography lovers"?

                                      • j
                                      • jmydy
                                      • M4N
                                      • 20 May 2024

                                      gutnachte, 19 May 2024You guys nitpicking on the screen resolutions, etc. While t... moreBut well, display is something you look most of the the time when you use the phone. I will check it in shop and won't be that bad ;)

                                        • ?
                                        • Anonymous
                                        • ILe
                                        • 20 May 2024

                                        Some Anonymous Prson, 20 May 2024The U.S government didn't ban Sony. It's just no... moreSony can handle that just fine. They just had stupid ceos making poor choices

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