Late last week, a big leak of the next Sony Xperia 1 VI smartphone revealed a slightly upgraded phone that is allegedly launching on May 17. A new leak today confirms many of the things we saw and gives more authority to the upgrades that are coming.
Seen on Android Police, leakmonger Evan Blass shared a number of what look like promotional images and product sheets for the Sony Xperia 1 VI.
Blass’ images confirm that the 1 VI is getting upgrades in the screen, cameras, battery and some slight design changes.
Like the currently available Sony Xperia 1 V, the Sony smartphone is focused on photography. It features three cameras with different focal lengths. The primary sensor is a 16mm 12MP ultra-wide lens. The telephoto lens is getting boosted to 85-170mm with true optical zoom covering 3.5-7x zoom. Based on the images, it appears it will feature a Zeiss lens to go with the Exmor T for Mobile CMOS sensor.
One new bit that we didn’t see last week is the display will come with Bravia tuning (from Sony’s TV division) and a Sony Pictures Core processor. The screen will also be changed from a 21:9 aspect ratio to a slightly smaller 19.5:9 aspect ratio.
We’ve also learned a bit more about the audio output. The phone will feature Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Audio Wireless, 360 spatial sound, LDAC and DSEE Ultimate. And we’re still excited for the 3.5mm headphone jack that is sticking around.
The images also confirm the 5,000 mAh battery and wireless charging.
Previously, we mentioned that the Xperia 1 VI seems to focus on gaming, and the images confirm this. With the Bravia connection, we expect there will be integration with Sony TVs and possibly PlayStation.
With the consolidation of the photo editing apps, a focus on gaming, and changes to the aspect ratio, it appears that Sony might be making a push for this to be a more consumer friendly phone and not just a photography phone.
What we don’t know are the potential prices for the upcoming phone. The Sony Xperia 1 V was released with a $1,400 price point, which puts it in line with the top-of-the-line phones from Samsung or Apple.
Though, perhaps, if Sony is trying to make this phone more appealing to a wider audience, we might see a price drop.
We’ll know more as we get closer to the claimed May 17 release date.
