Sony Xperia 1 VI rumors: Expected release date and what we know so far

Update: May 3, 2024 (4:30 PM ET): We’ve updated our Xperia 1 VI hub with a new batch of official-looking images and all the latest leaked specs, including horsepower and battery capacity, cameras, and more.

It’s been almost a year since the Sony Xperia 1 V landed on store shelves, and as such, we’re thinking about Sony’s next flagship smartphone. While the current flagship is an excellent Android smartphone, it’s arguably a little stale. So, what could we expect from the Xperia 1 VI? Here’s everything we know so far about Sony’s future flagship.

Will there be a Sony Xperia 1 VI?

Sony has earned a reputation for its predictable release schedule within the Xperia line. This consistency, along with a flurry of recent leaks revealing the phone’s design and potential specifications, heavily points towards an imminent release of a Sony Xperia 1 VI. What’s more, Sony has recently announced a major upcoming event — a likely platform for the Xperia 1 VI’s official unveiling.

What is the most likely Sony Xperia 1 VI release date?

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

While Sony hasn’t confirmed the Xperia 1 VI’s existence yet, the recently announced “Xperia special event” on May 17 coincides with Sony’s tradition of unveiling its flagship Xperia devices during the early summer months. With the past three Xperia 1 models launching across May, June, and July, we can expect the Xperia 1 VI to follow suit.

While the phone might not be available to buy right after May 17, the event will likely showcase its features and potentially offer details about its market availability.

Sony Xperia 1 VI rumored specs and features

Details were somewhat scarce until early May 2024, when a major report offered a ton of apparent details. So between this report and other rumors, what do we know about the Xperia 1 VI?

Design

Sony’s monolithic black slab makes the range readily identifiable against the competition, but it’s pretty tricky to tell any of its phones from the past five years apart. That’s not good if you want your latest phone to appear fresh and exciting. However, Sony did tweak the formula a bit with a new rugged back for the Xperia 1 V, but that hardly shakes things up meaningfully. So far, there’s nothing to suggest that Sony will get any more adventurous than that with the overall look.

It’s possible there could be at least one notable change to the design, which may end up being controversial for some. Leaker Zackbucks on Weibo claimed that the Xperia 1 VI’s dimensions will be 162 x 74.4 x 8.45mm. This would make the VI shorter and wider than its predecessor, which measures 165 x 71 x 8.3mm. The tipster went further to add that Sony will drop the 21:9 screen ratio in favor of a 19.5:9 ratio, making the display 149.6mm x 69.4mm (~6.5 inches diagonal).

Another rumor, courtesy of tipster OnLeaks (via Android Headlines), supports the idea that the phone will be shorter and wider. According to this rumor, the device will have a 6.5-inch display and measure 161.9 x 74.5 x 8.4mm.

More recently,  X/Twitter user @MysteryLupin posted an entire album of official-looking images of the Xperia 1 VI, confirming key details about the phone. It does look like its predecessors and comes in three color variants, including classic black, silver, and olive green. We also got a glimpse of an official Sony case with a built-in kickstand. All color variants of the phone seem to feature a frosted matte finish at the back. The trusty 3.5mm headphone jack also makes its return at the top edge.

A third-party Chinese phone case maker put up a listing for a Sony Xperia 1 VI case on March 29, 2024. At the time of writing, the listing is still up and viewable. While the images could give us another look at the handset, it’s possible these images aren’t actual renders and are just artist interpretations.

Specs

A leaker who goes by @INSIDERSONY on X (formerly Twitter) shared a tip on what could be the smartphone’s camera specs. According to the tipster, all three rear cameras will be Exmor T 48MP lenses.

The main shooter is said to be 1/1.4 inches with a 1.12 μm pixel size and an aperture of f/1.4. This sensor reportedly also has full-pixel dual-PD autofocus and can deliver 2x optical zoom. While the ultrawide comes in at 1/2.7 inches with a 0.6μm pixel size. The leak says it features Sony’s 2×2 on-chip lens tech, 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 Japanese publication called Smartphone Digest, suggests the Xperia 1 VI will have a feature that adds a digital signature to altered images. It’s unknown how this feature will work, but Sony did put out a press release about a similar-sounding in-camera digital signature chip. This signature also allows people to see where the image has been tampered with. It’s likely this could be something used for AI-edited photos.

A recent report by MSPoweruser delivered a ton of purported specs. The phone is said to pack a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with improved cooling, a variable refresh rate OLED screen (1 to 120Hz) that’s 1.5 times brighter, a 5,000mAh battery with wireless and reverse wireless charging, and a 3.5mm port.

Switching to the cameras, the outlet claims that the Xperia 1 VI will bring a 16mm ultrawide camera, a 24mm main camera (no surprise here), and an 85mm to 170mm variable telephoto camera. The latter corresponds to ~3.5x to ~7x telephoto zoom. Furthermore, the website asserts that Sony is ditching its various Pro camera apps in favor of a single camera app that also supports pose estimation for better focusing.

What might the Sony Xperia 1 VI price be?

We don’t see Sony charging under $1,000, and it’s unlikely it would charge more than $1,600. Rumors claim the 4K display is going away in favor of a 2K display, which suggests that Sony could be aiming to make the price a little more competitive this time around. Given that last year’s entry sold for $1,400, we could see the price falling somewhere under that.

One apparent leak by Sumahodigest suggests that the phone will retail for TWD 39,900 (~$1,233 USD) in Taiwan.

Should you wait for the Sony Xperia 1 VI?

With May 17 not being too far away, it makes sense to wait for what Sony has in store with the Xperia 1 VI. That being said, the Xperia 1 V ($1398 at Amazon) is still around, and Sony fans can’t go wrong picking up the current model if they can find it for a cheaper price. If budget is a concern, Sony’s more affordable Xperia 5 V ($799.94 at Amazon) is available for European customers.

Of course, if you need a great flagship phone right away, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra $1419.99 at Amazon and Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max ($1199 at Amazon) are well worth a look at a slightly lower price point. They’re not imbued with all the multimedia features you’ll find in Sony’s powerhouse, but they’re not far off and come with much longer update promises.