Sony stays true to its smartphone fans with its new mid-range, Xperia 10 VII

Update: We corrected an error where we said there was no 3.5mm audio port. It does.

Sony has announced the 2025 update for its mid-range Android phone series, with the launch of Xperia 10 VII.

Gemini, Circle To Search, and other AI perks

An important update for Sony is that it’s now also on board with the AI train. The Sony Xperia 10 VII comes with common, brand-agnostic AI-powered tools, such as Circle to Search with Google, and Google Gemini. 

These have been available in flagship-grade Samsung and Xiaomi phones for a while now. Sony, however, is making it available right out of the box with their midrange phone series.

Photo-taking experience still a priority

Sony’s expertise in DSLR cameras continues to permeate its smartphone offerings. The Xperia 10 VII’s dedicated shutter button (located on the side of the phone) can launch the camera app and take photos with one press. When the phone is locked, the camera app can still launch with a long press.

The dual rear camera consists of a 50MP main (1/1.56-inch Exmor RS sensor, f/1.9 aperture, 24mm optical lens equivalent zoom distance), and a 13MP ultrawide (1/3-inch sensor, f/2.4 aperture, 16mm).

The main camera’s sensor is 1.6 times larger than its predecessor, and it also supports 2x zoom (48mm), although it’s not specified whether this’s a sensor crop or digital zoom.

While it defies purist expectations, Sony Xperia users can also download Google Photos app to get access to AI-editing tools like Magic Editor, Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and more.

Preventive charging

The Xperia 10 VII features adaptive charging, which Sony claims can help mitigate battery degradation even after four years of use. To match its expected battery longevity, Sony also stated that the Xperia 10 VII comes with four years of Android OS updates and six years of security upgrades.

While they did not specify the maximum speed, Xperia 10 VII uses the USB PD charging profile. There’s also no mention of wireless charging.

It also claimed that its 5,000mAh battery offers two consecutive days of use, but that’s based on Sony Xperia’s internal test usage (360 minutes of daily use, including web browsing, video watching, and other functions, alongside 1,080 minutes of standby).

Design upgrades

Sony said the Xperia 10 VII has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on its OLED display (6.1-inch, 1080p, 120Hz refresh rate). The phone is also rated IPX5 and IPX8 against water, on top of IP6X against dust.

Topping it off is its ultra-lightweight build, weighing just 168g (in comparison, normal Android phones, especially those with Pro Max or Ultra variants, typically weigh 200-225g).

Other performance perks

Perhaps the weakest link lies in the phone’s processing prowess. The Xperia 10 VII features an entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 mobile platform. This is a 2024 chipset, but it’s actually based on the 2022 entry-level Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 with added CPU and GPU performance thanks to a higher clock speed.

The phone also supports up to Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.4, USB 2.0 for its USB-C port, and has a rare expandable storage option of up to 2TB via a microSD card slot. Update: It also comes with a 3.5mm port for headphone jacks.

Despite a late 2025 launch, it comes with Android 15 out of the box. For those not in the know, Android 16 has been available to the public since June 2025.

Singapore pricing and availability

Sony Xperia 10 VII retails at S$689 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage) in White, Turquoise, and Charcoal Black. Pre-orders are now available on its official online store.

The early bird promotion (1 October to 5 November 2025) includes a Linkbuds speaker (worth S$299) and a Xperia 10 VII phone case (worth S$50), but stocks are only available in-store from mid-October 2025 onwards.