The Sony Xperia 1 VI is out now, however lots of you’re in all probability questioning if the hefty price ticket (€1,399) is admittedly value it or if final yr’s Xperia 1 V would do exactly wonderful—particularly contemplating the cheaper price tag of round €850. That is practically twice as low cost.
If it have been that easy, we would not have achieved an in depth comparability between the 2. The newer Xperia 1 VI does issues a bit of in another way, and we imagine that many of the adjustments are for the higher. Nonetheless, it is arduous to justify the massive worth hole, so we dive deeper into the completely different features like show, battery life, efficiency, digicam, and many others. Nothing trumps real-world expertise.
So how significantly better is the Sony Xperia 1 VI to deserve its worth premium? Let’s look into it.
Desk of Contents:
For starters, you possibly can evaluate the entire specs sheets or straight proceed with our editor’s evaluation within the following textual content.
Dimension comparability
Regardless of the Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 1 V sharing the identical display diagonal, dimensions are fairly completely different, and maybe everybody can have an opinion on which one feels nicer to carry.
Since Sony modified the show’s facet ratio, the newer 1 VI turned out to be wider and shorter. That is in keeping with the present design requirements and steers away from the “distant management” really feel of its predecessor. The latter is sensibly slimmer and taller, making it straightforward to carry, however reaching the highest a part of the show along with your thumb is a problem.
No vital change in thickness and weight, although. At the least not a noticeable one.
Show comparability
That is maybe the most important change on this yr’s Xperia 1 VI. Some could say it is a downgrade, nevertheless it’s for the higher.
The brand new Xperia 1 VI gives a 6.5-inch OLED show like final yr, however dials down on decision. It is now 1080 x 2340px with a extra widespread 19.5:9 facet ratio. The older Xperia has a 21:9 facet ratio and a 1664 x 3840px decision – a standout configuration within the smartphone world as an entire.
Nonetheless, the 4K decision was hardly ever utilized. In actual fact, there are solely a few situations (video playback included) that triggered the total 4K decision. The remainder of the time, the system prefers 1080p. So, on the finish of the day, you are not lacking out on pixels.
Furthermore, the latest Xperia employs a extra energy-efficient LTPO OLED panel with a variable refresh price and achieves significantly larger brightness in auto mode – 1,310 nits vs. 936 nits, based on our assessments.
Battery life
The 2 Xperia’s have reliable battery lives, however the clear winner is the newer 1 VI. It is not solely higher by way of total endurance (17:27h vs. 12:24h Lively Use Rating), nevertheless it additionally beats its predecessor in most situations.
The Xperia 1 VI’s net searching and video playback runtimes present an enormous enchancment over the past technology in addition to a measurable one within the gaming take a look at. Our greatest guess is that the extra environment friendly FHD+ LTPO show is the one in charge. Apparently sufficient, the final yr’s 1 V scored higher within the 4G speak state of affairs.
Charging pace
Each handsets aren’t significantly aggressive on this regard, so it is protected to say that the Xperia 1 VI and Xperia 1 V are equally sluggish to the end line. The 2 telephones are each rated at 30W of max charging energy, however in our testing, the newer Xperia is a tad sooner to cost to 100%. The distinction is simply 7 minutes, although.
Upon additional testing, we discovered that the Xperia 1 VI performs properly with faster-charging adapters, so it is possible for you to to squeeze out a few proportion factors in case you use a higher-rated USB Energy Supply charger.
Speaker take a look at
Though Sony did not emphasize a lot on the improved sound system on the Xperia 1 VI, we seen a couple of issues.
Firstly, the 1 VI is notably louder than its predecessor, and secondly, it has good tuning total. In actual fact, it is in all probability protected to say that the Xperia 1 VI has among the finest audio system we have heard shortly. The sound is hotter, fuller and extra energetic in comparison with the Xperia 1 V., which sounds uninteresting and flat in comparison with the 1 VI.
Efficiency
Naturally, the newer Xperia 1 VI is quicker than the older 1 V because it employs a newer chipset. We’ve the newest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 vs final yr’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered Xperia 1 V. Each the CPU and GPU promise a noticeable bump in uncooked efficiency.
No change within the reminiscence configurations, although. Each units ship with 12GB/256GB. Storage remains to be expandable – a rarity amongst flagship smartphones. Sadly, the 512GB variant is out there solely in Japan in the interim.
Benchmark efficiency
There is a measurable distinction between the 2 telephones, with the Xperia 1 VI providing about 25% sooner CPU and greater than twice the GPU efficiency; our 1 VI unit did not appear to make the most of the SD8 Gen 3’s full potential because it posted decrease benchmark scores than different flagships. Nonetheless, our CPU and GPU throttling assessments confirmed favored the Xperia 1 VI over the 1 V.
