Sony’s latest flagship Android phone, the Xperia 1 VII, packs a variety of exciting tech features from its Snapdragon 8 Elite chip to its promise of AI-based audio quality upscaling. But it’s the video tools that really caught my attention, in particular the ‘AI Camerawork’ and ‘Autoframing’ functions that apparently let you shoot steady, professional-looking video without even looking at your phone. 

It certainly sounds like a novel idea, but this phone needs novel ideas — and plenty of them — to justify its whopping price tag. At £1,399, the Xperia 1 VII is significantly more expensive than both the equivalent iPhone 16 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Both those phones have seriously impressed us in their full reviews so Sony will have its work cut out for it if it hopes to pry that much cash out of your hands. 

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The phone is up for the preorder today in the UK, although Sony currently has no plans to bring it to the US. For reference, that £1,399 UK price converts to about $1,860. Ouch.

AI video shooting

The AI video tools certainly seem to be the big reason to choose this phone. While I have yet to test it myself, Sony’s press materials suggest that it works by using a wide-angle lens, AI-based subject tracking and «posture estimation technology» to keep your subject in frame. 

The idea is that you only need to roughly point your phone in the vague direction of your subject and the phone will do the rest. It sounds like it could be great for things like skateboarding videos where you and your friend are speeding down the street, although how it really performs in such high-paced scenarios remains to be seen.

It’s not just the video camera that’s been given the AI treatment. Sony says the phone has its «best sound quality to date» thanks to AI-based algorithms that actively upscale compressed, streamed music to make it sound as good as it can. Sony has even equipped the phone with a wired headphone jack to keep audiophiles happy. 

Sony also says it uses technology inherited from its Bravia TVs for better looking colors on its 6.5-inch display. I’m quite surprised at its low resolution though; the Xperia 1 VII’s 1,080×2,340-pixel resolution gives it a pixel density of only 396 pixels per inch (ppi). That’s quite a bit below the iPhone 16 Pro’s 460ppi or the S25 Ultra’s 501ppi and for the Xperia’s price, I’d have expected more. Still, I’ll reserve judgment on the overall quality until I’m able to see it for myself. 

Other features include a triple rear camera system, IP68 water resistance and a 5,000mAh battery. While Sony’s spec sheet simply states «USB PD fast charging,» it makes no reference to the actual speed it’ll charge. The company does say it’ll support the phone with six years of security updates, which is fair, although a year less than what Samsung or Google offer for their much cheaper handsets.