When you think Sony, you probably think camera excellence, but the new Xperia 1 VII and the Xperia line in general haven't been doing the iconic Japanese brand's imaging reputation any favours of late. Having launched for a sky-high price of £1,399 (roughly $1,890), the new flagship Sony smartphone, which isn't getting a US release, costs more than an iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. It even out-prices some top-tier foldables currently on the market, like the Honor Magic V3, which costs as little as £1,099 from Honor's official store at the time of writing.
So much money for a phone with two notable upgrades over its predecessor, the Xperia 1 VI. So what are these £1,399 upgrades? A new ultra-wide camera and the 2025 flagship chipset from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Hmm.
