TL;DR
- Sony has confirmed that its next Xperia 1 model is launching next week.
- The new phone is launching on May 13 in Japan.
- The phone, expected to be the Xperia 1 VII, is “powered by Alpha” camera technology.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI wasn’t the most popular flagship Android phone by any measure, but we still thought it was a fantastic release. Now, the company has confirmed that a new Xperia 1 model (expected to be the Xperia 1 VII) will be launched next week.
Sony posted a video on its Sony Xperia channel titled “The next ONE is coming.” The video confirms a May 13 launch date at 4:00 AM CEST (10:00 PM ET on May 12). It also gives us a quick look at what could be the new phone, featuring a similar rear camera design as the old model.
So what should we expect from the apparent Xperia 1 VII, then? For one, Sony claims in its video that the phone will be “powered by Alpha” camera technology. This is pretty vague and could theoretically apply to software or hardware features.
Otherwise, leaked renders show the phone could retain the headphone jack, while there are conflicting claims about Exmor T sensors across all rear cameras. We’re also expecting the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a smorgasbord of camera and media features.
In any event, Android Authority contributor Alex Walker-Todd praised the Xperia 1 VI last year as the best Sony flagship in years. He specifically pointed to the “exceptional” battery life and versatile cameras but lamented the high price and disappointing update policy. We also took umbrage with the lack of US availability. Nevertheless, we hope the new phone addresses these aforementioned complaints.
