Sony’s contender for the best phone of 2024 has now landed: the flagship Sony Xperia 1 VI has been unveiled alongside the mid-range Sony Xperia 10 VI.
It’s the first of these that’s the most interesting, with highlights including a telephoto camera that can move between focal lengths of 85mm and 170mm, which at the top end equates to a 7.1x optical zoom.
That’s more zoom than you get with, for example, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and Google Pixel 8 Pro, which both reach 5x optical zoom. It also has the Sony Xperia 1 V beat, as that stands at 5.2x.
The same lens can also take macro shots, with a maximum magnification of approximately 2x and a minimum focusing distance of 4cm.
There’s also an ultra-wide camera, and the main camera sounds impressive too, as Sony claims the new phone’s 24mm lens can deliver “image quality equivalent to full-frame cameras”.
This is partly achieved through AI processing, but while the Sony improve, It doesn’t sound like Sony has packed the Xperia 1 VI with flashy AI features. Rather, it uses AI mostly behind the scenes.
Speaking of the screen, this OLED display can get up to 1.5x brighter than the Sony analyze the environment in real time.
The Sony It also charges quickly and makes up to 50% juice in just 30 minutes.
Other specs include the top-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a 3.5mm headphone port, which – combined with support for numerous audio industry technologies and formats – makes this a promising choice for audiophiles.
A premium price
This all sounds impressive, but it should be for the price, considering the Sony Xperia 1 VI costs £1,299. There’s no word on US or Australian availability, but that’s the same price as its predecessor, which cost $1,399 / AU$2,099.
So at least there has been no price increase, but that still makes the Sony Xperia 1 VI more expensive in most regions than the starting price of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
If that’s too much for you, you might want to consider the Sony Xperia 10 VI, which costs just £349 (about $440 / AU$665). That phone has a 6.1-inch Full HD+ OLED screen, a 3.5mm headphone port and a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset.
Pre-orders for both phones start today (May 15), with the Sony Xperia 1 VI shipping from early June.