A twelvemonth after the launch of the Xperia 1 VI , Sony has released a follow - up in the shape of the aptly named Xperia 1 VII .
While we have yet to fully review the Sony Xperia 1 VII , we ’re stabbing to see how it liken to Samsung ’s top - end smartphone , the Galaxy S25 Ultra , on theme . Both are television camera - focused flagship with premium terms tags , after all , so the decision between the two should n’t be taken lightly .
With that in thinker , we ’ve liken the Xperia 1 VII to theSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra , highlight five key divergence to help you decide which is best for your needs .
If you ’re curious , take a look atSony Xperia 1 VII vs VIto see what ’s newfangled specifically with Sony ’s 2025 flagship .
Pricing and availability
At the time of writing , the Sony Xperia 1 VII is not available in the US , and has an RRP of £ 1399 in the UK . Not only is this £ 150 more than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra , but it ’s also pricy than its precursor , which we declared “ the beneficial phone no one will corrupt ” , partially because of its price tag . It ’s position to go on sale in the UK on 4 June .
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is somewhat cheaper than the Xperia 1 VI with an RRP of £ 1249/$1299 . Considering the Galaxy S25 Ultra launched back in January , you are more likely to discover a deal too .
Both run on a form of Snapdragon 8 Elite
We ’ll commence with an all-important similarity between the two phones . Both are power by a form of Qualcomm ’s flagship chipset , Snapdragon 8 Elite , which is the chip behind some of thebest Android phonesof 2025 . While we have n’t review the Sony Xperia 1 VII yet , we can expect the phone to offer speedy performance with everything , from passing scrolling to intensive play .
Although it ’s alike , the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra runs on a custom - built version of the processor , coin Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy . Essentially , this chip is slimly tailor for the total S25 series to activate the run of Galaxy AI , but should extend standardized speeds and potentiality as the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite processor .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a larger display
Measuring6.9 inches , the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a substantially large show than the Sony Xperia 1 VII ’s 6.5 - inch option , take a leak the former arguably a more suitable choice if you keep an eye on a quite a little of TV on your phone . Plus , the Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s display isDynamic AMOLED 2Xwith a pixel - packed QHD+ resolution , 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10 Plus backing , too .
The Galaxy S25 Ultra ’s screen offer “ an radical - premium facial expression ” and was an absolute delight to utilise , thanks to its graphic colours . The phone ’s unequalled anti - glare screen natural covering also made it easy to use in brilliant daylight .
That ’s not to say the Xperia 1 VII ’s showing is n’t impressive . The 120Hz OLED dialog box sports Sony ’s Creator Mode engineering , which call a more faithful procreation of particular and colour , as the original creator intended . It is n’t quite as pixel - dense with a FHD+ resoluteness , however .
equate to theXperia 1 VI , the VII also assure up to a 20 % increase in peak brightness and more accurate luminosity adjustments too , when propel between different lighting consideration .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has four rear cameras
In terms of unmingled number of cameras , the S25 Ultra gasconade the edge here , with five lens across the handset , including the 12MP selfie center . tack the phone over , and you ’ll find four rear lenses : a 200MP main , 10MP 3x , 50MP 5x , and 50MP ultrawide .
Although the S25 Ultra ’s camera set - up is fairly like to last year’sSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra , this is n’t inevitably a bad thing , as we concluded that the S25 Ultra “ takes a phenomenal pic . ”
In comparing , the Sony Xperia 1 VII has three rear lense with an ultrawide tv camera that ’s 2.1x big than its predecessor , which Sony promises will help capture more wakeful . Otherwise , the Xperia 1 VII declare oneself three focal lengths of 16 mm , 24 mm and 48 mm , alongside a Telephoto lens with optical zoom from 85 to 170 mm . This is rounded off by a 24 mm , 12MP front television camera .
Sony Xperia 1 VII has pro camera tools
The Sony Xperia 1 VII is fitted with legion video recording technologies usually reserved for premium Sony DSLR tv camera . There ’s auto - frame , which allow the speech sound to register in 16:9 and auto - harvest to 9:16 , plus AI Camerawork to ensure your recordings remain stable while keeping the subject within physical body .
The Xperia 1 VII tv camera is also fitted with human affectation estimation technology , which recognises body and head position to get over any subject , even if it ’s facing away or partially obscured from view .
Finally , the Xperia 1 VII has radical HDR sustenance , which get a wider range of tone and colours for full-bodied detail , and macro picture taking from both its ultrawide and telephoto macro lenses .
That ’s not to say the Galaxy S25 Ultra is n’t fitted with telling photography creature . In fact , thanks toGalaxy AI , you may easy edit your range without demand a mold cognition of Photoshop .
When it descend to picture recording , the S25 Ultra caps out at 8K@30fps , which remains unchanged from its precursor , and supports Galaxy Log too .
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has longer Android support
Along with Google , Samsung is one of the most generous brands with its long - term Android support . While the Xperia 1 VII will see just four age of Android update and six years of surety patches , the Galaxy S25 Ultra is promise seven years of update and security system temporary hookup . This means the Galaxy S25 Ultra will see up to Android 22 , while the Xperia 1 VII will only be supported up to Android 19 .
The Xperia ’s promise is a step in the correct direction for Sony , as last year ’s Xperia 1 VI was only promise three age of Android update . However , four age is still dissatisfactory consider the ultra - eminent terms tag end .
Early Verdict
Although we have n’t refresh the French telephone yet , the Sony Xperia 1 VII seems like a hopeful Android earpiece that look set to link up ourbest camera phoneslist . In fact , we ’d suggest at this stage that if you ’re an avid lensman , then perhaps the Xperia 1 VII might come along a better choice .
However , the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is still a brilliant camera telephone set that can take “ phenomenal ” shots with minimal effort .
It ’s deserving recollect that the Xperia 1 VII is doubtlessly an expensive telephone too , with an eye - lachrymation cost tag of £ 1399 , whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a cheaper start price and can be find with deals too .
We ’ll be certain to update this versus once we ’ve review the Sony Xperia 1 VII .
