Sony Xperia 1 V gains display and Bluetooth improvements with new update

Sony has pushed a major update to the Xperia 1 V, the company's latest flagship. According to the likes of XperiCheck, the update will arrive as 67.0.F.1.197. Unfortunately, Sony has only released 67.0.F.1.197 on its Chinese software distribution for now, where it replaces 67.0.F.1.170B. With that said, Sony has not pushed any software updates to the Xperia 1 V's other distribution channels in about a month. Thus, it seems likely that 67.0.F.1.197 will reach other markets soon in one form or another.

Unsurprisingly, 67.0.F.1.197 contains the 2023-08-01 security patch, replacing 2023-07-01 in 67.0.F.1.170B. According to a Sony Xperia Weibo post, the Xperia 1 V's latest software update adds display refresh rate customisation options. While Sony's application of this feature is unknown for now, the Xperia 1 V's lack of an LTPO backplane renders it impossible for Sony to add true variable refresh rate functionality.

However, the refresh rate option may help reduce power consumption in some scenarios, thereby improving battery life. Additionally, Sony claims to have refined the experience of using Bluetooth headphones with the Xperia 1 V. Based on the screenshot below, the Xperia 1 V should now deliver a more consistent absolute volume setting, which was lacking in earlier software builds. Moreover, 67.0.F.1.197 addresses a few outstanding bugs to improve the overall software experience. Please see our Xperia 1 V review for our thoughts on the device and how it compares against other recent flagships.

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