The Sony Xperia 1 V has a confirmed launch date and a “next-gen” camera

It’s landing during a busy week in May

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There haven’t been a huge number ofSony Xperia 1 Vleaks, which is surprising, because the phone is just weeks away from launch.

We know this becauseSonyjust took to bothTwitterand YouTube to announce that the “Next ONE is coming” on May 11 (or May 10 in some parts of the world). So while the company didn’t go so far as to say the full name of the phone, it can hardly be talking about anything else.

That’s also not a surprising date at all, as theSony Xperia 1 IVlanded on May 11 last year, and arecent leaksuggested the Xperia 1 V would be announced in May.

Next-gen Sensor. Next-gen Imaging. Next ONE is coming. Tune into our YouTube Premiere on 11th May, 2023 13:00 Japan Time / 06:00 CEST.#Sony #Xperia #SonyXperia #ProductAnnouncement #NextGenXperia #XperiaReveal #NextXperia #NextGenSensor #NextGenImaging #NextOneIsComingApril 27, 2023

The launch event is being held in Japan, which means the timings won’t be super sociable for most of our readers. It kicks off at 9pm PT on Wednesday May 10, which is 12am ET / 5am GMT / 2pm AEST on Thursday, May 11.

The event will belive-streamed on YouTube, and from the teaser video and accompanying text, we know that the Sony Xperia 1 V’s camera will be a big focus. The video zooms in on a camera sensor and shows someone taking a photo of a sunset (or possibly a sunrise), while the text mentions a “next-gen sensor” and “next-gen imaging.”

So what should we take from that? Well, a post on Weibo (spotted bySumahoDigest) previously pointed to a larger 1/1.4-inch sensor being used, though notably that would still be somewhat smaller than the sensors found in some current rival phones, several of which boast a 1-inch sensor, not to mention there’s Sony’s ownXperia Pro-Ifrom 2021.

Then again, such 1-inch sensors – found in the likes of theXiaomi 13 Ultra– are actually made by Sony, so it would make sense for the company to use one in its own phones.

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Whatever the case, a sensor size increase seems likely, as that could improve low light shots, which would be handy for the slightly dim scene in the teaser video.

Few upgrades and major competition

Beyond that, and the likely presence of a newSnapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, we might not see many changes here, withleaks pointingto a similar design and the same 5,000mAh battery capacity and 6.5-inch screen size as the Sony Xperia 1 IV – though it might get 16GB of RAM, up from 12GB in the current model.

It’s also worth noting that sometimes Sony puts its phones on sale long after announcing them, so while the Xperia 1 V is being unveiled soon, you might not be able to buy it for a while.

Still, there are likely to be other options, because as well as the possibility that Sony itself will show off additional phones during the event (perhaps the Xperia 10 V, as theSony Xperia 10 IVlanded on May 11 last year too), we’re also expecting newGooglephones that week.

Google IO 2023kicks off on May 10, and reports suggest we’ll see thePixel 7aandPixel Foldthere, along with thePixel Tablet. It’s strange that Sony has decided to launch its flagship handset so close to Google’s event, but it should make for an exciting couple of days for phone fans.

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.

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