The last Sony Xperia Phone 2017 to be released in India was Xperia R1 and R1 Plus. The last one Xperia to launch in the US was 1st, back in 2023. And when I do not have enough time to go through each and every country in the last few years – you do not want once you don’t want an Xperia even today. Limited availability, however, Sony is still selling its Xperia 1, 10 and 5 series at some places around the world.

The latest release Sony’s Xperia 1 VII is a flagship smartphone, and it is available for pre-order in Europe, Japan and UK. Now, why did Soni expel from the markets for years? Why did its market share shrink? Why did Sony not compatible with the changes that sometimes develop in the world of smartphone? This is a debate for a different time. For now, Xperia 1 VII is a kind of phone – if Sony was still releasing his phone to the public – then it would be sold like hotcakes.

Xperia 1 VII feels absolutely right how you will expect Sony flagship – long, smooth and minimal. It is available in three elegant color options: Moss Green, Orchid Purple and Slate Black. Design continues Sony’s signature 21: 9 aspect ratio – first seen with 4K resolution display on OG Xperia 1 since 2019 – which makes the phone more cinematic than most of the flagship outside there.

Power to the phone is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Chipset. It is paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. There is no high version, but you get support from microSD card up to 2TB, which is again a rare view in the flagship.

What Xperia 1 VII stands out, it is how Sony brings this phone to help you feel really premium in its other hardware divisions. The camera system has been developed in collaboration with the company’s Alpha team-the same people behind the top-end mirrorless cameras of Soni. The Bravia is also input from the team for performance and, for the first time, Walkman Division for Audio Experience.

The phone retains a 3.5 mm headphone jack (thanks, Sony), and this time, they have also gone to add gold to an audio circuit to reduce signal loss. In simple words, if you care about wired audio – and there is a possibility, if you are a Sony fan, you do – this is a cure.

Then there is the camera. A non-nonsense triple-lens setup: a 48-megapixel primary sensor, another 48 megapixel ultra-wide, and a 12-megapixel telephoto. But the real magic software is – Sony’s calling Xperia Intelligence. This includes characteristics such as human currency estimates, real -time eye autofocus, subject recognition and depth estimates. These are to make it easier for someone to shoot like Pro. Of course, I cannot comment on the real quality of the results, but from years, with all the videos I have seen about Sony’s Xperia 1 flagship phone – I have only heard very good things about the camera, and I hope nothing has changed with the latest generation model.

On the software front, the Xperia 1 VII ships out of Android 15 out of the box. Sony has promised a four -year Android OS update and a six -year security patch. Samsung or Google is not equal to, but still respectable.

And here is the part that stings – it is not coming to India. It cannot even come to America. Speaking about, at the time of writing, Sony has not confirmed anything about the American launch. For now, it is only for pre-order in Japan, Europe and UK, priced at 1,399 pounds (about Rs 1,59,200)-which is 100 pounds more than the previous generation.

Honestly, it is a matter of shame. Because this phone, with all its audio and camera smart, grand performance, and that clean, industrially – will be its own fanbase here. Perhaps not on a large scale, but loyal to ensure. Pricing may also have been adjusted in the Indian market. Who knows. But it is just unfortunate that most of us cannot buy it.