Sony is teasing a new flagship device, though this time in the smartphone realm. The company posted a very short video on its YouTube channel to announce the May 13th launch date of the next Xperia 1 phone. The new model, which will likely be called the Xperia 1 VII, comes almost a year to the day after the launch of the Xperia 1 VI.
The 28-second video doesn’t reveal much, but it does show off the Sony a1 camera, what looks to be the 70-200mm f/4 Macro G OSS II lens and the 50mm f/1.2 GM lens. It also includes the tagline “Powered by Alpha.” Of course, that could mean a lot of things, referencing either software or hardware.
While the Sony Xperia 1 VI’s camera system was good, it wasn’t spectacular. It featured a 48MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide and 12MP telephoto with 3.5x-7.1x continuous optical zoom, all of which used Zeiss optics. What made the Xperia 1 VI unique was its expandable memory and headphone jack, which are rarities in current phones. Given all the camera references in the teaser, perhaps Sony will surprise us with something exciting camera-wise on the new version to bring back some excitement around its flagship phone.
The brief view of the phone’s back reveals a design that looks very similar to the Xperia 1 VI. It keeps the three-camera array and standard rectangular build with flat edges. A graphic at the end features a colorful triangle with a TV, camera and music device at each corner, which likely suggests that the phone will borrow aspects from Sony’s Bravia TVs, cameras and Walkman products.
When it was launched last year, the Xperia 1 VI cost roughly $1,300, which was quite pricey given what it offered. It also wasn’t available in the US. There’s no word yet on pricing or availability for the new phone, but leaked information suggests there won’t be a US launch of the new model, either. We’ll just have to wait until May 13 for details.
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