Sony Xperia 1 VI - The high-end smartphone with an outstanding battery life is the first choice for photo enthusiasts
Photo specialist
Sony's new Xperia I VI high-end smartphone leaves little more to be desired: It features further improved cameras, even better performance, fantastic battery life and a new, significantly brighter LTPO display. In addition, it once again offers features that no other flagship phone has. However, it still faces several weaknesses.Manuel Masiero, 👁 Daniel Schmidt (translated by Daisy Dickson) Published 🇩🇪 🇫🇷 ...
At first glance, the sixth generation of the Xperia 1 series looks the same as its predecessor. So, is everything the same with the Sony Xperia 1 VI? Not quite, as this year's flagship smartphone from Sony once again boasts an extremely extensive camera setup, which has been further expanded compared to the Xperia 1 V. One of the most important innovations: Instead of 5.2x optical magnification, you can now zoom continuously up to 7.1x with the help of a telephoto lens.
Its display, however, comes with a big surprise. On the Xperia 1 VI, Sony has said goodbye to the iconic 21:9 display along with its particularly narrow build that has characterized the Xperia 1 series until now. Plus, its display resolution has shrunk from 4K to FullHD+. Still, the price of the premium smartphone remains unchanged and is once again around US$1,300.
Possible competitors compared
Rating | Version | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
86.3 % | v8 | 08 / 2024 | Sony Xperia 1 VI SD 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750 | 192 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.50" | 2340x1080 | |
91.1 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 12 / 2023 | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max A17 Pro, A17 Pro GPU | 221 g | 256 GB NVMe | 6.70" | 2796x1290 | |
89 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 12 / 2023 | Google Pixel 8 Pro Tensor G3, Mali-G715 MP7 | 213 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.70" | 2992x1344 | |
90.1 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 07 / 2023 | Honor Magic5 Pro SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 | 219 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.81" | 2848x1312 | |
91.1 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 05 / 2024 | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra SD 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, Adreno 750 | 232 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.80" | 3120x1440 | |
89.9 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 06 / 2023 | Sony Xperia 1 V SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 | 187 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.50" | 3840x1644 | |
89.4 % v7 (old) | v7 (old) | 12 / 2023 | Xiaomi 14 Pro SD 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750 | 223 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.73" | 3200x1440 |
Please note: We have updated our rating system and the results of version 8 are not comparable with the results of version 7. More information is available here.
Case - The Xperia 1 VI with a glass case and a camera button
Despite its changed aspect ratio, the new Sony Xperia 1 phone is similarly lightweight. At 192 grams, the Xperia 1 VI is currently one of the lightest high-end phones on the market, despite it having a 6.5-inch screen. It has only gotten 5 grams heavier than the Xperia 1 V. As usual, its build quality is flawless—nothing wobbles, nothing creaks and thanks to its IP68 certification, it is also dust and waterproof. You still don't need a tool to open the SIM/microSD card slot.
In general, Sony hasn't changed anything about the premium phone's design. A metal frame unites the Gorilla Glass Victus 2-protected OLED panel with the case back made from Gorilla Glass Victus, on which three camera lenses are arranged vertically. Along the short sides, the phone's bezels are comparatively wide. This at least makes sense on the top, as this is where the selfie camera has been hidden inside the frame.
The back cover has a finely textured surface finish that feels like plastic, but is also largely resistant to fingerprints. In addition to our test device's Goji Black colorway, the back of the case also comes in the colors Khaki and Platinum Silver.
The Xperia 1 VI has inherited its predecessor's dedicated camera button, which is conveniently located on the right-hand side. In its standard setting, the button launches the camera app and then functions as a shutter release. A 3.5 mm jack, which you won't find on almost any other high-end smartphone, is also on board again.
Connectivity - 256 GB storage is the maximum
The Xperia 1 VI has a great range of connectivity options. In addition to a 3.5 mm jack and stereo speakers, it offers NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, supports USB OTG, streams via Miracast and Google Cast and can charge other Qi-compatible devices via the "share battery" function. The smartphone can also be used as a camera monitor by connecting it to a Sony Alpha camera.
