The Mark 6 Sony phones were unveiled earlier this week, but if you want one, you will have to wait until June. Do you want one? Let’s talk about the phones and have a vote.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI finally gave up on trying to cram 4K resolution in a 6 and a bit inch screen and went with FHD+. And it’s an LTPO panel to boot, both of which combined result in stunning battery life.
Well, that and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, which appears to be running of two AA batteries. For all the focus on gaming in the Xperia 1 VI advertising, the phone isn’t great at it (sustained performance is bad too).
As for the cameras, they are certainly the standout feature of this phone with some unique tricks. However, despite notable improvements since the 1 V, there are still issues, like the sub-par video from the tele camera.
That and the short update schedule make the Xperia a tough sell at €1,400/£1,300. It’s better than the Mark 5 by a year – 3 OS updates and 4 years of patches – but is still well below plenty of mid-range Androids, never mind the 2024 flagships. Sony is trying to sweeten the deal with a free pair of WH-1000XM5 and half off a case for the phone, but it’s still one of the priciest smartphones that you can buy (and that includes several foldables).
On the plus side, there is a microSD slot for all the storage you might ever need and a 3.5mm headphone jack – features that some consider “must-haves”. But are they “must-haves”, no matter the price?
You can check out our written and video reviews for more details. With that, it’s time to vote – will you grab a Sony Xperia 1 VI?
The Sony design is also available in the Xperia 10 VI for less money. You still get a top bezel that houses not only the selfie camera, but also a powerful speaker, plus the freedom to add storage via microSD and to use wired headphones without an adapter.
And, for what it’s worth, the 10 VI is on the same update path as its flagship sibling – 3 OS updates and 4 years of patches. That’s not great even for the €400/£350 price range, but a bit easier to swallow. Even better, this price is €50 less than the launch price of the 10 V, so things are looking up for the little mid-ranger.
Or are they? It stuck with the old 21:9 aspect ratio, which makes it quite tall, despite having only a 6.1” display (though it is narrow). And why is the display still running at 60Hz? Some things have changed, like the removal of the 2x camera that its predecessor had, though the main camera does a good job of filling in.
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is an upgrade over the 695 that was used for the previous two generations, but it only compares against older mid-range chips like the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, the Exynos 1380 and the Dimensity 7200 Ultra. Sustained loads lead to a performance drop pretty quickly. At least the new chipset supports 4K video, so that’s a nice upgrade. That said, battery life is worse than the 10 V, which was one of the main draws for the phone.
Well, if you don’t want a flagship (Xperia 1 VI or other), would you buy a mid-ranger like the Sony Xperia 10 VI? Note that pre-orders come with a free pair of Sony WH-CH520 headphones.