Sony Xperia 1 VI hands-on: All around better display and cameras

Note: This feature was first published on 20 May 2024.

Shortly after Sony’s new Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 10 VI smartphones were announced, we had the opportunity to try them out briefly at a special event held in Tokyo, Japan. How could we pass it up? 

The event started with a short presentation on the phones, covering the important specs and new features, such as the interesting new 19.5:9 aspect ratio instead of the previous 21:9 Sony used. This new aspect ratio made it feel a little more like a regular phone, easier to hold in hand than previous Xperia phones' narrower design. 

It seems Sony will only be bringing the Black and Khaki Green colourways overseas. There are four colour options in total, with stunning Red and Platinum silver options. 

The screen has also been improved with a new Powered by BRAVIA feature, which aims to replicate Sony’s BRAVIA TVs’ colours on the new Xperia phones. The max brightness of the Xperia 1 VI has also been increased by 50%, making the screen much more legible under bright lights. 

A Sony representative also explained that the phone has a control scheme to change the display’s tone mapping specifically for darker portions of a scene. By analysing and only increasing the brightness of shadows, the phone improves visibility while offering better contrast than other competing smartphones. 

Sony also mentioned that they’re using proprietary AI technology to enhance the images. In a side-by-side comparison with the older Xperia 1 V, the new Xperia 1 VI clearly has more contrast and pop to the colours. 

The phone also has new full-stage stereo speakers that balance the left and right channels equally. The bass and treble performance has been improved, and distortion has been reduced. 

The audio improvements were clear when demoing the Xperia 1 VI alongside the Xperia 1 V in a small audio testing chamber. I tested three tracks on both phones, with Bilie Eilish’s Bad Guy, Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, and a 360RA track in Dua Lipa’s Physical. 

Right off the bat, it’s incredible how much better the sub-bass is on the Xperia 1 VI. There’s a definitive rumble and heft to the low frequencies that the Xperia 1 V didn’t have. The vocals were crisp, and the soundstage was wider and more airy, thanks to the new speakers. 

The 3.5mm headphone jack has been retained on the new Xperia phones, which means wired headphone users aren’t left behind. With an improved high-performance audio IC chip and improvements for the board’s design and wiring inside, there’s 50% less inter-channel crosstalk for the Xperia 1 VI and 60% less crosstalk for the Xperia 10 VI. 

Battery life has also been improved, with a new vapour chamber for better thermal dissipation. Sony claims the 5,000mAh battery inside will be able to last two days, which is a claim we’ll certainly be looking forward to testing in our full review.

Fast charging is supported, with a 0-50% charge in just 30 minutes. Sony touts their battery will maintain 80% of maximum capacity over four years, allowing owners to use their phones for longer. 

On the right side of the phone, the dedicated shutter button is still present, along with the power button that doubles as a fingerprint scanner and the volume rocker. The shutter button is a little larger this time around, but it’s still tactile and allows for a half-press for focusing, so it feels very much like using an actual camera.

Let’s talk about the cameras, because there have been some big changes here. 

The new Xperia 1 VI comes equipped with the “Exmor T for mobile” image sensor that was also used in the Xperia 1 V. Sony worked with customers and content creators, using their feedback to improve the shooting experience and create a new camera app with a simple UI that’s easy to understand and use.

The preview has been improved, with higher resolution and a better HDR effect that accurately reflects the final image shot's appearance. I brought a MicroSD card to the event just so I can extract a few samples.

The telephoto zoom lens has been upgraded, allowing for a focal length of 85mm to 170mm and even better image quality for tele-macro images.

The ability to turn on focus peaking to determine the focus is excellent, although I did notice that hand shake was a major problem, and many of my shots turned out a little blurry. A tripod or monopod will come in handy if you’re planning to take a lot of tele-macro shots with this phone. 

The optical zoom provides rather good shots, with intricate details like the lace on the model’s dress captured in sharp detail. The AutoFocus was stunning with a human subject, as expected from Sony. When the model looked my way, the AutoFocus box tracked her eye consistently and without fail. When she looked away, the box changed to a larger one that tracked her face. 

In addition to Sony’s (already incredible)  AutoFocus capabilities, Sony has also used an interesting new AI tracking technology. The rear cameras recognise the human skeletal structure for human pose estimation. This feature is supposed to provide consistent and accurate tracking even if the subject is partially obstructed in challenging scenarios. This feature was previously introduced with Sony’s Alpha series cameras, but it’s also nice to see it coming to the Xperia phones.

In low-light conditions, Sony claimed it has achieved performance close to a full-frame sensor camera due to the two-layer transistor pixel technology that separates photodiodes and pixel transistors on different substrate layers, which are then stacked together. 

This results in reduced noise in low-light images, and as seen by the shots we took in the low-light testing booth, the Xperia 1 VI does excellently with little noise and accurate skin tones. 

In Singapore, the Sony Xperia 1 VI will be available in Black and Khaki Green in selected countries from late June 2024 onwards at an RRP of S$1,989, while the Xperia 10 VI will be available in Black and Blue, also from late June 2024 onwards at S$689. You can find it online at our local Sony Store.

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