Sony only offers its flagship smartphone in one storage configuration, which is unusual in the high-end sector. Equipped with 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage, the premium phone costs around US$1,300. The manufacturer already charged the same price for the Xperia 1 V—there were no other storage configurations there either. The phone's internal storage can be expanded via a microSD card up to 1.5 TB in size, which can also be formatted in the exFAT file format.
The Xperia 1 VI's USB port is connected at USB 3.2 Gen 1 speed (5 GBit/s) and allows the smartphone to be attached to an external display or TV using a corresponding USB-C to HDMI or DisplayPort cable. It supports a resolution of up to 4K at 60 frames per second. In our copying test using the Samsung 980 Pro as an external hard disk, the USB port only achieved a mediocre transfer rate of 202 MByte/s.
microSD card reader
The Xperia 1 VI's microSD card reader only delivers mediocre transfer rates roughly on par with the Xperia 1 V. With our Angelbird AV Pro V60 reference card, its sequential read and write rates were stable, but they only reached an average of 43.3 and 28.4 MB/s respectively. We recorded a data throughput of 17.7 MByte/s during the copying test. In both disciplines, mid-range smartphones are sometimes able to achieve significantly higher speeds.
SD Card Reader - average JPG Copy Test (av. of 3 runs) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V (Angelbird AV Pro V60) | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Angelbird AV Pro V60) |
Cross Platform Disk Test (CPDT)
Software - Android 14 and 4 years of updates
The Xperia 1 VI runs Android 14, which Sony has added to using its own Sony UI user interface. Only a few third-party apps come pre-installed. However, you can't get rid of all of them with on-board tools. Facebook, for example, can only be deactivated, but you can't uninstall it.
In running Sony UI, the Xperia 1 VI's Android 14 hardly differs from stock Android but it offers a practical extra, namely a dashboard. The dashboard allows users to quickly access frequently used phone settings such as display brightness, picture and audio mode or notifications. The dashboard is opened via a sidebar on the right.
Sony promises three OS upgrades for its Xperia 1 VI, as well as 4 years of security updates. Both are a step forward compared to the Xperia 1 V which Sony has only given 2 OS upgrades and 3 years of security updates. In comparison with other premium phones from Apple, Google and Samsung, on the other hand, this extended support is still pretty poor. As an example, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with 7 years of updates.
Sustainability
The Xperia 1 VI's product packaging is made from bamboo, sugar cane and recycled paper with completely plastic-free individual packaging. Sony has also replaced the plastic tape used to seal shipping boxes with a paper alternative to make its packaging even more environmentally friendly.
According to the manufacturer, around 85 per cent of the raw materials used to make a range of internal and external elements of the smartphone's main unit are eco-friendly resins such as recycled resins and plant-based resins. SORPLAS (Sustainable Oriented Recycled Plastic) developed by Sony is also used for this model.
Communication and GNSS - WiFi 7 set to follow via an update
The Sony Xperia 1 VI supports a wide variety of mobile phone frequency bands, including 24 4G bands and 13 5G bands, so it is able to establish connections worldwide. At short distances, the smartphone communicates via WiFi 6E. An update to WiFi 7 is scheduled for the fall via a firmware update.
Even right now, the Xperia 1 VI is already very fast using Wi-Fi. Connected to our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router, the Sony smartphone achieved high and fairly constant transfer rates but couldn't fully make use of the full possibilities of its WiFi modem.
Networking | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
Average of class Smartphone | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
The Xperia 1 VI uses the satellite navigation services GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS in single-band mode to determine its location. When stationary, the smartphone was able to locate us with an accuracy of up to 3 meters, regardless of whether we were indoors or outdoors.
The flagship phone is well-suited for navigating. In comparison with the Garmin Venu 2 fitness smartwatch, it may not have always recorded the route of our 10-kilometre bike ride quite as accurately, but it was never truly inaccurate.
