Sony Xperia 1 VII wishlist: All the features I want to see

It’s
no
secret
that
Sony
hasn’t
been
as
significant
a
player
in
the
mobile
space
as
it
is
in
many
of
its
other
technological
endeavors.
A
lot
of
this
is
because
Sony
tends
to
go
its
own
direction
—
for
better
or
worse.
When
the
rest
of
the
world
moved
over
to
glass,
Sony
clung
to
metal
longer
than
anyone
else.
Over
the
years,
it
has
also
experimented
with
unique
aspect
ratios,
pushed
4K
displays
over
other
more
popular
features,
and
retained
unique
extras
like
a
headphone
jack
and
microSD
expansion.

Although
these
differences
helped
it
build
a
small
but
loyal
following,
the
Xperia
series
didn’t
make
much
of
a
splash
among
mainstream
consumers
—
until
the
release
of
the

Sony
Xperia
1
VI.
Despite
its
limited
availability,
the
Xperia
1
VI
is
a
major
step
in
the
right
direction
for
the
company,
leaving
me
hopeful
for
what’s
next.
Even
though
the
Xperia
1
VI
is
only
a
few
months
old,
I
can’t
help
but
dream
about
what’s
coming.
Here’s
my
wishlist
for
the
Sony
Xperia
1
VII.

A
better
update
policy
is
pretty
much
a
MUST
for
a
phone
this
expensive

Sony
has
never
been
particularly
great
about
supporting
its
software
long-term.
Most
of
its
phones
have
had
just
two
years
of
OS
updates
and
three
years
of
security
updates
after
launch,
though
the
Xperia
1
VI
finally
improved
the
situation
slightly,
extending
the
policy
to
three
years
of
OS
updates
and
four
years
of
security
patches.
Despite
this
minor
improvement,
Sony
lags
behind
the
status
quo
for

update
policies,
especially
when
you
compare
this
pledge
to
Samsung
and
Google’s
seven-year
OS
and
security
fix
commitment.

I
suspect
Sony
won’t
ever
compete
with
the
best
here,
but
I’d
still
like
to
see
a
unified
commitment
of
at
least
four
years
of
OS
updates
and
security
patches.
While
this
wouldn’t
match
the
competition,
it
would
likely
appease
most
of
its
fanbase.
Sony
Xperia
phones
are
typically
built
for
power
users,
and
many
of
these
folks
don’t
hang
on
to
phones
for
more
than
three
to
four
years.
Typically,
users
buying
phones
like
this
will
jump
ship
as
soon
as
the
battery
starts
to
degrade.

Sony
has
a
long
history
when
it
comes
to
camera
technology,
so
it’s
no
surprise
that
the
Sony
Xperia
series
excels
in
manual
mode
compared
to
many
competitors.
Still,
we’ve
seen
increased
competition
here
from
Samsung
and
several
others.
Even
Google
finally
offers
a
Pro
mode
on
select
devices,
despite
its
focus
on
AI
photography
and
simplifying
the
process
so
that
almost
anyone
can
take
a
decent-looking
shot,
regardless
of
experience.
While
Sony
still
arguably
has
some
of
the
most
robust
controls,
the
gap
has
shrunk
considerably.

I
want
to
see
Sony
continue
leaning
into
its
camera
prowess,
refining
its
manual
control
features
even
further.
At
the
same
time,
Sony
needs
to
put
more
focus
on
its
point-and-shoot
experience.
Right
now,
the
Sony
Xperia
brand
is
primarily
aimed
at
power
users
and
professional
photographers,
but
if
the
company
ever
wants
to
broaden
its
appeal,
it
needs
to
improve
the
mainstream
experience.
Pushing
more
AI
and
software
features
for
casual
users
is
a
great
way
to
start.
Adding
AI
guides
for
the
manual
mode
would
also
emphasize
the
Xperia’s
superior
level
of
control
while
making
it
more
accessible
to
photography
newcomers.

A
lower
price
tag
would
really
help
expand
Xperia’s
reach

The
Sony
Xperia
1
VI
is
a
solid
device,
but
it’s
held
back
by
limited
availability
and
a
steep
price
tag
of
€1,400
or
about
$1,550.
That’s
a
lot
for
any
smartphone,
but
it’s
especially
steep
for
a
brand
that
hasn’t
proven
itself
to
most
mainstream
buyers.
If
Sony
could
price
the
Xperia
1
VII
closer
to
other
high-end
flagships
like
the

Galaxy
S24
Ultra
(or
even
slightly
under),
it
might
win
over
potential
buyers
who
are
interested
but
unwilling
to
spend
so
much
on
a
brand
they
have
limited
experience
with.

One
of
the
worst
things
about
the
Sony
Xperia
line
is
that
it
has
always
had
tons
of
potential
but
never
quite
crossed
the
finish
line.
It’s
a
shame,
as
Sony
is
one
of
my
favorite
producers
of
televisions,
monitors,
cameras,
and
gaming
consoles.
I’ve
always
wanted
to
get
into
Xperia,
but
it
has
never
quite
nailed
down
the
basics
well
enough.
The
Sony
Xperia
1
VI
is
almost
the
exception
here,
though
it’s
let
down
by
its
high
price,
limited
availability,
and
nearly
nonexistent
marketing.

