Sony Launches New Xperia 1V and Xperia 10V Smartphones

By Shawn Chung - Singapore

Sony has been manufacturing cellular phones since the 1990s (most for the Japanese Domestic Market) and during the heyday of the Sony Ericsson mobile brand, once enjoyed a 9% share of the global mobile phone market in 2007, which is also the year Apple launched the iPhone, which would lead to the current smartphone domination.

Since 2021, Sony’s Xperia smartphones have been consolidated under the parent Sony Corporation, and while they have had a small impact of the global Android smartphone market, the new Xperia 1V and Xperia 10V carry unique-to-Sony features that make them desirable, such as optics and camera sensors (Sony Semiconductor Solutions Group is one of the world’s biggest image sensor manufacturers).

Xperia 1V

The Xperia 1V (pronounced ‘Xperia 1 mark 5’) is the world’s first flagship smartphone equipped with a newly developed stacked CMOS image sensor with 2-layer Transistor Pixel, carrying on the flagship Xperia 1’s reputation as an advanced camera-centric smartphone for content creators.

The newly developed image sensor for the Xperia 1V depicts rich colors and textures of people, landscapes, and scenes in even dark locations, while improved low-light performance, approximately double compared its predecessor, and high-speed multi frame overlay procession technology enable the Xperia 1V to shoot a noise resistant photo with a wider dynamic range that is equivalent to a full-frame camera. The 24 mm lens on the back of the Xperia 1V is equipped with a 2-layer Transistor Pixel stacked CMOS image sensor “Exmor T for mobile” which is about 1.7 times larger than previous image sensor. In addition, the 85-125 mm (F2.3-F2.8) optical zoom lens enables bright portraits with little distortion.

S-Cinetone, known by cinematographers, has been adjusted and installed for mobile, so the texture of the human skin can be beautifully expressed in images. In addition, the new sensor has approximately three times the saturation signal level compared to a conventional sensor, and unique image quality processing suppresses noise that tends to occur in dark scenes, resulting in beautiful images with soft colors.

The Xperia 1V has a multitude of functions found on Sony’s Alpha camera, including color presets such as Creative Look and high-performance real time AF (auto focus). Xperia’s high-performance Real-time Eye AF and Real-time tracking also enable photography with the focus on the eyes of a person or a specified subject, while AI depth that analyzes distance information, so even distant subjects can be clearly focused. Additionally, high-speed continuous shooting of up to 30 frames per second with AF/AE tracking is newly available, so no moment will be missed.

Xperia 1V fits all creators’ needs with the Product Showcase Setting, which is a popular function in Sony’s VLOGCAM series and shifts the focus on the camera to the product, instead of the reviewer's face, when capturing a video. Additionally, a new voice priority mic is placed near the rear camera, so that a creator’s voice is clearly recorded even in an environment with high ambient noise. When capturing a YouTube Live stream via the video recording function “Videography Pro”, chats from viewers can be viewed in the comment section simultaneously, allowing for immediate interaction with viewers in real time. The user interface also supports vertical shooting, so you can shoot content in any orientation, either vertically or horizontally.

The flagship Xperia smartphone rocks a 6.5-inch 4K OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, while powerful and low-noise speaker amplifiers improve the spread and depth of the sound, offering an authentic viewing experience of movies and music without a need for an additional speaker.

The game assist function "Game Enhancer" provides visual and auditory support for game players. In addition to simply playing, players can also livestream their playing scene on YouTube. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen2 Mobile Platform and Elite Gaming optimizes the experience of shooting, viewing and playing games with superior level.

Despite using a 4K display, approximately 20 hours of continuous video playback is available with the Xperia 1V’s powerful 5,000mAh battery. It supports wireless charging, 30 minutes quick charge up to 50%, and has a unique charging optimization technology that supports users with a battery that maintains 80% or more of its maximum capacity even after 3 years.

Pricing and Availability

The Xperia 1V is expected to be available in July with Black and Khaki Green colorways, from USD $1,399/SGD $1,969.

Xperia 10V

At just 159g in weight, the Xperia 10V (‘Xperia 10 mark 5’) is the world’s lightest 5G-enabled smartphone with 5,000mAh battery.

Whether you’re watching a movie or listening to music, stereo speakers at the front of the Xperia 10V deliver powerful, balanced true stereo sound. In addition, the 6.1-inch, full HD+ OLED display (protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus) is approximately 1.5 times brighter than the previous model, improving visibility outdoors. Equipped with a (now rare) 3.5mm audio jack, the Xperia 10V also supports wireless transmission technology LDAC, so you can enjoy high-resolution high-quality sound with both wired and wireless headphones. In addition, DSEE Ultimate, which uses Sony's proprietary AI technology, reproduces the sound source of the streaming service with high-quality sound equivalent to high resolution.

With a triple main camera module featuring 16mm (F2.2), 26mm (F1.8), and 54mm (F2.2) cameras, a host of different shots are possible. In addition, the wide-angle lens is equipped with a new image sensor that is approximately 1.6 times larger than the previous model, allowing more light to be captured with less noise. Optical image stabilization makes it possible to take beautiful shots of difficult-to-shoot dark locations, scenes with large contrasts, and night scenes.

The hand shutter function on the front camera allows hands-free easy selfies by automatically releasing the shutter when you point your palm at the device. Sony's unique hybrid image stabilization, which combines optical image stabilization and electronic image stabilization, enables video recording with less blur.

Officially the world's lightest 5G smartphone with 5,000mAh battery at 159g, the Xperia 10V can show videos for up to 34 hours, and is IP65/68 waterproof and dustproof.

Pricing and Availability

The Xperia 10V will be available in June in Lavender and Black versions for around USD $410/SGD $679