Introducing the Sony Xperia 1 VI, Sony’s flagship phone for 2024, featuring a remarkable triple camera setup. The standout feature is the telephoto camera, offering stepless optical zoom between 3.5x and 7.1x for exceptional zoom quality. Let’s delve into how this camera performs in the PhoneArena Camera Score test.

Specs:

• Main camera: 48MP, F1.9, 1/1.35", 1.12 μm pixel size
• Telephoto camera: 12MP, 3.5x to 7.1x optical zoom (85-170mm), 1/3.5" sensor size
• Ultra-wide camera: 12MP, F2.2, 1/2.5" sensor size, 1.4 μm pixel size
• Front-facing camera: 12MP

The Xperia 1 VI maintains a similar setup to its predecessor but introduces a more versatile zooming system with the new telephoto camera compared to the fixed optical zoom of the Xperia 1 V.

Sony Xperia 1 VI Camera Score compared to rivals:

• PhoneArena Camera Score: 137.6
• Photo Score: 144.1
• Video Score: 131

While the Xperia lags behind top contenders like the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro in overall camera capabilities, it shows significant improvement over its predecessor.

Main Camera: The main camera offers realistic color reproduction and decent exposure but exhibits some oversharpening and lacks high-res or HDR preview capabilities.

Zoom Quality: The telephoto camera delivers excellent detail throughout its zoom range without oversharpening issues, providing impressive results at both ends of the spectrum.

Ultra-Wide Camera: The ultra-wide camera struggles with exposure accuracy and detail capture compared to rivals but includes a dedicated macro feature for close-up shots.

Front Camera: The front-facing camera captures realistic photos with proper exposure and improved detail quality but may show slight oversharpening effects.

In terms of video performance:

• Main Camera – Video: Decent exposure and colors but lacks detail and stabilization compared to competitors.
• Zoom Quality – Video: Variable telephoto performs well with great exposure and true-to-life colors without oversharpening.
• Ultra-Wide Quality – Video: Decent video quality with good exposure and color rendition but limited detail capture.
• Front Camera – Video: Good video quality with some blown-out highlights and oversharpening issues affecting detail clarity.

In conclusion, while the Xperia 1 VI shows promise with its true-to-life colors and innovative telephoto capabilities, it falls short in some areas such as oversharpening and exposure accuracy. Despite these drawbacks, Sony’s latest flagship offers intriguing features that set it apart from competitors in the smartphone photography space.