Sony Xperia 1 V release date, price and everything you need to know
Better low light photos than ever before
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TheSonyXperia 1 V isSony’s latest flagship smartphone, and it looks to be making a play for our list of thebest camera phones, as it’s the camera that’s seen the bulk of the upgrades.
That’s not all that’s changed since theSony Xperia 1 IVthough, as this is certainly a more powerful phone than its predecessor too.
Below then, you’ll find everything you need to know about the Sony Xperia 1 V, including details of its release date and price.
Cut to the chase
Sony Xperia 1 V release date and price
The Sony Xperia 1 V was announced on May 11, 2023 and began shipping in the UK on June 29 (with pre-orders opening on June 14), while in the US it arrived on July 28. It’s unlikely to be sold in Australia.
As for the price, you’ll be paying at least $1,399.99 / £1,299 (around AU$2,100). That’s the starting price too, so if you want 512GB of storage rather than 256GB then it will cost more. Though that larger model may not be available everywhere.
That said, Sony is cushioning the blow a bit by throwing in a pair ofSony WH-1000XM5 headphoneswith UK pre-orders. These typically cost $399 / £380 / AU$649, and we awarded them five stars. In the US, you’ll instead getLinkBuds wireless earbuds(valued at $179 / £149 / AU$299) and a $50 coupon.
Sony Xperia 1 V design and display
The Sony Xperia 1 V looks a lot like the Sony Xperia 1 IV, with a similarly tall and narrow design. It’s 165 x 71 x 8.3mm, weighs 187g, and has Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front and on its textured glass back, and an aluminum frame.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
The phone will be available in Black, Khaki Green, and Platinum Silver shades, and it has both an IP68 and an IP65 certification, making it more water resistant than most handsets.
The display is a 6.5-inch 1644 x 3840OLEDone with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a narrow 21:9 aspect ratio. It’s an unusual display both for that aspect ratio and its extremely high4Kresolution. That said, it’s the same thing as Sony has been doing for years now, so it’s only unusual compared to other smartphone brands.
Sony Xperia 1 V cameras and battery
The cameras are the most interesting part of the Sony Xperia 1 V, and particularly the primary sensor, which is a 52MP f/1.9 one. Except, not really, because only 48 of those megapixels are in the effective area for taking photos, and the resulting shots arepixel binneddown to 12MP.
Still, it’s a big upgrade on the 12MP sensor in the Sony Xperia 1 IV, and not just because of the extra megapixels – this camera uses a new ‘Exmor T for mobile’ sensor design, and has a 1.7x larger sensor than the Xperia 1 IV’s main camera, a combination which allows for 2x better low light shots according to Sony.
That’s the big upgrade here, but the other cameras while the same as before remain notable, particularly the 12MP f/2.3 telephoto one, because this offers continuous optical zoom between 3.5x and 5.2x. Oh, and both the main and telephoto snapper have optical image stabilization.
Rounding out the rear cameras there’s a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide one, and the Sony Xperia 1 V also supports 4K video recording, and has a 12MP camera on the front.
As for the battery, that’s 5,000mAh and supports 30W wired charging. There’s also wireless charging, but Sony hasn’t said how fast this is.
Sony claims the battery can last for approximately 20 hours of continuous video playback, and that it can be charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
Sony Xperia 1 V specs and features
The Sony Xperia 1 V has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. That’s up from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in the Xperia 1 IV, and along with the main camera is the other big upgrade this year.
It’s also the same chipset as you’ll find in the likes of theOnePlus 11and theSamsung Galaxy S23series – thoughSamsunguses a faster version of it. That’s joined by 12GB of RAM, and a choice of 256GB or 512GB of storage.
The Xperia 1 V runs Android 13, as you’d expect, and it has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, 5G support, and stereo speakers.
James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
Sony Xperia 1 VI review: an old-school flagship that demands some compromise
Sony’s rumored Xperia Pro C could have a surprise design that makes it more like a compact camera
Lego will let you build Sir Ernest Shackleton’s iconic lost ship, the Endurance, in its next Icons set