Telephone functions and call quality - Dual-SIM with eSIMs
When held up to your ear, the Sony smartphone's call quality is good. During our test, the people taking part in the call could hear each other perfectly and voices were transmitted naturally. Even using hands-free mode, the Xperia 1 VI suppressed ambient noise pretty effectively.
Aside from VoLTE, the Sony phone also supports WLAN calls. The Xperia 1 VI can be used in dual-SIM mode if you insert one nano SIM card and configure an additional eSIM.
Cameras - Focal lengths from 24 to 170 millimeters
The Xperia 1 VI is equipped with the same Zeiss-lens cameras that the Xperia 1 V had, but with one exception. The OIS telephoto zoom at the bottom of the phone's rear camera ensemble has been updated and now works with apertures of f/2.3-f/3.5 and a focal length range of 85 to 170 millimeters (previously f/2.3-f/2.8, 85 to 125 mm).
Thanks to the new telephoto zoom, users can choose between 3.5x and 7.1x optical magnification (Xperia 1 V: maximum 5.2x). Also new: the telephoto zoom is now also responsible for macro shots. The resolution and size of the image sensor have remained unchanged compared to the Xperia 1 V (Exmor RS, 12 MP, 1/1.35").
This model's telephoto zoom camera can't quite come close to the other lenses when it comes to image quality, but it takes good pictures with decent sharpness. Even so, in a direct comparison with the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 8 Pro, it only came in third place.
The main camera sits above the telephoto zoom, and it continues to use the Exmor T for Mobile (1/1.35") sensor. It has a resolution of 52 MP, of which it uses 48 MP effectively. Using 4-in-1 pixel binning, the optically stabilized main camera produces 12 MP photos and has a small-format equivalent focal length of 24 millimetres (f/1.9). If a larger resolution is required, the full 48 MP can also be used for taking photos. You can additionally shoot in the classic aspect ratio of 3:2 (4000 x 2666 pixels).
The ultra-wide-angle camera at the top of the camera trio, which covers a 123° field of view (Exmor RS, 1/2.5", f/2.2, 16 mm), provides an even wider choice of focal lengths and offers above-average performance within this price range.
Best image quality in Pro mode
Thanks to its large sensor, the 48 MP main camera takes the best photos of the camera trio and impresses with its nice and realistic color depiction in automatic mode. The AI-supported AF eye and limb tracking, which is advertised by Sony and has been adopted from the Alpha cameras, also works very well in practice.
Using the standard photo mode, in which the camera makes all settings automatically and which we used to take our test shots, the photos' quality is consistently very good. On the other hand, the results aren't really any better than those of the competition. In low-light conditions, the main camera couldn't quite come close to the lenses of the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max when we used the "snap mode".
The Sony phone can only be pushed to its photographic limits when using the Pro mode in the camera app, which offers extensive settings and optimization options for fine-tuning your photo subject. There, you will also find options such as the RAW image format, continuous shooting or the S-Cinetone color mode for videos. A Pro video mode, which allows even more detailed video settings, will be added in an update. According to the press release, this is "expected to happen with the next Android OS version update", so presumably in the fall.
The Xperia 1 VI's selfie camera has a resolution of 12 MP (Exmor RS for Mobile, 1/2.9", f/2.0, 24 mm, 83°) and delivers solid picture quality. It records videos in a maximum of 4K at 30 frames per second. Using the main camera, you can get up to 120 frames per second at 4K. Switching between the individual lenses during recording is only possible up to 4K at 60fps.
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Daylight photo 1Daylight photo 2Ultra-wide angle5x zoomLow-light photoIn controlled lighting conditions in our test lab, the Sony phone's main camera showed that it could capture colors accurately. With optimal lighting, it also managed to capture the test chart sharply. In 1 lux of residual light, the test chart and ColorChecker color chart remained fully visible, but the camera then had considerable difficulty displaying both in focus.
