Expected release date and what we know so far

It’s been almost a year since the Sony Xperia 1 V hit the market, so we’re considering Sony’s next flagship smartphone. While the current flagship is a great Android smartphone, it’s fair to say it’s a bit stale. So, what can we expect from the Xperia 1 VI? Here’s everything we know so far about Sony’s future flagship.

Sony has been fairly consistent with its Xperia release windows, and there’s no reason to think it’ll stop with the Xperia 1 V. Based on Sony’s release history, we may have to wait until late spring or summer 2024 to see official details on the Xperia VI’s release date.

Of course, the phone is very unofficial at this stage, and Sony may be changing its usual flagship roadmap. Sony hasn’t made many changes to its lineup in recent years, so things could continue along a very predictable path, or we could see a more significant shakeup to reinvigorate the series. We’ll have to wait and see.

• Sony Xperia 1 III — July 1, 2021
• Sony Xperia 1 IV — June 1, 2022
• Sony Xperia 1 V — May 11, 2023

Sony has yet to officially acknowledge the Xperia 1 VI’s existence, so it’s no surprise that we still don’t have an official release date. To make matters worse, there haven’t even been any leaks or rumors about a potential release window. So we just have to make a guess based on the information we have.

Over the past three years, Sony has released the Xperia 1 in May, June and July. This trend suggests that Sony prefers to launch its flagship sometime during the summer. We expect the tech giant to do the same with VI this year, but we’ll have to wait until more information emerges to know for sure.

Although details are still scarce, rumors have picked up steam recently. We’re starting to hear rumors about specs, features, and even size. Here we break down everything we know so far.

Sony’s all-over black slab makes the range easy to spot among the competition, but it’s pretty difficult to tell the difference between any of the phones from the past five years. Not good if you want your latest phone to look new and exciting. Sony did tweak the formula a bit, however, equipping the Xperia 1 V with a new rugged back, but that hardly resulted in any meaningful changes. So far, there’s been little sign that Sony is taking bigger risks with the overall look.

There will likely be at least one significant change to the design, which may end up being controversial for some. Leaker Zackbucks on Weibo claims that the dimensions of the Xperia 1 VI will be 162 x 74.4 x 8.45mm. This will make the VI shorter and wider than its predecessor, which measured 165 x 71 x 8.3 mm. The source further added that Sony will ditch the 21:9 screen ratio in favor of a 19.5:9 ratio, giving the display a size of 149.6mm x 69.4mm (approximately 6.5 inches diagonally).

Another rumor, courtesy of tipster OnLeaks (via Android headlines), supporting the idea that phones will be shorter and wider. According to rumors, the device will feature a 6.5-inch display with dimensions of 161.9 x 74.5 x 8.4 mm.

Luckily, this rumor from OnLeaks also comes with some renders, which you can see above. If these renders are correct, it looks like we’re getting the same old overall black slate as previous generations. The phone also appears to feature the usual triple-camera setup.

A third-party Chinese phone case manufacturer released a listing for a Sony Xperia 1 VI phone case on March 29, 2024. As of this writing, the listing is still posted and viewable. While these images offer a fresh look at the phone, they may not be actual renders and merely an artist’s interpretation.

passing leaker @INSIDERSONY on X (formerly Twitter) shares tips on smartphone camera specs. According to the tipster, all three rear cameras will use Exmor T 48MP lenses.

It is said that the main camera size is 1/1.4 inches, the pixel size is 1.12μm, and the aperture is f/1.4. The sensor also reportedly features full-pixel dual PD autofocus and offers 2x optical zoom. The ultra-wide angle is 1/2.7 inches and the pixel size is 0.6μm. The leak claims that it uses Sony’s 2×2 on-chip lens technology, which allows the camera to focus quickly and accurately. Finally, the third camera is said to be a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 6x sensor crop zoom.

Another rumor, this time from a company called Smartphone Digest, suggesting that the Xperia 1 VI will have a feature to add digital signatures to modified images. It’s unclear how the feature will work, but Sony did issue a press release about a similar-sounding in-camera digital signature chip. The signature also allows people to see where the image has been tampered with. This will most likely be something used for artificial intelligence to edit photos.

How much does Sony Xperia 1 VI cost?

We don’t think Sony will charge less than $1,000, and it’s unlikely to exceed $1,600. There are rumors that 4K displays will be replaced by 2K displays, which suggests Sony may be aiming to make prices more competitive this time around. Given that last year’s entry sold for $1,400, we’ll likely see prices drop below that.

There are plenty of devices worth buying ahead of the Xperia 1 VI’s debut. Since the Xperia 1 V ($1,398 at Amazon) still exists and there’s no specific information about the 1 VI, Sony fans can’t go wrong by picking up the current model. If budget is a concern, European customers can buy the more affordable Xperia 5 V ($799.94 at Amazon), but we’re still waiting for a US release.