Sony Xperia 1 VI receives major connectivity boost with new update

Sony has announced two updates for the Xperia 1 VI this week. On the one hand, it has released a new Scarlet colour option with 512 GB of storage globally, full release details of which we have covered separately. Incidentally, it seems that while the US has also received a Scarlet refresh, it still remains locked to 256 GB of storage (curr. $1,209.99 on Amazon).

On the other hand, Sony has also introduced a substantial connectivity upgrade to all Xperia 1 VISKUs. Specifically, it has enabled Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, which it is distributing through a new software update. Until now, the Xperia 1 VI has maxed out at Wi-Fi 6E, which translated to 1,824 Mbit/s data rates in our tests earlier this year.

Theoretically, Wi-Fi 7 offers up to 46 Gbit/s of bandwidth, compared to 9.6 Gbit/s in the case of Wi-Fi 6E. Although a device is unlikely to achieve peak data rates in practice, Wi-Fi 7 should improve network efficiency and stability while reducing power consumption. Added to that, support for Multi-Link Operation (MLO) means that the Xperia 1 VI should now be capable of sending and receiving data simultaneously over 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz networks to minimise network latency.

Please note that the Xperia 1 VI requires a Wi-Fi 7-compatible router to make use of these network enhancements. Additionally, Sony is rolling out Wi-Fi 7 support as software version 69.0.A.2.44, which also contains the September 2024 security patch. According to XperiCheck, most Xperia 1 VI variants should have already received 69.0.A.2.44, such as those sold across Europe, the UK, Japan and Southeast Asian markets.