Accessories and warranty - Everything costs extra
Sony has proven to be pretty stingy when it comes to its flagship smartphone. Its packaging contains neither a corresponding 30-watt power adapter nor a USB-C cable—instead, you only get a quick start guide and a booklet with safety instructions.
At the time of testing, there were three optional official accessories available for the Xperia 1 VI: a cover with an integrated stand, a 30-watt power adapter and a vlog monitor, all of which can be purchased directly from the manufacturer.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI is covered by a 24-month warranty in the United States.
Input devices & operation - The Xperia 1 VI with a fingerprint sensor
The Xperia 1 VI's capacitive touchscreen works with a sampling rate of 240 Hz and processes inputs very quickly and accurately. Thanks to its high-end SoC and generous 12 GB of RAM, the smartphone isn't slowed down by demanding apps or many simultaneously open applications. The linear vibration motor provides precise feedback.
Due to the change from the previous 21:9 screen format to a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, videos displayed in full screen (which is typically 16:9), still show black bars. However, they are no longer as wide as on the Xperia 1 V.
The capacitive fingerprint sensor unlocks the smartphone very reliably and works even when the display is switched off. Other biometric authentication options such as facial recognition are not available on this phone.
Display - 120-Hz LTPO-OLED panel
Sony has thrown one of the unique selling points of the Xperia 1 V overboard when it comes to the new model's display. Instead of the previous elongated 21:9 aspect ratio, the Xperia 1 VI now uses a 19.5:9 format and the 4K panel has been reduced to FullHD+ with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. As a result, its pixel density has been reduced from 643 to 396 PPI, but its picture sharpness is still good. As our test showed, the screen's lower resolution has had a very positive effect on the phone's battery life.
Unlike the Xperia 1 V, the OLED panel installed into the Xperia 1 VI dynamically adjusts its refresh rate in a range from 1 to 120 Hz. In addition to HDR10, it also supports HLG. With the ambient light sensor activated, we measured an average of 1319 cd/m² when depicting a white background. This makes the display significantly brighter than the Xperia 1 V and roughly the same as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. When showing evenly distributed bright and dark image areas (APL18 measurement), the OLED panel increased to up to 1862 cd/m².
The OLED display's flickering doesn't have a very high frequency—we measured around 240 Hz across all brightness levels. Users who are sensitive to flickering displays should expect some complaints in this respect.
|
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 1305 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.8 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.92
ΔE Greyscale 1.4 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
100% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.19
Sony Xperia 1 VI OLED, 2340x1080, 6.5" | Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max OLED, 2796x1290, 6.7" | Google Pixel 8 Pro OLED, 2992x1344, 6.7" | Honor Magic5 Pro OLED, 2848x1312, 6.8" | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3120x1440, 6.8" | Sony Xperia 1 V AMOLED, 3840x1644, 6.5" | Xiaomi 14 Pro AMOLED, 3200x1440, 6.7" | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen | 8% | 13% | -12% | -22% | 1% | -1% | |
Brightness middle | 1305 | 1102 -16% | 1510 16% | 1291 -1% | 1317 1% | 934 -28% | 1025 -21% |
Brightness | 1319 | 1102 -16% | 1467 11% | 1289 -2% | 1365 3% | 948 -28% | 1046 -21% |
Brightness Distribution | 98 | 98 0% | 92 -6% | 96 -2% | 94 -4% | 96 -2% | 95 -3% |
Black Level * | |||||||
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.8 | 1.1 61% | 1.1 61% | 1.7 39% | 3.4 -21% | 1.5 46% | 1.1 61% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.5 | 3.1 31% | 3.8 16% | 4.4 2% | 5 -11% | 4 11% | 2.9 36% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.4 | 1.6 -14% | 1.7 -21% | 2.9 -107% | 2.8 -100% | 1.3 7% | 2.2 -57% |
Gamma | 2.19 100% | 2.19 100% | 2.23 99% | 2.28 96% | 2 110% | 2.2 100% | 2.25 98% |
CCT | 6361 102% | 6555 99% | 6670 97% | 6472 100% | 6458 101% | 6384 102% | 6622 98% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 240 Hz Amplitude: 28.85 % | ||
The display backlight flickers at 240 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 240 Hz is relatively low, so sensitive users will likely notice flickering and experience eyestrain at the stated brightness setting and below. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8747 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
Measurement series with fixed zoom level and different brightness settings (The amplitude curve at minimum brightness looks flat, but this is due to the scaling. The info box shows the enlarged version of the amplitude at minimum brightness).