Although
Sony
does
market
the
Xperia
in
regions
where
it
has
a
stronger
hold,
like
Japan,
the
reality
is
the
company
has
often
just
released
the
Xperia
quietly
in
the
background.
There
were
a
few
times
when
Sony
attempted
to
generate
excitement,
like
during
the
days
of
the
PlayStation
phone
(aka
the
Xperia
Play),
but
beyond
that,
I
don’t
know
if
I’ve
seen
a
full
video
advertisement
for
an
Xperia
in
decades—though
I
might
have
spotted
a
few
web
banner
ads.

With
the
Sony
Xperia
1
VII,
I
want
to
see
a
phone
that
not
only
addresses
the
remaining
weaknesses
of
the
line
through
hardware
and
software
improvements
but
also
comes
with
a
better
marketing
strategy.
Sony
needs
to
make
a
big
deal
about
features
that
few
others
offer
as
well,
like
its
great
manual
modes,
microSD
expansion
on
a
flagship,
a
headphone
jack,

PS5
streaming
compatibility,
and
more.

It
also
needs
to
be
available
in
the
US.
If
Sony
really
wants
it
to
do
well,
separating
it
from
its
current
clunky
naming
convention
would
be
a
smart
move.
I
don’t
think
Sony
needs
to
drop
the
Xperia
branding
entirely,
but
rebooting
the
line
with
a
new
numbering
system
could
help
signal
that
this
is
a
new
Xperia
that’s
ready
to
compete
at
the
top
level.

Honestly,
this
last
wish
is
the
one
I
want
the
most,
and
probably
the
one
that
won’t
happen.
Sony
has
shown
little
interest
in
taking
risks
in
the
mobile
market,
and
with
the
current
economy,
this
isn’t
likely
to
change
anytime
soon.
Still,
weirder
things
have
happened,
and
Sony
might
see
the
increased
attention
from
reviewers
as
a
sign
that
it’s
time
to
bring
Xperia
back
globally.
Let
me
dream,
at
least!

The
Sony
Xperia
line
has
been
around
since
the
fairly
early
days
of
Android.
There’s
little
to
suggest
it’s
going
away
anytime
soon,
even
though
Sony
has
pared
back
the
markets
it
serves
to
focus
more
on
its
niche
following
than
trying
to
play
at
the
global
level.
The
company
is
also
not
planning
to
launch
an
Xperia
5
V
follow-up
this
year,
which
could
be
a
sign
of
Sony
scaling
back
its
smartphone
operations,
but
we
can’t
really
know
the
company’s
plans
for
sure
right
now.

Of
course,
it’s
also
too
early
for
many
rumors,
but
one
Weibo
leaker
with
a
fairly
strong
track
record
recently
claimed
the
next
Xperia
1
flagship
will
separate
the
telephoto
lens
from
the
main
and
ultra-wide
cameras,
likely
giving
it
room
to
increase
sensor
sizes.
That’s
all
we
know,
but
it’s
enough
to
suggest
the
Xperia
1
VII
is
in
the
works.

As
for
when
the
Sony
Xperia
1
VII
might
launch,
let’s
take
a
quick
look
at
the
launch
history:

• 
  Sony
  Xperia
  1
  VI
  —
  June
  6,
  2024
• 
  Sony
  Xperia
  1
  V
  —
  June
  29,
  2022
• 
  Sony
  Xperia
  1
  IV
  —
  June
  22,
  2022

Keep
in
mind
these
are
the
initial
release
dates
in
Asia,
as
US
and
global
launches
usually
come
a
month
or
more
later.
With
that
in
mind,
unless
Sony
changes
its
strategy
in
a
big
way,
it
seems
likely
we
won’t
see
the
Xperia
1
VII
announced
until
May
or
June
of
2025,
with
a
ship
date
in
June.

The
Sony
Xperia
1
VI
is
barely
some
months
old
at
the
time
of
this
writing,
so
if
you’re
interested
in
the
Xperia
1
VI
and
can
find
it
for
a
reasonable
price
locally
or
via
import,
there’s
no
reason
to
wait.
While
we’d
love
it
if
the
Xperia
1
VII
returned
to
the
US
and
saw
a
price
cut,
there’s
no
indication
that
will
happen.
The
same
goes
for
other
speculated
improvements.

For
most
users
in
the
US,
I
recommend
picking
up
the
Samsung
Galaxy
S24
Ultra
($1419.99
at
Amazon)
or
Pixel
9
Pro
($999
at
Amazon)
if
you’re
looking
for
similar
performance
and
features.
These
options
are
easier
to
find
and
likely
much
more
affordable.
You
can
save
even
more
by
going
with
the
base
Galaxy
S24
($859.99
at
Amazon)
or
Pixel
9
($799
at
Amazon).