Sony has introduced the Xperia 10 VII, a midrange Android cellphone 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, similar to current 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 Professional-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 cellphone’s again. The matte plastic physique is available in black, white, or turquoise, and appears like no Xperia cellphone earlier than it. It appears to be like just a little extra like Google’s Pixel telephones, 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 beneath the show. Which means the cellphone isn’t fairly as compact as its 120Hz 6.1-inch show would recommend, but it surely’s nonetheless smaller and lighter than most. It additionally follows the current Xperia 1 fashions in ditching what was a trademark 21:9 facet ratio, now utilizing boxier and extra conventional 19.5:9 proportions.
There are just a few different commonplace 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 score is healthier than most supply. There’s additionally a side-mounted single-stage digicam shutter button — a function that’s much less distinctive than it was.
In any other case, this can be a fairly by-the-numbers midranger. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset is not any powerhouse, and the twin rear cameras — a 50-megapixel major and 13-megapixel ultrawide — sound typical for the worth. The 5,000mAh battery ought to final for 2 days based on Sony, however charging is restricted to wired.
I’ve all the time favored the look of Sony’s trendy telephones, even when they’ve typically lagged behind the competitors elsewhere. They had been starting to look just a little dated although, and I’m a particular fan of the brand new design. Sony lately reiterated that the Xperia telephones are “essential” to it — hopefully this redesign is an indication of some dedication to the road, and that we’ll see it prolong to subsequent yr’s flagship mannequin too.
The Xperia 10 VII prices €449 / £399 (round $530) and is accessible to preorder now within the UK and Europe, transport from September nineteenth.
