There’s a brand new Sony Xperia flagship smartphone approaching Could 13. It’s most likely going to be known as the Xperia 1 VII and Sony’s identify is synonymous with nice cameras, prime optics, and high-level computational pictures experience. Plus, the teaser video tells us the brand new Xperia’s digital camera will comprise experience taken from its Alpha sequence cameras.
Few different telephone manufacturers have such wealthy photographic heritage, and most resort to bringing in a digital camera maker to attempt to get the identical kudos. I feel the Xperia 1 VII is probably Sony’s time to shine, and if it’s nearly as good as we hope, to take agency management as maker of the very best telephone digital camera of the 12 months. Right here’s why.
Samsung has dropped the ball
Model recognition is essential, and it’s one of many prime causes lots of people purchase a Samsung smartphone. Those who desire a Samsung telephone with a superb digital camera often choose the Extremely mannequin, with the Galaxy S25 Extremely being the newest. The difficulty is, whereas the Galaxy S25 Extremely’s digital camera is first rate, it’s not spectacular.
I’ve not too long ago returned from a protracted weekend away with the Galaxy S25 Extremely as my major digital camera, and I spent a variety of time enhancing the photographs I took to get them trying the best way I wished. I by no means thoughts enhancing photographs, however I don’t assume it ought to be a necessity, but I imagine it’s with the Galaxy S25 Extremely. A bit of tweak to get your most well-liked look is one factor, however it’s fairly one other to really feel it’s essential to edit photographs simply to achieve an appropriate baseline. Colours, distinction, and publicity by no means fairly look proper straight off the digital camera.
It’s a critical problem as a result of the primary digital camera is affected, which additionally suffers from poor stabilization leading to a scarcity of sharpness. The Galaxy S25 Extremely beat the Apple iPhone 16 Professional Max in our digital camera check, however within the course of misplaced out in the primary digital camera class. Can a digital camera actually be known as “the very best” in a check the place the digital camera we’ll all use probably the most fails to win? The Galaxy S25 Extremely’s digital camera is, as a complete, excellent. Nonetheless, I don’t think about it the pictures fan’s selection, and it leaves the door open for a challenger.
What about Google, Xiaomi, and OnePlus?
Xiaomi additionally takes smartphone pictures very severely. It produces an adjunct that appears like a camera-shaped case for the telephone, full with a built-in battery, bodily digital camera controls, and the possibility to connect filters too. Nonetheless, flashy equipment don’t actually matter if the digital camera’s software program hasn’t fairly caught up with the newest {hardware} adjustments, which is the case with the Xiaomi 15 Extremely.
OnePlus additionally works with a digital camera model, Hasselblad, and the OnePlus 13 takes nice photographs. However is it stellar? No, however that’s not likely what it units out to be. The OnePlus 13 is de facto the very best all-round Android telephone obtainable for the time being, and most of the people can be very pleased with the digital camera, simply as they are going to be with the remainder of the telephone. However I don’t assume photograph lovers will flock to it, they usually’re proper to not. Hasselblad’s identify could also be on the again, however it’s rather more of a branding train than it’s about profiting from the digital camera {hardware}.
Then there’s the Google Pixel 9 vary. The Pixel’s digital camera is excellent certainly, nearly no matter which mannequin you purchase, however I can’t actually say it’s the best you will get anymore. Google has spent the previous couple of years messing round with AI-powered options like Add Me, and I don’t really feel it has pushed as exhausting to make its digital camera take higher photographs. It has given manufacturers like Xiaomi the chance to be the digital camera go-to.
It’s Sony’s probability
All this implies there’s an opportunity for an additional smartphone maker to swoop in and declare the crown emblazoned with the phrases “greatest digital camera telephone 2025.” To take action it wants model recognition, ideally built-in with out the necessity to carry on a accomplice. It wants intensive expertise making cameras and lenses. It wants to know methods to tune the software program behind the digital camera, and it wants to know what photographers need.
an actual probability to stitch up the title of greatest digital camera telephone of 2025
Most telephone followers will know Sony’s technique has chopped and adjusted loads since then, and its smartphones are a rarity alongside the large names immediately. Don’t neglect although, Sony’s digital camera elements are discovered in lots of prime smartphones already. It is aware of what it’s doing, and if the forthcoming Xperia 1 VII has a digital camera on the again which successfully leverages all Sony’s expertise and experience, it has an actual probability to stitch up the title of greatest digital camera telephone of 2025 earlier than we’re midway via the 12 months.
We could by no means discover out
Sadly, whereas I’m assured Sony might do it, I’m additionally life like. The very fact is it hasn’t been in a position to put all of the above collectively to make a very excellent digital camera but, regardless of years of making an attempt. Past this it makes shopping for its telephones fairly tough, it doesn’t at all times promote them globally, it’s horrible at selling them, and it has a repute for being, nicely, a bit uninteresting. Samsung’s Galaxy AI might not be the promoting level the corporate thinks it’s, however there’s no query it actually is aware of methods to persuade us it’s. Even when the Sony Xperia 1 VII’s digital camera is unbelievable, there’s a really actual probability we’ll by no means really know, and it’s an actual disgrace for us, together with dangerous information for a telephone maker many individuals could have forgotten even makes telephones in any respect.