Detailed new Xperia 1 VI leak makes it clear: Sony is playing it safe(r) this year

Have you ever complained about how all high-end Android phones nowadays essentially look identical? If so, then you may not have been familiar with Sony’s Xperia flagships. Unfortunately for folks who value originality more than anything else, it appears that the next installment in the Xperia 1 family will greatly reduce the unconventional aspect of its forerunners.

Closer to the Galaxy S24 Ultra than the Xperia 1 V

The new images show an overall familiar device that however measures 161.9 x 74.5 x 8.4mm. By themselves, of course, those numbers may not mean much to you, but compared to the dimensions of last year’s Xperia 1 V, they paint a significantly different and far more conventional picture.

We’re looking at a phone that’s over 3 millimeters shorter and exactly 3.5mm wider than its predecessor, which will apparently change that totally unorthodox 21:9 aspect ratio to around 19.5:9. Otherwise put, your video content will look roughly the same here as it does on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, for instance, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

But it could certainly make the Xperia 1 VI feel way less special and original than the Xperia 1 V, particularly if that other rumor from a couple of weeks back also pans out. Namely, Sony‘s next big mobile thing is expected to downgrade its predecessor’s 4K screen resolution to 2K, thus possibly falling short of the S24 Ultra’s (theoretical) display quality rather than eclipsing it.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra, remember, sports 3,120 x 1,440 pixel resolution, and while the exact numbers of the Xperia 1 VI are still under wraps, the 2K mark is obviously generally set a bit lower than that. Of course, the real-world display performance doesn’t always line up with the resolution perfectly, especially with so little native 4K content available and with the human eye only capable of discerning so many pixels on a 6.5-inch panel.

Yes, the Xperia 1 VI is tipped to keep the 6.5-inch screen size of the 1 V unchanged, with its bezels also looking pretty familiar in today’s leaked renders. At 161.9mm, this bad boy will be just a hair shorter than the aforementioned Galaxy S24 Ultra, which once again is not necessarily a bad thing.

What other things to expect and what we don’t know… yet

On the back of the Xperia 1 VI, we have three Zeiss-optimized cameras that look virtually unchanged at a first glance too. Naturally, the sensors themselves could still be new and improved… even if recent rumors have also called for the same 48, 12, and 12 megapixel counts as last year.

The dedicated side-mounted camera shutter button is not going anywhere (thankfully), and the same goes for our poor beloved 3.5mm headphone jack, which almost all other top-tier smartphone manufacturers massacred in the last few years.

There are no words on any other specifications today, but previous whispers called for a predictable Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 5,000mAh battery with unknown charging capabilities, and up to a towering 1TB of internal storage space paired with as much as 16GB RAM.

If Sony is planning to make its ultra-high-end handset shorter and more conventional this year to improve its mass appeal, that could also mean a lower price point, wider availability, and earlier release are all in the cards as well. 

Admittedly, that might just be wishful thinking on our part. Or it could prove to be a very smart and accurate prediction. Hopefully, we’ll find out in a matter of weeks, when the Sony Xperia 1 VI is expected to go official.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.