Sony Xperia 1 VII review

Design, build quality, handling

The Xperia 1 VII maintains a close design connection with the previous model in the lineup, itself an extension of the V before it, and so on. Sony is big on continuity when it comes to the Xperia lineup and the Mark 7's changes in look and feel are minimal - for better or for worse.

Xperia 1 VII (left, Moss Green) next to Xperia 1 VI (Black)

One of the few design tweaks this year sees the aluminum frame get a little meatier, with the beveled edge now extended all the way to the front and rear panels, losing the stepped transition employed on the previous model.

It's a subtle change that affects handling just a little, and the perception of thinness suffers some, but unless you have the two phones for immediate side-by-side comparison, perhaps you wouldn't think twice about it. The phone hasn't gotten any thicker, and the striped texture of the frame provides a solid amount of grip - perhaps even better than the 1 VI.

The other delicate improvement is in the shutter release button which is now ever so slightly larger. Its half-press position is also more distinctly defined now. However, it doesn't have any extra touch functionality like the trend set by the latest iPhones - it's a regular shutter key. Xperia phones have had one from before it was cool.

Xperia 1 VI (bottom, Khaki green) next to Xperia 1 VII (Slate Black)

As you've probably picked up from the two photos above, the new model comes in different colorways - this year's green and black are different from the green and black of last year. Sony also likes to throw in a more striking option and this time it's Orchid Purple, in place of the Scar Red on the Xperia 1 VI.

Sony Xperia 1 VII color options

What hasn't changed is the dust and water resistance. The Xperia 1 VII still carries an IP68 rating for dust tightness and water submersion down to 1.5m for as long as 30 minutes. There's also the IPX5 for protection against water jets, but it's not the more powerful, high-temperature water jets that are covered by the IPX9 label, which some of this year's competitors are rated for. So no steam cleaning the Xperia.

No SIM pin required • A nano SIM and a microSD card can go inside (eSIM is also supported)

The Xperia continues to offer a capacitive fingerprint reader embedded in the power button on the right side of the phone. It unlocks quickly and without much fuss and it also doesn't seem to mind being used with the left index finger.

Still, if you want to unlock the phone while it's lying on a table, using the fingerprint reader won't be looking too elegant. Maybe one of these days Sony will eventually cave in and fit an underdisplay sensor? Or maybe not.

Over on the front, the new Xperia is just like the old Xperia. Sony prefers to keep the selfie camera within the bezel instead of having it poke a hole in the display, so that means there's a slightly thicker bezel up top than what you'd get on most other phones on the market. To maintain symmetry, there's the same sized chin below the display.

The nice OLED display is protected with a sheet of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, notched top and bottom to provide outlets for the two speakers.

Top speaker/Earpiece • Bottom speaker

Overall, the Xperia's design remains unlike most others out there. It's certainly not the most striking look from the front, but it does possess a certain technical appeal as a whole, and it's easily recognizeable as a Sony.

The lack of major changes can be a good thing - the company probably knows its customer base well enough and caters to it. Perhaps a bit of spicing up wouldn't hurt though, we reckon - or maybe that's what the purple colorway is for.