Sony Xperia 1 VII Released - Faster Autofocus & AI Features

May 13, 2025. Sony today presented its flagship phone Xperia 1 VII, developed in collaboration with the engineers behind the company's α™ (Alpha™) cameras, portable WALKMAN® players, and BRAVIA™ series televisions. Now, the AI technologies developed in these various areas have been optimized for Xperia™ and are now part of 'Xperia Intelligence', enhancing the experience of camera functions, sound, and display. Xperia 1 VII offers, for example, a completely new camera experience. The new features 'AI Camerawork' and 'Auto Framing' allow you to record stable and well-composed video clips even when you're not looking at the screen.

A camera feature that lets you photograph with stable composition without having to focus on the screen

New features: "AI Camerawork"[i] and "Auto Framing[ii]

The new 'AI Camera Work' feature helps you create stable and well-composed professional-grade video clips, where the subject is fixed in the center of the composition, even in situations where you are walking around while filming a moving subject. This is achieved through powerful image stabilization and technology that determines body posture, ensuring that the subject's position remains consistent[iii] so that even the most inexperienced camera users can record professional-grade video clips. Additionally, 'Auto Framing' uses AI to track the subject and automatically crop the image so that it is centered on the screen[iv]. When filming a moving subject, you can simply aim the camera roughly at the subject so that it is automatically captured without having to follow it yourself. With Auto Framing, you can take two types of videos: one showing the entire image and one that is cropped to focus on a close-up of the subject.

Ultra-wide-angle lens

Xperia 1 VII has three cameras on the back, with a new 16 mm[v] ultra-wide-angle lens equipped with a larger 48 MP 1/1.56-inch sensor, approximately 2.1 times larger than the previous model, allowing for clear night shots comparable to full-frame cameras, with low noise and a wide dynamic range[vi]. It has minimal distortion and can also take close-ups from about 5 cm away for incredible macro photography.

The wide-angle lens offers 24 mm/48 mm (equivalent to 2x optical zoom) [vii] and is equipped with the 'Exmor T for mobile' image sensor, which also has excellent low-light performance. Thanks to this excellent image sensor, it is possible to take high-quality films with bright and clear video even when the image is cropped with AI Camerawork and Auto Framing. Additionally, the telephoto lens provides optical zoom from 85 mm to 170 mm[viii], allowing for high-resolution images of subjects that are far away.

Walkman heritage gives Xperia the best sound quality yet

In addition to a circuit design that focuses on sound quality, new components that have proven excellent in Walkman devices have been used. This significantly improves sound quality when connecting wired headphones and provides clarity as if you were listening to a dedicated music player. The high-quality enhancement technology 'DSEE Ultimate™' also utilizes AI to enjoy even compressed streaming audio sources with immersive, high-quality sound, not only with wired but also with wireless connections. The stereo speakers in Xperia, known for their sound quality, have undergone further adjustments to deliver even clearer sound across the entire frequency range, from high to low.

Display that reproduces BRAVIA's high image quality according to the viewing environment

To enhance the viewing experience in bright conditions, an extra light sensor has been added to the back of the device, allowing for brightness and color adjustments to best suit the conditions. Whether it's bright sunlight outdoors or dim lighting indoors, it senses the exact ambient brightness and adjusts to optimal brightness, color scale, and color temperature. Outdoors, the combination of an improved display panel with maximum brightness and 'Sunlight Vision', which enhances visibility in direct sunlight, provides a comfortable viewing experience.

High performance with the latest chipset and battery for two days of active use

Equipped with Qualcomm's latest chipset, Snapdragon® 8 Elite, the NPU, CPU, and GPU have each been improved by over 40%[ix], supporting fast AI processing during photography and high-performance gaming environments while reducing battery consumption. When 'Processing Optimization' is enabled, an energy saving of up to 10%[x] is also achieved for specific use cases such as social media, browsing, and online video viewing, allowing for two days of active use[xi]. Additionally, this device supports up to four OS version upgrades[xii] and six years of security updates[xiii], enabling convenient use over a longer period.

Consideration for the environment and accessibility

Xperia 1 VII includes accessibility features for camera use, such as a feature that provides information about horizontal measurements on the screen for photography through sound and vibrations. The Android 'TalkBack' feature includes unique Sony enhancements for user-friendliness, such as reading the menu in order of usage frequency so that users can quickly access the functions they use most. Additionally, the product packaging and internal tray use Sony's Original Blended Material [xiv], a paper material gentle on the environment, providing a completely plastic-free packaging solution[xv]. Furthermore, approximately 84%[xvi] of the materials used for certain components in and outside the device consist of environmentally friendly plastics such as SORPLAS™, which consists of recycled and plant-based resins.

Style Cover with stand for Xperia 1 VII (QXZ-CBFS)

A mobile case specifically developed for Xperia 1 VII (sold separately) is also available and comes with a smartly placed stand/holder for use in both vertical and horizontal positions. The cover has both a holder and a stand, making it easy to hold and providing stable photography in combination with the included ring strap. The cover is available in three colors[xvii] that match the device. Additionally, the dedicated case uses approximately 78% environmentally friendly resins, including SORPLAS.

Prices and availability

Xperia 1 VII will be available for order from May 13, 2025, in the colors Slate Black, Moss Green, and Orchid Purple from sony.se and Amazon at a recommended approximate price of 16,399 SEK.