Sony has introduced the Xperia 10 VII, a midrange Android telephone that’s launching within the UK, Europe, and Asia, although not the US. It’s extra notable than most Sony telephones as a result of it marks the primary main change to the rear design in over 5 years: a digicam bar, identical to latest Pixels, and now even iPhones.
The Xperia Android line has stored its cameras vertically stacked in a single nook for the reason that first-generation Xperia 5 in 2019, with solely uncommon exceptions just like the standalone Xperia Pro-I. However the 10 VII reinvents that design language with a horizontal digicam pair mounted in a pill-shaped raised bar that stretches throughout the telephone’s again. The matte plastic physique is available in black, white, or turquoise, and appears like no Xperia telephone earlier than it. It seems to be a bit extra like Google’s Pixel phones, a design additionally aped by Apple’s iPhone Air this week.
Issues are extra recognizable from the entrance, with Sony’s acquainted insistence on a chunky bezel above and under the show. Meaning the telephone isn’t fairly as compact as its 120Hz 6.1-inch show would counsel, nevertheless it’s nonetheless smaller and lighter than most. It additionally follows the recent Xperia 1 models in ditching what was once a trademark 21:9 facet ratio, now utilizing boxier and extra conventional 19.5:9 proportions.
There are a number of different customary Sony touches although. Most welcome for some would be the 3.5mm headphone jack, and the identical crowd are more likely to love the expandable microSD storage. The large bezel packs front-facing stereo audio system too, and the joint IP65 / 68 ranking is best than most supply. There’s additionally a side-mounted single-stage digicam shutter button — a characteristic that’s much less distinctive than it was once.
In any other case, this can be a fairly by-the-numbers midranger. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset isn’t any powerhouse, and the twin rear cameras — a 50-megapixel predominant and 13-megapixel ultrawide — sound typical for the value. The 5,000mAh battery ought to final for 2 days based on Sony, however charging is restricted to wired.
I’ve all the time preferred the look of Sony’s fashionable telephones, even when they’ve usually lagged behind the competitors elsewhere. They have been starting to look a bit dated although, and I’m a particular fan of the brand new design. Sony not too long ago reiterated that the Xperia phones are “very important” to it — hopefully this redesign is an indication of some dedication to the road, and that we’ll see it lengthen to subsequent 12 months’s flagship mannequin too.
The Xperia 10 VII prices €449 / £399 (round $530) and is obtainable to preorder now within the UK and Europe, transport from September nineteenth.