The BEST smartphone camera? Sony Xperia 1 V review

The Sony Xperia 1 V is here! But can Sony’s latest flagship smartphone really replace your DSLR? What’s it like compared to the iPhone 14 Pro Max? And is it a decent smartphone in its own right? Find out in my full Sony Xperia 1 V review and camera test!

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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:16 - Specs and pricing
02:09 - Photo Pro performance
05:21 - Photo Basic performance
06:55 - Xperia 1 V vs iPhone 14 Pro Max
08:08 - Video performance
11:52 - Smartphone performance
13:16 - Conclusion

[MarkEllisReviews]

Would you ever swap your DSLR camera for a smartphone?

[karurogaming]

Sony Xperia images looks more natural. I like it.

[bclva_tactical]

For me Sony wins against any other phone. It's about skin tones, green colour and so one. I can always make it pop in post if I want but making realistic from artificially generated photos like other brands force is much harder.

[cristisun]

The Sony main sensor shots are more natural than any other competitor in my opinion.The main sensor combined with the camera apps are the best photo/video experience in the market.The 2 other sensors are ok.The price is the only concern for me but I really intend to buy one when the price will settle a bit.

[milanzemel]

I switched from fold 3 to Xperia 1V and i can just say it's amazing phone and there is so much fun with it!i had many phones, even iphone but only sony feels like proper camera phone

[KananNallainathan]

i am glad i bought the Xperia 1 mk V last July... also happy to skip the 1 mk 6 and keep using mine hopefully until 2026... overall its the best Xperia i have ever used... still getting over a day battery Life in medium to heavy use cases... the OLED 4K screen is beautiful but i run the screen in 60Hz mode to increase battery Life... also using Battery Care mode is a must and i recommend doing this with Xperia smartphones... id rate the phone a 9.5/10 easy... the camera is just incredible... as a former freelance photographer i now see the merits in just taking a Sony to places to take photos rather than my semi pro Panasonic GF1... really really happy with my Xperia 1 mk V and i dont want to replace it for awhile...

[the_kryptonte]

Iphone and other androids = for point, shoot, post and share..saturated photos
Sony = find subject, point, compose shot, edit, post and share...creates a masterpiece.

[hiroshi]

super happy to see you reviewing this phone, i just got mine and absolutely in love with it. only wished the computational photography (auto mode) would get better in the future because the night shots are a bit mid

[mitismee]

2:27 i hate how phone reviewer are using thr word overwhelming for Photo pro in Sony phone , like lets be real people buy this phone like me at least know how proper camera interface work and what to dial, average smartphone consumer will not care for sony if sony wanna make mainstream smartphone they'd probably going back to the way they make them Z line up back in the day which was very popular, Sony kept this "overwhelming" camera interface because they want to they want to stay true to the Xperia and their alpha camera they focus more on people that care for more serious photography

[flitetym]

When examined as a competitor to Apple or Samsung, the results are “marginally better.”

But when evaluated and assessed as a component in the Sony photo ecosystem, the xPeria is peerless, and I can’t wait to get my hands on one.

The mere fact of this phone allowing the photographer to use it as a field monitor for the Alpha series of cameras alone makes the xPeria worth the price of admission.

I’m “sold.”

[Khonichev]

Shots from 1-V look great for a phone camera, for my eye definitely beating s23 or iPhone, but the pricing is insane. Nearly double the base s23! Hopefully 5-V carries this same camera into a more palatable price point.

[enniopp]

If you want a more natural picture with less Post processing the xperia is the choice

[gamebuster]

I just got my 1 V and yes, the iPhone might shoot better photos out-of-the-box, playing with all the settings on the 1 V is much more fun. I've been playing with the 1 V for a few days and it didn't overheat once.

I found that you can get some pretty nice pics on manual mode. It taks a lot of time though

[WaniMedia]

The 24mm and new exmor t sensor is amazing! i had to buy the vlogging kit so i could use it. ISO up to 6, 400 and Shutterspeeds as low as 30 sec. place it somewhere steady and you can get good low light landscapes or astro ish shots.

[danidarklord]

Finally I got to see RAW performance review of this phone, quite impressive I'd say

[winnerzero]

I love this phone - preordered. Sony ftw!

[Sabundy]

I can answer the 2nd would buy it and I am going to buy it 🙋🙋🙋

[martinhancock]

Got mine a few weeks back. Definitely the best camera phone for true photographers.

[TheThanatoros]

I think iphone goes to much on the software edíting of the photos and xperia takes more "real" photos and video is clearly better on xperia only the stabilization is better on the iphone

[doctornebula]

The Experia 1 V is for people who like to make adjustments manually with their smartphones or edit RAW shots because that's where the camera shines. It's impressive in Auto mode in bright light due to its sharpness (without over-sharpening) and realistic colors. Downsides: 1) Can't make calls on WIFI. 2) Can't shoot macro (up close shots). I'm still tempted to get one:-)