TL;DR
- The Sony Xperia 10 VII is a new compact mid-range phone with a redesigned camera island and a more conventional aspect ratio.
- The phone brings back beloved features like a 3.5mm headphone jack, front-facing speakers, and a microSD card slot.
- It comes with Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, a 5,000mAh battery, and a promise of four OS updates and six years of security updates.
After a rather disastrous start with the Xperia 1 VII, which involved dying products, paused sales, and a relaunch, Sony is back in the game with a new smartphone. The company has now launched the Xperia 10 VII, a compact mid-ranger that promises to pack a punch without burning a hole in your pocket.
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Sony Xperia 10 VII specifications and features
The Sony Xperia 10 VII has a 6.1-inch 120Hz FHD+ display with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection, but the company has returned to a more conventional 19.5:9 aspect ratio instead of the tall 21:9 aspect ratio on the Xperia 10 VI. Despite returning to conventionality, the Xperia 10 VII retains Sony’s standout features, such as front-facing stereo speakers (which the company says is better than before), a 3.5mm headphone jack, and even a microSD card slot that supports up to 2TB expansion. These are features you don’t find in other phones, so if you value them, the Xperia 10 VII is one of the few options.
We know from leaks that the phone measures 153 x 72 x 83 mm, which is wider and shorter than the predecessor. The 10 VII also weighs 169g.
The Xperia 10 VII is powered by a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 SoC, which is a nice jump from the 6 Gen 1 on the predecessor. This new phone has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Sony promises two days of battery life, and leaks reveal that this is a 5,000mAh battery. The company has also added an “Adaptive charging” feature that prevents battery degradation even after four years of use, but shared no technical details on what is happening.
The Xperia 10 VII comes with a new 1/1.56-inch primary camera and a 1/3-inch ultrawide camera. Sony didn’t share the MP count or exact sensor number, but we know from leaks that this is a 50MP plus 13MP setup, with an 8MP front camera.
Sony has also opted for a horizontal camera island on the rear that looks fairly Pixel-esque, adding to the breath of fresh air as the company finally changed a fair few things on its phone this time. Sony has also added a new camera shutter button to launch the camera app and take photos.
Sony is promising “up to” four OS version upgrades and over six years of security updates on the Xperia 10 VII, much better than the three OS version upgrades and four years of security updates offered on the 10 VI.
Sony Xperia 10 VII pricing and availability
The Sony Xperia 10 VII is available to preorder in the UK and EU for £399 (~$540) / €449. You can get it in White, Turquoise, and Charcoal colors.
The company has not shared any plans for officially bringing this to the US, and given the history of this lineup, I don’t advise holding your breath either. If you’re desperate for a compact Android phone with front-facing speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack, you may be able to get it from unauthorised resellers in the US, but as is usually the case with these, your mileage may vary.
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