Digicam comparability
The 2 Xperias share the identical digicam {hardware}, however there are a few adjustments to the telephoto digicam on this yr’s 1 VI that add worth to the general person expertise. The brand new telephoto is able to 7.1x optical zoom and 4cm focusing distance at 120mm, which suggests some stable macro capabilities.
The primary digicam makes use of a 48MP, 1/1.35″, 1.12µm sensor coupled with f/1.9 aperture. The telephoto is 12MP f/2.3-3.5, 1/3.5″ with variable optical zoom 85-170mm, which roughly interprets to three.5x-7.1x. The older Xperia makes use of the identical setup however with as much as 5.2x zoom.
The third digicam is 12MP f/2.2, 1/2.5″ ultrawide and likewise stays unchanged between the 2 generations. The identical goes for the 12MP f/2.0 selfie unit.
A notable distinction between the 2 telephones lies in software program. Sony has streamlined the digicam expertise this yr and is placing all of the Professional-oriented options within the default digicam app. No want for apps like Cinema Professional, Video Professional, and many others. All options and settings can be found within the newly designed digicam app. Among the Professional video capturing choices obtainable on the Mark V will solely be added to the brand new digicam app on Mark VI this Fall.
Nonetheless, the Xperia 1 VI will get a brand new full-res 48MP mode on the first digicam. The ultrawide digicam has additionally gotten an automated Closeup mode. And total, the brand new digicam app feels lots snappier than earlier than.
Picture high quality
Relating to high quality, the primary and ultrawide cameras output nearly an identical stills. It is arduous to note any distinction in any respect, however we did see a special tonal curve on the Xperia 1 VI, resulting in brighter and crisper highlights.
Xperia 1 VI: 0.7x • 1x • 2x • 3.5x • 5.2x • 7.1x
The Xperia 1 VI pulls forward on this comparability with significantly sharper and extra detailed 2x crop zoom stills from the primary cam. The standard enchancment is well seen.
Xperia 1 V: 0.7x • 1x • 2x • 3.5x • 5.2x • 7.1x
Apparently sufficient, the Xperia 1 V appears to supply nicer 3.5x zoom photographs. The samples are cleaner and extra detailed. The 5.2x comparability between the 2 is a reasonably shut name, however the Mark V’s 5.2x photos once more look a tad higher. And in good gentle, the 7.1x optical zoom offered by the 1 VI is marginally higher in comparison with the digital zoom from the Xperia 1 V on the identical zoom stage.
Xperia 1 VI: 0.7x • 1x • 3.5x • 5.2x
Nighttime pictures appears to be comparatively the identical this yr, with little to no distinction in the primary and ultrawide cameras’ processing. The newer Xperia has a slight benefit over its predecessor within the telephoto division with nicer noise discount and a tad higher sharpness and element within the 3.5x zoom mode. Nonetheless, the 5.2x lowlight zoom photographs come out unsatisfactory from each telephones.
Xperia 1 V: 0.7x • 1x • 3.5x • 5.2x
Sony deserves reward for the brand new telemacro mode supplied by the Xperia 1 VI. It’s in all probability the primary cellphone available on the market to supply telemacro pictures with such a excessive magnification. Nonetheless, getting good pictures out of it requires a tripod and good lighting.
Video high quality
The 2 cameraphones report identical-looking movies with their primary and ultrawide cameras, however there is a noticeable distinction within the telephoto’s output. Neither zoom digicam delivers standout video high quality, however for some purpose, the older Xperia has a tad clearer and extra detailed movies throughout all zoom lengths – 3.5x, 5.2x, and 7.1x included.
Xperia 1 VI: 0.7x • 1x • 3.5x • 5.2x • 7.1x
Xperia 1 V: 0.7x • 1x • 3.5x • 5.2x • 7.1x
Verdict
The Xperia 1 VI is definitely Sony’s greatest Xperia but. It arrives with loads of upgrades – the higher show total (we do not miss the hardly ever used 4K decision), the longer battery life (among the many greatest there’s), the extra simplifсed and versatile digicam expertise (with telemacro mode and as much as 7.1x stepless optical zoom) and among the finest audio system we have skilled.
The Xperia 1 V, nonetheless, gives largely the identical person expertise as its successor, so the query stays whether or not these upgrades are well worth the €550 worth premium. If the value hole between the 2 wasn’t as huge, we’d have simply really useful the newer Xperia, however in the interim, that is not the case.
- The brighter show with standard facet ratio.
- The longer battery life.
- The nicer audio system.
- The longer optical zoom.
- The brand new telemacro mode and automated Closeup mode on the ultrawide.
- The extremely detailed full-res 48MP photographs from the primary cam.
Get the Sony Xperia 1 VI for: