3 Things to Know About the Sony Xperia 1 VI
The new Sony Xperia 1 VI is officially here, along with a few tweaks that should make it more appealing to mainstream audiences all the while retaining the line’s signature quirks and core features. And with a hefty price tag of around PHP 94K (converted from UK prices), it’s definitely a phone that best appeals to serious power users and content creators.
But what exactly has changed with the Sony Xperia 1 VI. A couple of things actually:
Familiar design; different aspect ratio
Right away, you can immediately tell that the aspect ratio has changed, swapping out the 21:9 4K display for a 19.5:9 FHD+ panel. It’s a nice change for power efficiency especially when we factor in that it’s an LTPO OLED capable of variable refresh rates but we can see some people missing the 4K.
So it’s a little less long but a lot wider now, which we think definitely looks nice as it makes the bezels appear slimmer on the side. And though we’ve lost the more cinematic aspect ratio, this new one should fit more video formats (like Youtube videos) a lot better.
As far as the whole chassis is concerned, it’s still the usual glass sandwich with a metal frame. Gorilla Glass Victus 2 covers the front of the phone while standard Victus are used on the back and the sides. We’re happy to report that the Xperia 1 VI does retain the textured back and sides of the Sony Xperia 1 V, making for a nicer, less slippery grip when using the phone.
We’re also pleased to report that the microSD card slot and the 3.5mm headphone jack are still present on the Xperia 1 VI. Hopefully they’ll continue to stick with it to give us more options.
Camera: One app; longer zoom
Now, cameras are probably the main draw of Xperia phones and it remains true with the Xperia 1 VI. It’s a triple camera array like last time, with a 48MP main camera, a 12MP telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide, but it comes with some nifty upgrades, particularly in the telephoto lens.
The Xperia 1 VI’s telephoto lens has been bumped up to 7.1x continuous optical zoom, compared to the 5.2x zoom on the Xperia 1 V. This helps it produce excellent photos from a distance far beyond what the Xperia 1 V is able to muster. It still works best with good lighting as with most zoom lenses.
Apart from the actual hardware, Sony’s also opted to revise their approach to the camera app for the Xperia 1 VI. Unlike the Xperia 1 V with the three “Pro” apps that do different things, the new Xperia 1 VI uses a single app that you can adjust depending on the shooting conditions. A lot friendlier for more casual users for sure.
Of course, users who like the more specialized modes can still find them within the app’s “Pro” setting, giving you better control over things like aperture, shutter speed, and white balance before taking the shot.
That’s not all though. The new camera app also applies the HDR effect in the viewfinder, giving you a much better preview of what the photo is going to look like after shooting.
Interested in trying out an Xperia phone? You can get the Sony Xperia 10 V for a great price here at Kimstore!
Under the hood
As a flagship phone, the Sony Xperia 1 VI is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which should be more than sufficient for all your apps, games, and camera processing, especially with a new vapor chamber cooling. So the phone shouldn’t throttle as much and shouldn’t feel too hot under sustained load.
Unlike Google or Samsung however, Sony’s doesn’t really focus on AI features for their software. (Though they do use it a lot in their image processing) So their Xperia UI is quite close to stock as it gets, which we know some people definitely appreciate.
The Xperia 1 VI should ship out with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. There’s a 512GB storage version available but as far as we know, that one is exclusive to Japan only. Sony does retain microSD card support though so it should be easy enough to expand your storage with a card if needed.
Sony has also confirmed that it will be supporting this latest smartphone with up to 3 years of OS upgrades and 4 years of security updates.
What about the midrangers?
Sony hasn’t given any information about a Sony Xperia 5 VI just yet, but we’ve also gotten some news for the Sony Xperia 10 VI. Unlike its more expensive sibling, the Xperia 10 VI retains the cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio without any notches and cutouts.
It only has two cameras on the rear as well; a 48MP main lens with OIS and an 8MP ultrawide, down from the triple-array found in the Xperia 10 V. However, processing should be improved across the board with its new chip and AI optimizations.
Underneath, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, that’s also expandable via SD card. Display is a gorgeous OLED panel but locked to just 60Hz which is a bit unfortunate.
Sony is targeting a June release date for both phones. We’ll definitely let you know when we can get these Xperia phones for you!
For gadgets and electronics, get it at Kimstore!