Using the standard picture mode, the OLED panel's color calibration is good. Some RGB color tones aren't quite perfect, but this shouldn't be noticeable in everyday use. In addition to the standard mode, there is a second picture mode available, namely creator mode, which uses the larger BT.2020 color space instead of the DCI-P3 color space and is optimized for HDR playback with 10-bit color depth.
Creator mode can also be used as the standard mode for selected apps. Manual white balance is possible in both modes. The screenshot shows our settings for manual white balance.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
1.3 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.7195 ms rise | |
↘ 0.583 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (21 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
5.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 3.555 ms rise | |
↘ 1.641 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 14 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.9 ms). |
You can use the Xperia 1 VI well outside. The viewing-angle-stable OLED panel's high brightness is usually more than enough to guarantee good legibility.
Performance - The Xperia 1 VI with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
The Xperia 1 VI is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, one of the fastest processors currently available for Android smartphones. The slightly higher-clocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, which is used inside the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, performs even better.
In the CPU and GPU benchmarks, the Sony Xperia 1 VI competed with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Xiaomi 14 Pro for the highest scores and shortest times. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Google Pixel 8 Pro were only occasionally better than the trio—the former in Geekbench 6.2 and AImark, for example.
UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Average of class Smartphone (1267 - 74958, n=144, last 2 years) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (11487 - 18370, n=15) | |
Honor Magic5 Pro |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7: T-Rex Onscreen | 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
GFXBench 3.0: on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
GFXBench 3.1: on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
GFXBench: on screen Car Chase Onscreen | 1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | 3840x2160 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
3DMark: Steel Nomad Light Unlimited Score | Steel Nomad Light Score
3DMark / Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro |
3DMark / Wild Life Extreme | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro |
3DMark / Wild Life Unlimited Score | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro |
3DMark / Solar Bay Score | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic5 Pro |
3DMark / Solar Bay Unlimited Score | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic5 Pro |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Onscreen | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Offscreen | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V |
GFXBench 3.0 / Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
GFXBench 3.0 / 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V |
GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V |
GFXBench / Car Chase Onscreen | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
GFXBench / Car Chase Offscreen | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro |
GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max |
GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V |
GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Sony Xperia 1 V |
GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 V |
GFXBench / 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro |
3DMark / Steel Nomad Light Unlimited Score | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI |
3DMark / Steel Nomad Light Score | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI |
When surfing the web, the Sony Xperia 1 VI shows no weaknesses at all. Pages load quickly, are displayed swiftly and nothing hitches. In terms of the benchmarks, however, first place went to the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, which overtook the Android competition.
Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 17) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome 121) | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Chrome 127.0.6533.64) | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro (Chrome 120) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (64.1 - 241, n=19) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V (Chrome 114) | |
Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=162, last 2 years) | |
Honor Magic5 Pro (Chrome 111) | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Chrome 117) |
Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 17) | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Chrome 127.0.6533.64) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome 121) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (69.6 - 311, n=16) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V (Chrome 114) | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Chrome 117) | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro (Chrome 120) | |
Average of class Smartphone (15.2 - 569, n=148, last 2 years) | |
Honor Magic5 Pro (Chrome 111) |
WebXPRT 4 - Overall | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome 121) | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Chrome 127.0.6533.64) | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro (Chrome 120) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V (Chrome 114) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (69 - 212, n=15) | |
Average of class Smartphone (22 - 271, n=153, last 2 years) | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Chrome 117) | |
Honor Magic5 Pro (Chrome 111) |
WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 17) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Chrome 127.0.6533.64) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome 121) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (142 - 310, n=9) | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro (Chrome 120) | |
Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=81, last 2 years) | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Chrome 117) |
Octane V2 - Total Score | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 17) | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Chrome 127.0.6533.64) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome 121) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V (Chrome 114) | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro (Chrome 120) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (25953 - 72665, n=19) | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Chrome 117) | |
Honor Magic5 Pro (Chrome 111) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=204, last 2 years) |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=161, last 2 years) | |
Honor Magic5 Pro (Chrome 111) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (546 - 2066, n=16) | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro (Chrome 117) | |
Xiaomi 14 Pro (Chrome 120) | |
Sony Xperia 1 V (Chrome 114) | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI (Chrome 127.0.6533.64) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra (Chrome 121) | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (Safari Mobile 17) |
* ... smaller is better
The Xperia 1 VI's UFS 4.0 storage ensures very short loading times thanks to its high data throughput. None of the comparison devices can come close to this write and read performance.
Sony Xperia 1 VI | Google Pixel 8 Pro | Honor Magic5 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | Average 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AndroBench 3-5 | -70% | -32% | -31% | -19% | -51% | |
Sequential Read 256KB | 3804.21 | 1501.13 -61% | 3344.12 -12% | 3610.25 -5% | 3596 ? -5% | 1834 ? -52% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 3348.35 | 257.28 -92% | 2651.87 -21% | 1893.63 -43% | 2594 ? -23% | 1420 ? -58% |
Random Read 4KB | 446.31 | 156.16 -65% | 267.91 -40% | 437.12 -2% | 417 ? -7% | 276 ? -38% |
Random Write 4KB | 681.02 | 258.92 -62% | 298.31 -56% | 181.55 -73% | 418 ? -39% | 309 ? -55% |
Games - Smooth gaming guaranteed
It's no problem for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and its integrated Adreno 750 GPU to render current games smoothly. Our two test games PUBG Mobile and Genshin Impact were run smoothly even with maximum detail settings. Unfortunately, we can't bring you any exact frame rates because the Sony Xperia 1 VI wasn't able to provide our Gamebench test tool with any data.
Emissions - Throttling under load
Temperature
The Xperia 1 VI stays nice and cool in idle mode. However, it heated up to 44.4 °C during the Burnout benchmark test, which feels quite warm. Even so, its surface temperatures always remained within a thermally safe range during our 1-hour test and neither overheating warnings nor crashes occurred.
We additionally used the 3DMark stress tests to check how the smartphone's CPU and GPU performance behave under continuous load. In all test scenarios, its frame rates collapsed shortly after the start and were at times less than 50 per cent of the initial value towards the end. This isn't unusual, as other smartphones equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also throttle their performance significantly under load. The situation doesn't look much different with the other high-end SoCs in this comparison.
(±) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 44.4 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.2 °C for the class Smartphone.
(±) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 44.2 °C / 112 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 24.8 °C / 77 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Steel Nomad Stress Test
3DMark | |
Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
Google Pixel 8 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Solar Bay Stress Test Stability | |
Honor Magic5 Pro | |
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI | |
Steel Nomad Light Stress Test Stability | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Sony Xperia 1 VI |
Speakers
The two Dolby Atmos and 360 Reality Audio-certified stereo speakers inside the Xperia 1 VI can play relatively loudly and sound quite balanced overall. As with most other smartphones, bass tones are clearly lacking in its sound mix.
Headphones and other external audio devices can be connected to the Sony smartphone wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.4 or using the 3.5 mm jack. The latter delivers low-noise playback at 80.97 dBFS (SNR). Thanks to SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, Opus, LDAC and LC3, the Xperia 1 VI supports a wide range of Bluetooth codecs.